Super Value Black Cavendish

This is an OK tobacco for what it is. I don't know if it has any flavoring added or not. It's so mild, but offers just a smidgen of vanilla. It is sweet on the front of the tongue. I like to add this to burley blend's like Velvet, etc. from time to time. Also the S.Value Natural is a good tobacco to blend it in for a surprisingly good "OTC" ish mild smoke. I also like it with the S.Pride Whiskey as a blend, and as well as Cherry. Well, I suppose I almost always use this B.C to blend. It does work on it's on, but only slow in a tiny tapered bowl briar. Like many OTC burleys do. My bag came sufficiently dried, so that was a plus. The cut can be described as between oatmeal, and saw mill floor sweepings. Roomnote is "like a cookie" said the boss, when I do smoke it by itself.

A very pedestrian tobacco that is neither very good or very bad..decent for the price and good if in need of a cheap but decent smoke..I smoked 2 bowls of this and put the rest in my jar of "All Things Vanilla" hoping that one day all of the blends i have there will make a really noteworthy smoke! 2 stars as is but surly can be improved by mixing it with something!

Super Value brand describes itself. It doesn't say Top Shelf, because it's named appropriately for what is in the package. If you're looking for something more than that, there are other options above an OTC tobacco price.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the pouch was the vanilla aroma. It's not overpowering, but a nice smooth vanilla. The tobacco is a little on the moister side, like most OTC cavendish tobaccos.

The vanilla flavor starts out enjoyable, but tails off as you get deeper into the bowl. I didn't detect any fruity or citrus smell or taste, whatsoever, just vanilla. The tobacco, for me, tends to go out quite easily, so keep your fire of choice close at hand. You can still get a good smoke if you take your time and keep with it. It will burn a little hot if you over do it, but I've yet to get a tongue bite.

If you are looking for an introduction to black cavendish tobaccos, that won't break the bank, try this. It's a decent smoke on it's own & makes a great blender for tobaccos that need a touch of vanilla. I'd give it closer to a 3 star rating if the flavor lasted a little longer.

I received a free pouch sample with a tobacco order I recently placed. A fairly sticky black cavendish, but typical of the same. It packed well despite this and I had no trouble keeping it lit after a char and 2 lights. First let me say that the pouch aroma is top notch and this did translate into the taste while smoking. I could not detect any chemical taste/after taste which was a good thing. It had an undercurrent of a spicy vanilla - more spicey than typical vanilla - which was different from most vanilla blends I have smoked. It did gurgle a bit more than I am used to, but I half expected that since it was so heavily cased and sticky. Surprisingly, there was very little in the way of bite considering how heavily cased and moist it was. All in all, it wasn't a bad smoke. Not very much in the way of a true tobacco taste, but satisfying none the less as a light, change of pace smoke. This is the type of tobacco you can comfortably smoke in mixed company without getting stared at by the majority for smoking. You will be complemented on the very pleasant room note. Excellent for beginners, but for those who have gone on to explore the tobacco hobby with more elegant, fuller tasting blends, this will fail to satisfy for the long haul. A nice change of pace for me - nothing more and nothing less. 3 stars.

UPDATE 6-14-13: I just received a 6 pack of the new Capt Black Dark and would have to say that it is far superior to DC Bl Cav in smokeability, flavor, the lack of chemical presence, and is more user friendly. For those Black Cavendish lovers out there, try some Dark - I think you will like it. As a result, this dream loses a star.

If Half & Half had been my first pipe tobacco, I would've ran screaming and thrown my Dr. Grabow into the nearest gutter. Fortunately, this black cavendish introduced me to the world of pipe smoking. It was the strong aroma eminating from the plastic bag and the $9 price tag that made this blend the best option from my local supermarket.

Very easy to pack and light, and a satisfying smoke. The fourth quarter of a bowl can take a turn for the worst if you are prone to overly-rapid puffing. As the tobacco is well cased, a muddy heel is to be expected.

The flavor is not bastardized with vanilla, and through the casing a taste of smooth tobacco is clear. Although strong, it doesn't easily cause tongue-bite. At times the flavor does have a suggestion of fruitiness. A room note so pleasing that the smoker is guaranteed to have complete strangers striking up pleasant "like my grandfather" conversations behind his back.

Tasty, convenient and very affordable. If you like aromatics and aren't too big of a snob to buy something named "Super Value," then give this a try.

This was my first tobacco, smoked from a broke down Dr. Grabow no less. Kindly disregard this review and note that Super Value black cav is cheap, muddy and an invitation to tongue bite. I only pray that I live long enough to live this down.

My $14 12 oz bag of this stuff had quite a lot of sticks and hard chunks in it. Very moist, but not too difficult to light. Makes a mess out of the innards of the pipe.

Tasty flavor and smell once lit to about half-way through the bowl. Then it gets kind of gross.

It'd probably be better mixed with some uncased tobacco.

Though I have not tried this blend, I feel there is something that really needs to be pointed out. In his review, Kapnismologist says, "Furthermore, the very fact that the blend proclaims itself to be comprised of ‘All Natural Tobacco' (is there such a thing as ‘artificial' tobacco and if so from what is it made?)"

In short, yes there is such a thing as "artificial" tobacco!! It is made from long, wide sheets of cigarette paper which is sprayed with "juice" that is rendered from boiled down floor sweepings, scrap tobacco, molded tobacco, stale returned cigarettes, and added chemicals. The paper is then shredded to the same size as the shredded tobacco. It is primarily used in commercially produced cigarettes. And, some pipe tobacco producers include the "all natural tobacco" statement to let the smoker know that the tobacco does not contain any of this "artificial" tobacco.

I tried this blend on a wet, thunderstormy night.

Opening the pouch, which I received as a freebie with another order, I was met with a very fresh and enticing smell. I also noticed it was quite wet.

I let it sit out for about an hour beforehand.

I packed it into my Japanese-made pipe with the usual three-stage method. It was still very wet when I packed it.

Overall I had some trouble keeping it lit, but the first third of the bowl was a very pleasant smoke. Good taste if you like the casing used - lots of smoke - not too hot (yet) - very enjoyable this stage.

The second third of the bowl changed, and the flavoring was gone. It become somewhat boring, and I had trouble keeping it lit. Nonetheless I persevered!

The bottom third of the bowl was hot and wet. The moisture could be heard sizzling as I puffed away, and it became rather ashy - I ended up dumping out some ash and relighting.

All in all an ok smoke, certainly for the price. The first third was great - the middle and end not so much.

Dry it out, pack it well, enjoy it until the casing is gone and it gets ashy.

The vanilla flavoring in this one is slightly milder than their vanilla cavendish. Very sticky, use a cob. It's cheap and not too bad tasting for an aro. If you can dry it out enough to light it.

It does have a positive aspect. It tends to mix well, adding a bit of vanilla flavor to your blends. Just don't go overboard with it.