Mac Baren Capstan Gold Navy Cut

A moderately sweet and easy to rub out flake with a little sugar and some citrus toppings complimenting the tart and tangy, citrusy Virginias. The Virginias offer a bit of grass, some hay and bread, plus a pinch or two of earth, and wood. Has a light floral quality as well. The strength and nic-hit are a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium, while the taste almost reaches the medium mark. No chance of bite or harshness. A rather uncomplicated blend that burns slightly less than at a moderate pace, cool and clean with a smoothly, tart and tangy sweet consistent taste from start to finish. There are several kinds of Virginias in this to create a well balanced blend. Requires a few relights, leaves little moisture in the bowl, and will burn to ash. Has a lightly lingering, pleasant after taste and room note. An all day experience that works for the smoker who wants a gentle, sweet flavor without the most of the earthy characteristics darker Virginias provide.

-JimInks

A lighter bodied and lighter colored cousin to the blue tin I smoked recently. Similar tin nose but this one had a bit more citrus and less spice. Both things showed up in the taste. This had more sweetness from the citrus and less of the blue's subtle spiciness - more high notes here, but not so high as to be screechy or annoying, as in some bright VA flakes.

Comparisons with other tobaccos are almost unavoidable. First, this also seemed a cross between Mac Barens VA flake and Dunhill Light Flake but moved closer (than the blue tin did) to the Dunhill fruitiness. Neither is overbearing on the fruit but the Dunhill provides an extra oomph from the spice that this one doesn't possess (the blue tin follows suit, more a bit more subtly). A second comparison is that I might have enjoyed this one more if I hadn't just smoked F&T's Cut Virginia Plug, which realizes the possibilities of a gold VA flake more perfectly for me. This was far from a bad blend, it was just a bit forgettable by comparison. If you have no such biases, try this one if you enjoy some fruit tang without wanting to go overboard, coupled with some light grassy flavor and more than just a hint of sugared something-or-other. It's not overblown on any of those things. In fact, it's pretty middle-of-the-road for me. I prefer the blue tin, but this is still a solid 3 star blend - just one I probably won't buy again.

Geez, reviewing this after DK seems a fool's errand.

I'll offer 4 stars as opposed to 3, though my thoughts are VERY much in alignment with DK - this is a slightly fruitier, slightly less bodied version of the Capstan. It's delicious and easy to get along with. I found it more interesting than OGS and better tasting with smoother edges than Cut Virginia Plug. CVP is great, this is.... pure and special somehow.

So, again, a great virginia, clean tasting, easy burning. A little one dimensional? Sure, and if you smoke this after something stronger it won't have much appeal. Clean pipe, clean palette, I can't think of many better offerings.

After smoking the blue version flake I moved on to the yellow. Most everything said about the blue can be said about the yellow with regard to presentation, handling, smoking characteristics, etc. It is a bit lighter in the tin than the blue and its tin aroma is more on the bright side, but not extremely so. Some have said it reminds them of Orlik's Golden Sliced, but I would disagree on that one. For starters, this Capstan flake was darker in color and it lacked that characteristic tin note of GS; nor was there any present in the taste thankfully, as I quickly grew tired of that in the GS. Overall, the yellow-tinned flake was less spicy and not quite as full-tasting as the blue, however, it is still one superior smoke. Like the blue, I can smoke this one every day if need be. I enjoy both the blue and the yellow equally - sometimes mixing them. I enjoy that spiciness I described in the blue and the slightly fuller body to the smoke. As with the blue, a stellar, 5 star smoke. Hat's off to Mac Baren as both will be in my weekly rotation for sure and in my favorites category as well.

This is one good flake. Nice stacks. Easy burning with minimal rubbing. Cool. Dry. Quite sweet in a good way.

Enjoyable and superior flavor. Reminds me of the old days with Edwards' Honey Cavendish, but this is a more meaty flake.

It's not as strong as Capstan blue lable, and is sweeter to me than new Dunhill Flake is. It is somewhat comparable to Orlik's golden slices (latter being more orangy).

However, it's ready rubbed sibling (gold label) smokes too hot to me. The flake is cool and for me. A desirable smoke.

As many have stated here this is a simple flake. It's also delicious. The natural flavors of hay and citrus mix very well with the added flavors of more citrus and a slightly darker fruit. I think StevieB suggested plum and that may be correct. That darker fruit flavor has the added benefit of rounding this out nicely. It can burn a little warm, but not enough so to deduct points for it. Flavor is consistent, but doesn't evolve much and for that I'll deduct a half point. This is a 3.5 smoke for my taste and I'll round up to 4.

Mild to medium in body and taste. Flavoring is mild. Burns like a champ. This is a very nice smoke.

A beautiful mild,tasty flake that satisfies. What a delight. I can't contain my joy while smoking this. This is the McBaren version. Cool burning and extremely delicious with a lovely dry hay-like taste from the all lemon leaf. I enjoy this and the Blue equally. Why did we have to wait so long.

Update: The more I smoke this, the more I like it. I think this and the Blue are the blends I've been looking for all these years. These are my first 5 star blends.

Update: I find that a year of aging does wonders for this already excellent blend. Also excellent mixed 4 to 1 with Wessex Brown Virginia Flake.

An honest unpretentious tobacco, Gold Navy Cut is the same as Mild only in the more PC euro tin. A very fine quality leaf ranging from bright yellows to almost reds, a flake cut and uniform in the tin 2x3 inches if measurements are required.

In the past, I would pack and light straight from the tin, nowadays, I tend to dry out my tobacco's for about 24 hours before lighting. For this review, I opened a tin and air dried for an hour or so. Still rather moist for my ever changing taste, this still rubbed out well and took easily to the match, gentle puffing produced a slightly sweet fruity taste which soon dissipated and left me with a fine virginia and the occasional hint of Lemon or citrus, but only just. As I tend to smoke alone, I find the room note tolerable, that is, when I can smell anything.

I didn't note any huge voluminous clouds of smoke, but I never look for that anyway, being more interested in taste, flavour and strength, of which all three I find satisfying.

This is not a complex tobacco but nor is it a monochromatic smoke either. It will not bite unless pushed, and burns cool in the pipe after only moderate drying. I find this an excellent tobacco in warm and humid weather, particulaly first thing in the morning or at the end of day when I've been smoking too much of the stronger stuff and want "just one more pipe" before retiring.

I don't mind a topping on my flakes as much as I do on ribbon cuts. There are plenty of good examples of topped flakes I could give you from Escudo, to St Bruno, to PS Navy Flake. I think the pressing makes the topping a background character for a lot of these and thus I don't hear the same gripes said about them as I do with true aromatics.

The tin is the same as the Capstan Blue Flake and you get about the same amount of flakes in the tin. The tin note has a lot of Virginia hay, breadiness and citrus. This is harder to light than the blue flake, and so stuffing about the same amount as I do the Blue, I like to leave this in the bowl overnight so that the top takes a light easier. Once lit it will need a few more than average relights so keep in mind this is a little fussy.

The tobacco is nice and sweet, similar at first to HH Pure Virginia. There is a lot of hay and grass, with some Virginia Bread in the background. The topping doesn't cover the tobaccos and I can barely detect it but there is a slight citrus on the retrohale. The burn is just as cool as the Capstan Blue. I'd also say that your room note is just as pleasant.

The taste is a touch milder than the Blue but not enough to drop it from medium. The strength is a happy medium, no bells and whistles but that's fine. This makes for a nice morning blend, if you refine the dry time this could be an all day smoke. This is a nice example of the more citrusy and sweet end of Virginias. I give this four stars as well. I would buy more given the chance.

The best all day tobacco I have found.

My son brings this home from Spain (oh it's so cheap over there) you can't buy it in the UK. And before you start, giving me places all over the country where you've seen it, I've been in tobacconists the length and breadth of the country and online and never seen it, ever.

Reminicent of the wonderful Golden Glow from Gawith's it sends out a gorgeous roasted tobacco scent that assails you from the tin. Straight from the tin, anyway you like, rubbed out or rolled it's a consistent treat. A sweet, tasty virginia flake.

It's a solid, reliable, no-nonsense blend that satisfies everytime. Never had a bad bowl.

If you see it, buy it, whether you cellar it or smoke it straightaway, just get it.

The only complaint is the tin's too small.