Mac Baren Capstan Gold Navy Cut

Gold Navy Cut or "Yellow Capstan" is probably the most plain Virginia I've tasted. Nothing bad to say about it really, but nothing exciting either. It is totally in the middle of the road all the way around.

There's a good deal of natural sugar in these VA's, so puff with a little care. I usually rub it out totally, it's just the way I find these flakes to smoke the best. Upon opening the tin - perfect moisture level, rubbed out and then a fifteen minute drying time...ready to go! But the tin doesn't seal all that well, so unless you smoke this regularly it will dry out within a couple of months.

Medium nicotine, medium taste. Unnoticeable room note but a nice wheaty smell in the tin. No surprises throughout hence it gets a little boring in the long run.

As always very high quality tobacco from Orlik Ltd. So if you are a Virgina lover, I guess you oughtta check this classic tobacco out. It's been around for decades and decades, so I guess it has something going for it.

PS. The tin itself is amazing as it fits right in the shirt pocket, or even in the back pocket of your jeans. Well any pocket for that matter. The shape and size is just very handy, so I actually use an old yellow tin for my fave tobacco's on the go.

Not much to say here. A very mild, one dimensional golden virginia flake. Not bad, nothing wrong with it at all. But there are better, this isn't my favorite genre, and I've already got a fav in rotation that's better than this.

Needed a little dry time . Slightly moist from tin . Flakes are easy to work with . Burns a little warm and quick for a flake even folded and stuffed . I taste mostly lemon with some bread hay and grass. High notes mostly . Has a tart tanginess . Good quality and no bite . 2 1/2 stars .

I had tried the "blue" in the past when it wasn't made by MacBaren yet, and I remember it was juicier and more flavorful.

This is a nice slow burning flake, but a bit too gentle for my taste, quite monochromatic and unexciting. Delicate Virginias with just a hint of sweetness, grassiness, and citrusy twang. It's good, but I simply find it less rich and tasty than I was hoping.

I cannot really explain it. It makes no sense to me, but for some reason, I am not a fan of this blend.

I bought both the Capstan Original Navy Cut (blue tin) and a tin of this, the Capstan Gold Navy Cut. Based on tin description, and reading reviews here, I expected to like the gold better than the blue. I tend to lean more toward the light and the bright when it comes to my Virginias. The exact opposite happened. I immediately fell head over heels for the Blue tin, I mean like, sort of obsessed at this point, it is going to cost me some money I like it so much.

But the gold..... Once again the presentation is beautiful and the quality of the product is superb. Mac Baren always does beautiful flakes, and these live up to that standard. There is a tin note that suggest some sweet topping to me. Do not let that throw you off, it is in a reserved manner, and in the smoke, the tobacco is absolutely the main driver. The tin note is not as complex as that of its older brother blue, and this one has a bit of that "Ketchupy" smell, that for me usually means good things to come.

I tried this tobacco every which way. Moist, dried, rubbed out, folded and stuffed. I tried it in cobs, briars of various bowl sizes and shapes, and even a meer, and I always got the same result....a resounding "so what?"

It just is pretty ho hum for me. Nothing bad, but not much for me to like. I would like to stress that I do not believe this is a "bad" blend. Based on the multitude of reviews here on this site by pipers way more knowledgable and experienced than I, it must be good stuff. I believe this is one of those blends that just doesn't jive with me personally. Based on deductive reasoning it should be right up my alley, but every time I smoke it, it is a little bit of a yawn.

At the end of the day this is what makes this hobby exciting, the personal quest for that just right tobacco. If we all had the same tastes, there would only need to be one or two pipe blends made. The good news for me though, is that if I don't have to spend money loading my cellar with this stuff......More money available for that manna from heaven in the blue tin.

I only have one flake left in the tin, which will be the last to smoke this tobacco in a long time because I can't find any flavor in it. It's not that is bad. The problem is that having so many good tobaccoes, it doesn't make sense for me to go to one that is bland. Sailors warning: I recommend that you keep reading other reviews anyway, as this one you're reading now contradicts the vast majority, so it must be a problem of mine with Capstan yellow. I liked the comment of a user who appreciates the practical size of the tin (which fits in a back pocket), to transport with it "other tobaccoes". I would also add that its price is very cheap. However, it might be advisable to mix or make "sandwiches" with perique or latakia.

Years ago I tried blue Capstan, and at the time I was not a fan of straight Virginia. Fast forward to now, having more experience with other Virginia blends, I thought I'd give this version a whirl. Besides it is listed as milder, and with fruit (landing in camp Aromatic I often play in).

The smoke is indeed milder, without deviating too much from the more popular blue tin product. Inside are 14 laser cut flakes that give off a sweet wheat germ scent with, yup, a tinge of fruitiness. The flakes are a bit moist and I'd let them catch some air before folding them up. Once lit, it performs much like a quality unfiltered cigarette, that I found myself wanting to inhale.

Don't be turned off by the idea of the fruit flavoring, it is mostly undetectable and helps to smooth out the tobacco taste, which was medium in strength and nicotine. As with other flakes or kakes, the product is quite dense and I tend to get less bowls per ounce than the same amount of ribbon cut. In this case I got roughly 12 bowls. Luckily the product tends to burn a little slower, so you get some mileage.

As an Aromatic fan, I will likely never rate a Virginia above 2 stars, but this was one of the best attempts they threw my way. An easy 3+ rating for non-Aromatic pipers.

Tolkien liked this. I like Tolkien. Ergo, i should like Capstan.

Sadly, i cannot say i did. I'm probably not experienced enough to fully appreciate those full virginia blends, but, i struggled to taste anything with this one. Only about mid-bowl did some flavour finally show up, only to disappear minutes later... I must be doing something wrong.

I also seem to have low tolerance to Virginia. NightCap, which has a reputation for being strong in the Nicotine department, sometimes makes me feel woozy, but never sick. Same for some dark flakes. But Virginia blends, and also VaPers, they just dont go well with my body chemistry... the sugar ?