Lane Limited 1-Q

I got acquainted with I-Q back in the late 1970s where it was known as "Special #2" at the old Pipe Pub franchise shops located around the southwest.

This is, by far, my all-time favorite aromatic blend. It is nutty, sweet, tastes like tobacco, has some nicotine strength, is very cool burning and is enjoyed tremendously by those non-smokers who happen to be around me while I'm puffing on this classic. Enjoyed by pipe smokers worldwide in droves, it is Lane's all-time top selling blend.

Good anytime, day or night... A true bell ringer!

Sometimes, you cannot do better than the classics. The smell in the pouch is that of golden Cavendish and vaniila and caramel. I have also described the smoke aroma, but just know that the vanilla and caramel is much less pronounced than you might think. The tobacco is nice and the smoke is satisfying if you keep in mind what this is and remember what it is not. I love Burley tobacco and I love the strong stuff like Peterson's Irish Flake. This is just a good aromatic that both the smoker and the people around them can enjoy. I have grown tired of heading outside to the heat and humidity or to the cold and rain just to have a smoke. This tobacco keeps me inside and in front of the TV. The flavor lasts down to the bottom of the bowl and there is no goop left behind if you smoke this properly. That is, slowly sip and pack just a bit lighter than you might a good Burley. I can see why this is the number one selling tobacco in the US. The ash is fine, but not a pure grey. Even the ash in the ashtray smells nice. Smokers can use all the friends they can get right now and this one would certainly make friends and influence people.

It's hard to argue with the best selling bulk tobacco in the world.

This is a wonderful blend of quality Virginia and Cavendish leaf mixed with a wonderful vanilla flavoring. To me the flavoring is almost pastry like and carries nicely into the smoke as long as you keep your palate moist and chew on the smoke. By that I mean swish it around your mouth a second or two before exhaling to let the flavors really hit your palate.

It comes at close to perfect moisture level. There really isn't any airing time needed for this or many of Lane Limited's blends.

1Q takes a charring and true light wonderfully and burns nice and evenly to a fine white ash. It doesn't gurgle or bite or burn overly hot. And most importantly it doesn't leave your pipe with a goopy mess.

The room note is terrific. Most people mention smelling roasting marshmallows when I smoke this blend in public.

If you're looking for a go-to aromatic or just a nice aromatic to take a break from other styles this is definitely worth checking out. Since it's in bulk you can sample it without breaking the bank.

I'm giving this 4 stars for a couple of reasons. First, it never pretends to be something it's not, and what it is is a very fine mild aromatic blend that burns great, tastes good and never offends even the most finicky bystander. Second, for the price, it can't be beat for an everyday, or even an 'on occasion' smoke. For under $32 a pound it's cheaper than your typical drug store blend and there's no excuse not to keep some on hand if you like a mild, pleasant smoke. For more body try mixing this in equal parts with Carter Hall and smoke it in a corn cob pipe. Very enjoyable and an improvement over just 1Q alone IMO.

First things first! If you are not an aromatic smoker or are open to smoking aromatics, SCRAM! Move on down the road, this is not meant for you. You too english smokers, even though the latakia you so love is really an aromatic as in added flavor, you won't like this so go on, go to the next review.

Now, let's get down to a serious review here of a good aromatic. For some reason I have neglected to write a review on this blend. That said, I am amending that as of right now. This is the number one selling blend in the country if not the world! There is a reason for this. It's good! Simple enough. It has a sweet vanilla flavor to it but not overwhelming. It is mild as a kitten with no claws. It will not burn the tongue, smells absolutely wonderful both in the pouch and in the room note. It packs well in the pipe in spite of being somewhat moist, it lights easily and stays lit burning in a nice slow and relaxing way. It is not cloying and it does not leave a pipe smelling like a fruit bowl. No wonder it's number one and then add it is easily available and for a great price. It is a mixed medium to dark brown ribbon cut. It burns down slowly to a fine grey ash with a touch of dottle and a little moisture so pipe cleaners are a must. I could not make this an all day blend like a lot of others but it is a great blend for the sweet tooth and for just relaxing. A crowd pleasure for sure. A great blend for a beginner and an experienced smoker that does not want a huge nicotne fix or has a sensitive mouth. I highly recommend this blend to be tried by all...that are open to aromatics. The others will just miss a good thing in this one!

A favorite aromatic for me - maybe one of my top handful. Nothing disagreeable here - good flavor, great aroma (both in the jar and in the room). It packs, lights, and puffs very nicely. A bit more forgiving in the Bite area than many other aromatics. I can easily understand how this is an "all day smoker" for some folks. There is no reason to say no.

I'm fairly new to pipe smoking and a friend of mine gave me a small bag of the 1-Q to try out when I picked up a few corn cob pipes. This stuff smells great in the bag and tastes great during the smoke. Like I said, I'm a novice here and am continuing to learn more about pipe smoking and types of tobaccos that I enjoy, but the 1-Q is really a great combination of light aroma and flavor. The flavor is not overpowering and the smoke is cool with a little sweetness from the Cavendish. I think this will continue to be my standard for a while.

You can't go wrong here. I do notice that if I'm looking for a bit more flavor or punch, I'll have to find another aromatic with a stronger more consistent flavor during the smoke, but overall, this will do fine, especially with the very pleasant room note.

I stopped into my neighborhood B&M. The guy admitted that he was mostly a cigar smoker, but that this (they call it "Ladies Love It") was their best seller. I bought an ounce, and have been in love ever since! If you are an aromatic smoker, how can you not love this?!?! It packs, lights, and smokes easily. It never bites, and it gets even more delicious as you get closer to the bottom of the bowl. Finally, like the title suggests, the ladies DO love it! Never had anything but compliments about 1Q. Plus, you can get it EVERYWHERE (under dozens of different names)!! It is what you'll find in my pouch, and usually in my pipe!

Update (12/26/2012): I got some more of this from my Secret Santa yesterday completely by accident! She only knew that I liked to smoke a pipe and had never bought pipe tobacco before. So, she stopped by her local B&M and got me an ounce of their "24K", not knowing what it was. Anyway you name it, it's still 1-Q! Lucky for me!! Thanks, Santa!!

Lane Limited - 1-Q.

Been on a bit of an aromatic trip lately, and as I love vanilla aro's the most out of that genre I popped 1Q open this morning.

Rather than the tobacco being contained in paper with a card top, this one's paper with a clear plastic disc topping it. It's nicely hydrated, and although it's listed as containing only Golden Cavendish and Virginia, there's a few black pieces too.

The smoke's a good one. The flavour is prominently vanilla with only a mild tobacco taste: honey and hay. I find a good burn requires a bit of effort to initiate, it goes out easily for the inaugurate few minutes. But once a burn has established itself it gives an independent one. At the beginning I have to give my bowl some firm puffs whilst getting it going, and even while I'm sucking like mad, the smoke doesn't bite. The smoke's temperature is the expected one for a Cavendish blend: cool, and the room-note's very nice indeed. If you smoke for nicotine this won't do for you: it's very mild.

Vanilla aromatics have long been a regular addition to my rotation, they normally take the role of the evening smoke. This is one of the best of its kind, it has to have four stars:

Highly recommended.