Lane Limited LEO

The tin description above says this blend won the contest but I believe it won the People's Choice award, which I guess means that we "non-experts" chose it as the best of the bunch. Can't comment on that since I haven't smoked the other two, but this one is definitely a winner in my book!

Mostly lighter colored with some mottling from a bit of black latakia, this has an enticing latakia/oriental tin nose. Lightup does indeed highlight the latakia but it quickly retreats to the rear. I've read/heard that this is an oriental-forward blend but I don't agree. To my tastebuds, the virginia is front and center at all times save for the very bottom of the bowl, with the orientals riding shotgun. A beautiful naturally sweet blend with about a whiff-and-a-half of spice, similar to my admittedly foggy recollection of the blend it's emulating. Using my "good memory", this is the Highland Targe/Davidoff Royalty type of "balkan" rather than the Charing Cross/Sobranie type... mellow, nuanced, creamy, with a lightly sweet baked bread flavor. The ribbons burn perfectly and the nic is fairly low but there. When overpuffed, it brings the tingle but never gets piqued enough to snarl. Smoked at normal cadence, this is a very worthy blend and is highly recommended. Whether it properly mimics the John Cotton, I can't recall. Whether that matters is up to the individual. This is good enough to make that comparison irrelevant to me. And folks, one last thing... this stuff is cheap, cheap, CHEEEEEEP! For now!

This is one of my favorite blends to come out recently. It has settled into the "comfortable old friend role" where no new or giant adventures are needed, just a good peacefull time.

It starts out with a nice medium latakia flavor, then settles into a sweet spicy phase as the Virginias and Orientals take center stage, with latakia providing background support, and pretty well stays that way till the end. Its hard to categorize this one, it really is just a nice Medium blend, providing good flavor, without ever getting too hot, bitter, or strong, and maintains and clean flavor profile.

Since I first tried this, every time I order tobacco I add a tin or two of this to the order, its just that good.

The lightly floral, lightly spicy, tart citrusy, grassy bright Virginia takes a little of the lead over the mildly tangy dark fruit sweet, earthy orange Virginia. They form the base of the blend as the lead components. The dry, moderately sour and buttery creamy sweet, floral, woody, very spicy Oriental hangs in the middle of being a condiment and a supporting player. The smoky, woody sweet Cyprian latakia is a condiment, and varies in its impact at times. You will notice every aforementioned aspect in every puff. The strength and taste levels are a little closer to medium than they are to mild, chiefly due to the spice content of the varietals. The nic-hit is a step closer to mild than it is to medium. Won’t bite or get harsh, but will tingle the tongue if puffed fast because of the spice, even though it is a cool burning product. Burns at a reasonable pace with a fairly consistent flavor as it easily burns to ash. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant after taste that lingers just a mite. Fairly rich in taste for a mild to medium blend. Can be an all day smoke. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

When I first opened my first tin of LEO, I was greeted with a sweet and sour scent that I sometimes associate with some of the Dunhill blends and for me that's a good thing. The ribbons are mainly tan with just a small smattering of Latakia. In appearance it reminds me a lot of GH's #25. I agree with DK below that this is more of a Virginia forward blend with the support tobaccos IMO being added masterfully. Being such, I did find it to burn a little hot when forgetting to remember a proper cadence. LEO is sweet and slightly smoky. I don't recall it being as sweet when introduced at the Chicago show but the sample was small and it was a smoke fest! I am going to buck the trend a little and say that I think there is a tiny amount of manually added sweetness to LEO, and for me that just adds to the wonderful flavors that come from this blend. Lane has created a great blend at a great price!

A Virginia forward English. The strongest nuance is the sweetness followed by smokiness from the Lat and a little tanginess from the Oriental. The Virginias seem to be of the bright variety and my personal preference would have been for some reds. The brights in this blend don't bite, but they make my lips tingle slightly. I seem to always have that reaction to them. Regardless, I found myself enjoying this blend. It's a very good smoke. There did seem to be a very mild added sweet touch. 3+.

Being a fan of the lighter side of the English blend spectrum, I was anxious to try Leo. It has a lot more flavor than Standard Mix Mellow and much milder than Early Morning Pipe. Being Virginia forward, the latakia and oriental components are there in a supporting role. But each plays their part well. This is a very flavorful and satisfying mixture of quality tobaccos. A great all day blend for those who like their pleasure on the milder side. Be careful, as this blend tends to burn a little hot. Well done!

Though I liked LEO quite a bit my first go around, a year and a half of age on this VA forward tin has resulted in a magnificent blend; sweet, citrusy VA forward with the smooth spice of the orientals and the quiet backbone of a touch of Latakia; terrific stuff! Put a tin away for a year or two and see for yourself. Given its price, LEO is one of the best deals out there. Highly recommended.

I haven't smoked the other two competitors in the John Cotton throwdown, but this one strikes me as very similar to the original. In the old days I smoked #1, #2 and #'s 1&2. I never cared for #1 as it was way too light for my tastes, but I loved #2 and smoked it until it was taken out of production. This left the 1&2 blend and I smoked it off and on until it also disappeared. It was never my first choice among englishes although I thought it was quite good. I always seemed to prefer blends with a little more backbone, like Dunhill 965 or Balkan Sobranie 759.

Moving forward to the present, we have the throwdown blends. I knew that Leo Wortzel of Lane Ltd. had been successful in his Leo blend as soon as I opened my first tin. Leo looks quite similar to the original, has a tin aroma very similar to the original and smokes quite like the original. Therein lies the issue - as the original blend was good but not my first choice, so its the same with Leo. The current blend is a little too light blond, a little too light on the latakia and smokes with a very high register. Today I would prefer something like Hearth & Home's Ambassador's Blend or McClelland's Wilderness - more complex mixtures with a higher latakia content and something toasty and brown in the middle range.

There is nothing wrong with the Leo blend. It just lacks complexity. But I like it and have put tins away to see how it will age. I'm smoking a tin right now and am beginning to use it in microblending - recommended with three stars.

I'm sorry, but I don't remember the John Cotton blend this was suppose to replicate, that said, this is a good but not a great blend . It is a Virginia forward blend with slight Oriental support( not "Traditional English" as advertised). When you first open the tin you get an "Olive Brine" scent tin note, very similar to Mac Baren's HH Mature Virginia's tin note. The blend is mild and has a sweetness from the Virginias and without bite, however, the blend tends to get ashy and hot as you reach the half bowl and the smoke never develops into anything interesting. Overall not bad, but just boring, why buy again?

3/12/14 Updated- I just revisited this blend after about 3 weeks and have found a few changes. The tin note is gone, which is fine with me , but when tried in a tall cob, the smoke is sweet , like a honey topping, isn't ashy or hot and no bite. It really only shows the Virginias with minor Latakia support. I really enjoyed this as a mild sweet smoke. However , when tried outside in a calm breeze and in an Ozark Maple the smoke was flavorless hot and ashy. My recommendation would be smoke this in a cob and stay out of the breeze . I'm moving this up to three stars, a little more body and it would be 4 star

PS I just noticed "King Weed" following me again !!!! Uncanny , liked your review and agree. I also think reviewer "DK" nailed the review.

I purchased a tin of LEO from a local B&M tobacco shop. They recommended it based on my personal preferences; I think I mentioned Penzance and Squadron Leader for guidelines.

Unlike most tins that I purchase, when I opened LEO, it was already at a decent moisture level. Most tins require a few day dry out period but I smoked my first bowl of LEO the day I opened the tin.

There's little remarkable about this smooth blend. No flavors are overpowering. However, every bowl I smoked was a pleasant experience. As I got further into the tin, I found that I was always excited about smoking LEO. Is it a Penzance? Is it a Squadron Leader? Absolutely not. But it is most definitely a wonderful smoke.

If you're the guy that's never happy with ordinary and is always looking for a new and more exciting experience, maybe LEO isn't for you. There's nothing flashy about it. However, if you've learned to enjoy the long-lasting joy of something that fits just right, give LEO a try. You just might find a life-long partner.