McClelland Captain Cool

The burley is a little nutty. There's a touch of butter and honey from the lighter cavendish. The black cavendish offers some vanilla. The vanilla topping is mildly sweet. I also get a hint of caramel here and there. The mint is faint, though I did notice it more in the last third of the smoke. Has little nicotine. Burns cool as a reasonable pace with a fairly consistent flavor. Won't bite, and needs a few relights, but it's not goopy, though it'll leave just a little moisture in the bowl. A fairly pleasant all day smoke with a decent after taste, but it lacks the necessary flavor punch to elevate it beyond two and a half stars.

-JimInks

McClelland - Captain Cool.

Bear in mind that this tin has a few years age on it, that may have adjusted the flavour compared to a fresh tin. But, with this being discontinued, I'd wager most tins in circulation have some age on them!

The mixture appears to have an equal amount of each constituent. However, the black Cavendish has been cut coarser. The mint takes most of the unlit aroma up, so it smells fresh and lively. My moisture's faultless.

In the smoke the mint is quite strong. I find the mint is definitely running the show. The vanilla works as more of a support, offering a sweet, smoothing, quality, but it isn't 'sticky'. The tobaccos have even weight, it isn't awash with heavy black Cavendish. The burn from it's cool and steady, but although free from tongue bite the mint causes a sharp sensation to my palate which I don't care for.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: not bad!

Captain Cool? Hmmm, I can see why some folks used to enjoy it, but it isn't one for me! Somewhat recommended:

Two stars.

No bite, but where is the taste? I found it flat, although I noted some improvement as the bowl progressed. The room note is pleasant - in the same vein as Captain Black White and Benjamin Hartwell Evening Stroll, but not as pronounced. I prefer White and Evening Stroll, as they offer a bit more flavour and a more satisfying smoke.

I agree with other reviewers that this blend may fit well with first time pipe smokers who are looking for a super-mild tobacco without bite.

Nice blend, but lacking on the flavor department big time. A real let down, but no bite at all. There are better aromatics for much, much less money in bulk.

This tobacco reminds me of a high-end cigarette. It's got a lot of very mild burley and light cavendish in it, with a slight minty overtone that lingers after the smoke is over. Nothing spectacular, but true to its name it does not bite. For a first-time pipe smoker this might be a good introductory blend. I can't recommend it for smoking on the trail too much because it's quite hard to keep lit. In a pinch you could barter it to folks looking for tobacco for rolling. Maybe I'll toss this tin in the earthquake kit.

My first aromatic blend. If you are not looking for a tasteful smoke yet want a cool smoking and wonderful smelling tobacco, this is a good choice. It has a brandy flavoring and scent to it making it pleasant to those in the room with you. This tobacco is difficult to keep lit and can pose a bit of a hassle to clean from a pipe, so using a rare, expensive piece may not be a wise choice for this blend.

If you like the taste and smell of blends like Capt. Black, this is a step up in my opinion. If you want a real tobacco taste and satisfaction, this probably won't do the trick. Smells very nice.

Not as good as Mellow Mack, which is definitely tastier. Like the other McC aromatics, it's sticky and wet but not goopy. It is supposed to have some mint flavoring, but you can't feel it in the tin aroma or in the taste: what you can feel is just a slightly fresh impression on the palate. Overall sweet, with some evident vanilla notes, not unpleasant at all. If dried a bit, it behaves much better.

Anyway, the one and only king remains Mellow Mack!

This is not my usual kind of tobacco, sticking mostly to latakias and the occasional dark virginia. I tried this because of a review by William Serad in the latest Pipes and Tobacco magazine. The name is derived because this is an attempt to create a cool burning aromatic.

Captain Cool has a strong aromatic casing not unlike many of the Lane bulk blends many of us started our pipe smoking oddysey with. I hope that most of us have moved on to real tobacco since our youth. Captain Cool comes very damp. I have left some out on a paper plate for 5 days and it still has not dried out. Even after drying it like this, it still sizzles as it is lit. I would hesitate to put this in a good pipe, because it would take a while to smoke that flavor out. Captain Cool does burn quite cool for this sort of blend and I guess if this is what you want, this is a good blend as aromatics go. The flavor is pretty much what you would expect from a sweet aromatic.

Save this for when you want to impress women.