Charles Fairmorn Lancer's Slices

I buy this in bulk from an online retailer. A very dark rubbed out cake. Thick. Frequently find myself cracking the jar I keep it in to inhale the aroma. Mouth watering to the Latakia lover. Good value for the dollar.

This is a straightfwd Va and Latakia mixture, and Latakia is what you taste. You get a very direct earthy Latakia flavor. No doubt it is tempered a bit by the Virginia, but the sweetness never dominates, nor are there any of the undertones that one might find in a mixture containing addt'l Orientals. Behaves well in most pipes. No special effort req'd to keep lit & ran cool all the way down with consistent puffing.

Have been smoking for a year and give it 3 stars. Rate it up there with Penzance and Star of the East Flake as my favorite Latakia smokes. Lancer Slices is not as complex in my book, but has a robust edge the others lack. 3 stars.

When the Greek Gods walked the earth, this is what they left for us mere mortals to enjoy.

This is the most beautiful baccy.

A Latakia Lovers Delight

BBQ smoke was all I thought of today as I smoked this blend all day to review. I love a good English blend but I like to taste the sweet notes of the VA and or other compnents in an English. I did not get that with this blend. it was like smoking straight Latakia. While some may like this I am not one of them, I want a blend that brings all the tobaccos together in harmony. Quite frankly, I don't think this one does that at all, it's all about the latakia. It is smooth, it is a full creamy smoke that behaves very well in the pipe. I think the tobacco in the pouch looks and feels very quality, a dark brown and black mix of straight long ribbon cut flakes. It smells very peaty in it's puch note and my mouth waters smelling it. It came at a good moisture content to open and smoke and it did smoke quite cool and down to a dark grey ash to the bottom with minimal relights. It smoked very dry and had no dottle when done. Everything about it would be perfect if they had just let the VA come though and offered its sweetness to the blend. The room note was tolerable to strong but that is typical of this type of blend. I can only recommend it if you like a very latakia dominated type of blend but out of four stars, it is only a two in my book.

The first time I tried this I found it a little strong for me and a bit of a nicotine bomb, but still liked it. I'm kind of a puffer which causes most everything I smoke to run a little on the hot side. However this does just fine. Stays lit pretty well, and over time I've come to like the stronger taste. I'll buy more when my jar is empty.

A great straight forward Lat/Va blend. No complaints at all with this. Taste was a fantastic earthy smokiness. I wish the Va played a bigger role but it is still on top of my short English list.

This is an outstanding balkan / English blend. A lot of Latakia, but there is a sharp tang to this blend that keeps it from getting dull.

Burns slowly, on account of being flake, I suppose, so one pipe lasts a long time. No bite, and a good vitamin N kick -- just about everything one could ask for in a balkan.

I've been on an English bender.

Trying out about 8 different well thought of and promising english/balkan blends in sort of my own private smoke off.

Beck's Ol Limey Bastard jumped out to an early lead, and Balkan Supreme is pretty good stuff too. Engine 99 is very very solid and certainly right up there.

Then I ordered some of this sort of on a whim. I happened to see the reviews of it from an advanced search of this forum and it sounded worth a shot.

Indeed it was. I'm not yet declaring the race over but Lancer's Slices is leading right now, by quite a margin. And I'm starting to ignore the others.

DK said it might be the best tasting English Blend he's smoked and I agree. It's very "reliable". Smokes the same every time. Doesn't bite and hits the sweet spot for me in what I'm looking for in an English blend. The VA and Latakia are just right. Together but still standing on their own.

I just love this stuff and would be perfectly happy to smoke only this if forced to pick one English Blend.

Personally I'm a rubber outer. But treat this however you typically treat a flake and I think you'll get good results.

Overall an okay smoke, ignites quickly for a slice, burns fairly well, and the slices pack quite nicely.

Is it akin to Old Ironsides . . . sort of, maybe second or third cousins. Is it akin to the celebrated Bengal Slices . . . not really. Penzance replacement . . . different solar system, you'll need a higher power telescope.

There is a nice wisp of natural Virginia sweetness that comes through and a good amount of Latakia, which I really enjoy. Often, most blends of this ilk are right up my alley, all very good stuff.

I found the pH varies quite a bit from batch to batch. During my first encounter the tongue did not agree with this blend at all, even though it combusted quite cool and my test pipe Charatan was humming along as per usual; surely old reliable would never let me down especially after a thorough cleaning.

I can somewhat recommend this blend; however, it's not memorable rather mediocre and tends to bite. There are many others which I'd pack before I reached for this again.

My interest in Lancer's Slices was peeked by what I had read on various forums.

My shipment arrived yesterday in the mail – I hurried home to investigate and taste. The aroma from the open mylar bag was divine – smokey, sweet latakia! The cut is in log slices, the color is very dark.

For my first taste, I decided to charge a small clay pipe that I use for tasting purposes. The taste was mild and very much filled with latakia. The sweetness of the Virginias came through very nicely. Later on in the evening, while watching TV, I decided that another bowl was in order. Out came a Nanna Ivarsson designed Stanwell and the bowl was filled and lit. As difficult as it may have been to make a decision, I believe that the Lancer's Slices in the Stannie came out on top of the hockey game.

The tobacco burned clean and dry leaving a grey ash. Very few re-lights were required. This wonderful mixture is recommended for those who like latakia and mild, sweet Virginias. I would suggest that it is an all day smoke. As with most Latakia blends, the room note leaves something to be desired however, the Virginias mask a lot of the pungency.