Tobaccos Admiral's Choice - Vanilla Cavendish

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2014-08-11		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Very Pleasant

It's a typical no-frills vanilla cavendish with a consistent flavor. Not a lot of tobacco taste, though a hint of it will occasionally strike your taste buds. A decent outdoor smoke. Dry it a little first or you'll have a bit of moisture at the bottom. Smoked at a moderate pace, it performs well enough with a very consistent flavor from top to bottom. Burns a tad warm, but clean at a reasonable rate. Requires an average number of relights. The strength and taste levels are mild. Hardly has any nicotine. Won't bite. Made for the budget smoker who wants a simple all day sweet and smooth vanilla smoke. Has a pleasant after taste and room note. An all day smoke that can be used as a mixer, too.

-JimInks

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-02-06		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

In my case I discovered this on Christmas day of last year. I was at the pharmacy which happened to be a CVS, looking for tobacco. Seeing it was the holidays no other stores were open. The price of this was no more than $10 dollars, and came in an interesting looking 8 ounce tin. In all reality I thought it would be a waste of money seeing that its a drug store aromatic. WRONG! Probably the best aromatic I have smoked since I started out 3 years ago.

When I got it home I immediately opened the tin. What I liked at first was the aroma of vanilla. Not a fake smelling vanilla but a real one. Then I proceeded to pack it in my vintage Medico V.F.Q bent bulldog briar. This pipe is filtered by the way. When performing the initial charring light "false light" it was very easy to tell it was going to burn well although it has a slight dampness to it. The flavor slowing gets stronger with every puff after I tamped it down. Wow! the flavor was very unique to me. Tastes almost creamy and buttery and very sweet. Throughout the smoking session which surprisingly lasted approximately a little over 40 minutes for being a smaller pipe, never did I have to relight.

I honestly don't see any cons about this tobacco. All the benefits are: even burning, cool, good room note, no tongue bite, and lasts a long time.

This is really my favorite tobacco to talk about, and I would personally have confidence in recommending it to everyone from a beginner to an old pro.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FloridaRedneckPiper (1)	2017-01-11		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

One of the best OTC blends you can get. Used to be a CVS exclusive now it's a pipes and cigars exclusive. Weather you're doing hard yard/farm work or sailing, This is a nice smoke. Hints of vanilla here and there. The bag note is a really strong fresh vanilla extract.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Washington

Age When Smoked: Dried overnight.

Purchased From: pipesandcigars

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-03-09		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

(Before I begin, bare in mind that we're talking about cheapo drug store tobacco, so the caveat that will be running through this review is that all my descriptive words are relative. It wouldn't be fair to compare this directly with expensive tobacconist brands...)

I've been relying on Captain Black White as my cheap everyday staple for a few months, now, and never thought I'd complain. The Captain was good to me - cheap and pleasant. What more could a starving college kid ask for?

Apparently, this.

The Captain is certainly outranked by the Admiral. This stuff is CHEAP at about $4.50 for an 8 oz. can at my drug store. On top of that, it's good. Extremely similar but a bit better, I dare say, than Captain Black White.

It starts out with a rich nutty flavor, sort of like a hazlenut cup of coffee, but the tobacco doesn't get lost in the mix. It smooths out into a straighter vanilla flavor, then returns to the hazlenut flavor with an increasingly intense tobacco flavor until you finish the bowl. At times it's sort of fruity.

If it's windy out this stuff will burn rather quickly, but it burns easily and evenly. The smoke is thinner than I'd like but still thicker than Captain Black.

In short, this is my new staple tobak. I'd like to experiment blending this with something a bit thicker to strengthen the experience, but for day-to-day use on a micro budget, I couldn't ask for more.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2016-02-24		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

As a fan of Vanilla flavored tobacco (well, as long as I can taste the tobacco, too), I looked forward to Vanilla Cavendish. It hit on all cylinders with me. Light and flavorful for those times when you want to smoke a flavor without thinking about it too much. Smoked a little wet, but hey, most aromatics do.

Pipestud

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	brashboy (84)	2016-08-25		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Excellent vanilla aromatic, decent tobacco flavor, lights and smokes well. I think the AC brand has come a long way in the last few years. This is good tobacco, not the best but just fine, and very smokeable. The vanilla topping was really well done. And I'm not an aro guy. Not so sold on other AC blends, but the Vanilla Cav is a winner. I did not have a dottle problem but if it smokes a bit wet, try it in a cob.

I buy it on sale, like 9.99 for a half pound. At that price, 4 stars.

Pipe Used: Cobs

Purchased From: WV Smokeshop

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rustiepyles (3)	2014-11-13		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This used to be the CVS otc house brand. Since CVS no longer sells any tobacco products this only available online now. This has been my go to aromatic for a long time, it's a great mild vanilla for around the house, garage, yard, ect. As far as otc aromatics go this is the best for the money.

Pipe Used: Cob, basket pipe, Dr Grabow

Purchased From: CVS

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pilot Lon (19)	2017-08-23		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

About four years ago, I picked up a bag of ACVC, pretty much on a whim, and smoked nearly half of it, before I decided that there must be better blends out there. Because the packaging is around 10mil thick, I just left it in the bag. The pouch note was OK, not overpowering, but that's about where it ended. The taste was just a little astringent to my mouth, seemed to burn much too hot, and was somewhat "bitey" to me. Had I been a member of this forum back then, I would have given it only 1 star.

I don't throw tobacco away. It just went on the "emergency smoke" shelf, with a few other "also rans", until today. On the strength of the reviews here, I decided to see if there was something I was missing in the Admiral, and fired up a bowl full. The bag still has a rather nice note to it, but the smoke is just as bland. No tobacco taste, and very little vanilla....still awfully warm, and still some bite.

Mixed with some BCA, the bite subsided, and a little more nutty vanilla appeared, but not enough to match my fave mix of 1Q & BCA. But, at least I know it won't eventually have to be binned, unless BCA happens to fall down some FDA rathole. It was still not good enough to my tastes, however, to smoke the entire bowl. I proceeded to my 1Q/BCA jar, and fired up what I think is a much better smoke, for me, anyway.

I still give it 1 star, if smoked alone. There are better choices. 2 stars if mixed with a black Cav, like BCA. However, that's about as far as I can stretch in saluting the Admiral.

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh,and four years later

Purchased From: CVS, before correctness ravaged the land

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Black Sheep (25)	2017-07-21		Very Mild	Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

I found this a really pleasant, relaxing middle of the day smoke. It's on the moist side in the freshly opened bag, so a bit of drying probably won't hurt. I smoked a bowl immediately upon opening the P&C delivery box, and found this Vanilla Cavendish surprisingly smooth and pleasant without any drying. As a prior review noted, there's no bite. I find that many aromatics leave an unpleasant aftertaste, and therefore tend to favor non-aros and English blends. This however, was surprisingly comfortable. For a frequent smoker of English blends, this tobacco made of an enjoyable change of pace.

Pipe Used: Guildhall Billiard

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2015-02-01		Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

Interesting this Vanilla Cavendish as it is not goopy or vanilla laden, no its far from it. I was expecting a 1Q or RLP-6 type offering but this comes as a brown Cavendish very lightly topped with vanilla, very lightly. It comes moist but does dry out on a baking tray overnight. I was actually disappointed in that I was expecting to be blown away by topping and got the exact opposite which I guess would appeal to light aromatic smokers or non aromatic smokers looking for something to smoke in public. I mixed this 50/50 with Prince Albert and found that the Cavendish sweetened up the Burley and provided a nice room aroma. Two stars as its not horrible but I would rather buy Smokers Pride or any Lane blend and get blown away with aroma and sweetness....

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-07-24		Mild	Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

This was a great surprise for a drugstore blend... Got 8 ounces of this aromatic tobacco for little more than ten dolars. it comes in a ziplock well sealed, it is a bit on the moist size upon opening, but I had no issues whatsoever to pac and light it up and smoke it to the very end ofthe bowl in about 45min . It does smell and taste very much alike Captain Black white.. Good tobacco for itd pricr...very decent.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	whitebriar (31)	2011-01-12		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

remembering that this is a modern day OTC, i must say that it is a surprisingly good smoke--

i had sworn off the "druggie" blends, but found myself in "one of those situations"--the PG content in the tobacco is way below what i have encountered in other modern OTCs--

it is much drier than i would have expected, although a bit more drying will help--after multiple bowls, in several pipes, i found Vanilla Cavendish to light easily and stay lit, with possibly one re-light toward the end of the bowl--

i can actually taste the tobacco; the vanilla isn't overpowering--the pouch aroma and room note are quite nice--

as a stand alone smoke it is more than adequate, considering what it is--i have found it to mix well with PA and CH, which was part of my rationale when i bought it--(stretching the tobacco dollar has become important of late)--

it could easily be an all day smoke, with little or no attack on the tongue--it might become boring to some, but my tastes aren't that refined i suppose--AND if you find yourself out of pocket and out of tobacco, you can find yourself a CVC pharmacy, buy a pouch of Vanilla Cavendish and soldier on without missing a step--

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-11-27		Mild to Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Love it! Browsing my local tobacco store, I noticed an old map on a package, and, as a collector of old maps, I immediately picked it up. Bit of an odd start, but I bought it for very cheap, resisting the urge to smell the pleasant vanilla aroma issuing from the bag all the way home. Lit up a good cob full one I reached the safety of my abode, and was instantly impressed. The sweet, almost buttery undertone of my pipe and the strong, vanilla flavor made for a very good taste, and I ended up smoking three small bowls over the course of the day. Delicious, smooth, and cheap. Highly recommended, especially with a good corncob.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-03-29		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

When I want to sit down and enjoy a good smoke, there are many good high end tobaccos to chose from.

When I'm working outside or otherwise puttering around, this tobacco is just right for an all day smoke. For what it is, it works for me. This price is right too.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	newsandtraffic (17)	2010-03-11		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

Went to my local CVS today looking for something else which they didn't have so picked up a bag of this to give it a try. Not bad. Kind of soupy when it is being smoked and have decided that it would probably be better once it is dried a little and plan to do that overnight. Is difficult to keep lit in its out of the bag form. I was unable to get this to bite as some others have stated that they did. Certainly not the best I've ever had but for the price it gets the job done. Nowhere near the worst I've ever had either. Will not be in my regular rotation. However when the budget is tight or the CVS is the only thing which is open. I could see Myself picking this up again. And will probably give their black & gold a try sometime as well.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-03-19		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Not judging this tobacco against the obviously better and more pricey brands, I have chosen to review it for what it is.

This tobacco is an Altadis production made specifically for CVS stores. Much like it's Walgreen's counterpart, it is a bulk bagged, cheap tobacco. The only difference in this and Walgreen's Golden Burley is that this product doesn't have the spicy flavoring. Just plain vanilla and not very good vanilla at that. It contains a lot of humectant and has a tendency to bite.

If you just have to have a cheap, drug store aromatic then it's probably as good as you're going to find in the price range. Otherwise, it's really not worth buying.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	romaso (45)	2005-03-21		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Wow! This is the most vanilla I've ever had. I'm not sure there's any tobacco in it. This is a real candy flavor. I can't complain because I got an 8oz tub for less that a 1.5oz pack of Capt Black goes for. I plan to use this to sweeten up some old pipes. It may be ok cut with something. If you've got a real sweet tooth and are on a budget, this is for you. Its too much for me! 1 star ** Update 11/2016 - I tried this again and am upgrading to 2 stars. It used to be black & tan and sticky, now its an even brown and highly PG'd. For the price point it is ok, though I'd still suggest Mac Baren Vanilla Creme or Lane MV1000 (close in price) for Virginia based vanillas, or even Stokkebye PS6 Sweet Vanilla if you require a burley base.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	manxman (82)	2020-01-31		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR !! Sticky, goopy, and thus impossible to keep lit. Spend a little more and buy Lane Limited 1Q. No amount of drying will help Admirals Choice.

Pipe Used: Cobs, briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh to 1 year

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	damajor (4)	2014-11-30		Mild	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I really like this blend for the money. I don't find it as goopy as the Super Value brand and better than Smoker's Pride. It's a great all day smoke. Smoke it slow and it's very enjoyable. Doesn't require constant re-lights.

Purchased From: pipes and cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigNick (59)	2010-11-20		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

I thought it was going to be like many drug store blends. All syrup to go with the bite. Yes this has unwanted chemicals added to the tobacco. This very fact makes it appear as if it was a typical drugstore blend. However, the room note surprisingly smells like "vanilla." For once a tobacco drug store tobacco that smelled like what it actually advertised. The taste and flavoring was mild, not super overpowering like many candy tobaccos. This is best in a cob and is a great mixing baccy. Its not the best, but good for beginners and a "go to" for the seasoned aromatic pipe smoker. Plus its cheap, so you can't go wrong with this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Taylor3006 (47)	2010-10-14		Extremely Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Very inexpensive tobacco, figured I would give them a try. Nice odor in the pouch always seems to translate into poor taste in the pipe (least been my experience with aromatics) but was this was not the case with this tobacco. Very wet stuff, absolutely has to be dried a bit before smoking. Delightful taste, casing is very strong but the tobacco is overpowered quite a bit. No tongue bite even with heavy pulls on the pipe so very forgiving stuff. This is a great tobacco for novices, if you want to get someone into pipes, give them a cob and Admiral's Choice vanilla &/or cherry. You must keep this stuff airtight, it loses its flavor quickly. I have mixed this vanilla with Admiral's Choice Cherry and it tastes great. I also added some Prince Albert for more a kick and it is my new every day blend. I keep my nice tobaccos for when I have time to really sit and relax, I use this when driving or for a quick smoke since it is cheap enough not to worry about getting a few puffs then dumping the bowl. Good on it's own, much better when blended, definitely a good starter tobacco!!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-10-21		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I can't tell you how impressed I am with this blend. It's hard for me to believe how inexpensive it is ($6.50 for half a pound at my local CVS pharmacy). This is definitely one of the nicer aromatic flavors I've ever tasted. The smell is amazing, and every time I smoke it I can't stop my girlfriend from kissing me. The first time she smelled it she even wanted to try a puff, and she hates smoking. Thanks to the Admiral, now-a-days she encourages it!! The only negative thing I have to say about it is that it's WAY too moist. If you try to smoke it straight from the bag without drying it, you'll just get a gurgly, goopy mess and miss out on a wonderful smoking experience. Some of you experts may frown on my method of drying it out, but it works great for me. I pour the whole bag onto a deep baking sheet and set it in the oven with just the pilot light on. I come back to stir it when I think of it, probably every hour or so. It's just right after six to eight hours, but my oven stays fairly warm with just the pilot. One night I even fell asleep and it stayed in the oven until morning!! Didn't hurt it a bit. The exquisitely sweet, smooth flavor combined with the unheard of price make this a four star blend in my book. And my girl's kisses aren't bad either. Four stars for her too!! ;-)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-01-19		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

To start out, let me state, that I enjoy world class high end pipe tobacco as well as anyone else on this site.{Any thing blended by the St. Louis tobacconist John Dengler would be at the top of my list}. But alas I must admit to being a man of shall we say, not unlimited means. That is to say, that I am not wealthy, although I do feel so at times when I am sitting next to the lake with my fine Ben Wade filled with an excellent High end tobacco Like Dengler's 1917 blend. But I cannot always afford it and I have to commute to another city and state to get it. So being a person of limmited means, there are times when the fine 1917 runs out and I, as many others of us, must resort to going "over the counter" at the local drug store. Now there are many a over the counter blend that I have tried, and not many deserve a retry. At the top of my over the counter list would have to be dream castle. Of their products, the two blends that I find myself returning to are "Black and Gold", &"vanilla cavendish". With the vanilla' what I like to do is open the tin and put the contents into one of my wood top humidors and leave it there for aboult a month to let it dry. I do this because this tobacco as is many other the counter blends is over flavored, and overly moist. After this I find that I have a nice flavor with a nice room note that my wife( as she has just informed me as I write this), is veary pleasant and enjoyable. The tobacco is not hard to pack or to light. This tobacco is an excellent fill in between high end purchases, and is great for those on a budget. In comparison with other over the counter blends I would rate this blend with four stars, better by far than most others. As far as being compared with, say,,, john Dengler, Dunhill, Or Mcclelland (in that precise order). Well.... Ha! Ha! we all know where that goes!!!! God Bless you all, and Happy smoking!!!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theosprey247 (73)	2016-03-26		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

I have Good news/bad news with this tobacco. The good is I have finally found an aromatic that tastes like it smells. The. Bad it has almost zero vanilla scent! A totally flavorless tobacco. Spend $4 more and get Smoker's Pride Balck cavendish or even the vanilla one is much better. Not recommended.

Pipe Used: Briars

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipesandcigers.com

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-06-29		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a double reason recommendation. One because of the pleasant aroma which will put to rest the pleasure police that like to complain about cigarette smokers. The flavor is nice and the smoke is mild, great for a beginner or for a restful day where a strong tobacco just wont do. Nice flavor, nice smell, and good to use for a restful smoke.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-07-26		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

This was a very cheap buy, but it is just not great. It constantly needs relights, and the flavor ranges from non-existant to syrupy. I have found, however, that if used to blend, it can create some sweetness in a mellow blend.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-04-03		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

As the first pipe tobacco I've tried at $5 for 8 oz. I wasn't expecting to be blown away. But all in all, It grew on me after a couple bowls and leaving the bag open to the air. The aroma in the bag was amazing, but didn't really make me think of vanilla...more like a cherry. The same with smoking it, it had a flavor, but not really a vanilla. It smoked OK, it burnt my tongue after the weekend and I had to give it a rest. I don't really think it was that bad, not great, but not bad to puff on. It was pretty wet and goopy, but I'm sure there is worse out there. After I got my oder of a couple different Boswell blends, I had to toss it in the can once I realized what smoking a quality tobacco was like. But I have to say it did smell good. I quess it would make a decent smoke for a beginer or someone on a tight budget. I would recommed going easy on the pipe and leave some out to dry before you smoke it. I just can't give into a cheap product. I figure if I'm going to develop the habit, I might as well enjoy it. Just like my beer and coffee..I don't drink the cheap stuff.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-07-10		Very Mild	Very Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Very Pleasant

I really don't think this is any better that Capt. Black...and in my opinion this is garbage. Though to give a singular merit...it has the nicest vanilla aroma for the money. Not a great deal of smoke was produced...it was thin and wispy. Unfortunately the flavoring and palate feel make for an utterly terrible mouth/taste experience. This stuff lingered in the bowl of my last cheap pipe, and even after a thorough cleaning I tossed the pipe in the trash...lying right next to the tin of this crap. One plus was the CVS I got this stuff from had it on clearance so I only paid 4 bucks...I think it was on clearance for quite an obvious reason...sorry no recommendation here....Bleck!!!

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2007-11-20		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

Very sweet, gooey, and inexpensive. More of a potpourri, but if you smoke it very slowly, it isn't that bad.

Nobody has rated this review yet.