Lane Limited Edgeworth Sliced

This has become one of my absolute favorite blends, especially for the first couple of bowls of the day.

Attractive long pressed flakes are packed tightly in the 100g tin (I've never seen a 50g tin). Colors range from the light Burleys through mid-range brown Virginias to almost black.

There isn't much to the tin aroma-- slightly sweet, but also hints of a grassy nose...sort of like fresh mown grass.

The flavor is superb-- gently sweet, slightly nutty and a little grassy. It does seem like there's just a hint of perique in there too, but of that I'm not entirely sure. The flavor is well balanced and smooth in spite of the richness.

I generally don't go for Burley blends, but this one is definitely a keeper. Fantastic stuff!!

Tin Aroma: This has the clean and bright aroma of a virginia flake. It reminds me of Full Virginia Flake in aroma. there is little to no burley scent.

Physical Characteristics: 4" long, wide flakes that come pretty moist. They rub out nicely if allowed to dry out a bit before smoking, but I prefer to fold them over on themselves and roll them up for smoking. I am always taken with how pretty the swirls of different colored tobaccos are in the cross section of this blend. This is, aesthetically, a very pleasing blend. The packing is easier than one would expect from a flake, and the burn is smooth and even, leaving a light grey ash.

Notes: upon first light there is a pleasant amalgamation of virginia and burley flavors. The virginias shrink away pretty quickly though, leaving a very creamy, nutty burley flavor. The stoved virginias lend the burley some heft, which is a charge that is often levelled at burley blends; they lack body. I have always though that what Burley lacked in body, it made up for in cool subtlety, but if you have always thought burley was 'thin', you ought to try this blend and see what it is like. About one third of the way through the bowl, an earthy taste/sensation begins that I can only find a corollary to in cigars. I have not yet encountered another pipe tobacco that develops this attribute, but it would probably make this a good blend for those pipe smokers who come from the ranks of cigar smokers. This cigar-like quality persists for the rest of the smoke. I find this flake to be an excellent hot weather smoke, both indoors and out. I tend not to smoke much of it during the cooler months, but I sure go through it in the summer. This is a high nicotine blend, and can give the unwary quite a little buzz. It will also bite the crap out of you if you are not careful. Do not be fooled by the burley taste and gleefully puff away like a steam train, as you do with your bulk ribbon burley. There is plenty of stoved virginia in here, just waiting for it's chance to bite you.

Well, after my experience with Ready Rubbed, I nearly decided to not try this burley tobacco at all. But, readying the Novocain for my tongue, I packed and lit a bowl of the small sample I purchased, determined to at least make an effort to give this tobacco a fair trial. I'm glad that I did; while by no means my favorite smoke, this blend is remarkably accessible to a burley hater such as myself. In the bag, I detect a musty, fairly normal tobacco aroma. The sample came as partially rubbed-out flakes, mainly dark browns with some scattered medium brown as well. The moisture level was average, and packing was fairly easy. I chose a smaller pipe, and left the flake about half rubbed out when packing. It lit easily and burned well, with an average number of relights despite the flakes. For the first third of the bowl, the nutty flavor of burley was all I noticed: medium fullness, medium strength, and medium taste. Unlike Ready Rubbed, there is no bite at first with this blend; actually, it is fairly smooth for a burley. The taste of the smoke isn't bad; not as full as I usually like, but actually somewhat flavorful. In the second 1/3, the flavor develops, becoming fuller and more complex. There's a hint of sourness on my tongue, and even a trace of sweetness. I still am not noticing any of the normal burley harshness or bite, and there is no moisture thus far. Moving on to the final part of the bowl, and the mild complexity and fullness has developed even more. The burn is clean and dry, and the only bite I've noticed has been when I smoked too fast. This has a remarkable number of different flavors, given the fact that it is pure burley. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this blend. While obviously not as full as an English mixture nor as complex as a mature Virginia flake, this is still a refreshing and satisfying smoke. It isn't my favorite style of tobacco, but it is by far the best burley blend I've ever tried. I don't plan to buy a tin of this, but I should have no problems finishing my sample. If you like burleys, I would certainly recommend you try this blend.

Edgeworth slice is one of the few burley tobaccos I will smoke. It comes in about 4" flakes that are easily cut into cubes or rubbed out. The tin aroma is nice and has a pleasant burley green smell. It packs nice and lights up with a couple matches. The flavour is buttery and creamy, like good burley can be. The drawback to this tobacco is that it can generate a nicotine buzz pretty quickly, and can turn into an unpleasant taste if you overpuff. With patience this is an excellent tobacco and is best in a tall, narrow pipe.