Lane Limited HGL

[missionpipe]

Received a pound of Lane limited HGL on Christmas Eve and have been smoking it for a few week now. I must say I really like this blend.
I do enjoy Lane RLP-6 as well as heavy Latakia blends and had been experimenting with blending Latakia and RLP-6. I did have some success and enjoyed the experiments, but Lane got the mix just right in HGL. The light percentage of Latakia really brings out the flavors in the RLP-6.

 

[sumusfumus]

Yep....Smoke it straight, and mixed with some cigar leaf.
Straight "HGL" is good stuff. "Captain Black" with a little hit of Latakia, for a more interesting smoke...
Frank

NYC

 

[zensmoker]

I just picked up some HGL yesterday and will be trying it out tonight. I'm new to the hobby but I really enjoy RLP so HGL seemed like a natural next step. I love the smell - sweet & slightly smokey

 

[ray47]

I bought 8 oz of HGL last month and smoke it several times a week.. I find it smokes best in a cob. I pick up more vanilla then anything and the Latakia is in the background. Just right for aromatic smokers who want to delve into Latakia for the first time.

 

[puffy]

I smoke more HGL than anything else.Been doing so for many years.

 

[weezell]

I always have some at hand...

 

[missionpipe]

I smoke more HGL than anything else

I'm finding the same thing.

 

[Strike Anywhere]

I agree. Everytime I come back to HGL I’m amazed how good it is. I was so thrilled when Leo brought it back several years ago.

 

[sumusfumus]

Thinking this blend is underrated and not as "fashionable" as some other blends-du-jour that are currently popular. Too bad.
"HGL" is, and remains, consistently good over all these years. I smoked it in the '90s and smoke it now, and it hasn't changed at all. It's easy, and pipe-friendly. You don't need a college-educated palate to appreciate its charms. Its a fun date. Smokes well in anything you can pack it in, and smells good. Decent substitute for Lane's defunct, "10 Downing Street".....
"HGL" = "comfort food" for mild-English-Aro smokers. It's cheap, it's a classic, it's been around for years, and probably will survive FDA deeming regs.
Hoping Lane Ltd. reads these various Pipe Smoker's Forums. I stopped smoking my pipes for a few years, but did I read that Lane pulled this blend from production a while back, and re-introduced it? Why can't companies leave well enough, alone!
HEY, LANE LTD!.....BRING BACK "10 DOWNING STREET".....
Frank

NYC

 

[Chasing Embers]

I like mixing 1Q with Penzance. Will have to try HGL.

 

[zensmoker]

Interesting - I picked up some HGL because I heard it was like RLP with a bit of smokiness. I've only had a couple bowls but it is not really to my liking. I really enjoy RLP so I'm chalking it up to an inexperienced palate and will keep up with the odd bowl to see if my taste for it evolves.

 

[zensmoker]

After going back and forth between RLP-6 and HGL I have now seen the light. I am really enjoying it. RLP-6, while still really good, almost feels like it's missing a bit of body when compared to the HGL.

 

[dottiewarden]

Another good Aro/lat light is Lane Limited - Captain Black Black Sea (Premium Edition)

 

[sumusfumus]

zen....
Yep, there are minor differences, and it takes a little while to pick them out.
You can always "dilute" HGL with a little RLP-6, or, try it the other way around.... add small amounts of HGL to RLP-6 until the blend fits your ideas of a great smoke. You'll wind up at the same sweet spot, either way.
I smoked both blends, which are essentially the same. However the small addition of Latakia in the HGL gives the main tobaccos, that are common to both of these mixes, a nuanced, more complex, flavor and aroma.
When HGL was finally chosen as a major component in a cigar-leaf mixture that I made, ("Pleasant Moments"), the slight addition of Latakia in the HGL made all the difference, and I think, put my blend into a different category. It has become my favorite smoke, so far. Originally, I used RLP-6 as the major component, but the mixture lacked some complexity, and the aroma was definitely nice, but flat, sweet, nothing special. The Latakia fragrance, and piney, smokey, resinous flavor, is barely noticeable, but it's there and plays a subtle part. Those who have sniffed my cigar-leaf blend say: ...."what are you smoking"?..."it smells great"!..."there's cigar-leaf mixed into that pipe tobacco"?.....
Praying Lane Ltd keeps this stuff on the market.
Frank

NYC
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BTW....Thanks for the Captain Black/Black Sea suggestion.

 

[Civil War]

I really enjoy HGL

 

[artificialme]

Lane HGL is one of my favourite at this time. Although I just got 5-6 kind of tobacco that I've tried.

 

[pipesticks]

My RLP-6 languishes on the shelf as I find myself reaching for the HGL to satisfy my occasional aromatic sweet tooth. I'm going to pick up some blending latakia and see what it does to other aros I have collecting dust. I have a lot of H&H Ambassador's blend here, so maybe I'll try using that to put some body in my aros first.

 

[sumusfumus]

Using "Captain Black" with some Latakia = (HGL)- as a blending component can give some unexpected results...
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Some "Pleasant Moments", "Storm Front" and "Dark and Stormy" comparisons:
When "RLP-6" was used and mixed together with the other tobacco components, the RLP-6 version smoked mild, not too sweet, and very mellow, and was very reminiscent of John Patton's "Storm Front". I smoked both, "Pleasant Moments" and "Storm Front" and found almost no difference between the two blends. Both blends contain some cigar-leaf, however, "PM" has a little more cigar-leaf flavor and aroma. I could not detect the cigar-leaf in "SF". Either/or both, I could smoke all day with no problems.
Now, when "HGL" was used, the homemade "PM" mixture took on more complexity, and some more interesting flavors, as noted in a previous posting. Interestingly, and concurrently, I recently sample-smoked Patton's "Dark and Stormy" for some comparisons. I was curious. The results surprised me. "Dark and Stormy" has more of that Englishy, characteristic Latakia and leathery smokiness, and was a little "harsher" than the much smoother, "HGL" version of "PM"....nor did I think it resembled its Latakia-free twin, Storm Front. The cigar-leaf went unnoticed in "Dark and Stormy", too. The Latakia plays a larger role in D&S when compared to HGL. My gut tells me that I would not be happy to smoke "Dark and Stormy" on a regular basis. Way too Englishy-leathery for my tastes. But for some smokers, this D&S blend would pose no problems. It smokes differently than "HGL", "10 Downing Street" type mixtures....but it's still a mild-medium, and slightly sweet, transitional-English. Fine stuff, but not for me.
So, all of these blends contain some cigar-leaf, but only the homemade PM reveals its minor presence in flavor and aroma. I'm fine with smoking either straight "HGL" or using it as a blending component. It's just "Captain Black" with some cojones.
Frank

NYC