Lane Limited 1-Q

One reviewer noted that "...it's hard to argue with the best selling blend in the world". That's true but only for the herd of cows that can be unwaveringly driven over a cliff, as one simply follows another over the precipice. 1-Q has also been described as a Captain Black but with better tobaccos - if so I'm glad I never bought the Captain. No this blend is a Virginia/Cavendish with a real dollop of vanilla flavoring.

Dollop enough that a good drying is essential and even then not successful. And although the blend is certainly very mild, you will soon be made aware that Viriginia and flavoring bite is a possibility and you will have to really focus on s-l-o-w sipping, and even then...

Nice pouch note, nice room note, no complaints but from the smoker's perspective not much to talk about - I found 1-Q unidimensional and oddly "edgy" - a tobacco I had to fight with to keep lit. Two things dominate - the aromatics and that little Virginia bite. You are tempted to buy this tobacco as a "mild, all-day, gentle aromatic" based on numerous cattle reviews, but I'm afraid these are overstated and overly influenced more by the reviews than by the experience.

I'm not saying 1-Q is bad; it's just not all that pleasant; and the underlying tobacco is so remote as to be hard to find. There's some tobacco there, but we're just not sure where. Personally, I think this is a tobacco that is smoked based on herd reviews and their wive's approval for the room note, not for the smoke itself.

As a comparison, I dare you to fired up Lanes RLP-6, which will immediately show you the difference - still aromatic but very lightly so. Tobacco-forward, not behind, lovely nutty Burley effects and contribution to good burning. Burns beautifully with no real re-lights out of the pouch. RLP-6 is really the blend 1-Q could and should have been, but wasn't. As a result 1-Q is little more than a common aromatic drugstore pouch tobacco aimed at getting laid, albeit with probably better tobacco. But not much.

But don't believe me - or the herd reviews - buy an ounce of each: 1-Q and RLP-6 and compare them. I daresay you'll prefer the RLP-6 in every way.

From what I understand this is the number one bulk tobacco in the United States. I can see why, it smokes great on its own and also mixes well with about anything you throw at it. I would never smoke it all day but it is nice every once and a while. It has just a bit of sweetness and the Cavendish is fairly mild, but to be honest the reason to smoke this stuff is to please the people around you. I think that a lot of black Cavendish tobaccos should be cut with this tobacco to help in the burning process.

This was the first pipe tobacco I smoked way back in 1981 and this is the first pipe tobacco I am reviewing 27 years later. A co-worker and I took up pipe smoking at the same time in the winter of 1981. There was a pipe shop in town called Ye Olde Pipe Shoppe. Its still here in town, and in a twist of fate a current co-worker now owns it (just not the same co-worker that I began my pipe smoking journey with a lifetime ago). At my local shop 1-Q was (and still is) sold under the moniker of "Number 4".

1-Q has an aroma in the bag that smells wonderfully and a room note that always draws commments of "that smells good". Unfortunately it doesn't have a taste that equals the aroma. I find 1-Q to be very mild in strength and taste with a medium vanilla and possibly cocoa flavor. To me it seems to produce as much steam as smoke and leaves a wet dottle in the pipe. The smoke/steam combination easily becomes hot. Also, if I smoke it at night it leaves a really bad aftertaste in my mouth the next morning; maybe its just my body chemistry. I somewhat recommend this blend to pipe smokers and hold a nostalgic spot in my heart for this as it was my first smoke. I sometimes smoke this as a rememberance of for me where it all started. Two stars for 1-Q.

I am giving this 2 stars due to it not being strong enough (nicotine) or flavorful enough. I absolutely love the smell if someone else is smoking it. It can bite if smoked too fast, gurgles in the briar at times and makes a mess of your pipe. Did I mention it smells good? The tobacco in the bulk jar smells good, lit up it smells good and it tastes like, well, AIR mostly. That's all I really get out of it. That and some steam?! I'd never knock anybody for smoking it, I like the smell too much! I really wish it had more taste, I'd smoke this a lot.

This tobacco has a wonderful room note. My wife loves the smell. I currently smoke English tobaccos - mostly Penzance. I started smoking this aromatic around 1975 and have not smoked it for some time until recently. Alas, it smokes a bit wet, but over all not a bad smoke for a cased tobacco. The taste is nice and I like it as a change of pace, and especially when smoking around others, who invariably enjoy the room note.

At the time I bought this I was only an aromatic smoker mainly buying drugstore pouches like Capt. Black. This seemed like an obvious starting point for trying out bulk blends. Also bought some BCA and RLP-6. Out of the three, this one ranked last, but really I don't think there's a whole lot of difference in most of these LL aromatic blends. They all share the same hot, wet smoking properties and an undefinable coconut/vanilla/ameretto essence. Sweet with a bitter ending. You could do worse.

When returning to pipe smoking a couple months back, this was the obvious choice. A reasonably priced bulk that every noteworthy smoke shop carries (here in Buffalo it is known as "Seville") and it far outranks Captain Black.

I have strayed from all things aromatic, but I always have an ounce of this on hand and it is always great to go back to when I dont know what mood Im in. The smell in the bag is wonderfull. I would recommend drying this before you smoke it. Laying it out overnight does really well. Lights and burns well in a small to medium bowl.

The taste is monotone in my opinion, and almost non descriptive. But it is a smooth smoke with no bite and would best be described as a great working in the yard tobacco. For those that say it ruins a pipe... you must be doing something wrong. My unlce smoked this forever and I have a few of his pipes, there is no noticeable residue at all... and as far as tounge bite goes... as with any tobacco... dont puff like an air pump and you shouldn't have a problem.

Room note is always great and one of the few I can smoke in my mothers house.

Overall, not bad tobacco. Would say this is a great starter tobacco and recommend it over Capt. Black anyday.

This has been one of my favorites for a long time. I would recommend 1Q to any new pipe smoker, and to anyone who has never tried it. This is the tobacco I smoke when I want to relax and enjoy a good book. It burns cool, finishes well, and leaves a fine, gray ash. I have smoked this in everything from cobs to Dr. Grabows to Peterson's, and there is never a surprise or disappointment.

Update: I have smoked mild English blends in a pipe after smoking 1Q, and find no hold-over flavor from the 1Q. I have done this in 3 Peterson's and a Parker with no bad effects at all.

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Update: 05/28/06 The more non-aromatics I try, the more I am bored with 1-Q. I'm not saying it's a bad tobacco, I just think it gets boring after sampling non-aromatics. This may just be headed to the "once in a loooooooooonnnnnnnggg while" tobaccos.

Very simple and not a lot going on. I would put this in the "codger blend" catagory.

Out of the tin by appearance, very dark cavendish mostly but there is virginia leaf as well, as stated, darker brown. But mostly cavendished leaf. very fragrant before and after the smoke. I would say that is the one good thing about this blend. Vanilla caramel is present in the tin and to the bystander as well. This is not as present DURING the smoke though(to the smoker of course). Flavor is very mild and if it werent for the light vanilla scent in the retro, this would be a pretty uneventful smoke.

Plenty of smoke during the smoke. Smokes cool. A few relights to be expected. Smokes mostly cool if properly dried out but even after ample drying it is tacky to the touch because of the topping/casing. I will say, during the 1st quarter of the bowl the flavor is almost absent but as the smoke continues the flavor becomes noticeable and is pleasant but still nothing to write home about.

Dont expect any sort of nic hit from this blend.

This is popular because of how readily available it is, not because of how great it is. Try boswells aromatics(boswells best), petersons blends(sunset breeze may be my all time fav from them), cult(blood red mood) or G&H(any) if your looking for good quality aromatics. But, if this is what you have available...it works fine.

I will add 1 positive to this. Relights are actually quit pleasant w/ this blend. Half way through my pipe went out, I ashed and relit and I would say this was the most pleasant part of the smoke...the relights. Ha...