W.D. & H.O. Wills Capstan Mild Navy Cut

The flake rubs out easily enough. The moisture content is perfect and the tobacco stays lit well in the pipe. It produces huge volumes of flavor and does have that wonderful and mysterious casing that enhances the overall presentation. I have sampled many Virginia flakes in my lifetime, and this one is as delicious as any of them.

If you are looking for big virginia flavor though,you may want to look elsewhere. If you just want something inoffensive to puff on, well then, Capstan Mild is your ticket!

To my taste this is a great Virginia flake and sadly, an under rated one.

Great uniform flake presentation with perfect moisture content straight out of the tin. Grassy light notes mingle with stewed fruit/figgy darker tones and some mild spice is pleasantly present throughout the bowl. I cannot detect a topping, although apparently there is one!? It's so well behaved I usually smoke a whole bowl on two matches and have never been bitten despite being a very aggressive puffer at times and my fast smoking has never marred it's taste.

I'm adding this just to boost the rating. I believe it's worth a solid three stars, light & pleasant as it is. The new MB offering is definitely lighter than the blue, which is one of my regulars in straight Va. I like the slight topping of (maybe) orange; it never cloys or bites. Just a good, light Va.

I'm adding this just to boost the rating. I believe it's worth a solid three stars, light & pleasant as it is. The new MB offering is definitely lighter than the blue, which is one of my regulars in straight Va. I like the slight topping of (maybe) orange; it never cloys or bites. Just a goos, light Va.

Well after being impressed with the navy cut medium of this tobacco I was tempted to try the yellow tin put out by MacBarens as well and guess what? I found it actually sweeter (in a natural way) and tastier than the old Wills release from years ago. Lighter and more floral than the blue but a great change of pace especially with the Summer coming up.

This is a great VA flake that follows through on everything it promises. It is mild in flavor, but surprisingly has a nice nicotine kick. To my taste it is not as good as the original navy cut which is a little fuller in taste.

It is due to this that it misses 4 stars from me, but if you favor a lighter taste in your va's then this would easily jump into the four star realm.

Based on a 1.5 oz sample. I hadn't smoked this for many years, but my memory is that I preferred the medium version. No matter - this is a light colored long flake that folds easily or rubs out just as easily. The flavor leans towards the grassy side of virginia, but with a pleasant and not overblown essence of citrus. At times, it also seems to flirt with a darker VA flavor, but this goes away just as it's beginning to gel.

I'd call this a "steady eddie" in that it provides little in the way of excitement but is completely congenial and inoffensive. Like all straight virginias, it will singe the tongue if the smoker doesn't take precautions. I found no overdose of nicotine here and it was quite easy to smoke. Not terribly long on flavor, I'd call it a refreshing smoke rather than one with much depth. Reminded me of OGS in that regard, but the citrusy nature of OGS was considerably more subdued here. It was more of a bit player rather than the star it is in OGS. If you like light, grassy virginias, this is definitely one to try.

This tobacco is in the same mold as Capstan Medium (Blue) though I would not consider it any milder. It's a much brighter flake - almost yellow in colour with a slightly stronger zesty topping reminescent of fermernted fruit with citris overtones. The moisture is just right and the smoke is pleasent and smooth, but may bite the tongue if not careful. In my opinion Capstan Mild is every bit as good as the Medium, and should satisfy any lover of quality virginia flakes.

Capstan Mild Navy Flake is my standard tobacco since the 1980's. A very straight forward light Virginia that I can smoke any time of day. Like with most tobaccos of this type, it should be smoked slowly. If you don't have the patience and suck like crazy on the pipe, wanting to have a stronger smoke, it WILL bite your tongue!

No, it's not an flavour explosion in your mouth, but a cool slightly sweet smoke. The second half of the bowl the taste increases in depth in a way I enjoy very much. The only light Virginia flake I liked more was Four Square Mild Navy Cut (Yellow), but it hasn't been available for years.

As an occasional smoker, I really like the Capstan tin. The seal is very tight, so it keeps the tobacco moist for months (if you are careful when opening it the first time)

Well, there is the nice raisin'y scent on opening the tin and it looks a very pleasant flake...but for me that's about it.

In the pipe it's thin in taste, nippy on the mouth and generally unispiring to smoke. This is a newish tin mind you, and I have much older ones with the logo horizontally on the tin as per the above picture.....but to be fair if you are going to review a baccy, it's far more honest (and useful to the reader) to base it on a modern tin.

So, as far as Capstan Mild Navy Cut goes, I'd say not to bother.