Lane Crown Achievement Review by Romeowood

[seilerjp]

Two weeks ago at the Washington County, PA, pipe club we tried a tin of the original Crown Achievement (probably at least 20 years old), the bulk Crown Achievement and a tin of the new Crown Achievement. Generally, we all agreed (7 of us) on the results. We found that the original Crown Achievement had aged to the point that the original Latakia and perique had pretty much mellowed down to the point that the Virginias stood out the most and it was very mild. The bulk Crown Achievement (about 7 months old) was rough. The new tin of Crown Achievement was also a bit rough and could use one or two years of aging. One of our members thought that the newly tinned CA reminded him of the 4 Monks tobacco that he use to smoke years ago.
That is our 2 cents worth for whatever it is worth.

 

[mrsilkysheets]

I am not ashamed to say that it was too much/complex for a beginner smoker like myself to appreciate. I'm just glad I was able to give the rest of the tin to someone who will enjoy it.

 

[saltedplug]

I so want to smoke this blend. I will probably get two tins for evaluation; sometimes 50 g is not enough for me. Though I am a big fan of aging, I can't wait to try this so I'll be opening a tin on arrival.
How long do you suppose this iteration will last? I'm sure that is a function of sales, but are these Lane recreations on probation? That is, if I like it do I have to buy as many tins as I can as quickly as I can?

 

[blendtobac]

Lane has made a significant investment in label design, bringing in component tobaccos that they haven't used in recent years, marketing, etc. I don't think that they're planning to kill CA unless sales are terrible, but based on how many tins we've sold, I think it's safe for quite a while.
Russ

 

[ssjones]

Russ: How about telling those yo-yo's at the Super Store in Hamburg to stock some? I've been there 4 times since the blend was released, they keep telling me it is coming or "huh?". I don't do mail order tobacco, but so far, I've struck out in every shop in the mid-Atlantic area on this blend (and at the NYC club show).

 

[ssjones]

Well, Cigars International finally had some Crown Achievement (3 tins). I bought two, at $8.18/tin, I couldn't resist. I'll crack one open this weekend and maybe do a blend shoot-out against my 20 year old supply.

 

[andrew]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWerj8FcprM

I'd love to see a blend that could recreate this piece, one of my favorites.

 

[portascat]

I enjoy it. Cellaring some, and enjoying it fresh, also. Good stuff, and not that high in price.