Lane Limited Crown Achievement

Crown Achievement (upper case) was introduced many years ago by Lane, Ltd. as a tinned blend using the finest available tobaccos at a premium price with the intent of providing the crown achievement (lower case) of latakia/oriental tobacco mixtures. It was heavy on the latakia and oriental, lighter on the Virginia, and possessed enough perique to make that element obvious although not strong.

I smoked it a few times way back then and was not overly impressed. My problem was not that it was a mediocre tobacco, but rather that it did not have the superior quality to merit the premium price. Over the years Lane dumbed down the blend and omitted the perique. To the best of my recollection I did not ever smoke Crown Achievement in the no perique era. Eventually it was discontinued from the Lane lineup.

After the Scandinavian Tobacco Group acquired Lane Ltd. in 2011 they resurrected a number of discontinued bulks, the tinned Crown Achievement, and even added some new offerings. The Crown Achievement offering was touted as the original recipe (with perique), but was offered without the premium price.

The newly minted Crown Achievement offers a ribbon cut with a strong latakia pouch aroma. My tin was a bit too moist for my preference upon opening, but that quickly settled down. It smokes to a dry ash without gooping the pipe. It is medium in latakia strength, and a bit more than medium in oriental strength for an English mixture. The perique is just above the condimental level, strong enough to be noticed, but nevertheless restrained.

The room note will win no praise from significant others, but it is actually less strong than many latakia/oriental heavy offerings.

My initial response was muted, but as I progressed through the tin my appreciation for the new Crown Achievement increased. In particular I liked the creamy note, which is unusual for a latakia/oriental offering. The fact that it is being offered at a competitive price also influenced me positively.

There are some pipe smokers who despise latakia. They will despise Crown Achivement. But for those who enjoy this breed of tobacco the chances are that they will react favorable. In particular, the creamy note may influence some to add it to regular rotation.

Is Crown Achievement (upper case) the crown achievement (lower case) of latakia/oriental forward blends? Probably not, but at the current competitive pricing it is well worth trying.

I got 18 smokes out of the tin, using a number of different pipes: two Leonessas, two Petersons, one Sasieni, one Kaywoodie, one Dunhill, and one no name ("Italian briar") basket pipe. All provided good smokes, but the Dunhill and the no name tied for first place.

I recently came across CA in bulk at a local shop and thought I would give it a try. I think its a very decent blend and have enjoyed it so far. My local shop is selling it for 3.25 an ounce and for that price I find it an unbeatable smoke in that price range. As others have noted, mixing it 50/50 with some PS straight virginia has been excellent as well.

I started pipe smoking years after this blend was discontinued , so i cant compare the new vs the old. However the new version is quickly becoming one of my favorite blends. To me it tastes slightly tangy and smokey with a little peppery spice from the perique. If you like english/balkan blends give this one a try.

It is to my bemusement that I read the review/comment below me for I strongly remember walking out of my tobacconists with 2oz of this blend not more than three weeks ago.

The below reviews should help anyone who is in need of feed back on this blend. The only real point of this comment is to make the above statement.

This is a review that is more of a complaint since this blend has been discontinued. It was one of the last of Lane blends that contain any Latakia (such as Pure English). That's a real pity. They seem to be concentrating on excessively aromatic stuff these days and as a confirmed English blend nut I can only say---goodbye Lane! The package note was great, rich with the Virginia and the Latakia exciting the nose. The smoke was was nicely balanced and spicy, smoky notes predominated towards the end of a bowl. There was occasional bite, and the bowl finished as white ash without goop. Try Old Lodge or Squadron Leader.

I bought a couple of ounces of this at a tobacco shop I go to every now and then. I was just beginning to experiment with Latakia at the time and I found it to be very enjoyable. I remember keeping the bag on my nightstand by the bed and the rich smell of this tobacco making me feel comfortable on a cold night. I can even remember huffing the bag more than once just to take in the smell. Since then I have moved on to many fancy tins and higher priced blends but I must say that I would buy this again. I do remember very hateful comments from my wife when I smoked this in the house , so I smoked it in the van on the way to and from work. But she didn?t mind the bag by the bed. If there were an English potpourri this may just be it. Writing this review is actually making me miss this blend, I may just have to pick a few ounces up next time I go by the cigar store !

After finishing off a 2-ounce sample of Crown Achievement, I find that I like it, but perhaps not as much as I wanted to. CA is sold in bulk at a very reasonable price, and at my tobacconist's, is dispensed from a classy porcelain jar. The jar aroma is amazingly enticing; it smells almost good enough to eat, rich, spicy and smoky. The tobacco seemed dry enough, but the first few bowls I smoked were nearly impossible to light, rather like trying to set fire to a glass of water. Letting the tobacco dry out for a few days helped considerably, though Crown Achievement still required more relights than most mixtures I've tried. While the jar aroma promised a full, rich smoke, CA didn't quite live up to that promise. As noted in other reviews, there is a similarity to Dunhill My Mixture 965, though CA isn't as strong or as full-flavored. Yet, CA doesn't come across as "965 Lite." Its flavor is mild, but complex, a blending of dark chocolate, spices and smoke. The flavor intensifies a bit at mid-bowl, but still lacks the richness of blends like Dunhill Nightcap or Gawith's Squadron Leader. The room note is pleasant, as is the sidestream smoke; while not a traditonal aromatic scent, it's one that less militant non-smokers should be able to tolerate, and tobacco-friendly folks will likely appreciate. On the whole, Crown Acheivement is a pleasant smoke, a good choice when something a bit milder and less potent is called for, not a bad choice for a morning smoke. It's one I'll smoke from time to time, providing it's still available (other reviews have noted that it may be discontinued).

Lane seems to have a ton of critics, and that's understandable. This is mass market tobacco that aims to sell, not satisfy the quirks of picky pipers. It's always a riot reading their blend descriptions. Really, I had no idea "Crown Achievement" was the product of the rarest, most costly strands of tobacco leaf. I'm sorry, Dubac and Mahalla, you say?

All insults aside, this is a pretty decent English mixture for the price. It smokes cool, has a ton of flavor, and can easily stand its own against some of the higher priced English blends. Yeah, I'd buy this again, but the opportunity may well be on a downward slide.

I recently read a snippet that Lane is discontinuing this blend. That comes as a surprise to me, because I would imagine this to be a popular product. I guess they're finally starting to run out of that rarest of rare leaf. Wonder what kind of replacement Lane's brewing up. Lemme think: "Twenty Seven as of yet developed strains of precious Tobaccos grown on the fine plains of the lost Atlantis.." I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

3.0 of 4.0

Update September 2004:

My stash of this is almost gone after sampling it for over a year. I am now aging about eight ounces and this makes my regular rotation. I am upgrading my rating to three stars.

I smoke CA when I want something of a traditional, stronger English that approaches a Balkan. With age, the sour, acrid notes have gone. Burning qualities are good.

Where I itch, CA scratches. Keep some around for yourself.

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CA is nothing special, yet not to be avoided. Somewhat acrid and sour at times and not very complex, but it is unmistakably Latakia laden.

The Virginia component keeps it from being overwhelmingly pungent and sour. Sweetness does not describe this blend.

It does seem difficult to keep lit, but finishes dry enough. No bites on this tongue. Dunhill's 965 seems rounder, sweeter and creamy compared to CA.

I will try it now and then, but when it is gone, I will not be running out to restock. If aging changes the profile for me, I will update.