John Middleton -- Prince Albert

Brand: John Middleton
Blend: Prince Albert
Style: Burley
Pipe Used: Dominique Signature (Jeantet) Dublin
Price: $2.50/1.5oz.

Appearance: 7
Taste: 7
Room Note: 8
Value: 10
Overall: 8

"Do you have Prince Albert in a can?"
"Yes."
"Then you better let him out!"
(Hilarious squeals of laughter)

I knew of this classic crank telephone call well before I ever tried the tobacco. Heck, I probably even made a few such calls myself during my misspent youth.

Prince Albert is truly one of the classic American pipe tobaccos -- what are now referred to as drugstore or codger blends. It's been around since 1907 and is still going strong some hundred-plus years later.

This is the one and only tobacco that my grandfather smoked and just the faintest whiff of its sweet aroma is enough to send me right down memory lane. For this very reason I long put off trying Prince Albert because I didn't want to alter those memories in any way.

But a few weeks ago I was placing an order and on a whim I threw in a pouch (sadly not a can) of the Prince. It was time to finally break down and give this classic a try.

Advertised as a crimp cut, Prince Albert is a light to medium brown ribbon cut Burley tobacco blend. Right out of the pouch it's dry enough to smoke immediately and gives off a pleasant nutty aroma.

I loaded up an estate Dominique Signature 1/8 bent Dublin (manufactured by Jeantet of France) with the tobacco. I'm trying to break in this pipe after a thorough cleaning and supposedly these classic Burley blends are just the ticket for that task.

The tobacco lit up easily and stayed lit for a good long time requiring a relight only when I left the pipe unattended for five minutes or so. This is definitely a fire and forget it tobacco.

The flavor was about what one would expect from a classic Burley blend -- nutty, mild, and unobtrusive. For an all day smoke this type of consistent, unchallenging flavor is perfect. If it was good enough for granddad then I guess it's good enough for me.

While Prince Albert is billed as a straight Burley blend and there are no heavy casings in evidence there does seem to be a little something in there with added sweetness. It could just be a particular tobacco that they use but I certainly taste and smell something above and beyond any Burley I know.

As for the aroma, Prince Albert gives off that classic pipe smell that's likely to elicit favorable responses from those around you who grew up with pipe smoking grandfathers like I did. If puffed too fast and furiously the smoke can get a little too dense and begin to smell like a foul cigarette but you wouldn't want to abuse your pipes like that anyways.

I tried hard to make this stuff bite but it just refused to lash out and remained mellow from beginning to end. This is one well behaved tobacco.

Prince Albert has long been one of the top pipe tobaccos in this country and with good reason. It's an easy burning, fine tasting, good smelling, and inexpensive blend. I suppose that explains how it's lasted unchanged for over a hundred years.

I enjoy exploring the wide world of tobacco too much to ever chain myself to one exclusive blend but the Prince has found a place in my rotation. This almost unbelievably easy smoke is perfect for when you want to concentrate more on the task at hand than on your pipe. Its mellow flavor also makes it a perfect blend for mixing with other tobacco.

Anyone who enjoys a relaxing smoke should give Prince Albert a fair shake. Just because it's been around forever and can be purchased over the counter at your local drugstore doesn't mean that it hasn't rightfully earned its place in the pantheon of great pipe tobaccos.