Lane Limited Crown Achievement

I walked into a tobacconist several days ago looking to purchase any decent type of tobacco, as I had run out on my business trip. Unfortunately what was once a respectable tobacco shop had turned into a weird kind of cyber cafe whose only selection of pipe tobaccos were the large plastic canisters that Lane's tobacco is normally sold in. I picked this mixture as it was the only one that didn't seem to be dripping with casing and humectant. To say that I didn't expect much out of this tobacco at $2.99 an ounce would be an understatement.

A day later I was pleasantly surprised. The tobacco does contain quite a few stems, and is not the easiest blend to pack. I smoked it in a BIG Nording freehand. The tobacco lit easily, and stayed lit throughout my smoke. It has acted the same on each successive smoke. I tend to get three or four smokes out of this pipe per fill. The flavor is very mild with a smoky kind of pinewood campire taste at the top of the bowl. A quarter of the way into the bowl I was surprised with a decidedly nutty flavor melding into a very light chocolate note. The further I smoked the more the nuttiness developed into an almond-like quality. It has turned out to be a surprisingly complex blend. The spiciness of the latakia weaves in and out of the food notes, bringing a pleasant bite.

I believe that this tobacco has probably been sitting on their shelf for several years, so I don't know if this is an earlier version. I do know that I will be taking a bunch back with me to cellar, and that is something that I never thought that I'd say about a bulk Lane's blend.

I've been smoking CA 100 for about 3 years now. I've had a few different Latakia blends but I still have to have this on hand. The first time I smoked a bowl of this I was like "no way in hell people can really smoke this." I didn't have it in me to throw out my 2 oz, so I just sat on it. After a year and many reviews later I decided to give it a real chance and boy was I surprised. Wether my palette changed or it just aged well I don't know, but I began to enjoy this stuff. True, it has a lot of stems that get in the way of an easy pack, but, whatever. This is my main smoke. Though I love other mixtures as well, CA 100 is cheap and easy for me to get my hands on. Anyway, if you get nothing else out of this review, let it be a lesson: Never, ever judge a tobacco on a couple of smokes and never, ever, ever through out a tobacco. Period. Trade, blend, or just sit on it. Might one day turn out to be your favorite 🙂

This is a copycat blend that has been around for awhile. Both times I've bought it, I was trying to help a guy out - you know, the friendly sort trying to make a go of it in a BM tobac. Both times, it was presented as a more reasonably priced Red Rapparee. The only problem is that it is nothing like RR. If I ever smoke stable hay, then maybe this is the preview. For the past year, I've been playing with my supply of CA, adding both Latakias, Orientals and some dark Virginias with moderate success. For the most part, it continues to taste like a cheap cigar. Maybe the mold will take the matter out of my hands.

Meerschaum Man Smoking an SMS Smooth Panel Bent

The currently available version of Crown Achievement isn't the same as the tobacco I smoked years ago. I know.... "duh"... but seriously, this has turned from a tasty English/Balkan blend into Lane's version of Frog Morton.

There is nothing wrong with the current offering. It's a mild english with some casing/cavendish included that should appeal to the smoker looking for a light, aromatic latakia blend.

As for the Mahalla and Dubec tobaccos in this blend, there may be one ounce of each in a 25 lb batch...

Like Frog Morton, I have no problem with CA and if I had to choose between Cherry Blend or Crown Achievement/Frog Morton then I'd be smoking CA/FM. Stack CA up against Presbyterian Mixture/London Mixture/Samarra/Margate.. no comparison.

This rare blend was at one time the most expensive pipe tobacco in the world. After removing one of the tobaccos in the blend, it fell in popularity. They have once again added that rare and costly tobacco (Perique), returning it to it's original blend, and once more it is rising in popularity. In the tin the tobacco had a sweet sour tobacco scent. In the pipe it had the aroma and flavor of fine tobacco, a smoky sweet woodiness, and citrus. There was also a hint of cloves. Hidden among all this was a feint intermittent hint of a fine and fruity wine. The retro hale was peppery. The Virginia contributed rich and earthy notes, the Mahalla (a Basma tobacco) offered a light sweetness, the Dubak (another Basma) was both sweet and aromatic, the Mountain Leaf Latakia lent a rich smoky component, and the Perique added the final touch with a note of fruitiness and strength. The fruity notes of Perique are the same volatile compounds (produced through fermentation) which are found in fine wines, giving them that fruity note. The Perique, valued so highly by discerning tobacco aficionados, is said to be the strongest and most expensive of all tobaccos. I read that it is considered “the truffle of pipe tobaccos by connoisseurs.” It is no wonder it fell in popularity when this choice tobacco was removed. All of the aforementioned ingredients blended together harmoniously. There was a very balanced complexity. The smoke was very smooth and did not bite the tongue in the least. This was a very splendid tobacco blend.

This review is mostly for posterity, as it's in reference to the original Crown Achievement from the late '60s or early '70s; I believe the remake, which I've yet to try, has also been discontinued.

I don't recall ever having referred to a tobacco as 'luxurious,' but there you have it. When I first tried this blend I had a sensation bordering somewhat on disbelief, since I've never had quite the same experience with another tobacco.

The tobacco is very dark, with some ruby-red flecks, and it's supplied in a choppy ribbon cut--no long strands. Perhaps it was brighter when it was freshly-blended. It has a fetid aroma, like a pungent cheese, with a slight natural tobacco sweetness.

The mixture burns very well---effortlessly, actually, without burning quickly. It also renders copious plumes of thick, rich smoke. In this sense it was somewhat refreshing since it's not often you come across a tobacco that isn't a nuisance in one sense or another in terms of preparation, lighting, and keeping lit. An 'easy' smoke.

The Orientals are at the fore, in lock-step with the Latakia. It's a little challenging to describe but this blend is very light in body and yet has remarkably complex and satisfying aromatic qualities. The Orientals were velveteen smooth, with a demure creaminess and a soft dairy roundness. Burying my nose in the bowl I detected a caramel toasted-sweet scent of fresh popcorn.

The Latakia gave the impression of having been seasoned slowly, rather than quickly or aggressively, as it gave the sensation of layers of depth suffused patiently into its Oriental matrix.

There was an unmistakable sweetness which proved elusive. It was not a Virginia or Cavendish sweetness which often carries with it a sensation of depth of body. I can only describe it as an aromatic sweetness, whether from the Orientals or the Latakia, which somehow did not burden the tongue with a sensation of weightiness. This levity of body kept the experience from becoming tiresome or tedious.

I have read elsewhere that Hermann Lane despised aromatic tobacco. I have also read in periodicals of the day that this blend, Crown Achievement, was intended to be the crème de la crème, and was priced accordingly. I can say with unblinking sincerity that this must be one of the best tobaccos (nevermind Balkan blends) that I've ever had. I'm convinced after having smoked it several times that the ingredients used in its fabrication were the best that were available at the time (and certainly much better than most of what's available now) and blended by the deft hand of an artist.

The secret to a good English or Balkan style blend consists of allowing the different tobaccos to breathe and thus both contrast one another, and blend into a single sweet-spicy flavor. That piquant aspect makes English blends so popular.

"Crown Achievement" came relatively dry in the tin, with a slightly rougher cut than expected. Latakia wafted upward first, then the fermented smell of Perique, followed by the abundant Orientals. Any Virginias took a back seat, and the flavor bears this out, with a faint background sweetness dominated by the real power of this blend, which is the complement between the Latakia and Perique to make the Orientals move from sour to a sweet, spicy and sour flavor. If you are thinking Kung Pao Chicken or a good vinegar barbecue, you are on the right track.

Unfortunately, the result is somewhat unbalanced. Too much of the Latakia flavor, and somewhat of a chaotic interplay between the Orientals, has created a blend that like some of the early American attempts at re-introducing an English proves jagged instead of a fine balance like the Dunhill blends. Nonetheless, I enjoy this blend for its richness of flavor; it might be better as an American English, with more Virginia and a fair dose of Burley to widen the flavor profile and allow the individual leaf varieties to tangle in the opened space, especially if those Orientals can be made to complement one another and not simply clash. If you mix in about 60% "Five Brothers," the smoking experience notably improves, which is usually a key that a condimental leaf has been overused.

If the term “mild Balkan” strikes you as an attractive oxy-moron, and if you can get past Lane’s marketing hyperbole, you might just enjoy the latest iteration of Crown Achievement. It’s pressed and cut to ribbons that range from light gold, to mid and dark brown, also black. Tin note is Liquid Smoke (drat!) well over peat, with barely descernable, fairly earthy VAs. For me, Liquid Smoke scent means “Dry Some Before Smoking”, then I load it gently into a large, Balkan pipe. It takes the match OK, and the “smoke” soon switches to “sandalwood/soap”, and the Turkish comes up to dominate. CA is quite mild for ½ a bowl or so, and it’s “fragrant” if you like the true Turkish/barnyard thing, which I do. Meanwhile, the VAs are old hay-ish, a little earthy, both mild and sharpish without being wimpy or sharp, and the spices are exotic/kabob spicy without being too peppery, the lot both sweet and sour. I believe there's Perique in this, but there's not much, and it's mostly fig. CA lights easily and, typical of Turkish blends, it burns down fairly quickly, maintaining what I call a Balkan balance all the way. The Lat and the Perique team up to make CA rather astringent, as well, which I call bracing; YMMV. Though CA “intensifies” as it burns down, it barely makes it to medium in the taste department, IMO. Strength is mild. Room note is Turkish. Aftertaste is best-of-the-smoke, and it lingers longer than many Balkans.

I always thought of Balkan mixtures as needing some sort of “edge” to qualify for inclusion in the genre, until I smoked Compton’s of Galashiel’s Balkan, which loses what little edges it ever had over time while still being a true Balkan, in spades. Well, Crown Achievement is fairly edgeless, too. While it may not be the world’s best smoking mixture, it does stack up to the likes of Skiff Mixture and Eighteen-Twenty, though it’s more along the lines of Robert Lewis’ Orcilla Mixture. Overall, I think CA strikes a better balance than Orcilla, and that’s not a knock on Orcilla. I would think anyone who smokes Balkan mixtures regularly would give CA at least a 3, and I have to round it up to 4 Stars.

The Latakia is strong, yet there are some spicy and sweet aromas creeping behind the scene. It reminded me of a warmer Dunhill 965, without being quite as chalky.

It has been noted that it is comprised of many quality ingredients, but I'm afraid this one suffers from too many cooks in the kitchen. It was fine, just not sublime.

Perhaps there were too many acrid tastes at work, but by the end of the week, my tongue was raw with bite.