Lane Limited Lane Limited Ready Rubbed

I never had the original Edgeworth, so this is based solely on the new release. Initially I had trouble with the cut of this blend. Keeping it lit and generating enough smoke was a problem. I've since gotten a bit better with gravity fill methods and rubbing the cubes out a bit helps as well. The 4 oz bulk bag I ordered also came quite moist, and required a fair amount of drying.

I really enjoy the flavors here. They are mild, but have good body. Plenty of nuttiness, earthiness and cocoa. The added flavoring is easily noticed, but it's nice and complements the tobacco well. I can easily see why this was such a popular tobacco for so many years. I'd love to see them bring back a "sliced" version.

I have to admit, even though I love a good Burley I wasn’t too impressed with this blend for the first several bowls, but it gradually grew on me. The taste starts out quite mild, but it builds up to a mild/medium smoke of slightly molasses sweet, nutty, toasty Burley with a hint of cocoa. And the aftertaste will pleasantly linger on the palate. Packs and burns well, and before you know it you just might find yourself smoking back-to-back bowls as I did. Definitely recommend.

In this blend I have found a classic American Burley that equals or surpasses my beloved Carter Hall. This is the blend that a new Piper should begin with, hands down. It's a true, satisfying offering that fans of SWR, Carter Hall, et al will instinctively love. There's a bit of PG present, but it doesn't Mick things up too bad. A nice, chunky granola cut makes loading a breeze. The burn is excellent, if a bit fast. Tongue bite is non-existent. Nicotine is mild. Flavor is impeccable, rich oaty cocoa Burley with a mild sweetener that imparts a thickness to the smoke. Nothing too complex here, but it's precisely what the Burley lover seeks. At a sip this is the nicest codger blend one could ask for. I've never smoked the original but am thoroughly satisfied with the current incarnation.

Summary: cube cut Burley blend with a light honey/molasses that makes for a great all-day smoke that complements the natural leaf flavor.

Burley blends are like buttered toast. You stuff the bowl. The slightly damp and pliant cubes and shreds fit neatly into the bowl and compact easily, with a springy consistency. At the match, a ghost of the honey and molasses flavoring rises, but it is quickly crowded out by the flavor of warm, buttery Burley. As the bowl burns down, it tastes slightly more like butter and caramelizing sugar, but essentially still has the same grain and nuts flavor of Burley. An hour and a half later, the bowl is ash of a light grey color and granular consistency. Was it mindblowing? No, but it was pleasant, and that is the point. This is a blend for people whose minds are occupied doing other things but who might enjoy a blend of grain, nuts, caramel, honey, and molasses like they might enjoy a well-balanced cocktail. I could smoke this all day but wish they would use higher Nicotine Burley.

Every Christmas for many years, I would go with my Dad down to the corner drugstore and buy two pouches of the original Edgeworth Ready Rubbed to give as my Christmas gift. I always loved the room note when Grandpa lit up his pipe.

I became a pipe smoker about four years ago and since then, always wondered about Grandpa's favorite tobacco.

I read the reviews and immediately bought a 14 ounce tin. I was gratified to see the solid metal, key-open pop lid on the tin, and happier still when I caught the first scent rising from the tin, although I smelled more fermented fruit than either cocoa or molasses. The cut is not, I repeat not cube cut... it's somewhere between short ribbon and granulated. Another reviewer said "grape nuts," and that's very apt.

And then the joy stopped.

In a fresh cobb, this stuff burns very well. Not too quickly, and it was at about the right moisture level straight from the tin. However, I could taste/feel the PG with the first light sip, and then the smoke bit the tip from my tongue. I tried it again today, and the experience was much better, although I'm a bit disappointed in the overall flatness of flavor I get here. I do not detect either molasses or cocoa, although the burley seems to be top notch and the Virginia makes a tiny, fresh, sweet contribution. I'm upgrading my rating to 2 stars, and have put the rest of the 14 ounce tin into a sealed glass jar. I'll revisit this next Easter to see if it has improved.

Man, I really wanted to like this stuff. All the hoopla about the original blend, gave me an incentive to order 4oz of this Lane offering. It smells great right out of the gate. I love the cut too. But upon lighting up, it all went downhill from there. P.A. has more taste than this stuff. I was hoping for a halfway through the bowl, more flavor, but alas, it was not to be. It's very bland, nothing seemed to sing out about this blend to me. But someone out there must like it, cause it's still being made. I just wish I could've had a chance to taste the original blend, as a comparison.

This is good for what it is, a simple Burley OTC mixture. It comes at perfect moisture level for smoking right out of the tub. Nicotine is low so it’s perfect to load up and smoke several times a day. It’s not complex so you don’t need to contemplate the smoke itself and therefor makes a perfect “chore tobacco” while running around doing “honey do’s”. All in all, it’s a good dumb reach and I’m glad I have it as an option. Everything about this tobacco is mild. My only complaint is that it burns too quick but I guess you could turn that into a pro as it makes a good quick smoke. I might try cutting it with some Brown Bogie to add some nicotine to the mix.

11-3-21 edit.

Well, I really wanted to like this one but the more I got familiar with it the less I liked it. My chemistry doesn't do well with it, leaves my mouth feeling "raw" and it's just very unsatisfying. All I can think about when I smoke this stuff is that I wish I had loaded something else instead. Good for what it is but not for me, I'll leave it at a neutral rating because it really is pretty good for what it is, I guess these OTC Burley blends just aren't for me.

Tin note: very sour with a little bit Cocoa / Chocolate flavour.

When smoking: the light Cocoa / Chocolate topping does not eclipse the nutty and creamy natural burley.

No bite; very smooth.

I don't consider it as aromatic blend but a delightful and comforting straight cube cut Burley.

As usual, I hate giving blends bad reviews. In their own way, they all have value and usually *somebody* out there loves them--not to mention the love that went into creation.

So with that in mind, and all due respect, I have to say, "Wow, this blend is just terrible."

Here's my background: heavy smoker for 25 years, pipe smoker for 5 years, usually smoke nicotine-heavy blends from Gawith. I smoke about 10-12 bowls a day.

I bought this blend in my (still unsuccessful) search for an acceptable all-day smoke with medium nicotine (12 bowls of Kendal Dark a day really hurt my brain, even after all these years).

I really really wanted this blend to work. It seemed perfect based on all the reviews.

So here's the problem (and I've run into this on a lot of burley blends): This is actually an aromatic. I don't care if it's technically not an aromatic, it's still an aromatic. The tin reeks of cocoa and something else sharp and sweet (and definitely not natural). Honestly, this happens too often with blends that are marketed as non-aromatics. I'm not anti-aromatic, just you know, let people know about it.

I'd almost overlook it, but in this case, it's not the worst problem

The worst problem is: tada... PG up the wazoo.

After you smoke a bowl of this, your mouth will be coated with a slightly slick scum of PG. And during the smoke, the PG keeps you from really feeling the smoke in your mouth.

Seriously, what's up with all the PG in blends? I've blended and stored my own tobacco (including directly from leaf), never once had a mold or moisture problem. If I wanted to smoke PG, guys, I'd vape. I have vaped. It stinks, it's terrible. Please, oh gods of tobacco, stop putting PG in your darn blends.

But then, even without the PG, the taste is really sour, kinda like sweet cigarette ash. (And it's not that I don't like Burley, I smoke 4Noggins cube-cut blending burley often and it's delish.)

As for bite, it doesn't bite, it nips, just the lower lip and tip of the tongue. Bearable, but not desireable.

Here's something though,

The tin: beautiful. Gorgeous.

And the cut: really nice, not cube-cut, but like granola or Grape-Nuts.

Easy to pack, easy to burn, burns down nice. A little dottle and wetness left at the bottom, but nothing unreasonable. (For comparison, I can get 3-5 smokes in a row out of my Falcon pipe with Kendal Dark, and I get no more than 2 out of Ready-Rubbed; after that it's clogged and needs to get wiped out.)

In summary, disappointed, the search continues. I want my dry, medium-strength, tobacco tasting (or neutral tasting) all-day tobacco with no PG.

Excelsior!