Mac Baren Capstan Original Navy Cut

I've been smoking the new Mac Baren incarnation of this classic; the flake in the blue tin is what I'm speaking of. Upon opening the tin you are greeted with a predominantly darker brown flake with some speckles of lighter leaf present. The tin aroma is one of prunes and figs with a moderately sweet note. Loading with the fold and stuff method and lighting were a breeze. The taste is very raisiny with little if any Virginia hay/grass present. There is a spice to this one especially when allowing the smoke to enter the back of the throat and come up the nasal passages - not over the top, but present. The smoking experience reminded me of a milder, but slightly fuller in body, Dunhill Flake (one of my favorites). No matter what my smoking cadence, I could not get this to smoke hot nor bite. This was certainly one fulfilling Virginia smoke and I can see why many have raved about it. I have yet to try the yellow-tinned flake yet, but will do so after I smoke more of the blue.

I've tried many Virginias over the years and my biggest complaints were that they were either too grassy/hay-like in taste or they had very little taste and body. The blue Capstan Flake seems to me the near perfect - if not the perfect - Virginia flake. For those who like Virginias, this will not disappoint. All the trouble spent with Sam Gawith's offerings were truly a waste of my time when compared to Capstan Original Navy Cut Flake! As a predominantly Burley smoker, I can smoke this every day and be happy. Truly a 5 star, and stellar, smoke that rates a highly recommended from me.

This has very quickly become one of my all time favorite blends.

I have a real attraction and fascination with old time traditional blends. I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of those who enjoy a pipe have a fascination with things of yore and days gone bye. The provenance of this blend is unmistakable, and the varitable hall of fame of past famous pipers who have enjoyed this particular blend just adds to its lore.

The presentation is beautiful. A square tin with a humble yet regal label. Inside, a beautiful gold presentation of nicely done flake. The tin note is magical, raison, fig, and various dried fruit...apricot maybe? That said, it all comes off as very pure tobacco. I am sure there is some form of casing here, but it is almost not noticeable at all.

The flakes came a little moist, I prefer my tobacco to be rather dry anyway. The flakes smoke rather well both moist and dry, but a much easier time to keep lit and less pipe cleaners required after some air time. I smoked this blend both rubbed out and folded and stuffed, and I much prefer the later. The fold and stuff method also produces a very slow and long smoke for me, which is perfect, because every time I load a bowl of this tobacco I do not want it to end.

Some have mentioned this as a "middle" english, and I would agree. It is not as bright as OGS but is not anywhere near as dark as my beloved Wessex brigade dark flake. It is anything but boring, great flavors off this tobacco. It behaves well, and although it is considered a "pure" Virginia, it has many different flashes of different flavors throughout the bowl, which keeps it very engaging. At times, when it hits just right, there is an almost incense like flash, that is so fleeting, and I find myself looking for it.

I cannot say enough good things about this tobacco. I wish it were a tad bit cheaper, but will gladly pay to stock up and cellar (which I think it will do beautifully). Quality and enjoyment is always worth a little extra.

The legendary blend, a former favorite of Professor Tolkien, which jumped through several masters before falling into the clinging hands of the Danish manufacturer, has been changed the varietal composition a bit, but is still a pure blend of Virginia tobaccos - simple and without frills.

The open tin smells like bread and floral hay. A little bit of citrus flavor is felt. The slicing is quite thin and very neat, no brambles or sticks that can be found in mixes from Gawith. The color of the cut is light wood.

It lights up and burns medium-hot, doesn't overheat the pipe. I've tried Capstan in large and small pipes of various shapes - the result is always the same.

The flavor is bready and barely sweet, reminiscent of the sweetness of a dried apple - but very close to neutral. It doesn't bite, doesn't have any harsh undertones. The strength of the tobacco is just below average.

The tobacco doesn't distract you at all from what you're doing - it just burns slowly and evenly in the pipe, giving a moderate light smoke, the smell of which - all the same floral hay, bread - immediately dissolves in the air. The blend is very simple in taste and odor, probably will not irritate those around you. There is practically no aftertaste.

This is a amazing and rare True Neutral in the world of tobacco blends these days. I will definitely keep a jar or two in my collection.

I have already tried the Ready Rubbed version of the blend and if you are interested to hear my thoughts I do have a review of that one as well. When I first bought this I had a strong idea what I was getting into, having smoked through a whole tin of the Ready Rubbed.

All this aside, when you first open your tin you are greeted with those perfect MacBaren flakes golden brown in color, and the tin note smells of hay, grass, sweetness and spice. I did find that my flakes were very wet compared to the dryness of the ready rubbed version, so much so that they left residue on the paper in the tin itself. So, what I ended up doing is leaving the tin open for a few weeks and then I rubbed it out into a jar. Room note is very subjective and I'm loathe to say anything either good or bad, but in my mind this has a very pleasant sweet Virginia smell. Lighting is relatively easy and it requires the average amount of relights. It burns a bit slow, but that's exactly what I want.

The taste is sweet, hay-like, grassy, woody, almost honeyish. There is a spice to this, vaguely cinnamony. Its a well rounded taste and I don't find it changing much throughout the bowl. The slower you smoke the more you will get out of this one. Capstan is really my first foray into straight Virginia's, I normally smoke VaPers but this is so good I've now ordered tins of HH Pure Virginia, and John Cottons Double Pressed Virginia to see if I can expand my palette.

Very smokeable, easily repeatable, and could be an all day smoke.

Opening the tin presents nicely prepared flakes, typical of Mac Baren, with an ideal moisture content that are pliable for my fold and pack technique. Even with this method, the tobacco lit easily on the charring light and few relights were required. It smoked cool and sweet in all sized bowls without condensation and the taste was consistent throughout the bowl. I enjoyed the deeper, richer flavor of the darker VA's when compared to the Capstan Yellow although both are great smokes. Glad this one is available in the USA again.

An excellent straight Virginia, and there's no other quite like it (unfortunately, since I would welcome a cheaper alternative). It's my favorite Virginia, to be precise. Strong on the dark fruit, plums and figs, I don't detect hay notes. Rich and round flavor profile and at no point overbearing. Its simplicity and reliability are what make this blend shine. There's enough facets to keep you engaged but not too much to distract you if you do something else while smoking your pipe, making it the perfect all day smoke. I can see why Tolkien loved it and can imagine him smoking it while writing his masterpieces. The flavor is consistent throughout the smoke and pleasant at all times, apart from a few more relights than I would have wished, it remains a reliable and low maintenance smoke. There's absolutely no spiciness or harshness, very little brightness to the profile as the flavor remains dark. A hint of breadiness on the very smooth retro hale without any stinging or spiciness, but nothing else. Burns surprisingly slow, so a bowl can last much longer than you would expect (for me 1-2 hours, so I usually just pack a half bowl). I have yet to find a Virginia that compares to Capstan. Other Virginia blends generally seem to be brighter or more complex, and I think Capstan not being those things sets it apart and let's me wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone who enjoys Virginias, wants to dive deeper into the world of Virginias or desires to broaden one's horizon on what Virginias can be.

Well I finally got around to trying this straight Virginia blend and I'm very glad that I did. It is everything I expected and more ! The tin note is sublime to say that there are no toppings applied and it all comes from the choice of leaf. It smells like a toasted cinnamon fruit loaf and just makes the mouth water in anticipation. Baked goods, spice and fruit with some lemon are all melded in a symphony of olfactory delight. Presentation is the usual Mac Baren flakes in a handy sized retro styled tin, cut to perfection and just right to smoke straight away witn no drying. I was cautious at first upon lighting, as a straight Virginia can be a recipe for bite if you go too hard at it, but it was very cool burning and got going well after only one char light and a single true light. Rich and fruity with plenty of flavour all the way down the bowl and a rediculously good after taste. The room note is exemplary of a quality Virginia flake and just as intoxicating as you could wish for. Half a flake rubbed out gave me about 35-40 mins of pure pleasure. I wish that I had a ready supply of this wonderful tobacco, as for some senseless reason, it is only available ready rubbed in the UK, and so I am led to believe, it ain't a patch on the flake, so I am going to use my supply of the real thing wisely as a treat and not an all day smoke. It may sound like a cliche, but I really would be happy if it was all I ever had to smoke. A full 4 stars and very highly reccomended !

This Virginia flake is one that I would consider slightly leaning toward the lemon yellow-orange side of the spectrum, offering a plethora of high citrus/lemon notes while also deepening with some darker fruits, raisin, and a bit of zest.

There is a slight sugary element to this tobacco, which is not unpleasant by any stretch, but serves the blend wonderfully, emphasizing the natural sweetness of this blend. The flakes were thin and almost a perfect moisture level straight from the tin, but could benefit from a small amount of dry time. They also work beautifully whether you rub them out completely or simply fold and stuff. This blend did not get harsh or bite, and the flavor seemed to pretty consistent the entire way down the bowl. The smoke was a bit monochromatic, but this did not bother me in the slightest, simply because the flavor that comes through is almost unmatched.

A perfect baseline Virginia to judge other blends by as well. The nicotine level was just a shade above mild; you know it is there, but it doesn't offer any negative effects. Overall, a great Virginia flake.

Currently I'm finishing the 2nd tin of this blend. Very neat flakes of various shades of Virginia leaf. The flakes are a bit too moist to smoke right out of the tin so I leave them out to dry for about 30 - 40 minutes before packing in to the pipe. The tin aroma is of your typical Virginia blend - hayish grassy aroma with some sweet fruity/citrusy overtones. Don't get me wrong, this is not an aromatic tobacco. It is a straight Virginia blend. Fruitiness is barely detectable but is definitely there.

Once dried, the packing is fairly easy. As per usual I use fold and stuff method with flake tobaccos. Works best for me.

It takes two charring lights to get the tobacco going. But once it's lit, it stays lit with no problems.

From the start I thought this is very simple and basic tobacco with no frills. But it kinda grows on you and you crave it more and more. The taste is very sweet. Maybe it is just my imagination but there are barely noticeable rum like notes from the smoke. I find that it is almost the same as Orlik's Golden Sliced, very similar to Peterson's University Flake but not as strong and MacBaren's Virginia #1 but not as sweet. The taste really changes depending on how fast you are puffing. You have to smoke it very slowly. Nicotine level gets noticeable after two thirds of the bowl. I would say that this is a medium strength blend.

Room note is noticeable but not unpleasant. I don't get too much complaints when smoking this blend indoors.

Leaves nice gray ash with no gunk at all. Definitely recommended as a solid VA flake with excellent price/performance ratio.