1-Q Revisited

[mso489]

I haven't had 1-Q in my rotation for years, more than a decade, but I do have a small jelly size jar of 1-Q about a third full, so I took it down and packed it, out of curiosity. The first surprise was how moist it was after all these years, preservatives I guess, and how redolent of the flavorings vanilla and caramel. Whew. It doesn't stay lit very long until it has burned down and dried out in the process. It tamps very hard because of the moisture I suppose. About a third into the bowl, a MM cob spool with a Forever stem (orange swirl!), it settles down flavor-wise and is somewhat enjoyable, but it still requires some relights. I can see how it might be a good blend for newcomers, non-threatening, no nicotine dizzy spells, no tongue bite or gum burn, and a little dessert flavoring to coax a newcomer along. It's true, I'd never order this stuff, but I'd being fibbing if I said it was an awful experience. Pretty good compared to what I expected. I do remember it is perhaps the best selling blend in the U.S., maybe the world. I don't know how long it will take me to finish my bit left in the jar. It's not calling to me.

 

[gamzultovah]

Same here, MSO. I smoke it only occasionally now that I’ve become acquainted with true tobacco blends.

 

[greeneyes]

I smoke mostly non-aromatics but I find that a little dried-out 1-Q is good for a change of pace once or twice a year.

In the near future the 1-Q connoisseurs will complain about how the "new" 1-Q isn't as good as the "old Lane factory" 1-Q.

 

[saintpeter]

I was very "in to" Wilshire, which was supposed to be a 1 Q clone. When it became unavailable to me I tried 1 Q. Everyone said it was identical, but I did not find this to be true. It was good, but not good enough to make me order it again. I guess I will have to give it a shot again.

 

[docrameous]

I kind of went off of 1-Q a few months ago. Don’t know why. My family gave me a tin of Sorenson Mixture from Norway, so I have been wondering about returning to aromatics to see if a new ‘go to blend’ emerges for me.

 

[olkofri]

Been wanting to revisit this one, but after an irritated throat from a bowl of RPL-6, I'm not sure I wanna restock Lane's blends anymore: I'm blaming it on the extra chemicals/humectants/&c. they add to them. Other blends don't irritate me as much, unless they contain latakia.

 

[alaskanpiper]

1Q ain’t so bad. I liked it fairly well early on. Hard to justify packing it when that Molto Dolce is sitting in the drawer right next to it though. You’ve inspired me to break it out and revisit it though, Tom. It has been a while and my palate has likely matured much since then.

 

[mso489]

One of the mods on Forums back in 2013 somehow got a list of some of the many names pipe shops gave 1-Q in reselling it as bulk tobacco in the shops. As I recall, he came up with maybe forty or fifty names. The shops figured if people liked it and only knew it by their name, they'd have to always come back to the shop to buy some. I'm sure there were many other shops that gave it many other names. Pipe shops still do that, but the serious pros will gladly give you the name of the source and the original name of any of their blends.

 

[gervais]

My last time spent with 1-Q was a walk in the woods with my cob. Maybe 4-5 months ago? I have about the same amount tucked away as yourself @mso489 it’s not terrible from what I remember, but definitely not that memorable either. Someday I’ll try it again

 

[anotherbob]

My pipe shop Tobacco Tavern called it iq (should be capitalized but not as clear).

 

[logs]

My pipe club runs a 30-day 1-Q detox. Please look into it. We're all just brothers trying to help other.

 

[Ctbill]

I’ve previously described what 1Q is to me: Wonder Bread.
Tastes fine, if bland...
Lasts forever due to the preservatives...
Is not offensive...
...and sometimes, ya just NEED Wonder Bread for a good ‘ole PB&J.
I like it - very occasionally.

 

[greeneyes]

My pipe club runs a 30-day 1-Q detox. Please look into it. We're all just brothers trying to help other.

The Second Step involves admitting that there's a higher power called Latakia.

 

[augiebd]

Can’t say I dislike 1-Q but will say I was a bit disappointed. Hearing so many recommendations that it was good for newcomers, I think I expected too much. By the time I tried I-Q I had smoked a variety of more tobacco forward blends and to my taste some higher quality aromatics. I do still smoke it a couple times a year and don’t regret the choice but it doesn’t have stronger draw than that.