Mac Baren Capstan Original Navy Cut

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.

Admittedly I get star struck by Capstan partially due to the elite circles it enjoys. It's a classic blend and I love to read with a pipe full of it to keep me company. I was equally delighted to find it's a decent blend in its own right. The taste and nicotine are mild. The Virginias have a simple note of toasted bran tips. Very mild citrus and grassy flavors provide background notes. Its damn perfect for a no muss no fuss all day smoke. Another plus, its light enough to be smoked indoors. It doesn't linger around long and can be undetectable after a few hours.

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 is a somewhat darker fuller flake than the Capstan Yellow that I tried last week. Still.... seems extremely mild and one dimensional, though not unpleasant.

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.

I can find no words to describe this blend other than fantastic. Opening the tin, I was greeted with a very pleasant aroma, similar to dried plums with a slight note of fresh cut grass. I packed using the fold and stuff method, and found lighting to be a bit tricky (two days of drying seemed to remedy this). The flavor was, at first, very sweet with notes of citrus and dried fruit, as well as some very faint nutty flavors. Further into the bowl, some earthy, grassy notes begin to show through. However, the citrusy flavors remain dominant for the entirety of the smoke. Concerning room note, I've been told the scent is "straight tobacco". Overall this is nothing short of a fantastic blend

Looking forward to this one as I enjoy VA flakes. Scored a tin that had been sitting on the shelf of my tobacconist for several years, (Don't know how) but lucky me. The tobacco is beautiful and quite moist with a delightful rum topping. The flakes actually fused together and leaves me tearing them up trying to get them out in sheets. The fact it's been around for 100 years says a great deal about this blend. I enjoyed this tin knowing JRR Tolkien enjoyed it as well and to me there is a connection in a way that only fellow pipers can enjoy. This is a med body Va and quite good but honestly it's a bit pricy for the amount of tobacco you get. For my money Erinmore and Mac Baren's Modern Va flake is a greater value as it delivers the same great smoke but more bacca for the same amount of dough or less. I would buy this again as its a fine smoke, but reconsider it based on the price.