Folks complimented me on the room note, but on trying Captain Black's White I can tell you that the difference is night and day when it comes to taste. Admiral's Choice came in an 8 oz bag and I now have 6 oz left which I doubt I'll ever smoke again, so if you want to try some let me know (wink). If you never smoked anything before it might be a way to start, but you don't get as much bang for your buck as you might with Captain Black, and the taste is harsher (to me). No doubt I will graduate from the Captain Black selections I'm currently enjoying to better quality blends in the future, but for now they're a-ok. I'll go into those in another review.

As far as Admiral's Choice goes, however, I would venture a guess that you could do worse, but probably a lot better. If it's the only thing available (and it's usually not) you might get a bag and split it with some buddies if you are all trying out pipes for the first time. Corn cobs are cheap enough and work very well; I now have four which I rotate during the week. If you find you don't like smoking you aren't out a lot of dough. If you are satisfied with Admiral's Choice after your first few go-rounds, just know there's better (and equally available) tobac that won't break your budget. Again, this is the review of a newbie meant for newbies. I probably won't buy my first briar for three or six months until I'm sure I'm packing correctly, more familiar with various tobac types, etc.

Thanks for reading.

This smokes VERY wet. Its sticky. You can puff as slow as you can and you will still get a gurgle out of your pipe as it protests in anguish at being treated in such a fashion. You could probably leave this stuff out in the sun for a week and it wouldn't be dry enough yet. For all its wetness, though, it somehow manages to stay lit. In fact, most of these tobaccos by this brand pretty well stay lit no matter what you do to them.

With Captain Black Royal, as an example, you can taste the sweet choclate and vanilla as the smoke fills the room and the notes of sweetness revist you a second time. This tobbaco, however, leaves much to be desired. It can nip your tongue if you are not careful. For some reason it burns pretty hot.

Someone noted that the taste was akin to maple. This may be true, but it surely does not taste anything like the blend of Captain Black Royal, and that is just as well, or I suppose no one would buy Captian Black for the price. I am not rightly sure what it tastes like to me, but there are times I can taste something sweet, though I am not wholly sure what it is I am tasting. Also note that the aroma of the tobacco is as faint as the taste.

There is a saying in life: "You get what you pay for." and that is certainly true in this instance.

That said, a person could do a lot worse than go through life drawing mild, lightly sweet smoke through a cob. This is where I find AC B&G Cavendish. If you like to experience variety and fuller flavored tobaccos this one will get lost in the journey. This is a simple, mild, pleasant, but unexciting tobacco. There is nothing pretentious about it. Okay, maybe the bag description is a bit so. Just like spending a lifetime with a cane pole lazily dipped into a quiet little fishin hole somewhere, whiling away the hours, a person could spend the same time doing much the same thing smoking this in a corn cob pipe. In a cob this is simple, soft pleasure out of the mainstream (pun not intended). There is nothing wrong with that and at times I can envy someone who can be content with this combination.

I like a little bit more in terms of fullness and variety. As such, I'm spending time searching for the elusive, "just right" tobacco and pipe combination. To continue the fishing analogy, I don't need the ultimate fly fishing experience or the Bass Masters pro tour. Maybe something more in the realm of some nice panfishing/small trout work with a decent fly or spinning rig and a small selection of flys and lures. Taking a cane pole break now and then is a diversion that requires me to stop, breathe slowly, and appreciate the minimalist, laid back approach. Thus, Black & Gold Cavendish is an infrequent stop. It isn't fulfilling or really satisfying, just a minimal break now and then that requires you slow down and pay attention or you will miss it.

Dry it out some before you pack. Pack lightly at the bottom of the bowl. Use a corn cob pipe. Clear your mind, settle down and enjoy the subtle, mild smoke. Blink and you will miss the taste. There is nothing wrong with that. Just don't expect bold flavour and robust smoking experience. That isn't the song this one sings. It's more of a soft humming as one does simple, pleasurable things. There are worse ways to live.

If comparing it to similar tobaccos it is a 3.5 or 4 star. However, comparing it to the bigger pond, I give it a solid 2 stars.