Lane Limited - Crown Achievement pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 29 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
Passion	05/16/2013	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
My friend loves this blend. However I think it is underwhelming. Nothing works together in this blend and even the subtle undertones of the orientals taste flat. It was a chore for me to smoke, even after revisiting it months later. I'll let my friend enjoy it!
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clifswin	04/16/2012	Medium to Strong	None detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong
When Crown Achievement was dropped by LL several years ago, it wasn't my favorite, but was on my list of fallback tobaccos, when I needed a change from my regulars. As it was dropped, there were several places that put CA bulk on huge discounts, and I picked up a few pounds just to have it around and because it was a deal. Put it up in Mason jars and set it in storage, and pretty much forgot about it. Fast forward... now six years after tinning, I cracked one last night. Oh. My. God. Delicate, complex flavors that roll over my tongue and seem to dance through my synapses. I smoked a bowl, with frequent gasps and sighs of pleasure. Then to be sure, I tried another in a different pipe. Then another in a diferent... I can't say it's the best tobacco I've ever tasted, but that's only because I can't compare directly with some older ones that are now only long-gone memories. Its burning is less than perfect; I have to relight it several times through a bowl, which is not the norm for me. As complaints go, that's my only one. Well, one other: I can't just smoke and smoke this, day in and day out, since I'd run through all of it too fast. But if you have some you put up years ago and forgot about, like I did, I'd say you have a real treat in store!
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TheViking	09/29/2011	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I walked into a tobacconist several days ago looking to purchase any decent type of tobacco, as I had run out on my business trip. Unfortunately what was once a respectable tobacco shop had turned into a weird kind of cyber cafe whose only selection of pipe tobaccos were the large plastic canisters that Lane's tobacco is normally sold in. I picked this mixture as it was the only one that didn't seem to be dripping with casing and humectant. To say that I didn't expect much out of this tobacco at $2.99 an ounce would be an understatement. A day later I was pleasantly surprised. The tobacco does contain quite a few stems, and is not the easiest blend to pack. I smoked it in a BIG Nording freehand. The tobacco lit easily, and stayed lit throughout my smoke. It has acted the same on each successive smoke. I tend to get three or four smokes out of this pipe per fill. The flavor is very mild with a smoky kind of pinewood campire taste at the top of the bowl. A quarter of the way into the bowl I was surprised with a decidedly nutty flavor melding into a very light chocolate note. The further I smoked the more the nuttiness developed into an almond-like quality. It has turned out to be a surprisingly complex blend. The spiciness of the latakia weaves in and out of the food notes, bringing a pleasant bite. I believe that this tobacco has probably been sitting on their shelf for several years, so I don't know if this is an earlier version. I do know that I will be taking a bunch back with me to cellar, and that is something that I never thought that I'd say about a bulk Lane's blend.
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SteelCowboy	09/24/2011	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I think OldSage review below nails it. This blend may have some high end tobaccos, but they don't seem to be blended right and its just a sour mess. It's no surprise that this blend is now gone. Boring, flat and sour. Not Recommended.
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oldsage	05/19/2011	Mild	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
I've sampled this tobacco off and on through the decades. First off, it takes a practiced hand at slow smoking to bring out the best in this blend; it's not for beginners. Ultimately, I feel that Crown Achievement is what happens when someone without an understanding of true balance undertakes the task of blending a premium English/Balkan-style mixture. Lane used the finest Orientals and Latakia they could buy in this, but not in judicious proportions. A heavy hand with the Orientals turns it a bit bitter and "woody" in character, and a lack of finesse in the selection of Virginia renders the mixture a bit sour and hot. It's reminiscent of someone who, when they first strike it rich, goes out and automatically buys the most expensive champagne and caviar. If it's that expensive, it MUST be good, right? It takes a great deal of time, experience and training to learn how to be a master blender, especially in the range of English mixtures. I am under the impression that, rather than using a master blander, Lane just threw money at Crown Achievement. Actually, Lane A-100, far less expensive, is a better-balanced blend, and quite good. Crown Achievement can, however, be the basis for some successful home blending; some people add various McClelland bulk Virginias to this with excellent results. Even a 50/50 mix of Crown Achievement and Virginia still has enough Orientals and Latakia to qualify it as a "Medium to Full Balkan" -- and it's quite a bit more smokeable.
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sirchud68	12/14/2010	Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable
I've been smoking CA 100 for about 3 years now. I've had a few different Latakia blends but I still have to have this on hand. The first time I smoked a bowl of this I was like "no way in hell people can really smoke this." I didn't have it in me to throw out my 2 oz, so I just sat on it. After a year and many reviews later I decided to give it a real chance and boy was I surprised. Wether my palette changed or it just aged well I don't know, but I began to enjoy this stuff. True, it has a lot of stems that get in the way of an easy pack, but, whatever. This is my main smoke. Though I love other mixtures as well, CA 100 is cheap and easy for me to get my hands on. Anyway, if you get nothing else out of this review, let it be a lesson: Never, ever judge a tobacco on a couple of smokes and never, ever, ever through out a tobacco. Period. Trade, blend, or just sit on it. Might one day turn out to be your favorite :)
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DK	07/08/2009	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I'm not sure what planet I've been living on but I've only recently learned that this was sold in bulk... after Lane's dropped it! I've always smoked the tinned version and my review is of a well-aged tin. This blend is the same as I remember it from years ago, memory being what it is, of course! Very smoky tasting with a light sweetness, it has a bit of "zing" to it - a mild sharpness reminiscent of 965 but I don't find they actually taste the same. Or even similar. But the mild sharpness is there. Hard to describe but you'll know it if you're familiar with 965. Just the right amount of latakia, which drives the blend. The light sweetness could be from the virginia and/or in combo with the various turkish tobaccos. I don't smoke a lot of latakia these days but I do plan on spreading my one tin out over time to make it last because when I'm in the mood for latakia, this blend is an excellent "go to" smoke. I recommend this if you can find it in the tin, as it seems the bulk version is different, based on the reviews below. The tinned version sings!
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Mahardy	08/27/2007	Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
It is to my bemusement that I read the review/comment below me for I strongly remember walking out of my tobacconists with 2oz of this blend not more than three weeks ago. The below reviews should help anyone who is in need of feed back on this blend. The only real point of this comment is to make the above statement.
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jlinge	05/28/2007	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
This is a review that is more of a complaint since this blend has been discontinued. It was one of the last of Lane blends that contain any Latakia (such as Pure English). That's a real pity. They seem to be concentrating on excessively aromatic stuff these days and as a confirmed English blend nut I can only say---goodbye Lane! The package note was great, rich with the Virginia and the Latakia exciting the nose. The smoke was was nicely balanced and spicy, smoky notes predominated towards the end of a bowl. There was occasional bite, and the bowl finished as white ash without goop. Try Old Lodge or Squadron Leader.
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Spike	11/23/2006	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
10/24/2004: I would realistically give this two and a half stars. Pretty good taste in small doses or half a bowl. Not complex like the more popular Dunhills, Butera, G.L. Pease offerings. If you were unable to get any other Latakia blend this would do for a short interval. If you had to smoke it exclusively my guess is you would eventually give up smoking entirely! I think its' relative A-100 is better than C.A. A-100 tastes only of Latakia but the A-100 Latakia is smoother than C.A. And in my searches on the internet it C.A. is not cheaper than Dunhills tobacs especially in bulk. I would much rather smoke EMP, 965, or Nitecap all of which can be purchased in bulk for a similar price. I have never had the tinned version of C.A. Update 11/23/2006: A pretty good English if you have limited access. The Latakia is a bit harsh.
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Satc001	08/06/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
When I first tried this blend, it was my first latakia blend, and I loved it. But after having tried many more latakia blends, it leaves me a bit disappointed. CA is not a bad tobacco, there really isn't anything wrong with it, but I feel that it is rather bland and unimpressive. For some, this is a decent value bulk tobacco and I recommend it for newbies to the latakia world, but for me it just isn't what I'm looking for.
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caddad	04/13/2006	Strong	None detected	Full	Very Strong
I bought a couple of ounces of this at a tobacco shop I go to every now and then. I was just beginning to experiment with Latakia at the time and I found it to be very enjoyable. I remember keeping the bag on my nightstand by the bed and the rich smell of this tobacco making me feel comfortable on a cold night. I can even remember huffing the bag more than once just to take in the smell. Since then I have moved on to many fancy tins and higher priced blends but I must say that I would buy this again. I do remember very hateful comments from my wife when I smoked this in the house , so I smoked it in the van on the way to and from work. But she didn?t mind the bag by the bed. If there were an English potpourri this may just be it. Writing this review is actually making me miss this blend, I may just have to pick a few ounces up next time I go by the cigar store !
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Wolfpaw	12/29/2005	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
After finishing off a 2-ounce sample of Crown Achievement, I find that I like it, but perhaps not as much as I wanted to. CA is sold in bulk at a very reasonable price, and at my tobacconist's, is dispensed from a classy porcelain jar. The jar aroma is amazingly enticing; it smells almost good enough to eat, rich, spicy and smoky. The tobacco seemed dry enough, but the first few bowls I smoked were nearly impossible to light, rather like trying to set fire to a glass of water. Letting the tobacco dry out for a few days helped considerably, though Crown Achievement still required more relights than most mixtures I've tried. While the jar aroma promised a full, rich smoke, CA didn't quite live up to that promise. As noted in other reviews, there is a similarity to Dunhill My Mixture 965, though CA isn't as strong or as full-flavored. Yet, CA doesn't come across as "965 Lite." Its flavor is mild, but complex, a blending of dark chocolate, spices and smoke. The flavor intensifies a bit at mid-bowl, but still lacks the richness of blends like Dunhill Nightcap or Gawith's Squadron Leader. The room note is pleasant, as is the sidestream smoke; while not a traditonal aromatic scent, it's one that less militant non-smokers should be able to tolerate, and tobacco-friendly folks will likely appreciate. On the whole, Crown Acheivement is a pleasant smoke, a good choice when something a bit milder and less potent is called for, not a bad choice for a morning smoke. It's one I'll smoke from time to time, providing it's still available (other reviews have noted that it may be discontinued).
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Meerschaum Man	12/24/2005	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
This is a copycat blend that has been around for awhile. Both times I've bought it, I was trying to help a guy out - you know, the friendly sort trying to make a go of it in a BM tobac. Both times, it was presented as a more reasonably priced Red Rapparee. The only problem is that it is nothing like RR. If I ever smoke stable hay, then maybe this is the preview. For the past year, I've been playing with my supply of CA, adding both Latakias, Orientals and some dark Virginias with moderate success. For the most part, it continues to taste like a cheap cigar. Maybe the mold will take the matter out of my hands. Meerschaum Man Smoking an SMS Smooth Panel Bent
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zulujerk	11/01/2005	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Lane seems to have a ton of critics, and that's understandable. This is mass market tobacco that aims to sell, not satisfy the quirks of picky pipers. It's always a riot reading their blend descriptions. Really, I had no idea "Crown Achievement" was the product of the rarest, most costly strands of tobacco leaf. I'm sorry, Dubac and Mahalla, you say? All insults aside, this is a pretty decent English mixture for the price. It smokes cool, has a ton of flavor, and can easily stand its own against some of the higher priced English blends. Yeah, I'd buy this again, but the opportunity may well be on a downward slide. I recently read a snippet that Lane is discontinuing this blend. That comes as a surprise to me, because I would imagine this to be a popular product. I guess they're finally starting to run out of that rarest of rare leaf. Wonder what kind of replacement Lane's brewing up. Lemme think: "Twenty Seven as of yet developed strains of precious Tobaccos grown on the fine plains of the lost Atlantis.." I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. 3.0 of 4.0
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smoker390	08/03/2005	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
This was almost as highly regarded by me as some of the Dunhills up until my last few purchases of 2 ounces at a time. It seems the most recent batches across our great nation have not been aged long enough. There are times when I taste a fine tobacco fusion, but overall, I get the burnt cardboard effect. This was once a 3-star for me, but has declined due to inconsistency. The tobaccos just do not seem to be married well together in this new age version of C.A. LL A-100 has taken the old Crown Achievement spot in my Lane's English pecking order. That's pretty sad, considering A-100 is more of a beginners English. Not to mention, any Lane English is really just there to satisfy a quick fix when a premium is not available.
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Pipestud	07/08/2005	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong
This is a typical bulk Latakia blend. The leaf is of decent quality, but nothing special. Lots of stems in with the tobacco leaf, and there was some sort of casing to leave the blend moist for a long time--perhaps years. This is similar, but not nearly as elegant as the lamented tinned version that you see pop up on Ebay from time to time. The taste has been dummied down a bit from the more high class Latakia blends out there, but for the price--hey, who is arguing? I prefer to spend a little more coin for a little classier blend. But, if you're watching your pennies and enjoy Latakia, well, here you go.
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sasha	07/05/2005	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant
To me this is one of the best English Mixtures on the market as far as quality-price ratio. It's tasty, full, it keeps the flavour for the entire bowl. These days when many historical blends have worsened, this is something you can always rely on. Another good point is that it smells so wonderful it's almost better to have someone around you smokin' it than to smoke it yourself! It's a fine all-day smoke, but pay attention with the packing which can be a little tricky, due to the mixed cut.
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OSR	09/12/2004	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
The currently available version of Crown Achievement isn't the same as the tobacco I smoked years ago. I know.... "duh"... but seriously, this has turned from a tasty English/Balkan blend into Lane's version of Frog Morton. There is nothing wrong with the current offering. It's a mild english with some casing/cavendish included that should appeal to the smoker looking for a light, aromatic latakia blend. As for the Mahalla and Dubec tobaccos in this blend, there may be one ounce of each in a 25 lb batch... Like Frog Morton, I have no problem with CA and if I had to choose between Cherry Blend or Crown Achievement/Frog Morton then I'd be smoking CA/FM. Stack CA up against Presbyterian Mixture/London Mixture/Samarra/Margate.. no comparison.
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Beer	08/30/2004	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
I received a little bag with a sample of this (enough for 6-7 bowls) by Maurizio Tombari when I bought one of his extremely fine Le Nuvole pipes. It's a nice English Mixture, medium in strength and flavor. The balancing between the various tobaccos is fine, and the Latakia is not overpowering. The smell of the unburnt tobacco is very good and tasty, and the smoke exhibits a great softness and roundness. I usually prefer stronger, tastier stuff, but this could be a very fine all-day smoke. Appearance: long fine shreds, like in some of Dunhill's blends. Burns rather nice, not wet.
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