I've tried Captain Black Gold in both carbon filter and steel filter pipes. Carbon filter pipes work better than steel filter pipes with CBG as it is wetter than unflavored tobacco; however, I did not find real obstacles in smoking it with steel filters. It is is finely cut, it burns well and leaves but little dottle in the bowl. It tastes good and has a good aroma.

To add a little pleasure to your pipe smoking you may want to add a little whiskey to it (like wetting--not soaking-- a piece of cotton with whiskey and fixing it to the inside of the cover of the tobacco jar with some something like a buckle) and keep the jar tightly closed in a dark place. The next day Captain Black Gold would gain much better quality. In case you find that your CBG got wetter than it is, leave the jar open in fresh air (but not in direct sunlight) for a short time or until you get the level of wetness that suits your smoking.

In the absence of a more expensive tobaccos, White and Gold Captain Black are my alternatives.

This also a good blending tobacco to stretch your supply of a more expensive blend. I have made my own "Morning Mix" from this tobacco plus plain Burley, mild Syrian, and a touch of black Cavendish; perfect for the first pipe of the day.

** NOTE to Site Maintenance: as other reviewers have commented, this is (at least in Canada) a shag (fine long-cut), not a broken-flake cut as stated in the Summary.

Update: ok ok, in all fairness I tried this straight out of the bag the first time I smoked it (Bad idea). Let this stuff dry for about a week in a glass jar and it's fairly decent. I puffed it slowly in a longer churchwarden-style pipe and got a very nice maple taste with hints of honey and almonds. toward the end of the bowl it almost got too sweet like a pure cane sugar, sadly I cannot get this stuff to finish off dry...

Smell in bag is great, color is wonderful, packed loosely( which made for a better smoke)

the taste was mild and not a lot like CBW, but some hints of vanilla and i tasted a little bit of a trail mix flavor (which i wasn't expecting at all), but the taste of the tobacco was definitely present, some vitamin N kick in it. I smoked it slowly and got almost no bite. Room note is not bad, doesn't smell as great as CBW, but still smells quite nice.

had a hard time keeping it lit at the bottom of the bowl, but other than that it stayed lit through almost the whole bowl. The bowl surprising didn't get too hot, unlike CBW which burns the hell out of my fingers.

Doesn't get four because I've had better, but for a beginner or on a budget, TRY it. its not to shabby!

(addition) I would recommend not drinking anything carbonated after or during this smoke, your mouth mite feel a harsh bite. I would also recommend not mixing with this blend, it isn't very satisfying.

I am reviewing a 3-year of pouch of CB Gold that I found in an old Swisher Sweet box that I used to stash some pipe sundries. I was running out of my other more "serious" leaf, and thought I'd give it another try before dropping some coin on a new blend.

To my surprise, the leaf was still moist enough to pass the Charmin Test (squeezable with no breakage), and perhaps the incidental aging caused it to improve in performance.

The pouch aroma hits you in the honker like a teenager's cologne after his first shave...its obvious its an aromatic but not memorable in that after a couple of days I don't even remember what aroma it was. It was pronounces but pleasant.

Packed fine and stayed lit for me. I did get slightly bit by this bowl, but I am finding that may be caused by the pipe I am using as it burned wet. But I do seem to remember relegating this pouch to a drawer after getting mouth-raped by this stuff a couple of years ago. I would therefore classify this as a tempormental leaf as the problems may be the resulting combination of the piper, the pipe & the choice of pipe weed.

I'll recommend this to a beginner whose looking to experiment without denting the budget. I have not tried other CB labels, and may not ever as I am not intrigued to delve further into the brand. I'm happy at this drug store price point with Prince Albert, which trumps GB in my opinion in Price-to-Value ratio. Give it a try if your a floater, thats what makes this a hobby.

Without Me Its Just SOME,

AWE

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1-29-11 Not so bad, really. A discussion on a pipe forum made me want to try it again, and it is not so bad. Not so bad (I will reiterate), but there are better.

If you are not thinking of your health and if you are smoking just to smell good, like a sweetshop, here you go! Lots of chemicals and sweet bonbons awaiting for you.