Lane's BCA

[Capn Jimbo]

BCA by Lane...


...is considered a classic and apparently stands for its components: black cavendish aromatic, listed at tobaccoreviews as:

Cavendish
Flavoring: Alcohol / Liquor, Vanilla, Whisky
Cut: Coarse Cut
Packaging: Bulk

A summary of the hundreds of reviews are extremely favorable, 3.2. The most frequent descriptions call it a cool, creamy smoke that needs 15 or 20 minutes of drying. Absolutely free of bite, not much dottle. Most find a creamy vanilla, chocolate, a bit of licorice and a few find a fruity element.

As for me, I agree in the main but would add the vanilla - a real custardy one - is absolutely there but there is/are something else that deepen it in the sense of a milk chocolate and just a bit of some kind of whiskey. It is most assuredly a cool and rich, very easy smoke. Mine required frequent relights, but I simply didn't want to waste time drying it out - a few relights was the cost.

It's notable too that many seem to prefer this over Lane's world's best seller - 1-Q. In fact, many see BCA as a great smoke alone, but also as a fine addition with 1-Q, PA or even some English blends. The combination of 50/50 BCA with 1-Q is frequently mentioned.

It's really a shame some of you can't get it (or can but at an unreasonable price). If you can, I'd highly recommend that you do...

[Capn Jimbo]

Addendum:


As I sit here enjoying a lovely dram of Myers's Platinum White - an amazing, sippable tipple - and having reviewed Sutliff's Private Stock Black Swan (black cavendish), it's impossible not to compare the two.

There is no doubt that both are smooth, easy and pleasant. Both also required relights, even though the BCA was smoked undried and the Swan dried overnight. The real difference to me was that the Swan is more lightly treated, and there's something about its fire-curing and steam treatment. As a result the BCA's tobacco is far in the background, while the Black Swan's smooth cavendish is more evident with the light aromatics supplanting rather than dominating it.

I'll say it again: to me aromatics should enhance the tobacco and still allow it to show now and again. When it becomes difficult to find the cavendish, when the cavendish is simply the carrier of the aromatics well to me, that's a loss.

In sum I'd guess that the BCA will appeal greatly to those whose focus is the aromatics, while for me I prefer the Black Swan and its more cavendish forward presentation.

[da'rum]

Cavendish I can only handle in small amounts. My mouth goes all cottony and the smoke tastes like Australian red desert dust.

I have W.O Larson Black Diamond here and although a well regarded tobacco, the Cavendish in it is making it impossible to smoke no matter how many tries and chances I give it.

[Capn Jimbo]

As my fellow pipers know...


..one of the pleasures of piping is not only the artistry of the pipes themselves and their endless variations, quality, performance and appeal, but also the MUCH greater variety of blends of unending different kinds. A real smorgasboard of choices and new blends appearing very frequently.

Thus a piper has many choices and options, and surely will come across a pipe and blend that really rings his/hier bells. An entirely personal and totallly subjective predilection.

For me - and I own perhaps 15 blends (all chosen to represent different styles), Scandinavian's BCA (and even 1-Q - the most popular blend in the world) seem to do it. Yes, I love burley. I do occasionally like some of the light English or American blends, Virginias, etc. and da'rum's old favorite, Mac's Navy Flake. And your favorite of the moment - even a great favorite - may be temporarily supplanted by another choice.

It's mood, time and temperature.

For me, the most consistent pleaser - alone - is BCA - can't really say why. It's just pleasant, reassuring, has just enough interest and well, it just does it for me. Another is 1-Q with a half pinch of Prince Albert (burley) mixed in.

Both lovely, and the ones (esp the BCA) that I return to. They are my basic smokes.



Question: what does it for you???

[da'rum]

At the moment I'm switching around a lot but my most enjoyed is Virginia Perique Oriental blends such as Mac B Arcadian Perique or DTM's Acadian No2. These blends are sweet and complex with a peppery spice on the nose (think the buzz from wasabi). These blends are normally on the more expensive side and disappear all too quickly from my cupboard so I went and bought the three ingredients separately to blend myself.

I bought 250 gm Virginia
50 gm true pure Perique and
50 gm Orient

I haven't opened any of them yet because I have more than enough open already that I must smoke first but when I do I'm hoping for a great experience.

[Dai]

At the moment I'm switching around a lot but my most enjoyed is Virginia Perique Oriental blends such as Mac B Arcadian Perique or DTM's Acadian No2. These blends are sweet and complex with a peppery spice on the nose (think the buzz from wasabi). These blends are normally on the more expensive side and disappear all too quickly from my cupboard so I went and bought the three ingredients separately to blend myself.

I bought 250 gm Virginia
50 gm true pure Perique and
50 gm Orient

I haven't opened any of them yet because I have more than enough open already that I must smoke first but when I do I'm hoping for a great experience.

Interesting let us know how your blending experiments go.
I can recommend Durbar by Dunhill as a good oriental.

[da'rum]

Will do Dai. I bought the Torben Dansk Orient.


http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/390 ... pezialitat

Forget the review there that guy doesn't have a clue.

I also bought the TD Louisiana perique which is pure perique. We'll see if it is a money saving measure worth repeating or not