Tobaccos Lane Limited - Medal of Valor

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-06-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've never smoked Medal of Honor so I can't make a comparison, but I'm gonna guess that this isn't supposed to be a match. First off, MOH had Mahalla and Dubec for the Oriental component and MOV has " hints of Oriental ". Secondly, as far as I know, MOH had no Burley or Perique. I suppose this should be judged on it's own merits, which is all I can do anyway, and in that regard it's a decent smoke. I smoked it in three different types of pipe and as usual got three different results.

Cob (MM Diplomat Apple) - The Burley had too strong of an influence and that seemed to unbalance the blend. I don't think the blender intended for it to be tasted this way. It wasn't bad, just smoked like an American English that was just a bit off.

Clay (Markus Fohr #4) - Smoked more like a traditional English, albeit, one with a good bit of Perique. The Burley was hardly noticed. A nice smoky, sweet, spicy, woody smoke. Not bad at all.

Briar (Jobey Pot) - Smokes like a nicely balanced American English. This is probably what the blender had in mind. The Burley is noted, but behaves itself allowing all the other components to have their say.

I like it in both the clay and the briar. It's like having two blends in one. Either way you go with it it's a three star blend. Not spectacular, but pretty solid.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in flavor. Burns very nicely. This was the bulk version.

Pipe Used: listed in review

Age When Smoked: fresh bulk

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

22 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3025)	2016-04-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The Cyprian latakia is richly smoky, woody sweet, and is a main component. The Virginias offer a little earth and a touch of grass along with a slight fruit and citrus as the base for the other components to strut their stuff. In a support role is the nutty, lightly earthy and molasses sweet burley which underscores most every puff without showing any force. The Oriental and perique are minor additions. The Oriental has a woody, dry character that provides a little complexity, and is noticeable most of the time. The perique is raisiny with a little spice, though you don’t always taste it. The nic-hit is closer to mild than it is to medium. Won’t bite unless you put a live piranha fish in the bowl. Burns at a moderate pace, cool, clean and smooth with a mildly creamy, fairly consistent flavor. Requires few relights, and leaves virtually no moisture in the pipe. The strength leans more toward medium than mild, and the taste borders the medium threshold. Has enough complexity to hold your interest, and could be an all day smoke with little trouble.

-JimInks

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2016-07-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Lane Ltd - Medal of Valour.

I received this as a freebie with an order from Smoking Pipes.com. This is my first blend from Lane Ltd, so it's a new experience!

Note: as this was free with an order it was supplied in bulk form as opposed to a tin.

The smell from the pouch? Completely non-startling, it's like every other English/Balkan out there. The colour of the blend's prominently medium brown, with a smaller amount of black flecks across it. As this was from bulk, it's not had any of the water sealed inside.

At first, I'd say the Latakia's in the lead: smoky, woody, and rich, but after the initial puffs it calms down somewhat and makes room for the others. The Burley's tasty: it's not too headstrong, but gives the smoke a robust touch. The Virginia offers a base-note to the smoke: what it lacks in dazzling flavour, it makes up for by being a constant and stable taste. The longer I smoke this, the more I think I can identify the Perique. Don't expect to get a big blast of spice, I'm talking more of a figgy/dark fruitiness; and it's very subtle.

The room-note's pleasant, and the nicotine's about medium.

Even though I miss the 'big Lat' taste' once it's calmed down, I still enjoy the flavour I get. I wouldn't call it the best English I've had, but it's not the worst by a million miles.

Recommended.

Pipe Used: Levent Meer' Claw

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes.com (freebie)

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tabaco (112)	2015-09-26		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm going to keep this one fairly short.

Better than Crown Achievement in my view. The tin moisture is just right, packs well, and burns great.

Orientals are there in supporting role and you do have to seek them out a bit, although in a good way. I find this blend is more of a sipper than a puffer, not too demanding and the Latakia is noticeable but not huge.

Overall a competent blend, but nothing special. I'll finish the tin and move on.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kelon (1)	2015-08-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I was given about 2 oz. Of Medal of Valor by my tobacconist as a tester because I was having a hard time with the stronger latakia blends (I thought they tasted like soap) but I loved the vape blends (Bayou Morning- Bayou Night), so he asked me to try this out thinking that I would like it and he was right. Not only did I like it but the complexity of it got me hooked immediately. After a few days of smoking it I thought I would go back and try the stronger latakia blends again and I quickly new that I had arrived. Not only did they not taste like soap to me anymore, they were awesome, Smokey and all around good. Medal of Valor is cool, spicy, Smokey with mild hints of sweetness. About halfway through I always get a nuttiness that I love and am left relaxed and fullfilled. I am new to pipes and have allot more blends and mixtures to try and compare but for now it is one of my top 5 daily smokes.

Pipe Used: self carved briar apple

Age When Smoked: fresh bulk

Purchased From: Straus Tobacconist Cincinnati Ohio

Similar Blends: I haven't tried enough other tobaccos to say..

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2017-02-28		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I finally decided to give Medal of Valor a try less than a year ago. Just for fun, I pulled out a Mason Jar full of old Medal of Honor that I keep with other jarred tobacco that I don't smoke much off and smoked a bowl of it first. I waited an hour and then tried a bowl of Medal of Valor. It is a nice blend, but the only similarity I could find between the two was the tin top label. Medal of Valor has a less smoky Latakia presentation and the Virginia added less bottom. The Orientals whispered but the Perique shouted. A very nice English style smoke with some spiciness you will not find in Medal of Honor.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old German puffer (106)	2015-09-18		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Medal of Valor is my afternoon coffee blend. Not to strong. A little woody and a lot of nutty ness. Packs very well and if left to breath for an hour or so lights better than if packed out of the tin. This is not a heavy latakia blend. It is more a very mild flavor and medium bodied blend that smells more like a British blend than tastes like one. I tend to really like latakia and my palate tends to run on the strong side. So for me this was light. My barbershop group likes this blend as well. Room note is average. I like the nutty flavor. It works very well with dark beer and scotch as well.

Pipe Used: Dunhill, Peterson, Savinelli, Comoy

Age When Smoked: fresh tin

Purchased From: JR'S Cigar Outlet

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tiedemann (13)	2017-10-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

There is a lot going on in this blend. The first thing to hit is the Latakia, with the thick, syrupy Burley coming through strongly. Behind those two main players, the Virginias are grassy and earthy. The Perique is clearly there, peppery and vinegary. The Orientals are less noticeable, but may contribute some dry woodiness in the background.

The problem is that all these ingredients don't go together all that well. There is some disharmony, especially between the strong, smoky Latakia and the more subtle, acidic Perique, while the Burley is just too sugary and strong and not well integrated into the mix.

It is very hard making a harmonious blend from so many and so diverse tobaccos, and I don't think Lane has succeeded in doing that with Medal of Valor. The ingredients may be of high quality, but I don't think the recipe is. Some may find this blend interesting and maybe even challenging, I find it somewhat chaotic.

Pipe Used: MM Mizzou Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Cup o' Joes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	michaelc (40)	2017-05-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I received this yesterday from P&C and I am presently smoking my third bowl of this very fine tobacco blend. This tobacco packed and lit easily straight from the fresh tin requiring no relights after the initial burn. The flavor upon lighting I found to be a very pleasant surprise. The smoke contains a smokey fruity sweetness with a subtle spicy accent. It didn't bite and left a pleasant taste on the palette upon completion. I like some Latakia every once and awhile and while this blend is lighter in this component than some others I have tasted this blend has enough to satisfy my taste for it. I highly recommend this blend as an anytime or all day smoke.

Pipe Used: MM Little Devil,a briar bent billiard and pot.

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the can

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	King Weed (228)	2017-05-23		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I want to state up front that I agree with reviewers Pipestud and Gentleman Zombie that this blend is not Medal of Honor. Medal of Valor has both Perique and Burley in it's formula and this makes it spicier than the MOH I smoked in the past. I remember older versions of MOH as being a ruddy brown in tin color with darker flecks while MOV presents a much more standard and expected tan to dark flecks variation. The tin aroma of MOV was stronger than I expected from my experiences with MOH and much spicier. However, upon lighting and smoking I found MOV to be, basically, a borderline mild/medium English blend with all of it's components working in relative harmony. My remembrance of MOH is that of an Oriental-forward borderline mild/medium English blend. Medal of Honor remained consistent over the decades I smoked it, in an off and on manner, but changed in the last several years of it's lifespan to, ironically, something much more akin to the present Medal of Valor. I actually felt more positive about the later variation of MOH and feel the current MOV looks like it in the tin and smokes more like it. As for my smoking of it, my test smoke broke down like this: top third - not bad but a little spicy on the tongue, middle third - as is the case with so many pipe blends, this third was the most enjoyable and developed into a rich marrying of all components and the bottom third - also like so many blends, was the least part of the smoke and fell from richness to toned-down to rather blah. I score this blend as: top third 3 stars, middle third 4 stars and bottom third 2 stars with an average of 3 stars - recommended.

Pipe Used: Ashton LX 1/4 bent billiard

Age When Smoked: six months old

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: A large number of mild/medium English blends I have smoked over the years; but, not Medal of Honor..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DC MacBean (32)	2017-04-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I'm not too keen on Cyprian Latakia, its smokiness is more pungent than Syrian but Syrian Latakia is now a thing of the past. MOV is simply okay. It is NOT a Latakia bomb by any means but the Latakia is a prominent player. It is certainly a step up from any Drug Store/OTC blend; it does yeoman duty as an honest, respectable non-aromatic tobacco blend.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob, Briarwood, Pear wood, Cherry wood

Age When Smoked: Fresh to 1 year

Purchased From: Cup O Joe's

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	puss n' pipes (27)	2016-12-27		Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

First thing that i notice is that there is a particular taste/sensation that comes from this blend which can be attributed to orientals perhaps, something that strikes as a fresh sensation in the mouth with a dry perfumed sweetness that is not associated with the virginia amidst the Latakia flavour, something a little spicy that is not the perique also. This is for me at least, the very centre of this blend and its particularity as well. It is present during the whole experience.

As for the rest, you can find a good portion of Latakia as pivotal centre where moderate presence of virginia as an oblique sour sweet flavour plays, very subtle though, and burley as a dry and neutral appointment without the nuttyness associated, this lets the aforementioned characteristics circumvent the latakia, making it a rather dry smoke a little creamy with a perceptible touch of muskyness, in the tongue burley dominates and perique is barely perceived.

I would say it is a consistent English blend with emphasis on burley and delicate subnotes of orientals, as said before not creamy, rather dry, not sweet rather perfumed. Good for the price and must be judged accordingly.

Pipe Used: Principe Albert

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LannarkGent (145)	2016-12-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Very Strong

In my mind, this is a Balkan related blend with a fair amount of oriental in it the smokiness is a little forced, which probably will improve with aging. I have enjoyed this and look forward to trying when it is some what older.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hawky454 (107)	2016-11-30		Mild	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This is one of the finest English blends I've smoked (and I've smoked a lot) which was a huge surprise since I've never really thought much of Lane Limited tobaccos. I've not tried Medal of Honor but this one just tickles my fancy. It's a very well balanced blend with a subtle, sweetness and some sour (incense) notes. The Oriental tobaccos in it are some of the best I've tasted, which is a huge surprise, I actually prefer this to true English Latakia blends and given that this contains Burley, most people would not classify this as a "true" "English" blend, regardless of what genre this falls under, it's simply amazing. I've only had this one in bulk but it comes with a perfect moisture level and is ready to smoke from the get go. I can't really explain what makes this blend stand out from the sea of English/Balkan blends out there but there is something different about this one. My only complaint is I wish it had a little more nicotine but I'm a freak and I require a ridiculous amount the stuff but this one will suit most people's nicotine needs. This is one to buy by the pound! Absolutely essential!

Edit* 12-16-21 Unfortunately I believe this is no longer available in bulk or tin. Another great blend has gone away. RIP Medal of Valor.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (632)	2016-08-05		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I received a pretty good sample of this blend at the last Chicago show and enjoyed it. This hits my tastebuds as a pretty standard (English) lat blend, so I was actually pretty surprised to see the amount of ingredients used. In particular, the addition of Burley and Perique in the mixture.

The burley did not surprise me as much as I was getting hints of nuttiness that I had assumed to be an oriental grade. I really did not detect Perique at all. I found the blend to be light in Latakia and felt a strong presence from both the Virginia and Orientals as there was a sweet/sour thing that seem to go on through each bowl.

To my personal tastes this is a two star blend as it is not my favorite flavor profile in a lat blend, but it is also well done and smokes great and very well could be a four star blend to someone who is looking for this type of flavor profile. Contrasting this with crown achievement, which I absolutely love, this blend is very tame despite having a similar tobacco composition. MOV is much simpler and will provide an enjoying smoke; Whereas, CA is dark, mysterious and will take you places.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J.R. Patton (106)	2016-06-10		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

After the enormous letdown of Crown Achievement, here is MOV with much the same makeup and heavy latakia presence. But somehow the combination works much better with this one. The orientals make more of an impact with their characteristic smooth, spiced sweetness. I can just barely pick out the perique, bringing dark, sweet bass notes, and it seems to ebb and flow throughout the smoke. Latakia is heavy and always up front. But I find I don't mind that so much because it works in great harmony with the other constituents. Now how is it Lane can bomb so hard with CA and turn around and make an enjoyable Lat-bomb from virtually the same components out of MOV?

It's well done, so I'm giving it 3 stars. It's just not enough of a mind-blower for me personally, but I think the quality and enjoyment are above a 2 on the rating scale. In truth, I'd probably never give a Lat-bomb a 4 star rating, because, for me, latakia will always remain a seasoning ingredient rather than a base tobacco. I recommend MOV. It's an interestingly heavier incarnation of an American english. And Lane proves they are still capable of creating a memorable oriental blend. After CA I had strong doubts! UPDATE: I have to raise this one a star. A little time has really worked on the blend, smoothing the rough edges and melding the component flavors together. I now plan to stock up on some of this. Well done Lane!

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldredbeard (4)	2016-04-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of the best all day Latakia blends I've come across. It's a medium strength blend with just enough of all the components to work very well together. Lights easily and burns cool, with not even a hint of bite.

Pipe Used: Meerchaum, clay, and briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: TAPS pipe show in Raliegh, NC

Similar Blends: I haven't smoked another blend quite like it..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Maduro (19)	2022-01-29		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Tightly packed, it burns easily and smokes with a fair density. The burley/Latakia dimension comes across intensely, pushed a bit by the perique touch. The orientals are very much in the background, as if overrun by the burley's flavor and the latakia's enthusiasm. I enjoy more oriental-forward blends but I'm not diasappointed with how MoV delivers on its promises. If you're a burley fan looking to mix it up with a side hustle, MoV's your fix.

Pipe Used: Jeantet briar 1960s

Age When Smoked: 3

Purchased From: Tobacco Depot, Lawrenceville, GA

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Seanv (35)	2019-07-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Strong

Bulk. Packs easily and lights well. Bag aromas of Latakia and some Orientals are noticeable. Latakia flavors up front. The Orientals are very noticeable and smooth. I get a bit of the burley here and there but it is a minor player. I do not get much of the perique but occasionally notice some figs. Creamy body, mild smoke. Can be an all day smoke on those cool fall says. Mild nic hit, won't bite.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldermanpipe (25)	2018-11-21		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Any reviewer who calls this an "American English"...is right on the mark. That, it is; and wonderfully so! Goodness, it took me back, literally, decades. I haven't tasted anything like this in far too long.

That being said, about the only tobaccos you can taste all the way through are Latakia and Burley. But that, more or less, is what American Englishes were all about. There is an honor roll of blends one could rattle off, but they are all gone, and most readers of this website wouldn't remember them, anyway.

I suppose the Virginias and Orientals and the Perique contribute their parts. Who knows? Back when blends like this were prevalent, the only thing that mattered was whether or not you liked it. And this one...I do!

I bought the tin iteration, and the first puff was perfect. As the bowl progresses, though, things get muddled until the half-way point. There is a slight casing here, a sweetener, and for a while it seems to get confused. But at about the half-way point, it gives up the ghost, and the herbal qualities of the Orientals, and the peppery notes of the Perique come to the fore. Believe me, you won't get bored. But, perhaps a little boredom would help. Some fire-cured Virginia, perhaps, or some air-cured Maryland? The taste and body could use some thinning.

If you remember old store blends from the 1960s and 1970s, youll recognize this blend. This has revived my taste for Latakia.

Pipe Used: Rossi billiard. GBD apple

Age When Smoked: Fresh???_

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

Similar Blends: Tinderbox Connoisseur. Smokers' Haven Jubilee Mixture (both from the 1970s).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleSquinty (27)	2017-06-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This lights beautifully right out of the tin and stays lit. I needed one relight, but only because I laid the pipe aside to take an extended phone call. This is a nice blend that smokes differently from the tin note. The spice in the first third of the bowl is so poignant as to be almost a tongue bite sensation but quickly calms down The Virginias and perike are salt and pepper for this, with the Latakia taking center stage for most of the bowl. This is one of the few English blends that doesn't prompt my wife to come after me with a rolling pin; room note is tame, with a hint of incense and light campfire smoke. This is lovely, but really isn't to my personal tastes. It might behave very differently in a different type of pipe; I used a Falcon with a pure meer bowl. I would guess that this one will behave very differently in a briar.

Pipe Used: Falcon with a meerschaum bowl.

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: pipesandcigars

Similar Blends: Reminiscent of Frog Morton 'On the Bayou' but not quite. This is an American- style English blend..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kppeterson (19)	2017-05-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Smoked about 5 bowls of this from a sample I purchased at the Chicago show. I had steered clear of this because it was an English that contained Burly and that type thing doesn't often appeal to me. At the match I did detect the Burly but it quickly faded and this became a very nice, mild to medium English. Everything was well balanced and I so appreciated that the Latakia didn't overwhelm the rest of the components. The Perique was mild and very much a team player. For whatever reason I absolutely detest Burly in my morning pipe but I even enjoyed MOV with my a.m. coffee. This blend was a very pleasant surprise and I was sad to see go. I think I like this better than BS-005 or Crown Achievement. If this was your 4 star, all day blend I would tip my hat to you for your fine taste but for me it's a solid 3 stars.

Pipe Used: Northern Briar, Vacher, horn stemmed Bulldog

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Lane

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Arkansas Piper (47)	2022-10-19		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

A good, standard English blend. Very nice. Nothing to write home about, but still good. What you’d expect from a standard English with quality! I think this has good introductory qualities to it for beginners looking for a non-aromatic with smokiness.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Deckard Cain (37)	2022-06-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a fine little English blend. A little complex, very smooth, easy to work with. If I'm craving English but I don't want to get too invested, this is perfect. I smoked a bowl of it while working on my lawn mower recently. It produces nice smoke and stays lit. This is a good solid English, and it's easy for anyone to enjoy. It also comes in the nicest looking tin I've ever seen. (Not that it matters). I always keep a few brand new cobs laying around in case I have company and they want to join me for a smoke. And this is the tobacco we always smoke. Because it's easy, fairly mellow, and is a terrific tobacco for introducing people to the pipe.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

Nobody has rated this review yet.