Mac Baren Capstan Original Navy Cut

Yeah I mean, you can't expect me not to buy a tin after discovering that this was Tolkien's favorite blend. If a gentleman and a scholar with an extraordinary taste in things such as Mr. J.R.R. loved this, it means I must love this too.

Well, I like this.

I get it: the zesty, mildly acidic taste. The freshness. It's a nice tobacco that can be easily smoked all day, but I'm probably still in the equivalent of a rebellious teenager phase for pipe smokers: I need stuff that punches my tastebuds and nose. I love English blends and Aromatics alike, so a tobacco like this feels too mild for me to feel the call of the tin. But, as a wise man once wrote...

The Road goes ever on and on, down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, and I must follow, if I can, pursuing it with eager feet, until it joins some larger way where many paths and errands meet. And whither then? I cannot say.

I have recently discovered this Virginia based tobacco mix. I confess, knowing this could have been one of Tolkien's favorites, affected my decision to buy a tin. I liked the capstan as soon as I tried it for the first time. It brings together woody and bready flavors. Only mildly sweet. Smokes well, slow, without biting or getting wet. I am smoking it with most pipes I have (straight billiards) indoors and outdoors. No strong nicotine hit. It's an all day tobacco for me. Room note is pleasant, the smoke is not dense and not particularly aromatic. It remains the same throughout the whole smoke. I use to crush the flakes a bit usually, since I noticed that in case the flakes are just slightly bent or rolled, the bowl won't be properly loaded and the smoke will be wet..perhaps this is a newbie comment (I am not an expert piper, I admit). Overall reccomended! I like it.

Straight Virginia flake, the tin smells grassy, with a strong tomato/vinegar note. Easy to smoke, it will bite a little if not smoked slowly. Taste is very pleasant from the beginning to the end, plain for most of the time, not too sweet and very balanced, with some toasty and chocolate notes emerging from time to time in the second half of the bowl. I usually break it apart before packing and leave it drying for 15 minutes, pack it loose preferably in a large bowl pipe. If you smoke it without expecting too much it will be a very pleasant hour, if you are in the mood for a complex taste evolution go for something else. Anyway it never disappointed me and I always have a tin of this tobacco.

JRR's recent birthday and a good sale got me to pick up a few more tins of this to add to my cellar. I was talking to my wife about the blend and instead of digging out an aged tin to open, I decided to go with a new one. The date on the back was Oct 2020, so it was pretty much a virgin virginia still.

Presentation: I love the square tins, I hate the "health warning" which covers half of it. Upon opening with a nice swoosh of the magic seal, you're presented with what is a gift. Folded card holder with a gold sticker. Nice classy packaging touch.. open the leaves of the card.. and you have perfectly matched and stacked flakes.

Tin Note: From a fresh tin there was a little sweetness and a little grass

Preparation: Remove one stick of gum, I mean flake of tobacco and fold it twice and insert into my Morgan Blackjack Professor (Author Shape) and it magically fills the bowl to the top. I rough up the top edges to help with lighting and give it a good char. Light tamp and then off we go.

Taste: Not as sweet as it's Golden Haired Little Brother but still with a sweet top note which I'll guess might be a topping of some sort. It's not as complex as my usual VaPers but you get a nice consistent taste along the sweet hay end of the spectrum. It is consistent through the end of the bowl

Smoking: Once lit, it burns nice and slow without a lot of effort. No tongue bite and as long as I keep my cadence slow burns cool. Puts out a nice amount of smoke. Room note to the wife is "tolerable but a little cigarette like". It's a blend that I have to be ready for a long smoke as it will last a long long time if smoked slow from one flake.

I've never been lucky enough to try the older vintages of Capstan, but I know that I prefer the Blue over the Gold personally and the flakes over the ready rubs due to my preparation preference. I make sure to keep them in my cellar happily aging, but even new (3 months) they are a hell of a good smoke.

Presentation: Iconic light blue and dark blue Capstan tin.

Cut: Comes in neat, thinly cut flakes—standard for Mac Baren. They rub out easily and the moisture is fine for smoking out of a fresh tin.

Tin note: Smells like sweet graham crackers. Quite an unusual scent and very delicious smelling.

Tasting notes: Tangy, dry, grassy flavors on light up. There is a nice sweetness too—it's not quite a grassy sweetness nor a fruity one, but somewhere in the middle. It is creamy in additionto the other flavors and has a woody finish. A light spiciness and smokiness come into the picture later into the bowl.

Mechanics: N/A—A well behaved blend.

Extra Remarks: This blends beauty is in its simplicity. It is a beautiful mild-med blend. While lacking in complexity and robust flavor, it is a very good blend and flavor is certainly still there. This is the perfect "all day" blend for a virginia lover. 3 stars.

Capstan Blue is a very typical looking Navy Cut of uniform Flakes. Upon opening the tin I am pleasantly greeted with a sweet aroma, and notes of hay, raisins, grass, earth, fig, a little citrus, and a very mature fermented fruit smell that was very pleasing. The flake broke apart very easy and packed well. It also took to flame very well.

The first thing I noticed was the very sweet hay taste. But not sweet in an artificial way as I could not not pick out any toppings. It was a very natural sweetness found in good quality Virginia. I also tasted raisins, fig, earth, grass, and a bit of citrus. This blend has a very strong fruitiness that is in every puff. It is a dark fermented fruit that almost reminded me of Perique but without the pepper notes. This blend is a lot like LNF but with more mature Virginias, less citrus, and more of the mentioned dark fruit notes. It already has the aged and fermented tobacco taste that several years of age brings out. This blend smokes great out of the tin, but I am sure it would continue to age very well if desired.

Capstan Blue did not sport any rough edges or leave any tongue bite. It smokes down to a very clean and dry ash, though it did require a few more relights than usual, but not enough that it gets in the way of enjoyment. 4/4

Un grande Virginia. Ingiustamente ritenuto inferiore a tabacchi più blasonati come il grande FVF, regge invece il confronto senza problemi. Relativamente economico, buonissimo, semplice da fumare. Taaanto tempo fa era uno dei tabacchi preferiti da Tolkien (dicono sia un po' cambiato nei decenni, ma ha anche questo aspetto romantico).

Wonderful tin note, it is slightly citrus and aged Virginia. Sweet taste, full tobacco flavor and it burns slow and easy. Easily a full hour long smoke with one flake in a normal bowl. Love this tobacco, I can see why so many people love it

As this is a well reviewed blend I will just honestly attest that this tobac just gets better with age. Flavour develops as the bowl smokes down with the last puff wishing I had put in a deeper bowl. 🤜🍂🔥💨🦜