Lane Limited Dark Red

I’m in no way opposed to aromatics and I even smoke them occasionally. That being said, this one isn’t one of my favorites. The tobacco, a Black Cavendish typical of American aromatics, is not unpleasant but provides a very limited amount of flavor. The cherry flavoring is much milder than other Lane blends such as Very Cherry. The vanilla and caramel flavors seem muted as well. It burns well and isn’t overly goopy, but it’s lack of any depth or real flavor makes it unsuitable for the veteran pipe smoker. It’s more suited for new smokers and is clearly designed to provide a pleasant room note. Not something I would buy again as it is overall a real disappointment.

This has all the positive attributes of Lane's BCA with a note of Black Cherry that stays consistent if smoked slowly. So far, this is the only Cherry aromatic I have found that will not bite.

The unlit aroma is sweet cherry. The cherry impression is more like cherry candy or cough drops ("artificial" for lack of a better word) than cherry fruit. It's a bit wet for me, but drying it is a balancing act because it also diminishes the top notes.

In the bowl, it is quite sweet with less cherry. As the bowl progresses, the sweetness seemed to diminish a bit and the vanilla comes forward. When set aside mid-smoke, the topping is still quite strong when the cooled bowl is relit. Typical for this style of aromatic, if smoked hard, the tobacco turns ashy and less flavorful.

I think this blend generally succeeds, and is exactly what it claims to be, but there are better examples of this style.

Now this is a black cavendish that I can smoke. I don't reach for aros very often but this will definitely stay in my rotation. The cherry flavouring is not too sweet or heavy, the vanilla is in the background adding it's part, a very pleasant tasting tobacco. What really sells me on this one is the cut, more of a ribbon cut than the rough cut chunky black cavendish that I've had so many times before. It packs and burns very nicely, no snap-crackle-pop like some other cavendish blends. As a basically non-aro smoker I have to recommend this one.

I somehow got 2oz. of this and then ordered 4 more and am awaiting delivery of 4 more. I found it to be fairly moist but still very smokeable right out of the bag and in fact found it lost some of it's cherry flavor as it dried so I keep it hydrated. I had no trouble lighting it or keeping it lit plus it had enough strength halfway through to be satisfying. It is probably the only cherry blend other than maybe Cult that I thought was good enough to buy. The room note is excellent and it is one of the only tobaccos I can get by with in the house.

Been smoking this for a couple of days now, and have to say is pretty good. Its a bit moist, but just as mentioned, I smoked it right from the bag. The aroma is great, and the flavor is definitely cherry, and just a small hit of vanilla. It only required a couple of re-lights, and smoked smooth without a bite. The room note says "I am cherry", and that it is. I bought 4 oz. of this stuff, and so far I am not dissappointed by it. I bought another with this order, and have submitted it for approval, it Sutliff's "Pina Colada".........and it is one of the most aromatic tobaccos I have ever tasted as well. I can smell the bag from here as I type, and its probably about 15 ft. from me.

I don't know what to say except this is definitely not the blend for me. The cherry flavor is way overdone in my opinion. On the positive side there is no tongue bite or harshness to speak of. The vanilla just adds more sweetness. The room note is okay I guess, if you like frosted cherry pop-tarts. Just can't recommend this one.

One thing I have found with many heavy aromatic tobaccos: after you get halfway through the bowl, many of the toppings have dissipated and you are left with some generic sweet flavor.

Not so with Dark Red. The rich flavor remains throughout the entire smoke, leaving you wanting more. There is a lot of dark cherry, some vanilla, perhaps hints of rum or a cherry liqueur, maybe even hints of some chocolate and hazelnut. All in all it tastes like a rich dessert, but without the calories.

Other reviews have pointed out that the tobacco is rather moist, but I found that drying some in a covered wooden bowl for 6 hours does the trick: the tobacco burns nice and evenly, leaving a powdery ash; only at the very bottom did I get some moisture-laden ribbons that wouldn't burn.

The smoke has a silky, luxurious texture, and the retro-hale has a strong aroma of black cherry.

I wish I had found this tobacco when I first got started smoking pipes. Once you figure out how long to dry the tobacco, it is a very easy smoke, and very forgiving to beginner's mistakes.

I don’t like aromatics, cherry flavored anything, or super sweet casings...so, I should hate this.

But I don’t. It’s a cherry I can stand because it... 1. Has the vanilla and caramel to balance/tone down the cherry 2. Not sickenly sweet 3. Is a darker/mature kind of cherry rather than the bright, cough syrupy cherry of other blends.