Tobaccos Lane Limited - HGL

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capn Jimbo (24)	2014-07-14		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A reading of the reviews for HGL falls into two camps, perhaps three. The first are a number of Latakia heads. Now mind you, Latakia tobaccos are indeed condiments, but not for these smokeheads. Those of you who have or are aware of blending whisky know that a smokey profile like the great single malts of Islay, eg Laphroig 10 year is indeed an acquired taste for those few that enjoy being powered over by this sensation. But the blendmasters of great blended whisky know that it doesn't take much more than a tiny bit to greatly affect the blend.

The same is true in blending tobacco. Some might advise that it takes little more than a touch - say 3 to 5% of a Latakia to achieve the goal of adding a pleasant smokey overtone or background, not the 30 to 50% that the Latakia smokeheads demand, or that they critique this HGL for lacking.

Let's add a third group - those who know what's really in HGL. They know because they were long time buyers with a close relationship with their Lane rep, and can say with some credibility that HGL is simply RLP-6 (great on it's own) with a nice touch of Latakia. They are exactly right.

Now the same can be said for the fervor which some like to attach to classifying this blend. Hey, it's not really an English they condescend, naw it's just a "crossover" or a light American transition blend. For noobs, you know. These attempts to impose classifications that are unclear in the first place is a losing and confusing battle.

Then there are those who found this well done Latakia blend just about right, and said so. Only slightly aromatic, and a well-balanced blend containing Latakia, Burley, Virgina and Cavendish.

In my opinion and experience, I'm going with a third group. These reviewers believe - with good reason - that this is RLP-6 with enough Latakia added to make itself known, but in lovely concert with the rest. It's not a Latakia bomb, and they are glad it isn't. The pouch tone is a smokey RLP, and the taste likewise. The Latakia addition means more attention to drying and re-lighting but within reason. It's just another step up in interest and compexity, a bit stronger, a bit tastier, and still retains that bit of flavoring/room aroma to remain pleasurable for all.

Lane became famous for their 1-Q, whose sales continue based more on momentum than actual taste. Their real stars - in order - are BCA, the HLP-6 and leading to HGL. This order is also a nice way to proceed, to find your own sweet spot. For those who don't like Latakia, the HLP-6 is a great place to call home, but for those who do - add the proper touch of Latakia and hang out with the HGL lovers.

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Addenda (years later): To my surprise, I found a couple ounces of HGL that had been stashed for a couple years. I would add only that it simply got better and to my mind, aged VERY well. Enjoy...

Pipe Used: MM Cob - Eaton

Age When Smoked: 1 month

Purchased From: Local tobacconist

Similar Blends: MM American Patriot.

41 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Peppino (74)	2011-04-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A little trivia HGL stands for Herman G Lane the President of Lane LTD at the time! His own personal blend he smoked at Lane Ltd back in the good old days. Where we would sneak it into our Tinder Box back in the 70's (smoking Lane tobacco's was frowned upon except 1Q and RLP-6 aka...Wilshire and Chartwell) which we carried in tubs, it was a great time back then. Maybe because we were breaking the tobacco rules at that time :) HGL was always a favorite of mine as well as RLP-6, I could go on and on with the stories but I won't. This is a light Latakia blend(think Chartwell with Latakia) that I continued smoking for many years and I'm going to miss it. It always had a good flavor and smoked dry leaving a medium gray ash. I hope someone come's up with a good replacement! I find FMOTT seems to come close!

UPDATE:........It's back! Just received my order of tobacco's today and the first one I smoked was HGL! I huffed the bag and it took me back to 70's (see above) I lit it up and and had a bowl in 00 Savinelli Autograph. It was just as I remembered a very nice blend and one of the first mass crossover blends. It smoked dry and to the bottom and left a fine white ash. Are their better blends now? Yep sure are, but there is no price for nostalgia and a great crossover. The quality of the leaf seems to have changed slightly, but that could be my memory as well the taste and aroma were the same. It's a must try and one I will surely have on hand at all times. Also, not trying to upset you WillardFan but RLP-6 is the base for this blend. I know for a fact as I worked very close with the Lane Reps back in the day. At that time they were the suppliers for Charatan, Ben Wade, Parker, Dunhill and Preben Holm pipes as well as the Dunhill tobacco's both bulk and tinned. They also supplied us with Wilshire and Chartwell. The Lane rep was the one who supplied us with our personal stash of HGL which we bought out of the trunk of his car in 5 lb bags and split it with each other. As I said before (miss the good old days) and man I wish I had some rolls of Dunhill's Baby's Bottom now :(

25 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3025)	2014-07-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The Virginia offers plenty of grass, and some tart and tangy citrus, and is fairly nondescript. I barely get any nuttiness from the earthy, woody burleys, and its molasses flavor is light because the sugary black cavendish overtakes it. It's light on the smoky, woody, musty, floral, sweet Cyprian Latakia, which is fine for those wanting just a little in their crossover English aromatic. The toppings appear to be caramel and a little vanilla,. They moderately tone down the tobaccos. The strength is in the center of mild to medium. The taste level is a notch past that. The nic-hit a shade more than mild. Burns at a reasonable pace, cool, clean and smooth with a very consistent taste. Leaves some moisture in the bowl as it burns wet, bordering on goop. Requires some relights. Won't bite or get harsh. Has a pleasant after taste, and room note. It is an all day smoke. Two and a half stars.

-JimInks

24 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2017-01-23		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The tobacco comes at a good level of hydration for me. It is a wide short ribbon, and is about half black with the rest a mix of tan and brown. The pouch note is almost like whiff a sweet BBQ sauce with no vinegar in the base. It is a whiff of brown sugar maybe and a little smokiness.

The smoking experience is good. It is easy to keep lit, and the flavor is a mild caramel with a hint of campfire from the condimental latakia. It did not leave me with a wet heel or require pipe cleaners midbowl. The flavor was fairly consistent. Puffed you get just a little more tart, and something that is almost salty. There might be a little hay from the Virginia when sipped. Black Cavendish often tastes musty to me, and I got none of the musty with HGL.

This tobacco is really a premium OTC from another era. It has a pleasant room note and got favorable comments at the office and at home as well. This is an easy one to repeat. I enjoyed it.

This is a solid 3 in the ratings. It would be easy to make this an all-day smoke.

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tacoeatingzebra (37)	2006-07-10		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This tobacco is sold by my local tobacconist as Buckingham and I owe to it my love for latakia. Granted, the latakia is a bit weak in this blend compared to my other favored blends -- Penzance, 965, Nightcap-- but without this one, I would never have thought to move along.

The cavendish in HGL is not cloying and the burley just doesn't seem to be there, but I am not big on burleys to begin with-- it's my take it or leave it tobacco.

This one is as aromatic as I get, but unlike many others, it burns quite cool and leaves a neat little bit of dark grey ash.

The room note seems a bit vanilla-y and hence, my wife loves when i smoke this blend.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Puffer (42)	2008-09-30		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I call HGL my friendly baccy. It is one of my greatest mainstays for times that I have nothing in particular in mind but would like just a nice friendly smoke. It never disappoints or lets me down.

IMHO, HGL has everything in the friendly category locked down. It keeps a nice moisture level without having to fuss over it, no sticks, packs easily and evenly, lights and stays lit well, has a pleasant slipstream, the flavor, while being rich, stays pleasant from start to finish, never a trace of a bite, smokes cool, never gurgles, and goes all the way to the bottom leaving a nice dark ash. Never leaves my pipe with a bad leftover odor. The flavor is what I would call a nice crossover; slightly sweet with traces of Latakia sneaking in occasionally but gives a constant presence of good rich Virginia.

Maybe if I had to take a choice of one blend for the rest of my life, HGL would be it. Can't find fault anywhere, in any way.

Would be a good intro for a newby.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fofo (81)	2007-11-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This blend was no different from other Lane blends in that at first they are somewhat unremarkable, then, when you hit the zone, the become enjoyable for a while and finally, half way down your pouch they become sickening.

I enjoyed this blend at first but I couldn't finish smoking the few Oz. I bought. After some time all you can taste is PG, simply put the more you smoke it the less you like it.

Some people will probably call me crazy and to be honest they might be right, how can I expect a cheap blend to be good? at 18 bucks per pound it's a no brainer. However, there are other blends in the same price range that are actually quite enjoyable (as in Peter Stokkebye's).

The bottom line is: If you've tried one of Lane's blends you have tried them all; they are all rough, they all taste the same, and they all have the cheapest leaf with tons of PG.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2016-11-08		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Lane Limited - HGL.

I'm not sure as to why there's no added flavourings listed, just the nose from the pouch confirms a vanilla one.

On the negative side, even though it's supplied in loose form it's still too wet. The length of drying time's obviously dependant on how dry/moist you like your blend but I can't see many folks being happy to smoke it fresh. The blend's medium in build and a 50/50 split between black and brown, with no twigs or chunks.

The smoke, like the pouch note, has definitely been enhanced with vanilla. It works well as it's about the same weight as the Latakia's smokiness so it's not an acerbic, or harsh smoke. I find, after about a third, the vanilla becomes more of a creamy taste instead of an emphatic vanilla one; it's not so clear-cut but it's still there. The Virginia forms most of the smokes body, and the Burley gives just a 'touch' of flavour to the smoke. The actual texture of the smoke's a high point for me: it's very thick and silky.

This will make a nice afternoon smoke instead of my usual straight aromatic.

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Somali Lee Van Cleef Meer'

Age When Smoked: Two weeks

Purchased From: 4noggins.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.sadik (120)	2013-09-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

this is a mild English (and the only one offered by lane for that matter). it is obvious that a veteran pipe smoker/blender like Mr.Lane would choose something other than 1Q I believe. that being said, it is for those who seek mild all day non aromatic or those who would love to venture into the world of latakia. it is barely there to make stand out as an English yet not over sickening when it comes to proportions. latakia is present in the taste however burly is the dominant player. it takes the fire very well and burns relatively slower than other English blends (perhaps the lane usual humidity character was introduced to this mix as well) yet it burns to even ash with no/minimum dottles depend on how fast you smoke it. there is no point of describing the room note as you may know that most natural and defiantly English style blends are not intended to please the others. try it if you like a mild all day non aromatic or you want something with enough strength to start your day

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DavyCrockettwashere (33)	2019-12-01		Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

This a very nice middle of the road English blend that isn’t going to overwhelm you with Latakia. This blend has a harmonious balance between English and a aromatic. The Latakia does come through nicely but is balanced along side the sweetened cavendish. You’ll even get compliments from those around, but only you will know you’re smoking an English blend. This blend was made for Mr. Lane, the founder of the company many, many years ago, and was his favorite of all the Lane blends. The mountain Latakia is mellow and smoky but not overbearing. The cavendish is sweetened just a little. Sit back and think of the years long ago when this blend was made and men wore fedoras. A genuine good blend that I know you’ll enjoy.

Pipe Used: Dunhill Liverpool

Age When Smoked: 2 years old.

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

Similar Blends: Lord Nelson by Sutliff, and BS005 by Lane..

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jwr.nps (6)	2017-09-09		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

So we all have guilty pleasures. Gourmet chefs that sneak a fast food cheeseburger, audiophiles that sing Barry Manilow in the car at the top of their lungs, tobacco snobs that love a good aromatic.

I smoke English, primarily Dunhill, I like a Pease blend, McCelleland and Rattrays can do a Va like nobody's business. C&D can twist the same theme to make you think they reinvented it. I've got so many Mason jars of boutique blends Martha Stewart is going to call me for jelly jars.

Lane knows aromatics, they pretty much invented the modern genre and took us out of the licorice based Stone Age of flavored tobaccos and brought bulk gourmet blends into the high end shops 50 years ago. 1Q, weather you like it or not is a masterpiece, the ultimate gateway drug. HGL is the connoisseur's crack. It is the bridge from aromatic to true English. It's the balance of appealing to the snobs and appeasing the masses. It's just delicious. Go ahead and attend you local pipe club with your Poul Winslow and load up some Blackpoint while drinking Balvernie- but on your way home, stop at In & Out, grab a Double-double, wolf it down while singing Mandy at the top of your lungs and load a bowl of HGL in you Kaywoodie and huff away....yum.

Pipe Used: Peterson Baker Street, Charatan Executive pot

Age When Smoked: 2 weeks old

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Lane 1Q, Lane RPL-6, Lane Limited - BS-005.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Elwin (14)	2021-09-20		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This has become my daily smoke. Not too sweet, not too strong and enough flavor to keep it from being boring. It replaced Middleton's Walnut for me when they stopped production. Though sweeter than Walnut, It had the same satisfaction I enjoyed of just sitting back and relaxing to a mild, slow smoke.

Pipe Used: Cobs, Hardwoods and Briars

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Seanv (35)	2020-07-18		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Bulk purchase is the only option here I believe. Bag aromas of latakia, vanilla and some fruity notes. I prefer to smoke this a little moist. If it is too dry the flavor is lost. The initial light is easy and let's off a lot of smoke. First flavors are a mild smoky latakia followed by that fruitiness I smelled in the bag. Vanilla flavors make themselves known from time to time as the smoke goes on. There isn't much complexity here, and the smoke doesn't change or evolve much. The body is light and the strength is mild. This is a good smoke with a morning coffee. Overall a decent blend. Nothing too exciting and not offensive either. 2 stars.

Edit Aug 2020 I have smoked more of this in a few different pipes. I think it does best in latakia pipes. I have noticed a really nice toasted caramel flavor at times during the smoke but most often towards the end. This blend must be smoked slow to get the full flavor profile. I am upgrading to 3 stars.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KS Codger (4)	2019-08-30		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is my first bowl of HGL. I find the room note pleasant and somewhat mellow, not an offensive note at all. There's a faint hint of topping flavor, but I can't pinpoint it. It's a very slight sweetness on the backend. It's not the star role whatsoever. The Latakia is much more present, but not overwhelming at all. There's a very mild earthy flavor from the Virginia. All in all this is a very smooth blend, definitely agreeable for an all day smoke. I find no harshness at all and I tend to be a hotter smoker, yet there's no indication of bite. Burns cool and even to a fine ash. Definitely recommend for new smokers and experienced smokers alike.

Pipe Used: Rossi Rubino Rhodesian

Age When Smoked: Fresh from package

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dfrozendog (5)	2014-06-16		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Ahhh, HGL. Close to a decade ago I found HGL. I liked the way it packed, smoked, there was nothing negative about it. It was what I looked forward to smoking, unlike anything ever before or since. It had lat, but as a condiment, not out front. There, but not out front. All the tobacco's blended well in a harmony with a caramel/vanilla flavor that only Lane can do. My all time favorite. Then suddenly it was gone... I searched the phone book and the net for people that might just have some left, but no. Any traveling I was looking up shops along the way. Argh! This went on a long time,years. After a while copies started showing up. Some were close but none really had it, I mean really had it. As the corporate changes took place rumor had it it might come back. When it did I bought a pound, cleaned my favorite pipe and started. The cut is not the same. Nor is the flavor. The lat is stronger, which a lot of people will like. It is still mild.The tobacco blend is OK but the Lane caramel/vanilla is completely missing. A great big letdown for me. A big empty spot in the over all flavor. That being said, I have been smoking it, enjoying it for what it is and it is not bad. I will by more when this is gone. Lane if you are listening, tweak it a little. Find out what the old topping was and ad a little then use slightly less lat. You'll sell more of it and make an old fart alot more happy.

Pipe Used: Grabow (old) w/metal filter

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2014-03-28		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a pretty decent smoke. I see a lot of reviewers stating that the Latakia is too light. I didn't see it that way. In fact it seemed to be a Latakia forward American English to me. Nice tasting one. The casing is vanilla-like, but not really vanilla. More like sweet cream or even whipped cream to me. It's an enjoyable smoke, but not something I would want to smoke on a regular basis. More of a change of pace blend. Mild in body and mild to medium in flavor.

Pipe Used: MM General, MM Country Gentleman

Age When Smoked: fresh bulk

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-10-26		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Found this brand out of town, while searching new stuff to try. Loved the aroma, and when I read the lable I knew it's what I'd like to smoke. Latakia and Cavendish, with extras thrown in. It's easy enough to work with, burns well, and doesn't dry completely out once it's left the jar. Taste is superior. So far it seems to be what I've been looking for in pipe tobacco for a long time. 4.5 stars. Should have bought more.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Maduro (19)	2021-03-30		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

The cut varies quite a bit. Make sure you shake your bag to mix things evenly. There's a good portion of smaller particles that tend to settle at the bottom, so do make it a point to pick a few pinches for your bowl.

This mix lights up easily. Relighting is infrequent. RLP-6 reminds me a bit of sweet banana's floral bouquet. The embers are easily stoked back to life.

As a Latakia* fan, this aromatic concoction is delightful and light enough to even favor as a daily blend. I've enjoyed it's base, LL's RLP-6, and the touch of Latakia makes this a much more interesting proposition.

* To my knowledge, the tri-syllabic city name of Latakia, Syria is pronounced lah-TAH-kiah, not lah-ta-KI-a.

Pipe Used: Venini (2000) burley diplomat

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Tobacco Plus, Norcross, GA

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (192)	2021-01-05		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Smoking now:

So I’ve been smoking this blend for a while now but didn’t realize it because it goes by another name at a local BnM store. Picked up an ounce of HGL in bulk from an online store which I am smoking now. Bias alert, I love cross over / American English / sweet Latakia blends.

Smells like, musty herbal smoky Latakia and chocolate. Moisture is perfect no dry time needed.

The first few puffs give me those sweet aromatic notes of RLP6 however soon after the Latakia adds a lovely herbal smokey quality to this. The Latakia really changes the profile of RLP6 which is one of my favorite aromatics. The Virginias are toned down by the earthy burley and sweet cavendish. The nougat/chocolate/vanilla flavor of RLP6 is in second place here as the Latakia herbal smoke flavor beats it out slightly. However the two complement each other the the flavor is wonderful.

There’s not much complexity to this and that’s ok. HGL is a pretty sweet, aromatic, vanilla, chocolate, but musty, herbal, smokey all day type of blend. Provides enough Latakia to make this an enjoyable smoke. Little mouth tingle, retrohale is nice, no bite, nice aftertaste, Easy smoke could be done multiple times a day and the price makes it easier to do.

A descent cross over blend for sure. I would recommend to someone who smokes aromatics and wants to get into smoking Latakia/English blends. Looking for a replacement for FM Cellar??? This may be it for you. I love this stuff.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	aadelma (67)	2006-06-05		Very Mild	Strong	Mild	Very Pleasant

When I first got this blend, I thought the first several bowls were pleasant. Then suddenly, without warning, the highly artificial taste of the black cavendish disgusted me. The first half of the bowl is very smooth, but soon after that all of the burnt chemicals cause it to taste like charcoal brickets with lots of lighter fluid. It gurgles a fair bit and gets very gooey. There is very little tobacco flavor here, least of all that of latakia. I love quality aromatics; unfortunately this does not fall into that category. There are just too many additives covering up the tobacco.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-05-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This comes with the highest possible recommendation! This relly is Lane LTD's answer to the wonderful Count Pulaski by Altadis. It is sweet, nutty, and very rich with Latakia. The burley lends another dimension to an American English smoke. This is a wonderful crossover blend. It is as good as "The Count" but has more in common wtih Serad's "Reverie" as far as burning qualities and flavor. I purchased this in Deerfield,Illinois at Churchill and Downs cigar shop under the name of "Masters Blend".4 of 4 stars!!!!!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wmjotten (12)	2004-09-23		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

It took a while to uncover the fact that "Cricklewood", sold by Florida Smoke & Snuff was indeed Lane's HGL. After trying this blend, I found that as an aromatic fan, this blend offered a hint at the pleasures of an English blend and the delicious tastes of latakia. It actually encouraged trying even more stalwart latakia blends to the point where I now really enjoy them. So I have a fond spot for this blend. At the match the bowl delivers a nice amount of latakia and along with the other components of toasted cavendish, Virginia, and White Burley, never gets to the mouth drying astringency of the heavier latakia blends. I feel it's a proper amount of that velvety smoky flavor in concert with the other leaf which delivers a cool flavorful smoke for quite awhile. Sometimes at relight (which isn't required often), the burley's nuttiness will predominate, but it isn't long before the balance between latakia and other leaf returns. What surprises me is that the blend is a mouth watering blend, rather than the more common drying. Even my wife has sipped the pipe on this blend without any negatives. I'd characterize this blend as nicely balanced between an aromatic and a latakia based blend, a nice transition between the two as it turned out for me. I still smoke the aromatics, but this is a mild, tasteful latakia blend I enjoy. It also has a pleasant room note. Recommendable.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GLC (3)	2002-04-06		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I'll admit up front that I'm a big fan of Lane's blends, and this is one of my favorites. I don't smoke it daily, but it's one I return to regularly as a 'standard'. It is consistently good, whether fresh or aged (some >9 months old). Appearance: Colorful mix ranging from tan thru medium brown to solid black in roughly equal proportions.

Startup: The pouch aroma is mildly sweet, with only a slightly smokey hint of the Latakia present. There isn't much here, and by 'laced', I expect they are being truthful that a dash is all that's needed to contribute the smoothing effect. On lighting, we find that this cruise is Captain Black meets Lieutenant Latakia, with the Captain clearly in charge. The familiar aromatic sweetness of the Lane Cavendish/Burley/VA mix is on top, with just a hint of something else added. The first 1/3 of the bowl is smoother than usual, and the aroma hints that something is a bit different here.

Mid-Bowl: On relight, the stronger, smokey Latakia is first detected, and from there on thru the next 1/3 the flavor is more intense, but still smooth and sweet and burns evenly. The Captain is on a pleasure cruise today, no race to burn the load quickly. At about the 3rd relight, and 30 minutes into the bowl, Lieutenant Latakia takes the wheel, and the steers us into a smokey fog-bank that brings on the smoothness and darker flavor he is known for. Now we're talking flavor! Let's try to keep this heading for a bit and enjoy the ride.

Finish: The sweetness of the cavendish and VAs is still there, mellowed by the burley and Latakia, and together they are holding the flavor and aroma on a good heading. Each relight brings a re-bloom of the smokey Latakia, but never overpowering, and no gurgle, the Lieutenant is keeping the cargo high and dry. (this sample is about 2 months old, kept in a simple zip-lock bag). We're down to the dottle after almost 1 hour of uninterrupted smoking, and still no harshness or bitterness, this crew knows this route well, and has skillfully steered us to our destination, leaving only a bit of white ash in our wake.

Summary: This is a nice bridge (sorry) between the aromatic and the English world. It's clearly not a classic English, but is definitely not the cloying, overly sweetened blends from the drugstore either. There's something here for both camps. Sign on for a trial voyage, and I think you'll book this cruise as a regular. Happy puffing!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Newby (6)	2022-02-10		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I preface all my reviews that I am a new pipe smoker with only 3 months experience. My reviews are simplistic and for new pipe smokers. I do not have the palate nor artistic linguistics as more seasoned pipers.

Prior to this HGL blend my latakia experience is with Early Morning Pipe or Mixture 965. Both of those have orientals, where HGL does not. It packed nicely and remained lit after char lite and tamp. It burned easy but a little fast, but again I am a beginner and I can over cadence.

The smoky sweet Latakia takes lead but is mild and pleasant. The burley and cavendish offer a smooth lightly sweet base. I get a little hay notes in background but not much sweet flavor from the Virginia. The sweetness of burley, cavendish, and Virginia melds for me as I don’t have the palate to decipher them individually.

For a light Latakia blend I still prefer EMP with the orientals, but for the bulk price Lane HGL offers a good introduction Latakia blend for the beginner. Just don’t over cadence or the Virginia can bite.

UPDATE: As my palate improves and after a second bowl I noticed more of the Captain Black original (without Latakia ) flavor which has a medicinal flavor. I think it’s the fake vanilla topping but leaves an aftertaste as if it’s a sugar free fake vanilla. There are much better English available. This is like pouring liquid smoke in a bowl of ice cream. What’s the point.. but to each his own.

Pipe Used: MM Gentlemen Cob

Age When Smoked: The pipe, or tobacco?

Purchased From: P&C

Similar Blends: Mild English.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Justin_Johnston (14)	2019-05-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

This blend is a great mild smoke. Allows for a nice tobacco taste with a little smoothness of an aromatic. This one isn't quite as good as TGL to me, but still a smoke I highly recommend.

Pipe Used: Kaywoodie super grain

Purchased From: Tobacco Barn

Similar Blends: TGL.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theosprey247 (73)	2019-01-24		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

If you like a touch of smokiness with some sweetness mixed in. Then Lane’s HGL is for you. This is Captain Black White (minus the polywhatever) with A touch of latakia. A perfect tobacco to try if your unsure about latakia. No bite, perfect crossover blend. The smoker will encounter caramel and vanilla flavorings.

Similar Blends: CBW RLp-6.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OhioTony76 (59)	2018-11-15		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Strong

This is not what I would consider an aromatic. This falls into that ‘crossover’ genre in my opinion. Similar to a Frog Morton Cellar. It definitely has a topping, but it’s not the main player. As I broke up the tobacco and set it to dry, my fingers became a bit sticky. That worried me. It dried out properly after about 15 minutes. After loading up the pipe, I had no issues getting it lit. Smoking the first half of the bowl I was pleasantly surprised. Mild Latakia flavor and a mild vanilla/caramel maybe. Not overly sweet though. Second half of the bowl the Latakia became more prominent and really balanced out the sweet. At this point I would say the body was easily at a medium. Does this tobacco have a sweet topping? Yes. It doesn’t overwhelm the natural flavor of the tobacco though. The room note is very pleasant, but heavy. It lingers big time. I smoked a bowl of Old Joe Krantz in the same room hours later and it still smelled like HGL when I was done. This is likely to ghost a briar. Could bite if not dried properly and/or oversmoked. I’m not an aromatic guy, but I enjoyed this and plan on keeping some around to have now and then.

Similar Blends: McClelland - Frog Morton's Cellar (Craftsbury Series), Boswell Pipes & Tobacco - Northwoods.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleSquinty (27)	2018-04-08		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Lane Ltd. HGL

I am basing my 3 star rating on value for price of this lovely American crossover blend. No, the tobacco doesn't appear to be of the highest quality, although again it is very acceptable at the price. The topping/casing is not overly heavy (just what you'll find in Lane's RLP-6), the Latakia is of good quality, if a bit muted and flat.

I don't like Lat-heavy blends at this point in my piping career. Once in awhile, a Dunhill Nightcap will hit the spot, but not as often as this does for me. It's ironic to me that one tobacco, popular for its nicotine level and flavor would be suggested as a nightime smoke, as it dries out one's mouth just prior to going to bed.... but I know lots of smokers really enjoy it.

Don't look for nearly that level of Latakia here; HGL is RLP-6 that has been barely kissed by the Cyprian Latakia used here as a condiment.

The resulting blend is superbly smokable; it is smooth, burns very well, leaves virtually no after-smoke refuse in the pipe, exudes a pleasant room note and leaves the smoker smelling nice. It doesn't rate 4 stars for me, because I find it a bit boring. I think a pinch of Oriental tobacco might tweak this up a notch, but as blended this one just isn't all that interesting.

However, based upon flavor, behavior in the pipe and certainly price point, this is a solid 3 star blend, in my book. I've tried to duplicate this using RLP-6 and adding a bit of my own favorite English blends... The result was far less enjoyable than the HGL. HGL is now part of my regular rotation; the four ounces I initially bought went up in smoke in less than a week's time. This one does not provide a big dose of nicotine and therefore is suitable for me as an all day smoke...until I get bored and need to change up. Recommended.

Pipe Used: Large bowl cobbs

Age When Smoked: Fresh from bulk

Purchased From: Online...not sure which vendor.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pip (80)	2018-03-25		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Another surprise for me as I set the bar pretty low for Lane blends due to its association with the Capt. But low and behold...HGL is pretty good. The tin note was more latakia forward and less sweet that I expected. Also the latakia used in this blend is not a very smoky variety...which in this case is a good thing as it works well. The moisture was perfect and there was no sticky goopy texture to the tobacco at all. It lit right up and there was no bite to be found. As for taste..again not bad for a lat forward aro. You can taste the tobacco and it has smoky and sweet undertones that pretty much last from the top to the bottom of the bowl. Nothing will overpower palette here. The best lat aro in by book Sillems Black but HGL holds its own

Age When Smoked: Fresh

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DC MacBean (32)	2017-11-14		Mild	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I've finally found a latakia blend that I can smoke every day. I'm in agreement with previous reviewers that this is RLP6 with a little Latakia. I detect the RLP6 on the retro-hale. My experience is that it stays lit, not requiring a relight beyond the charring light. It burns cool, with no bite, to a clean, dry, white ash. The bag note is definitely Latakia but the room note is pleasant; I can't imagine anyone being offended by the smell. I would describe the flavor as a Latakia forward, fruit and caramel aromatic.

Pipe Used: Briar and Cob

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kribbage (32)	2017-01-30		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Bravo!! You know, I read all the reviews of lighter English blends, and the main complaint always seems to be, " not enough Latakia". Well, some of us enjoy Latakia, but don't want to be submerged in it. HGL is a perfect smoke for me for many reasons... I know there is Latakia in it, but I am not overwhelmed by it..... It is a great smoke.... It tastes great.... AND MY WIFE DOESN'T MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS WHEN I SMOKE IT NEAR HER. I am a devoted follower of this blend.

Pipe Used: Cobs, briars, meers, clays

Age When Smoked: The tobacco? Fresh out of the pouch

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Jon's Pipe Shop:, Garvey's Balkan, Knightly News, Jon's is located in Champaign, IL.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Armeniandude (13)	2016-10-07		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

An aromatic with a touch of Latakia. For some reason, I really fell out of touch with any blend with latakia in it for most of the past year. I wanted to give it another chance and so I looked for blends with a very light topping of latakia. If there's too much it tastes like sweat in my mouth.

This blend has just enough that it doesn't repulse me, on top of that, the fact that it's added to an aromatic blend helps keep my interest by offering a little sweetness. To top it off, it smoked incredibly cool.

The result for me was a smoky sweet that was way off my usual path of typically straight Va's.

It's very light on the palate and smells fantastic while smoking. Afterwards, I smell like a pleasant smoke that my girlfriend can approve of.

I'd advise this to anyone who enjoys latakia as a topping and any aromatic smoker.

Pipe Used: cob, briar

Age When Smoked: fresh

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Haebar (52)	2015-11-14		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This starts out with good body, richness, and some depth with the Burley, Virginias, and Latakia. The Latakia is balanced with the other components and provides some smoothness. The Latakia proportional flavor is mild, just enough to taste it in every puff. There is a touch of sweetness from either the Cavendish or the Virginias, but not too much. This is a pleasant morning tobacco with just enough complexity to keep it interesting. The strength is mild to medium in terms of nicotine; less than the median. This tobacco took a while to get lit, but once lit it stays lit. The tobacco burns cool, no bite. I'm smoking it in an Orlik Captain Black straight billiard. I particularly liked the balance of flavors; not too much Latakia. I also liked the good tobacco flavor and the way it stays lit.

Pipe Used: Orlik billiard

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: National Electronics (local store)

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bugenhagen (9)	2015-01-20		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Way back in the early 80s when I lived on Long Island there was a tobacconist at a mall, Wally Frank Tobacconist. After I had spend a few months trying various aromatic house blends, one of the guys there suggested that I try some English blends (house blends). He had several English blends and hooked me up with a few ounces of a mild one and a heavier one.

Those two blends were my introduction to latakia, and non-aromatic pipe tobaccos. Wally Frank went out of business, and I moved upstate, and many years went by.

A few weeks ago I decided to order a few Lane bulk blends, one of which was HGL. When they arrived, I opened the HGL, and fired it up. It took me right back to Wally Frank and his mild English blend. I think his house blend was Lane HGL.

This blend is mild, round, sweet for an English, and just enough Latakia to disappoint a regular English smoker, but shock and amaze an aromatic smoker. It smokes cool, packs and lights easily, and has no problem staying lit.

If you have an aro loving friend whom you'd like to introduce to the world of English tobaccos, this is a good starter blend. It tickles the sweet tooth a bits, and has just enough campfire woodsiness to be a simple easy all day smoke.

These days I tend towards virginia blends and burley blends, but every once in a while a small dose of latakia is good for the palate.

Bugenhagen

Pipe Used: MM Cobs

Age When Smoked: Newly purchased

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2014-05-01		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Lane's HGL presents as a range of colors from light to dark brown. The tobacco comes on the damp side, even after sitting in the tobacconist's jar for extended periods of time, suggesting a good dosing of PG. Pouch note is very pleasant: subtle vanilla, wrapped in gently applied, yet noticeable, smoky Latakia.

It should be stated that this is not an English blend, nor does it pretend to be. As such, those who smoke mainly English blends should not approach HGL as a light or mild English. HGL isn't even an aromatic English. HGL is what is best categorized as an American English: Primarily burley and flavored Cavendish with some Virginia and a dash of Latakia.

That said, HGL is an average American English. The vanilla is pleasant enough, and the Latakia is a light condiment touch. The flavors are well-balanced. This blend takes a match and performs well enough, despite being damp. It's just that the flavors are somewhat muted and the base tobacco is average, at best. It's hard to complain too loudly about this blend, but it's equally hard to be a raving fan.

For those who enjoy this type of aromatic American-English blend, I recommend Pipeworks & Wilke No. 5 as the pinnacle of the genre, and I would recommend those who enjoy HGL get ahold of some No.5 to see what an expert blender can do with this style of blend. (edit: reading some of the reviews below, I notice I am not alone in making this suggestion)

While I cannot rate this blend higher than two stars, that should not suggest it is a bad blend. Those interested to see what Latakia can add to an aromatic blend should consider this a good starting place.

Note: This blend will ghost a pipe, and I suggest smoking it in a pipe reserved for aromatics rather than English blends.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Smoke_Ring (158)	2013-10-06		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Lane Limited - HGL;

Star Rating = 2.50;

Rating Scores - 10 is the Best and 0 is the Worst;

Pouch Note = 7;

Room Note = 7;

Flavor = 7;

Bite = 7;

Burn = 7;

After Taste = 7;

Raw Score = 42;

Rated Percentage = 70%;

Comment = This has Latakia in it, so I didn't like it very much, a bit of a Bite and a slight After Taste

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	graygeek (10)	2013-08-01		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

OK having been a Aro smoker for about 20 years, I was recently bitten by the "Latakia Bug", so just starting my journey into English Blends, and tobacco containing Latakia, and Orientals. I LIKE IT. I ordered a small amount of this with my last order just the about 2 months ago from my on line shop. I really liked it, so now have just received my order for this month, and I had ordered a pound. This is a nice place to start the journey. Not overwehelming, but just enough Latakia to keep me interested. It's rally addicting. This is now going to become my standard everyday smoke, at least for a while. It packs well, lights well with just 2 lights, and smokes all the way to the bottom of the bowl. And the flavor is consistent all through the pipe. Smokes down completely to a light gray ash, and no goop in the bottom like when smoking ARO. This is a good one for those just starting the adventure into "English Blends".

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeKing David (134)	2007-07-12		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Two years ago, Smokeasaurus accurately described this tobacco. Almost an aromatic. If you are looking for an English blend, don't try this. I recommend this to aromatic smokers who want an introduction to the world of latakia. HGL accomplished this task for me, and I keep some around when I want an aromatic vanilla smoke. Think 1Q with some latakia. Be advised that this weed flavors pipes pretty quickly.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2006-09-11		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I remember this as Cricklewood. The Smoke & Snuff stores are gone now, as is HGL...I believe there is a Build a Bear where the shop once was. Oh well.

I never smoked too much HGL. It isn't too bad at first, but over time, it can build up a to be cloying in flavor. It reminded me of RLP-6 with Latakia.

HGL was a decent intoduction to Cavendish blends with Latakia.

However, if you like this style, I would point you to Wilke's No. 5, and Peretti's 102 blend. I think they will be around for a good while...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-01-28		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

The more I smoke this stuff, the better I like it. I cant seem to get enough, after smoking back to back bowls. I love the sweet smokey flavor. I feel this is the best crossover blend out there. Burns to a fairly clean dry ash, and no tongue bite. I just had to update this review. Give it a try, it is wonderful.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-10-07		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried this out because I wanted a burley to smoke while I was out camping and it had the most burley out of all the blends at the shop I went to. It got me through the weekend but I dont plan on smoking it again. This blend is just too heavy on the cavendish and while it burns well its sickly sweetness and unpleasant bite makes HGL an iffy blend at best. Definitely not the best aromatic or burley blend I've tried.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Landsurfer (11)	2022-11-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

One of my favorite English Aros that hits the "three S's": savory, sweet, and smooth. To me this tastes like a buttered slice of banana & chocolate chip bread that was baked in a Dutchoven over a campfire. Love it as an all day smoke.

Pipe Used: Lorenzetti bent apple, Rossi bent pot

Age When Smoked: 2-3 months

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dixondavid (9)	2022-09-30		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A very pleasant, easygoing American blend. The experience of smoking it fresh brings more sweetness and with age that sweetness fades a little with the very citrus, sour lemon Virginia standing out more - which makes an interesting counterpoint to the Latakia. I enjoy this one both ways. Could never quite connect with RLP-6 but HGL is an old friend that I always keep around.

Age When Smoked: Fresh - 4 years

Purchased From: Cup O Joes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	P.Luisi (1)	2019-09-08		Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Pleasant and smooth. When first opening that baggy I noticed a somewhat leathery smell. Odd yet pleasant. Which put me at odds whether or not to even bother trying it and just leave it on the undesirables shelf. I decided what the hell and packed a half a bowl in to my pipe. My first impression was it is extremely smooth. No bite no initial charring taste either. As for the taste profile I personally find it has a campfire and almost balsam fir note, which I find extremely pleasant. I don’t understand how in most reviews it’s called an aromatic I get no hints of sweetness out of it at all.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 673 unfinished

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wulfheard (7)	2019-07-29		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

To be honest, I have smoked a pipe on and off for well over 30 years and in that time, aromatics have dominated my tobacco cellar with the occasional light english blend such as "P.S. 17 English Luxury" taking up some small space. HGL was one of my first forays into English/American aro cross over blends and remains one of my favorites. It never disappoints as long as you keep in mind what it is supposed to be. It's not intended to appeal to latakia freaks as the lat is only used as a condiment and not as a prominent player. But that being said, there is enough latakia in this blend to be noticed and does so very nicely. The burly and cavendish tobaccos are still the star players in this game along with a light aro topping of vanilla. Blended all together you get a pleasant, mellow, combination that is extremely easy to smoke but still has a little complexity to it. It's a tobacco that can be smoked any time and lends itself to the kind of contemplation and serenity that only a friendly type of tobacco can provide. There is no harshness or disconcerting tastes to be found in this blend and it smokes cool and even from top to bottom leaving a fine ash. Some reviews mention HGL as having an overpowering room note or the ability to "ghost" a pipe, but I have not noticed it being anymore intrusive than the average vanilla cased aromatic. If you are a aromatic smoker that is looking for something a little different without getting into heavy lat forward, woody tasting, English blends, then this might be the tobacco for you.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Fresh to aged 1 year

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Sutliffe 504c.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (396)	2019-03-07		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Back in 2017 there was a Lane Limited bulk sale and I noticed HGL. It was described as Herman G. Lane’s, President, Lane Ltd. personal blend so since I like trying blends smoked by well-known people, I bought some. I tried a few bowls, liked it but it found its way back on the shelf until recently. So, this is RLP-6 with a touch of Latakia. I have smoked RLP-6 and am not going to try to compare the two but this blend is smooth, cool smoking and very mildly smoky. As to what percentage of Latakia is in this blend is anyone’s guess but as stated more of a condiment. Well I spread my condiments somewhat thick but I get the point. Really good and if I was an all-day smoker this would be a good one. If you like aromatics with a little mild smokiness then this is a good choice.

Pipe Used: Peterson Dublin Poker

Age When Smoked: 2 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	McQueen (41)	2018-06-26		Extremely Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Unnoticeable

This is Lane RLP 6 with Latakia. It’s quite good and an easy smoke that requires no thought to smoke . Highly recommended for the evening contemplations .

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tiedemann (13)	2018-03-28		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Strong

I bought this blend unaware of it being an aromatic. There is no other word for it, the tobacco has a strong smell of artificial vanilla and caramel.

In the pipe, it is even more obvious that this has great amounts of added flavouring agents. The tobaccos are more or less irrelevant, I mostly get the taste of sweeteners. Underneath, the burley is the most noticeable tobacco, but who cares.

The room smells strongly of candied smoke too, and it is very hard to get rid of. Two weeks after smoking a couple of bowls of this in a room where I don't usually smoke, the smell is still detectable.

I suspect there is something wrong with the ounces I bought. Anyway, they ended up in the bin after a few bowls. Life's too short.

Edit: After trying another couple of Lane tobaccos, I understand that the strong aromatic component is typical of many American blends. So I guess this is a case of taste rather than quality, and that my taste in pipe tobacco is very un-American. I still think this is awful, but it is probably a decent blend of its kind. I therefore raise the score to two stars, just to be fair. But I will not smoke this again.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Cup O'Joes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MarkTheLad (46)	2017-07-17		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I received a sample of this from my local tobacco shop and to be honest I wasn't really expecting much. Lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised. I do enjoy cross-over type English blends and I found this to be a very nice, well balanced smoke. A little sweet from the Cavendish, a little nutty from the burley, A little tangy from the Virginia's and a little smoky from the Latakia. I find that some blends with Latakia tend to have too much and it overpowers the rest of the tobacco's, but not so with this blend, as the Latakia seems to be perfectly applied. This blend will not bite, stays lit easily and burned fairly cool, it was a nice easy effortless smoke. I could see myself smoking this all day and I will be ordering more.

Pipe Used: Peterson Donegal Rocky 221

Age When Smoked: 2 weeks

Purchased From: Local tobacco shop

Similar Blends: Newminster - 17 English Luxus.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2016-11-11		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I believe there is only a small hand full of pipe blends in the world that has the perfect balance like HGL. I can see why this was Mr. Lane's own blend, it's delicious. Not to sweet, but sweet. Not to smoky, but smoky. Not goopy at all. Billows of pleasure in every bowl. Just an amazing spicy,easy going blend. I'm so glad this is being produced again. Thank you STG for bringing this one back.

Pipe Used: Ashton Old Church Canadian

Age When Smoked: few weeks old.

Purchased From: pipes and cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Blue Jazzman (73)	2015-06-30		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Rlp-6 with Latakia added. This one is one that just does not work for me. A forgettable blend in my book. And I like Rlp-6. I'd like to see Lane bring back A-100.

Pipe Used: 70's Meer

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: pipes & cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-09-05		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Unnoticeable

This is an economics textbook in tobacco form. Birds flying by and smelling the cloud of smoke fell from the air, dead from boredom.

Call it "mellow" or "nuanced" or "well-balanced." I call it boring, flavorless, and a waste of my time.

There was nothing genuinely unpleasant about it, but there was certainly nothing to write home about.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (241)	2013-07-30		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I received a sample baggy of this with a recent order placed with smokingpipes.com and a big thank you goes out to them for it!

A mixture of black and tan leaf with a nice, low-key Latakia aroma with some background sweetness. As I'm not a huge fan of Latakia, I found the amount added to HGL was just right for me. It loaded and lit very readily and did not smoke hot or bite. It burned slowly to the bowl's end and did not leave any goop behind, nor did it gurgle. Picked up the Captain Black influence that many have commented on; not too much, but present.

A pleasant set-it-and-forget-it type of smoke and a good crossover blend for those wanting to venture into Latakia territory; but not too deeply. Not my type of tobacco to place in weekly rotation, but certainly good for what it intends to be. A nice smoke for a cool fall day, sitting on the porch, watching the leaves fall. Nothing spectacular, but dependable. Reminds me of those old codger burleys with Latakia mixed in. Happy I tried it. A solid recommended for those who want a smidgen of Latakia in their smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillardFan (90)	2013-05-24		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I've never had the chance to try this blend, from years past when it was readily available. Now the online company I buy my pipe tobacco from, has started carrying this one time popular blend. It packs well, and lights easily enough. Sniffing the contents of the bag, I could definitely smell the Latakia. As an avid aromatic smoker, I would've liked just a tad more sweetness to the mix. Someone else said this was RLP-6 based, but I smoke that blend all day and this ain't it, trust me. I'll update this in a few days, but for now to me this is OK, but not something I'd order again anytime soon...

Peppino, no worries. I'm no tobacconist expert, but maybe the mix so changes the flavor, at least for me, that I didn't detect the RLP-6 taste. I've smoked pounds of the stuff, and couldn't taste it in the HGL blend...

7/26/13 I had ordered several ounces of this stuff and on a whim I thought it might be better if it had a little more sweetness to it. I added some black cavendish to it, and what a difference it's made. It's actually pretty good. Ya got the latakia thing going on with some nice sweetness and smokey-ness. Sort of a yin-yang thing. Is smokey-ness a word?

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JohnnyMcPiperson (119)	2011-01-28		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I liked this blend at first, I tried this when I was just starting to stock up on tobaccos that I liked and so I bought a whole bunch of it and put it in a jar. As a year or two rolled by, the jar eventually collected dust, so I pulled it out and gave it a go again. I found that my tastes had changed quite a bit and this one really didn't interest me any longer, so I passed it on to a fellow smoker who had not tried it. With that background out of the way, this is an okay blend, nothing super special about it, it was mild and very smooth, just didn't have anything that grabbed my attention, if you are an all day smoker I might say give this one a shot, for me the appeal wore off as I like variety and unique character and I did not feel that this blend delivered well enough to stay in the rotation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	constantsmoker (65)	2008-09-16		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Characterized as a 'cross-over' blend by fellow pipesters, HGL is probably one of the best in its (cross-over) class. This stuff smells delicious out of the bag, yet the casing is only faintly present/noticable during a smoke. Unlike many of its brethern in the Lane stable, this blend has little (if any) bite, and does indeed smoke cool and possess a pleasant sweetness. The Latakia is in there, but it does not predominate. This was the blend that introduced my taste buds to Latakia and piqued my curiosity about English/Balkan blends. Plus, it's a fine all-day smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-09-18		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

i found this blend to be "ok" but I wasn't truly impressed by it. It is a bit lighter on the latakia than I would prefer. The virginias provide some sweetness but they bring their bite with it at about mid bowl. I'll keep what I have on hand for an occasional bowl, but I won't buy anymore of it. A far better choice for a "crossover" blend is Just For Him's "Shortcut to Mushrooms" by former tobaconist Bob Shafer.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ducksbreath (125)	2006-03-03		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is sold under many names in many places. It has a very easy going quality to it, a hint of Latakia and is incredibly easy to smoke, nearly biteless, with a nice underlying sweetness (casing) which I don't find cloying or too much. I would give it three stars but there is simply not enough taste or strength to keep my interest level up. If I smoked it all day, I'd go through 12 bowls ! I'll give it 2.5 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2005-10-07		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have to say I smoke this on occasion because I possess about four ounces of this stuff. I think CaptnDan has this one figured out. My slant would be that RLP-6 is the smoothest smoker in Lanes' stable. Otherwise I am not big on this crossover thing. I don't recall a blend that is an American style aromatic with Latakia other than this one. I have tried this many times with limited enjoyment. Not an offensive blend, just not a bell ringer. (10/02/2004)

Update: O.K. for a stepping-stone tobacco. No longer smoke this blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2003-11-12		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've smoked better and I've smoked worse. The Latakia in this blend is almost non-existant. In fact you can't find it most of the time, even when looking. I do find this to be bite free and absolutely non-tiring. You could easily smoke this all day if you needed something pleasant and boring. I personally like a little more Latakia in my aromatic English crossovers.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2001-11-04		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is one of maybe two Lane blends I'd smoke in a pinch. As a matter of fact it was one of the first blends I tried when I finally moved away from goopy aromatics. Unlike most Lane blends this stuff actually does burn slowly and fairly clean. For those who like latakia I have to say there's only a suggestion of it here no matter what the description says, although that's not a bad thing for first time imbibers of that weed.

All in all I'd have to say that although I don't smoke this one much any more it does make a good crossover smoke for someone who wants to move beyond cherryberrymangovanilla.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-03-29		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried this tobacco based on reviews at this site. Luckily, my local tobacco shop had some available. I am in the process of switching over from aromatics with rich toppings to tobacco that will give me a fuller tobacco experience. I enjoyed HGL immensly but alas, it won't be for long. I have found out that Lane is going to discontinue this blend. One of the pipe web sites (sorry, can't remember which one) that the another company will make a match and call it TGL.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-02-14		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Good for the price, and good to have the change of pace.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-09-20		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I MUST HAVE FRIED MY TASTEBUDS. I TASTE ZERO LATAKIA. THE DESCRIPTION SAYS LACED WITH LATAKIA. LACED EVIDENTLY MEANS SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT TO THE FOLKS AT LANE. AN OK TOBACCO.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-04-23		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As a discount brand, I give this 3 stars. Among all tobaccos, I would give it 2 stars. Lane does a decent job of making this medium-strength baccy with noticeable but not overpowering Latakia flavor, and it has little bite. This tobacco is very different than most Lane brands, in that it is not a heavily-cased aromatic, and is not terribly sweet. It smokes to a rough powder with some larger grains that have turned to coal, but unless you smoke it very, very quickly it does not leave a wet mess at the bottom of your pipe.

As with all Lane blends, it is necessary to air this out prior to smoking for the best effect (at least half an hour), but unlike many of their lines you can smoke this to the bottom of the bowl right out of the bag without drying it as long as you smoke slowly. Smokes best in a smaller bowl.

4/23/08 Update - The last few bowls of the 4 oz I had purchased has been much, much more enjoyable than the rest. It would seem that 'letting it air out' for a while has greatly improved both flavor and moisture. What I'm smoking now is a solid 3-star blend, whereas before I was tempted to rate it 2 stars overall. This is the only Lane blend I've smoked that I really enjoy enough to want to buy more.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-05-28		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A somewhat underwhelming blend, it is just about the last of Lane blends that contain any Latakia (they've discontinued most of the others such as Crown Achievement and BS005 Pure English). They seem to be concentrating on excessively aromatic stuff these days (goodbye Lane!). The Latakia is very restrained and tends to be lost in the sweetness which is a trifle dominant, and the finish is fairly biteless. I don't find anything to make it memorable except for its "baked cake" character.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-05-11		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I tried hard to come up with some passion for this blend, either positively or negatively. Yet I am firmly in the blase zone.

Others have noted the smokey-sweet identity of this blend which may be its singular destinction. If that quality is somethiing you favour, or if you prefer very mild english blends, this may be your cup of tea.

I'm stumped by the cross-over concept. HGL sits in my mind as an english, albeit a very very mild one.

Price point is a plus for those, like myself, who like to try new things. On that count you cannot go wrong.

It is not unpleasant, but invokes no superlative's. I'll happily finish my 2 ounces, and move on with no hard feelings.

**

UPDATE I'll be the first to admit when I'm off base. I've been giving this one more time and I think I'm coming around to it. It's the tobacco version of olives for me: an aquired taste; not in a bad way, it's just a bit different than my usual fair.

I am also coming to see the light on these so called cross-over blends. To myself I have begun to think: 'Hmmm, the best of both worlds?'.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-09-10		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Ok, So I really liked it......Lane seems to be a love it or hate it company, But this stuff was like no other lane.... This is not Cap Black.... Sweet and smokey....Its a pleasure to smoke. I can't take the latakia drip anymore, but I do appreciate its presence as a condoment....and thats what it is here. I highly recomend this as a pleasurable smoke. the only thing I noticed is its better inside or in cooler weather..? Its flavor seems to thin out in the heat......(85-90 in my car in the afternoon vs sitting on my sofa with the air at 72)....Maybe its just me... Love it!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-06-05		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The best Lane Limited blend I've ever tried. Reminds me a bit of the sweet old Tinder Box blends I first tried 30 years ago when I began smoking pipes. A nice, sweet blend for all day, but definitely not sticky, goopy or heavily cased like most Lanes. If you must try one Lane, it's this; likewise, Pipes and Tobaccos' 'Count Pulaski' is Altadis' best blend. It might come under different names depending upon what store you by it from. Many tobaccos are the same and packaged under different pseudonyms. In whatever manifestation you may find this, you're sure to enjoy it.

Three and half of five stars

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-08-29		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

HGL has everything I look for in an all day smoke. There is no extreme side of any category, and the taste posseses a complexity that I don't tire of easily - making it a great blend to take alone on vacation or a weekend getaway. The strength is medium, better than a boring mild and tolerable for multiple times a day regularity - unlike a real strong blend. Lane claims there is no flavoring added, the cavendish makes it sweet without added flavoring. Worse case - it has light flavoring. It has a pleasant room note, with a fusion of woodsy, sweetness, nuttiness, and fresh baked bread. This is how I would also describe the taste as well. The taste has a perfect balance that gives me the flavor I like from a variety of tobaccos, all in one. The tobacco still has its own identity in spite of the wide spectrum. I buy this in 8 oz bulk and store in a sealed jar without additional humidification. My only complaint is that it is slightly moist and will leave just a little wet spot at the bottom of the bowl. Not enough for a gurgle, though. I am suprised how well I rank this against comparable C&D, McClelland, G&H blends. After all, it is a readily available Lane blend costing $20 - $25 per pound.

Update: I will have to lower my rating from a 4-star to a 3. I've been smoking this tobacco for a long time, however, I have to deduct points for quality, consistency and long term humidification management. Though this blend highly benefits with aging, the burley & virginias are of a lower to medium grade. There is not enough Latakia, yet it can be tasted more prevalently when kept on the drier side. That is at fault of the high quantity of cavendish. It requires a careful management of moisture, or the taste goes flat. When it's on the money, the latakia compliments the burley & VA so well with the hint of sweetness. When straight from the local tobacconist, the cavendish dominates because of the moisture. It is what it is, a decent crossover that can be smoked all day. There's plenty of better blends of this genre. I no longer dance in the streets over it, but it does bring me great pleasure on half of the bowls I puff on. It's still good enough to warrant a 3-star in my book.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-05-13		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This is RLP 6 with latakia added to it. If you have considered adding latakia to RLP 6 you might like this, although the latakia has a washout taste and is very weak. More of a crossover blend than anyting else. Not bad but certainely not a bellringer either.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-04-28		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

HGL is something of a crossover blend. It seems to be mostly Cavendish with a hint of Latakia. And I do mean a hint. In a way, it kind of reminds me of Captain Black Gold with a trace of Latakia. Not a true English blend, but then it doesn?t claim to be.

Enough about what HGL isn?t, on to what it is. This has got to be the coolest smoking, and smoothest thing I have ever found in Lane?s repertoire. I was skeptical when I tried it. It?s a good baby-step away from aromatics, if you are so-inclined.

The regular smoker of English blends will find little to hold his interest, let alone get excited about. For the newcomer to English, or for the person who wants a touch of natural tobacco flavor without getting banished to the porch, this may be just the ticket.

While this is a mild-mannered tobacco, it will bite severely if you go searching for big, bold flavor. It simply isn?t there. Enjoy it for what it is. A mild and pleasant blend that you can smoke all day. Personally, I think it?s a bit weak for my tastes. But I can see where it could be perfect for many others, and I could smoke it without complaint if I had nothing else.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-10-12		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

At one point in my smoking career, I fell for the latakia/cavendish mixtures. I thought I could get the best of both worlds in one. It was a short phase (maybe 8 months) but this was the best of the ones I tried. Frog was too wet for me and the C&D stuff didn't have enough aromatic agents in them. This was cheap, readily available and of good quality. I never got any complaints on the room aroma and it burned much better than most Lane blends. Every now and then I re-visit this blend and still like it.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-03-14		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

HGL is a blend I would smoke again in a pinch. I liked it at first, but with the arrival of Frog Morton and McClelland's #2040, I quickly lost interest.

I must add, I rank it above all the other blends I have tried by this maker.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-12-16		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Upon 1st light one detects the Latakia, but it is not strong. It's suttle and smooth. At a 1/3rd bowl and past, the cavendish becomes dominate with the latakia in the near background. One catches a very slight hint of chocolate from time to time. This seems to be from the burley, not a casing. The Latakia, Burley and Cavendish really join one another to produce a very nice smooth smoke with the Virginia giving it's touch of sweetness. It does not smoke wet and there is no gurgle.

This is another blend inwhich my wife likes the aroma of. Pure and clean.

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