Re-visiting Lane Ltd. HGL.

[agnosticpipe]

I couldn't find any recent discussions that I could add on to, so I started this one. Let's face it, HGL is not something really rare or in great demand, at least that I can tell. I bought a few oz. of this about 6 years ago, tried it a couple of times and wasn't impressed that much. So a few days ago I'm looking for something to smoke that I haven't had in a while, and I saw this and could hardly remember what it was like. With 6 years of age on it I had no clue it would be better than I originally thought or not. So far I've smoked two bowls of it about a day apart, and was surprised how much I liked it! Maybe it's because these types of blends are what I've been fond of smoking in the last few years that made it better for me, or aging has helped. (somehow I doubt that) Yeah, it reminds me somewhat of the Frog Morton blends a little, also JFH Whiskey Biscuit Gravy and The Country Squire's Hunting Creek. I know, it's an aromatic blend, but not without merit. I guess it's the same as Lane's RPL-6 but with some latakia added. This is really a nice all day smoke, not bitey or harsh with a pleasant taste.
Anyone else been smoking this blend lately?

 

[Zeno Marx]

When I managed a shop, I had a customer who owned a single pipe and who smoked 1-2LBs of HGL per month. Customers like this are/were the backbone of tobacco shops. The steady customer by whom you could set your clocks. He never bought anything else from us. Not a tamper. Not pipe cleaners. Not a pipe. Just mountains of HGL. I might have tried it once, but I cannot remember. It was sticky stuff.

 

[mso489]

I feel that way about Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic. It's burley based, with Virginia as a condiment, flavored with three liqueurs, which is pretty fancy for a classic over-the-counter codger blend. Another aspect of these traditional blends is that they often burn better than many premium blends. The cut is more even than many other blends, and the burn is even and steady, not requiring many relights.

I like the regular SWR too, a standup burley blend. I like the availability of these blends, wide distribution, and moderate price. As the saying goes, you have to know a good thing when you see it, or taste it.

 

[ray47]

I love HGL, it's one of the first aromatics I reach for when I'm in the mood for an aromatic. I'm not really a big fan of Latakia, but in HGL the Latakia stays in the background which I can tolerate. It kind of adds something to the blend which I can't pinpoint.

 

[KruegerFlap]

Lane HGL was the first blend I ever tried with Latakia in it and I got such a bad tongue bite from it I swore I would never smoke it again but I gave it another shot and now it is my favorite crossover blend. I don't smoke it all the time but I enjoy it every time I pack a pipe with it. It has the right amount of smoky flavor that melds perfectly with the slight vanilla sweetness that makes it a dessert blend in my mind. I have a few pounds of it stocked away so I don't have to live without it

 

[MikeDub]

I haven‘t found English blends something that I enjoy so far, but HGL is really good and I smoke it frequently. It’s got the right amount of Latakia for my current palette. It’s earned a spot in my rotation for now and once my 1 oz sampler runs out I’ll be buying more for a change of pace from my normal burle, DFK, and aros

 

[gastro]

I wholeheartedly concur! HGL is great smoke. I'd been VaPer and Va flaking for so long, I finally pulled my jar of HGL forward and it started me back on the path of latakia blends. I'm not a fan of super heavy latakia blends, HGL is a perfect sweet, smoky tobacco that keeps my interest for the whole bowl. Benchmark tobacco.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

While you didn’t give us a reason for not liking it before or now, I can only guess that the topping had time to further seep into the tobacco, or dissipate. If you like it start adding a few pounds a month to the cellar, so that in a few years you can have a continuous supply of it.
Or, maybe, like most of us your palate for tobaccos changed.
Otherwise, take it as an anomaly and keep trying new tobaccos.

 

[agnosticpipe]

While you didn’t give us a reason for not liking it before or now, I can only guess that the topping had time to further seep into the tobacco, or dissipate. If you like it start adding a few pounds a month to the cellar, so that in a few years you can have a continuous supply of it.
Or, maybe, like most of us your palate for tobaccos changed.
Otherwise, take it as an anomaly and keep trying new tobaccos.

If I remember right, I didn't like it before because it seemed rather blah and flavorless. Now I like the flavor I'm tasting, and whether that's due to it's aging or my aging, it's hard to tell...