...in social situations and for both beginning and advanced pipe smokers. I say socially, because 1-Q is the quintessential pipe smoke whose aroma non-pipe smokers remember with fondness. The room note is so pleasant that anyone who complains about it is just plain being a freakish, high-minded wood tick. Good for beginners because 1-Q doesn't take a lot of fuss to enjoy. It's a good one with which to learn to pack a pipe because I've always found it easy to light and also forgiving if I don't get the pack quite right, and we do tend to learn from our mistakes where packing a pipe is concerned. And, you'll get a good Virginia tobacco flavor along with the light sweetness of the casing. Good for advanced pipe smokers too because, having worked at a local tobacconist for a couple of years after college, this was far and away our best seller to young and old pipe smokers as well as our most common ingredient in blending. It's a smooth, lightly sweet flavored tobacco without being overpowering on the tongue. That light sweetness feels natural to the tobacco too, not heavy as with some other cased products like the cherry or whiskey flavored aromatics, nothing against them. An excellent choice with which to begin your pipe smoking odyssey, and you'll likely return to it again and again as well, as one does with an old and trusted friend. P.S. My own experience was that once I wanted to expand my palate and choices, a good place to go from Lane's 1-Q was to try McClelland 2010, followed by McClelland 2000. Read Less

I've been pipe-smoking for 45+ years and "grew up" with the OLD Balkan Sobranie, Dunhill 965 and Standard Full, Rattray's Red Rapp and Black Mallory as well as Bengal Slices, State Express, etc. While I have found nothing like these old blends, some of todays are very smoke-able. This, however, raises the bar to another level. If you have been lamenting the old/good stuff, this is worthy of your attention! I wanted to give it 5 stars, but somehow the website wouldn't allow it. Give it a try, you won't regret it! Read Less

Heavy full flavor tobacco. Just how I like it! Super rich tobacco, Just basic bold tobacco flavor, a true premium quality smoke. This stuff separates the boys from the men, Nice and strong as far as nicotine goes. Just how I like it! Read Less

Update: After trying GH Bob's Chocolate Flake, I find that Luxury Twist Flake has a topping that's quite similar - sans the Lakeland essence. This is a great flake with a beautiful presentation; LTF does not disappoint. On the other hand, it is probably not going to please Virginia purists with such a distinctive casing. The pouch/tin note smells like powdered hot cocoa mix and fresh-baked bread. Its room note is pleasant as well. Preparation is easy, and behavior is good. Whether you choose to rub it to ribbons or fold-&-stuff, it's hard to mess this one up. The smoke is creamy, with a flavor that's mildy sweet with hints of cocoa and brown sugar, and I find it to be almost entirely bite-free. Additionally, the nicotine level is very low—even a big pipe of this on an empty stomach wont make you dizzy or ill, making it a very agreeable flake. As for aging, blends that are good when fresh—especially Virginias—are a thing of greatness, and this is one of 'em. With that said, it absolutely gets better with age. Still, it's nice to buy fresh flakes and be able to enjoy them as is. LTF is a perfect blend for those who want a Virginia flake with a sweeter twist, and if you liked Luxury Navy Flake, it's likely you'll enjoy this as well. Read Less

I've been making an effort to try all GH bulk blends, especially the strong ones, because they are just such amazing tobaccos in general. What I've found, generally speaking, is that while sharing many components and similarities they are all unique and singular blends to be enjoyed in their own way. Dark Birdseye might be the new crown jewel of my collection. Full, rich, deep, sweet, smoky, and spicy flavors of dark fired Virginia and Kentucky that's just burst onto your palate and give lasting flavor. Even after putting it aside for a few hours or a day it doesn't overpower. Strong enough to satisfy, smooth enough to smoke multiple times per day, and with enough dark virginia sweetness to keep bringing me back, I'm really enjoying dark Birdseye right now. When I put it down and come back I notice a very rich and delicious cigar aroma from the smoke that is just heavenly. As I near the bottom of the bowl the flavors deepen and the smoke strengthens, but since it isn't a super strong blend I simply enjoy the transformation. My batch came with the perfect moisture content to be packed and smoked right away. I tend to smoke this one in a meer or cob, and I pack it tight and filled to the brim. Rarely requires even a single relight based on my experience so far, and is one of the easiest blends to smoke that I've yet to put in my pipe. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl. Contrary to some of the other reviews, I don't view dark Birdseye as a top strength blend in the same league as brown twist or Kendall Kentucky. Yes it is on the stronger side but should be manageable to all but the most sensitive of smokers when it comes to nicotine, especially when smoked at a leisurely pace. You can always pack a smaller bowl if you disagree, but whether you like a large bowl or small I highly recommend giving this fine blend a try. Read Less

As I have mentioned in other reviews I have only been smoking a pipe for 2 weeks. This so far after smoking several other blends I have found for my Virgin palette, this is to me the easiest smoking pipe tobacco yet. I smoke this like a freight train and have yet to find it to bite me, it just didn't happen. It has a little flavor not much. This is the smoothest tobacco I have ever smoked in my life. In my opinion if you're a new pipe smoker and you're not able to smoke this blend you might as well lay the pipe down. Read Less

The SP description lays it out. Not for the faint of heart. If you're new to VA/Per's, don't go here. Go with a 10-15% perique. Also, the particular Perique that C&D uses is very intense. It's dark, oily, musty deliciousness. The VA's in the blend are excellent. Sweet, clean favor. The perique in this blend is above excellent. It's what perique should be. Hints of dark fermented fruit. Only slightly "peppery". A nice loose leaf blend. Packs and lights perfectly, smokes through with only the occasional re-light. No bite, no gurgle, only a small dottle left un-burnt. Yes, it's full and intense. Yes, it strengthens as the bowl progresses. This is not a "light" blend, and not meant to be. It's heady and them some. I cannot say enough about the perique used here. The VA's are good, but there are lots of good VA's out there. This perique is special - very special. It's full flavored and totally satisfying. I looked for years for "my" favourite VA/Per - this is it. Heads and shoulder above and C&D blend I've ever tried - I found most of theirs sorta bland. This - this is wonderful. I will be buying pounds of it. Read Less

I love this stuff because it is very flavorful and has a pleasing room note. If you don't like tonquin bean or licorice, pass on it. Being flavorful I find that others either love it or hate it. For me I like the fullness of its flavor. Read Less

EDIT: 06/20/2019-2 years on and this is still one of my favorite blends. The DFK keeps drawing me back. Mixed this with some Five Brothers recently... wow, just wow. What can be said that hasn't already been said about this amazing blend?! Not much. I will just add my own two cents by saying that this is probably one of the most satisfyingly pleasant blends I have smoked to date. Really rich, wonderful flavor that gets only better as you work your way through the bowl. The flavor that it ends with is the highlight for me. There is a cocoa like flavor that comes through about halfway down. There is a bit of a nic-kick here to, so if you're a lightweight, smoke it on a full stomach and take your time. Another thing about this blend, it ages REALLY well. Buy yourself enough to enjoy right away and enough to squirrel away in your cellar. If you like Dark Fired Kentucky, this is one of the best I have tried thus far and it has been holding steady in 1st place of my tobacco rotation. Read Less

Ok, one bowl of RLP-6 was enough to make me a fan of this blend! I know I'll need more time with it to get to really know it, but my first impressions are very favorable. Many of the other reviews of this blend mention flavors like vanilla, nougat, chocolate, and various fruit. I guess I could taste some of these things, like the vanilla, but more than anything I was tasting caramel, something rather creamy, some nuttiness, and banana. Especially banana! No kidding. Banana! I didn't see any other reviews here or elsewhere mention a banana flavor. Maybe it's just me. Banana... Hmmmm... Anyway, don't get me wrong: I LOVE banana! And I love this blend. Also, there was plenty of real tobacco flavor in the mix, especially nuttiness from the burley. Great stuff, huh? I guess for me at least, RLP-6 drives me bananas AND nuts! Cheers. Read Less

I eyed this tobacco for some time, and waited until Autumn to buy it. I was scared that it would be an overly moist, soapy aromatic, and I had friends who said it was “bitey”. As soon as I opened the tin, my nose hadn’t even got close to it and I was greeted with a beautiful sweet smell of maple. I was intrigued to find out about this ‘red virginia cavendish’ from C&D and I packed my pipe and lit it for the first time. It was good, sweet and took light easily. The flavors were subtle and I got the taste of maple with the virginia cavendish tobacco. Middle of the bowl, it got a lot better, and I must say that that’s where the fun will stop for some people; during the final stages of my smoke I couldn’t taste any maple, but I could taste the tobacco. I have never tasted the straight red virginia cavendish from C&D so I couldn’t tell you if there was a difference, but boy I felt the nicotine was strong. It was relaxing - this is probably one to smoke indoors sitting comfortably with something good to read. I did take it out once, but didn’t appreciate it as much. There’s not a lot going on at once, it’s not a complicated blend. However, I would go as far as to say it’s one of the best aromatics I have tried. I enjoyed it so much, I bought a new pipe and dedicated it solely to this tobacco. That way nothing can change the delicate flavour this gives. It doesn’t bite as much as I was expecting - dumping the ash mid bowl seemed to revamp the taste of the maple. Read Less