Lane Limited Edgeworth Ready-Rubbed

I won a pouch of this at a pipe show and decided that the best thing to do was put it in a meerschaum and give it a try. I figured that if it was too bad the meer would suffer the least. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was like Prince Albert on steroids. The subtle nuttiness and spice that are faintly present in PA are far out in front with this blend. It burns fairly cool and very slow. I did not notice a huge amount of goo in the bottom of my pipe and would say this one is safe in any pipe. There is some VA taste in this blend, but I think most of the sweetness comes from the casing.

Well, I finally found a pouch in a shop appropriately named: TOBACCO.

I have been wanting to try this stuff for quite a long time. I started pipe smoking in 1989, and I have never found this stuff in Florida-until now.

I love rubbed out plug cut, cubed Burley, and that's precisely what this is.

Even dry as a bone, this smoked cool, and delivered a fine, nutty, grassy flavor, with hints of coffee and cocoa.

There is no art to packing or lighting this stuff. It is a completely unpretentious blend, and is a steady, reliable smoke.

I look forward to trying it in the can. Easily the best of the mass produced Burley blends. (And I have tried most of them...)

Addendum: Cup o' Joes has available an homage blend that to me is practically identical to the blend Conwood discontinued. I was skeptical, but I ordered 4 ounces to sample. When it showed up it looked right. It smelled right. It TASTES right. It may be the same stuff for all I know. I love it! Kudos to Altadis for maintaining this stuff for those who lament its tinned version passing...

ORIGINAL REVIEW 10/13/08-I grabbed this can off my shelf and finally took advantage of the discontinued Edgeworth RR.And I must say I was impressed with this tobacco.On opening the tin I noticed it was granular cut,which reminded me of SWR(Sir Walter Raleigh) and first light I noticed there is a very vague taste in the blend that's mildly sweet however the casing isn't present in the tin.In my opinion, the nuttiness wasn't noticed but was a tasty smoke.I will admit I've been smoking my personal favorites -Granger,Walnut,Prince Albert and Sir Walter Raleigh and I think I'll stick to Edgeworth and see how it goes after half of a tub,it's got potential:)

UPDATE-I am still enjoying what's left of my tub and the smoking experience has been positive.Ilet this tobacco get some air time. The sweet taste/topping I have identified as cocoa and works for this blend.I actually find myself smoking SWR mostly for it's darker spice casing(suitable for fall and winter).I must admit it's a high quality blend and I will definitely keep it in my rotation.

I haven't smoked Edgeworth RR in a long time, but there are many reasons why it has been around so long. I was reminded of this after ordering a tin and sampling it once again. I just wish they still packaged it in the wonderful tins of the turn of the last century and would love to see it in flake form once again. However the ready rubbed is nice, easy to pack, and perfect in moisture content.

This is a great tobacco of predominately high quality Burley and Virginia in a granulated cut. It is nutty and sweet. It never bites and is just wonderfully tasty. In fact, I like this better than G.L. Pease's Barbary Coast, which is a high quality and much more expensive Burley/Virginia blend in a similar cut. It burns beautifully, and is balanced in its flavor from top to bottom.

As I said, there are many good reasons why Edgeworth RR has been around for over a hundred years, and with a bowl of this wonderful tobacco one knows why.

This blend is so-so and I dont think I'll buy anymore of it after this stash is gone. I used it to blend with some VA and am waiting for it to marry some to see how it goes. Good pack, good light, good volume of smoke....very monogustatic which can be either good or bad depending on your preference. I don't mind a singular flavor but this burley is too bitter. Prince Albert is better on the cheap and Wessex/Solani is better if you spend more.

Lightly sweet nutty burley. As with just about any pipe tobacco this really improves with age. Letting the blend dry a wee bit will also improve the flavour as well. It is said that rum is added to this blend, though it may be hard to detect I believe it does add a certain mellowing to the delicious tobacco. Just because this is an old favourite from yesteryear doesn't mean it's not good. It's wonderful, and I highly reccomend it.

On my recent odyssey of burley tobaccos I happened upon this jewel. It's hard to believe that over the years I have passed over this time and again. The crumbly cut makes for an easy load with no tamping required (or recommended). A few lights to get it going and off we go...Edgeworth has the characteristic nutty, smooth taste of burley, but has an edge reminiscent of virginia. Smooth, cool smoking (if not pushed), good room note, and a nice level of nicotene, all make for a very enjoyable and relaxing smoke..Recommended.

UPDATE: Edgeworth RRd will also survive my culling of the four star rated tobaccos. This is an American classic and it will only take one smoke to figure out why. I alternate between this and Prince Albert for my medium burley. Most of the time, I'd tell you I prefer PA but in point of fact this is a much more complex blend and to my tastes PA and Edgeworth are about at a dead heat. A great classic burley smoke right out of the can, readily available at a very good price, with a lot of value for the money. Smoking qualities far surpassing many much more expensive blends. As far as hybrids, the Edgeworth Toasted Cavendish was OK at best. For a truly remarkable Edgeworth RR hybrid, mix it 1:1 with Five Brothers. Now that, by God is a Codger Burley.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I went on an Old School, Over the Counter, Burley safari starting in about September. No such undertaking could be complete without an icon of classic American burley like Edgeworth RR. True to the era, there was not a lot of complexity with this blend. That won't be a factor though if straight burley is enough to keep you interested. When I opened the large tub, I was greeted with the typical nutty, bread dough, burley smell with a very unassuming casing smelling something like cocoa or instant coffee, almost too light to be detected. The cut was different and it kind of reminded me of Grape Nuts cereal (texture wise at least). Once flame was applied, it really began to shine though, after a charring light and a subsequent tamp, we were off. True to the breed it was not a sickening sweet aromatic type smoke, if anything it was almost a neutral room note with just a hint of sweetness and casing. Basically, it smoked and smelled very similar to the tin aroma. That's what I've really learned to like about burley blends, they are a nice medium between the cloying, sickening sweet aromatic and the musty, leathery, smokey English blends. The burley blends are nice and middle of the road, no scented candle smell but you're never mistaken for a road repair crew either. The room note was typical of a burley but much fuller than, say, Carter Hall. Every once in a while the chocolate/coffee casing peaked through but never seemed to be pronounced or lingering. A full blend, old reliable, all day, every day smoke that smoothly smoked to the bottom of the bowl and quickly jumped out as the front runner of my burley excursion. Also typical of the breed it is very low maintenance and wouldn't bite if you asked it to. After smoking half of the tub I decided to experiment with some hybrid home-blending. Nothing too complex or expensive. I ran to Walgreens, got some toasted cavendish and mixed 2 parts Edgeworth to 1 part toasted cavendish. THIS STUFF rocks. The toasted cavendish managed to bring out a bit more of the burley creaminess and while what I am smoking will never be mistaken for an aromatic, it took great and made it that much better. While the toasted cavendish gives it a bit more complexity, the burley is still the star of the show and the toasted cavendish basically gives the effect of a little heavier casing and a mildly sweet, creamy, (but still nutty and kind of doughy) taste (without being too over the top.) All in all, by itself or with the toasted cavendish, Edgeworth RR is a winner, highly recommended. One of those blends that you may or may not smoke for years at a time but will always eventually get back to.

My tub, which I just opened, is composed of rather large chunks reminding me of a krumble kake. In fact I have to rub this batch out before packing. The fragrance is slightly boozy with a hint of chocolate and hay. It appears to be very good quality leaf. I find the flavor to be a bit on the mild side for me, and I was expecting perhaps the leftovers from the production of the slices version, of which I was very fond. This would be a good tobacco for those who like mild burlies, and who have the patience to sip slowly to seek the flavors out. Unfortunatly I have to smoke outside or in the garage, so I tend toward stronger tobaccos. The ready rubbed version does not have the nicotine kick of the slices, if my memory serves. I will gladly finish the tub, but will try Wessex burley slices when this is gone. My wife says the room note smells faintly of chocolate. If you like this it is a great value. **Update 03/16/08- I have raised the nicotine strength to medium. I have smoked my way through 1/4 of the tub now, and am starting to appreciate the flavor more as well. The weather has warmed up here in MO and I have been able to really spend some time savoring this tobacco- I feel a nice nicotine buzz that I hadn't noticed when it was 15 degree's. Still a 3 star blend for me, but I am really liking this stuff.