Lane Limited Crown Achievement

Upon opening the tin, I find a dry tobacco that smells of a berry topping with some Latakia smokiness. It's a fine cut ribbon that has a lot of yellow and golden strands.

Because of the dryness, it lights very easily and burns to a white ash. Unfortunately, the topping is quite present in the smoke, with an average amount of Latakia and some bite on the tongue. I don't know what the original tasted like but this mixture is in the category of a dime a dozen for me. The aftertaste is of cigarettes, which is a bit normal for a Virginia driven tobacco, but I think that the quality of the leaf is on the average side.

Virginia lover

Let me begin by saying I am a newbie smoker, a light smoker and tend to smoke aromatics. I had smelled Latakia/English blends in my local B&M (notice that is B&M and NOT BM) and they smelled terrible to me. (might as well have been a BM) 🙂 This is the first Latakia/English blend that I have tried. I read the reviews and hype about this blend and thought it would be a good one to give me an idea of whether I would like these types of tobacco blends. This one has the same off-putting smell in the tin as the other English Styles, but I was not dissuaded. I loaded it straight out of the new tin which was at a moisture content that was just a bit high, but I loaded it with a very light tamp. My moisture meter measured it at 18%-a bit high. I have read it should be about 12%-14%. {This moisture content information was gleaned from a very helpful, informative "Pipes Magazine" online article. (The moisture meter, by the way, is an excellent tool for gauging tobacco moisture for the newbie smoker-before I got the meter I was trying to smoke very moist tobacco-measure at around 20% and higher). If I can take the time to dry my tobaccos to the 12%-14% mark, they smoke wonderfully. It still lit well and burned pretty good, I only had to relight once to get it smoked to the bottom of the bowl. I am glad I tried it in a rather small cob, as I really disliked this tobacco (personal preference not putting it down). The cob gave its' all and provided a slight sweetness that was much appreciated by me. I knew going in that I might feel this way and I was not wrong. It smoked just as it smelled in the tin. I can't exactly describe it, but it was something like a smoky-perfume-soap. It did get a bit spicier at the half way point, it did not help. I persevered to the bottom of the bowl and was glad when it was done. I like Perique, as in McClelland's "Beacon", too much in "Beacon Extra" but the Perique did not help me with this blend. I got a small sample of G.L.Pease "Gaslight" along with this order from Smokingpipes.com and will try it next. It does not seem to have as strong of a Latakia tin note, but I think it will be similar and just as off-putting to me. My advice is, if you like the English/Latakia tin note smell you will probably really enjoy this tobacco, as it smokes just like it smells.

Crown Achievements- This review is from the newly released tinned CA. I have to agree with those reviews that say a new entry should be initiated for the new release as this is a different tobacco from the original or the revised blend.

My initial reaction was that this needed some time to breath and after a week the blend did improve. Unlike many of the newer reviews I thought this was a more Latakia forward blend void of all sweetness and rather than flavor, the Orientals only provided heat and harshness. I felt that this was similar to C&D's Engine 99, H&H's Ten to Midnight or Ambassador, you want to think latakia out front. Not a great room note, wife banishes me ! This was smoked in a Ozark Maple and a cob, perhaps a briar would have been better ,however, my tongue was so raw I couldn't see me smoking another bowl. One of those smokes that says, " I like the taste of licking a charcoal briquette that is void of all flavor", then you need to have this one on hand. I don't think I'll be buying more and I won't

Just wondering if LANE rushed this blend to market, maybe it needs a year to age and meld ?

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.

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.

Quality packaging, ribbon but with some twiggy bits, dark and English - like in tin note.

Smokes well enough, but I find something is amiss as it pertains to the composition; The Turkish / Lat components mute out the Virginias and [I can't believe I'm writing this] theirs too much of a Perique presence. Perhaps it's just exaggerated because every other piece of the blend cancels the others out.

Burns quicker than I would consider typical, but not hot or overly bitey.

It's like a librarian lacking skeletons in her closet...drab.

i had hoped that when i read that this had returned to perique as a component that it would be as i remembered it, but it was not. seems to me that the real appeal is in the heavy latakia, it is so strong with it that it makes my dog sneeze and leave the room. my wife says the dog smells better than the tobacco. it is just okay.

Very dry in the tin when I first opened it. Too dry, way too dry. The taste wasn't at all bad, but the dryness of the tobacco led to it biting. Far better blends to be tried.

What a disappointment. I smoked Balkan Sobranie 759 and the tinned version of Crown Achievement almost exclusively for 15 years. I always found CA to be a good change of pace because of its spiciness from orientals. There was nothing else quite like it. Lane no longer makes CA in tins and the bulk version is just another English mixture that is no different from any number of other blends. Not that there is anything wrong with it, there is just nothing to distinquish it. Worth a try, but not the CA of old.