Mac Baren Capstan Gold Navy Cut

Tabacco molto piacevole, un po’ più amarognolo rispetto al ONCF, molto simile al HH PURE VIRGINIA. Mi sta dando più soddisfazione nella dritta che nelle curve, forse per la minor formazione di condensa. Lo fumo strofinato e sfilacciato (ancora non ho appreso il metodo premi e schiaccia). Si sentono i sapori classici dei VA, ovvero fieno fresco naturale.Come al solito va fumato lentamente con un filo di fumo, la troppa foga da il morso alla lingua. Nel complesso un Virginia di qualità che tutti devono provare e, nel caso piacesse, procurarsene una scorta.

This blend has a good flavour from start to finish. It is in my opinion quite similar to Capstan original blend, however milder. The aroma is pleasant and the flavor Nice. A good blend to enjoy with a cup of coffee in the morning watching the sun rise

Opening tin: The smell is sugary and fruity, some citrus and hay. Otherwise tobacco smell is dominant.

Lighting up is a delight, the same smells from opening the tin is converted to taste, except for citrus which i do not detect. I get some dried grass with strong hay notes, and some fresh soil mixed in there. Similiar to what one would smell if one rolled around in a patch of dried grass.

A perfect, light mixture that reminds me of the summertimes. Burns well, no bite, zero to few relights, fine ash after finish. Flavour becomes more powerful towards the last 1/2 of the bowl. Almost bitter towards the end.

The rather large slices of flake tobacco are neatly stacked into the rectangular tin. The tin note delivers the typical grassy, haylike, natural scents of a straight Virginia blend. Moisture is perfect.

To fill your pipe you can either rub out the flakes or use the fold and stuff method. I prefer the later alternative, because it gives you a cooler, more complex smoke, and crumble some broken bits on top. Either way, you need to take care not to pack your bowl too tightly, because the tobacco tends to expand upon lighting.

After the charring light I level out the ashes, before setting the true light. After that, it usually burns evenly.

Like any pure Virginia blend, the Capstan Gold Navy Cut needs to be smoked deliberately gently and coolly in order to develop its full flavor. If it burns too hot, it'll loose its complexity and might even sting your tongue. The mellow taste has a distinct tangy sweetness that rather comes from the natural aromas of the Virginias than a casing, which I can't detect. The tobacco burns down evenly and slowly leaving some dark grey ash and more moisture than expected.

The room note is unobtrusive and has a slight sweetness to it.

This is a mild, golden Virginia flake with notes of natural sweetness and hay. Has more going for it than MacB's VA Flake, but not quite as sweet and satisfying as MacB's Virginia No 1. Still, it's hard to criticize a blend that has so much light colored VAs that doesn't bite.

I like it, but the Cap Blue has a little more going for it.

Govern Yourself Accordingly

Upon opening the tin, I get the classic smell for a Danish flake, figs and honey. The tobacco burns slowly and to a white ash from the tin. The taste is sweet with fig tones. A perfect all day flake that delivers a consistent flavor that might be boring for some but not for me. This is exactly what I want in a Danish style Virginia flake.

Update: the new Mac Baren version is not as tasty and the topping is applied differently for my taste buds. It's still a good Virginia flake, just not as good.

Virginia Lover

1-I agree with many reviewers: this tobacco is not spectacular. But... For that very reason, it's a great tobacco if you need something very simple sometimes: pure Virgina. 2-Another way I use it: I mix this tobacco (2/3) with "Pure Latakia" by Robert McConnell (1/3). For me, its' a wonderful balance as I love Latakia being present in a mixture. Give it a try 🙂

Tin note : Tin note is very faint... though if i try to smell closely, There are hints of citrus and grass. Very little pineapple.

Cut : Thin, Neatly cut flakes. Very nice presentation. easy to rub out and pack. Really straightforward to work with.

Mechanics : stays lit relatively well.

Flavour Profile : More grassy and hay notes compared to the ready rubbed. There is citrus and lemon notes but not as much as the ready rubbed. Jim Inks stated they are the same blend. It could probably be the aging of tobacco at work. Perhaps this tobacco is quite young. Not much of a complex blend. Easy all day smoke on a hot day.

Tongue Bite : Upon opening the tin, there was some bite. Rarely bites now. Advise to keep the tin open or perhaps let it rest in a mason jar for a week.

Will I buy this again : glad I got 5 tins on offer and hope it last me for quite some time. Will go for the ready rubbed version next time.

My thoughts is it might need more age. Might try to keep a tin or two to age for atleast 5 years before coming back to review this blend.

3.5 stars

The differences between this and Capstan Blue are quite illustrative of the differences between the several types of Virginias in general. Many of the base notes are the same. I get the same flavors of wheat, oats and hay. The grape flavor of Capstan Blue is replace here with a citrus note: orange peel and lemon zest. It’s all very tasty, to be sure, but the threat of tongue bite is a good bit more present.
It’s a little more fussy. I referred to Capstan Blue as one of the more user-friendly straight Virginias out there; this isn’t quite so accommodating. There’s quite a bit of spice here, and the flavors take a little more to tease out.
They are good, though. Oats, grass, a drop of honey, a touch of perfume.
Definitely a tobacco to be sipped.
Flavor is on the mild side of medium, but strength is mild.

If I had to choose between Blue or Gold, I’d go for Blue. I don’t mean to damn it with faint praise, however. This is quite pleasant if you’re able to give it the proper attention that it wants.