Can't Get a Handle on Lane 1Q

[sgh]

Tastes like nothing, smells like ash, the aftertaste is like cigarettes. Am I doing something wrong, or is this just not good stuff? In the bag, it really does smell like stereotypical pipe tobacco, which is a good smell to me. I want to like it... I know I have problems with my packing, but I can manage to get decent flavor (and a better aftertaste) out of other tobaccos.

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title - Bob

 

[cosmicfolklore]

What tobaccos do you like? Not every tobacco is going to be every pipesmoker's cup of tea. I am not a fan of 1Q, but that's because I just don't like run-of-the-mill aromatics. I prefer a pure tobacco experience, but sometimes a special aromatic stands out for me.
Kudos for at least trying it.

 

[sgh]

GLP Blackpoint, Dunhill Aperitif (I'm out), SG Kendal Creme Flake. I'm coming back to pipes after a long hiatus, and i have been having problems getting my pipe to stay lit. That's why i don't want to assume it's the tobacco.

 

[danimalia]

The standard advice to dry the tobacco longer, refine your packing, and all that stuff. All true and good advice. But if I were in your shoes, I'd probably just smoke something else. I know my technique isn't anything special, but if a blend makes me work to find its flavor, maybe it's not worth the journey. Blackpoint sure doesn't make me work hard to find its flavor. I can get notoriously fussy tobaccos like those from the Gawith houses to deliver plenty of flavor. 1-Q should be a comfort type blend, and if it's not delivering, meh, there's a lot of other blends to try.

 

[nunnster]

Personally I've never been a huge fan of the stuff. Way better stuff out there. At best it's just an average, run of the mill aromatic pipe tobacco, and at worse it's just ash and hot air.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

After smoking Englishes and a Kendal, 1Q is just going to be... waxy... IMO. You'll find tobaccos that better fit the bill for you.

 

[ray47]

What pipe did you smoke it in? I find 1Q does best, for me, in a cob, as do most aromatics.

 

[mso489]

I don't find 1-Q repugnant, just too mild and the flavoring a little insipid. I'd still say it is a good one for a rank beginner, since it isn't going to put most people off a pipe. The problem is, when you have smoked anything even a little more interesting, 1-Q is pretty boring. I have a little in a small jar but never get around to it; maybe I'll use it as a carrier for Five Brothers.

 

[sgh]

@ray47 briar churchwarden.

 

[cshubhra]

I am not an aromatics fan, but this got me get some 2 year+ aged 1-Q from depths of my cellar. Smoking it now

 

[ray47]

@ray47 briar churchwarden.

I have one briar churchwarden that I've smoked 1Q in and didn't have a good experience. The cob churchwardens I have handle the 1Q very well.

 

[wolflarsen]

In my experience 1Q tastes great for about 5-10 minutes before going bland. For me, Trout Stream easily blows 1Q out of the water in the vanilla aro category. Vanilla Custard comes in second place. 1Q not even on my radar anymore.

These days I tend to reach for Shortcut To Mushrooms when I'm in the mood for something sweet.

 

[timpiper]

To me, RLP-6 has much more flavour and body than 1Q, also RLP-6 Cellars better.

 

[anotherbob]

pretty much any imitation will be better, if you ask me.

 

[wordheavy]

I've had it more than a few times and never really clicked for me. I don't smoke many aros though, so I think it's just not my cup of tea. Many people love it so it probably depends on personal taste.

 

[condorlover1]

Funny stuff Lane 1 Q also known as Low I Q. I have never been a fan of the stuff but whenever I go back to the U.K it is the tobacco I am most often requested to bring back from the U.S. It does indeed smell wonderful and on the odd time I have tried it out I have found it be all of the above in lacking that certain something as the French say.

 

[rdoss16]

i started a thread a while back about not liking 1Q. when i started smoking, every B&M i visited pushed this stuff telling me how it was the best selling tobacco and everyone loves it. I never found it enjoyable. smelled/tasted like old grandma perfume to me. The response i got was well youre just starting out and havent gotten your cadence down or packing down or lighting down. wait till youre experienced and revisit it. I can tell you i check in on 1Q every few weeks and everytime im let down. i need to make some space in my cellar recently and went ahead and dumped the 1q i had left so i could use the jar to store something i actually enjoyed.
ive found that sometimes the stuff that smells the best tastes the worst or doesnt taste like anything at all. sometimes its the blends w the stinkiest tin notes that taste the best.

 

[lawdawg]

I don't like 1Q either. Sure smells great though! For a predominantly vanilla-tasting aromatic, I'd recommend Sutliff Crème Brulee. It's fantastic. It's pretty goopy, so pack it very lightly, but it burns just fine. Crème Brulee, along with Sutliff's fancier and improved version called Molto Dolce, are my favorite aromatics at the moment. I just recently became acquainted with both of these blends in the past couple months, and I've already smoked a tin of Molto Dolce and a quarter pound of Creme Brulee. Most aros just seem like sucking on hot air, but not so for these two blends. They are everything I hoped 1Q would be when I first picked up a pipe years ago.

 

[mso489]

I may not enjoy 1-Q as a blend, but I certainly appreciate it as a business proposition. 1-Q has been a top seller for decades past. Many are smoking this by the pound. Go figure. If chasing embers gets on our case, we may all start smoking it again with alacrity, as he did with Mixture No. 79.

 

[Elric]

1-Q checks none of the boxes for me. When I want a vanilla aromatic, I reach for the DTM Sweet Vanilla Honeydew. Much higher quality base tobaccos that don't require being hidden by the topping.