Mac Baren Capstan Original Navy Cut

Capstan Medium Navy Cut is another of my all time favourites...smells good enough to eat right out of the tin. Simple, uncomplicated virginia tobaccos with a light raisin-like topping. Burns beautifully, with rich smooth body nut mild tangy flavour that's easy on the tongue. A good day time smoke enjoyed with a cup of English tea.

Does not work for me. Maybe because of the Kentucky

2 stars because of the very practical tin that i now use for other tobaccoes

Update july 2011 Tin open for 6 months, and smoking this outside, it has wormed it't way into my favourite list.

Better, more consistent review to come after the summer

I was surprised with a tin of this from DubInTheDam and I can see why he & others love this stuff. Very pleasantly falls between Peterson's University Flake & MacBaren's Navy Flake in its flavor & aroma. A milder version of UniFlake & a great tobacco that is well suited as a all day smoke.

I'd buy lots more if it were available in the states.

A beautiful flake with a strong scent of fig, a little bit wet but still beautiful. It grinds perfect in the hands. It is easy to pack and lights even more easily. What is keeping me from giving this wonderful tobacco four stars is that it has a little bit to fruity taste.

The main difference between Capstan "Medium" (or Original) and "Mild" (or Gold) is not the strength, as the name suggests, but the type of Virginias: while Capstan Mild is mostly (if not all) lemon leaf, Capstan Medium is a mix of lemon and red Virginias, the former being dominant. That gives Medium a bit more depth, more sweetness and less tang. It is a bit stronger, but other than that they're both quite similar.

It won't replace FVF or HoTW in my regular rotation, but the quality tobaccos used here make are enough to give it 3/4.

To be clear, I am reviewing Capstan Navy Cut Ready Rubbed as sold in a pale blue pouch in UK newsagents. It is a very easy tobacco to find in the UK. Not at all sure if this is the same one as others have reviewed here. I can't find the Flake anywhere. The tag line 'A medium to mild blend of carefully selected Virginia tobaccos with a natural aroma enhanced by a subtle flavour' is the same though.

The cut is virtually shag. Very thin ribbons of bright, light Virginia that looks and smells very like cigarette tobacco. Not very promising really. But I have found this is one I go back to regularly. It is just an easy stand-by. It lights and smokes very simply. The taste is pure Virginia - sweetness and brightness. It will bite if you really try and it will burn too fast if you puff like mad, but most of the time it is just a reliable uncomplicated smoke. The strength is much higher than the appearance of the tobacco would suggest. This is often a 'have a rest in the middle' tobacco for me.

Nothing special, but a repeat buy for me and it does the job. 3 stars.

UPDATE: i've been informed on smokersforums.com that this blend does not contain burley. quite surprising, really! END UPDATE

of course, this is not quite the tobacco it used to be in the days when it was made by will's, and neither is it as good as when it was made by imperial. some 20 years ago it used to be almost full strength, fig-smelling, dark brown, sour-nutty-sweet. now it's mild-medium, citrusy, medium brown, with no sourness and some nutty sweetness. but still, it is a decent enough virginia tobacco (with a touch of burley), considering that it's made in denmark by orlik.

In choosing which Straight Virginia I would take to the proverbial desert island, I would be torn between this one and Sam Gawiths FVF. This is a wonderful Virginia flake, with beautuful presentation. One of the few flakes I can smoke a little moist without any bite. A sweet grassy/hay flavor which is nothing short of delightful. Flavor intensifies a bit as it goes down, but never bitter. Nicotine is satisfing....I love to take this flake in a bulldog for long walks as it takes very little attenton- It just gives good flavor..... Well recomended. Only 3 stars as its hard to get being only sold in the EU.

I've been smoking a tin of Capstan Navy Flake (at least I think it's the same stuff) by Imperial that is made in Denmark but now comes in a blue tin that I bought in Barcelona in one of the ubiquitous TABAC stores.

Not a complicated tobacco, but an honest, high quality, medium Virginia flake. It is a bit damp in the tin but smokes sweet with little residue even in that condition.