Lane Limited BS-005

This would be the perfect daily bulk for me, but it has an added moisturizing agent which overpowers the really good flavor after first light. Too bad really, this was one of the first English blends I tried and though I thought I found a jewel, I know it was and shall remain in the rough unless Lane decides to change it. The flame came to light this well with a couple relights, but no big deal. Good volume of smoke and a nice smoky, musty flavor. Price is excellent for the quality leaf and yes I have to bitch again about the humectant applied..too damn bad. JSMS

The sample I received of this bulk tobacco confirmed to me why I don't usually smoke English blends. The pouch aroma was typical English from a mix of wide ribbons of light brown to black tobacco with some greenish added in small quantity. I found the taste initially harsh and becoming even bitter as the smoke progressed. However, in fairness, it smoked cool and dry and I did finish the sample, so perhaps compared to other English blends that I've dumped, this one was apparently better. I guess traditional English blends are just not for me but if this is your choice, you might try this one.

Although I have been smoking a pipe for almost sixty years, I have no memory of ever smoking this blend under it's present name nor any other blend name. Therefore, I can't address the "old" version and am reporting on my experience with the "resurrection" blend. I found my tin of BS-005 to be very dry on opening; almost too dry. The tin appearance was rather dark in overall color and in a range that ran from medium brown through dark brown to black. The tin aroma was, likewise, in a narrow range of very smokey nuances. Since the tobacco was already in a dry enough state to smoke, I loaded up right away. As I smoked away on the top third of the bowl, I realized that the smoking aroma was heavy in latakia but very short on follow through. What I mean by this is, with every puff, the aroma went from the heavy latakia to some lower and mid range notes and....nothing. Where we experienced English smokers might expect some higher and grass-like notes at the top; here, nothing. BS-005 smoked consistently in this manner all down the bowl to the finish. As I contemplated a two star rating, I also began to use BS-005 in micro blending and this worked out quite well. While I agree entirely with reviewer Jimlnks 2016-01-31 that this blend is not interesting enough to smoke on an ongoing basis, it still is recommendable and I give it three stars.

Opened a new tin of this today. Ah. The strong smell it brings. Strong earth and wood tones ride this into the pipe. Cut is a little ruff but it works. Lights on first char and takes some work to smoke. Just a tad of wetness and the latakia. Makes this a great smoke. No gurgle. Just good smell.

I found this blend, named Old Balkan, in my smoke shop bulk section. It smelled great in the jar and the price was right so I purchased a few ounces.

Upon getting it home, I noticed that there was no humectant and this blend dried out nicely after about an hour. I packed a bowl of this mixture of dark, meduim brown and light brown, small ribbons into a savinelli bulldog and started with a good charring light and then hit it with the true light.

Ok this is good....the first 1/3 was cool and medium full in flavor...nicely prominent was the latakia. The second third gathered some strength and settled nicely into a wonderfully mellow, burnt, woodsy olfactory and gustatory experience.

The finish was no different except there was a slight bit of dottle to remove from the very bottom of my bowl; this was most likely due to my packing the bowl too tightly. For the price and wonderful lack of bitterness and sting, which I have encountered in some other Balkans, this blend is a good inexpensive keeper.

As a new reviewer (but an old pipe smoker), I felt the need to jump in on this blend after reading comments from fellow reviewers over their lack of enthusiasm.

First off, I LOVE English and Balkan blends. The aroma given off by smokey Latakia properly mixed with Turkish, Orientals, Virginias, even lawn grass, sends my nose into olfactory overload. My first bowl of BS-005 confirmed that I had found yet one more outstanding English blend and brought me into the inner circle of other Lane tobacco lovers.

The first bowl was an interesting experience - the first 1/3 was cool, satisfying and I kept thinking, 'hmmm not bad, but it won't last...it's not expensive enough.' During the second 1/3 of the bowl...'hey, this stuff is pretty good!' The final 1/3 had me wanting more. Truthfully, I wasn't expecting this. I've since tried several other Lane blends, including HGL Full English, which is not, in my humble opinion, as good as BS-005. (HGLFE seems to have a odd aroma reminiscent of my grandmother's perfume.)

By way of comparison, BS-005 is heavier in Latakia than Early Morning Pipe, Penzance, Renaissance, and Raven's Wing. It smokes dry, leaves a fine, non-goopy ash without residue and unlike Pipestud, I cannot detect any moisturizing agent. In fact, my preference is towards drier tobaccos and I'll often leave newly purchased bags and tins open for a couple days. BS-005 dried out so successfully I may have to mist it back to a slightly moister existence.

I give BS-005 4 stars. If you enjoy tobaccos like 965, consider putting BS-005 into your rotation.

-- U.L (Uncle Lew) approved.

I picked up an ounce of this for free at a pipe show and was pleasantly surprised. I smoked cool and tastes great. I really enjoyed the Latakia content and it's smokey aroma.

I picked up a tin of this on a whim along with the other newly reintroduced tinned English blends from Lane, Medal of Valor and Crown Achievement. I absolutely love all three, but concerning BS-005, the tobacco comes fairly dry in the tin, which aids the burn rate which is balanced by a chunky cut. This blend contains a fair amount of Latakia, at least 50% to my eyes, and has a very bold, smoky taste at first light. However it also has a very exotic incense spicy flavor that either comes from the Latakia or the Orientals which are used. Whichever it is, it is a common element in the other blends mentioned earlier and it is very nice indeed. The Virginia is present but very light and only adds the slightest amount of sweetness which increases a bit towards the end of the bowl. I tip my hat to Lane Limited who have done their homework and listened to their loyal customers. This blend is one for the Latakiophile, and in that genre it will be a workhorse in somebody's rotation because the bulk pricing is very affordable. A quality blend at a quality price.

Lane's BS-005 is an excellent English style tobacco,with a nice dose of Latakia, just the way I like it. It makes for a fairly strong, but not overpowering English smoke. My gold standard is Dunhill's 965, and this compares favorably in taste and texture. I give it a 4,