Mac Baren Capstan Gold Navy Cut
(3.33)
This blend is a composition of select, bright, sun cured Virginia leaf. Pressed, stored and cut into flakes. Capstan Gold Flake with the natural Virginia sweetness is a must try for everyone who appreciates a good, straightforward Virginia Blend.
Notes: Formally blended by Orlik and originally by W.D. & H.O. Wills. See W.D. & H.O. Wills for reviews of the original Capstan Gold Navy Cut. Produced by Mac Baren since 2006.
Details
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Very Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.33 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 66 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 2015 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Very Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
In search of a great VA, I recently sought recommendations. I got them. As a result, I ended up buying a tin of Capstan Gold Navy Cut nine days ago. Currently, the very last of it is burning in a reasonably large bent billiard/brandy BST. The tin code suggests this was tinned in 2013.
Simply put, this is a fantastic blend. It is everything I thought I was looking for in a VA: mild-medium body, super sweet, high quality leaf, easy to work with, easy burning, and delicious. It delivers all of these and more, and I can't overstate the sweetness. I taste little to no added aromatic quality to this blend, but this has to be the single sweetest non-aromatic blend I have ever smoked. Full stop.
The flakes arrived at the perfect moisture level to smoke with little or no drying. They look clean, crisp, immaculate. They are insanely easy to rub out, and work just great for folding-and-stuffing. I can get about an hour of smoke from a rubbed up half flake generally, or a much longer smoke by folding the whole thing up and stuffing it in a pipe. My longest smoke with this stuff was a whole flake at around two hours. And the flavor, sweetness, everything only got better as the bowl went on.
This isn't the mildest tobacco I've ever smoked, but it certainly has a crisp, light, bright flavor. It is closer to a medium strength tobacco in terms of nicotine than the very mild flavor would suggest, but it certainly isn't a full-on medium; it's just a touch stronger than one might initially suspect based on appearance and flavor.
The room note is pleasant as these things go, but again it's not an aromatic.
I was so smitten by the stuff right off the bat that I initially thought I might want to smoke nothing else until I was done with the tin. It turns out that while this is a fantastic blend, I couldn't maintain the discipline to do that. The sweetness is lovely with this blend, but it also is a limiting factor in determining how much of the stuff I can actually smoke. That said, in order to get a really good feel for this blend, I did smoke at least one bowl of this every day until I ran out - usually more. If smoked too much, though, the sweetness tends to start to fatigue me, and I start getting a touch of bite. I could see myself being content to smoke only this blend if I only smoked once every day or two, but as it stands I am not. Early in the morning, or after a long evening of too much tobacco, this blend isn't always actually what I want. That said, it is probably the best example of the kind of tobacco I was seeking. It's got really clear, light VA taste with sugar galore, and when I'm in the mood this is simply a breathtaking, stunning blend. But I am simply not always in the mood, and sometimes I need something less sweet or with more weight to it in terms of flavor if not in terms of nicotine.
This isn't a cheap tobacco, but neither is it prohibitively expensive. I could definitely see buying some tins of this to age, or to just keep on hand for when I want a special, sweet, plain Virginia. The only drawback to this tobacco, if it's fair to call this a drawback, is that I couldn't smoke this all day. It's just too rich in sweetness. Which is also it's great strength in terms of being a more occasional, special-treat smoke.
I plan on trying the Capstan Original next, having heard it has just a touch more body and a touch less sweetness, but I'm extremely glad to have tried this blend, and I imagine this won't be the last tin I ever buy of this.
This tin was smoked over the course of nine days from a variety of pipes, including a few different briar pipes, a brand new Falcon (which I have broken in with this), and a Barling meerschaum. I didn't find drying to be especially advantageous, but it did help with avoiding dottle in larger pipes.
For me, this isn't an all-day every-day blend, but I have to give it full marks on every front except price. It could be less pricey, but this is one case in which I think the quality can justify an extra two or three dollars per tin. Extremely highly recommended.
Simply put, this is a fantastic blend. It is everything I thought I was looking for in a VA: mild-medium body, super sweet, high quality leaf, easy to work with, easy burning, and delicious. It delivers all of these and more, and I can't overstate the sweetness. I taste little to no added aromatic quality to this blend, but this has to be the single sweetest non-aromatic blend I have ever smoked. Full stop.
The flakes arrived at the perfect moisture level to smoke with little or no drying. They look clean, crisp, immaculate. They are insanely easy to rub out, and work just great for folding-and-stuffing. I can get about an hour of smoke from a rubbed up half flake generally, or a much longer smoke by folding the whole thing up and stuffing it in a pipe. My longest smoke with this stuff was a whole flake at around two hours. And the flavor, sweetness, everything only got better as the bowl went on.
This isn't the mildest tobacco I've ever smoked, but it certainly has a crisp, light, bright flavor. It is closer to a medium strength tobacco in terms of nicotine than the very mild flavor would suggest, but it certainly isn't a full-on medium; it's just a touch stronger than one might initially suspect based on appearance and flavor.
The room note is pleasant as these things go, but again it's not an aromatic.
I was so smitten by the stuff right off the bat that I initially thought I might want to smoke nothing else until I was done with the tin. It turns out that while this is a fantastic blend, I couldn't maintain the discipline to do that. The sweetness is lovely with this blend, but it also is a limiting factor in determining how much of the stuff I can actually smoke. That said, in order to get a really good feel for this blend, I did smoke at least one bowl of this every day until I ran out - usually more. If smoked too much, though, the sweetness tends to start to fatigue me, and I start getting a touch of bite. I could see myself being content to smoke only this blend if I only smoked once every day or two, but as it stands I am not. Early in the morning, or after a long evening of too much tobacco, this blend isn't always actually what I want. That said, it is probably the best example of the kind of tobacco I was seeking. It's got really clear, light VA taste with sugar galore, and when I'm in the mood this is simply a breathtaking, stunning blend. But I am simply not always in the mood, and sometimes I need something less sweet or with more weight to it in terms of flavor if not in terms of nicotine.
This isn't a cheap tobacco, but neither is it prohibitively expensive. I could definitely see buying some tins of this to age, or to just keep on hand for when I want a special, sweet, plain Virginia. The only drawback to this tobacco, if it's fair to call this a drawback, is that I couldn't smoke this all day. It's just too rich in sweetness. Which is also it's great strength in terms of being a more occasional, special-treat smoke.
I plan on trying the Capstan Original next, having heard it has just a touch more body and a touch less sweetness, but I'm extremely glad to have tried this blend, and I imagine this won't be the last tin I ever buy of this.
This tin was smoked over the course of nine days from a variety of pipes, including a few different briar pipes, a brand new Falcon (which I have broken in with this), and a Barling meerschaum. I didn't find drying to be especially advantageous, but it did help with avoiding dottle in larger pipes.
For me, this isn't an all-day every-day blend, but I have to give it full marks on every front except price. It could be less pricey, but this is one case in which I think the quality can justify an extra two or three dollars per tin. Extremely highly recommended.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 08, 2013 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
A moderately sweet and easy to rub out flake with a little sugar and some citrus toppings complimenting the tart and tangy, citrusy Virginias. The Virginias offer a bit of grass, some hay and bread, plus a pinch or two of earth, and wood. Has a light floral quality as well. The strength and nic-hit are a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium, while the taste almost reaches the medium mark. No chance of bite or harshness. A rather uncomplicated blend that burns slightly less than at a moderate pace, cool and clean with a smoothly, tart and tangy sweet consistent taste from start to finish. There are several kinds of Virginias in this to create a well balanced blend. Requires a few relights, leaves little moisture in the bowl, and will burn to ash. Has a lightly lingering, pleasant after taste and room note. An all day experience that works for the smoker who wants a gentle, sweet flavor without the most of the earthy characteristics darker Virginias provide.
-JimInks
-JimInks
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 24, 2013 | Mild | Very Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
A lighter bodied and lighter colored cousin to the blue tin I smoked recently. Similar tin nose but this one had a bit more citrus and less spice. Both things showed up in the taste. This had more sweetness from the citrus and less of the blue's subtle spiciness - more high notes here, but not so high as to be screechy or annoying, as in some bright VA flakes.
Comparisons with other tobaccos are almost unavoidable. First, this also seemed a cross between Mac Barens VA flake and Dunhill Light Flake but moved closer (than the blue tin did) to the Dunhill fruitiness. Neither is overbearing on the fruit but the Dunhill provides an extra oomph from the spice that this one doesn't possess (the blue tin follows suit, more a bit more subtly). A second comparison is that I might have enjoyed this one more if I hadn't just smoked F&T's Cut Virginia Plug, which realizes the possibilities of a gold VA flake more perfectly for me. This was far from a bad blend, it was just a bit forgettable by comparison. If you have no such biases, try this one if you enjoy some fruit tang without wanting to go overboard, coupled with some light grassy flavor and more than just a hint of sugared something-or-other. It's not overblown on any of those things. In fact, it's pretty middle-of-the-road for me. I prefer the blue tin, but this is still a solid 3 star blend - just one I probably won't buy again.
Comparisons with other tobaccos are almost unavoidable. First, this also seemed a cross between Mac Barens VA flake and Dunhill Light Flake but moved closer (than the blue tin did) to the Dunhill fruitiness. Neither is overbearing on the fruit but the Dunhill provides an extra oomph from the spice that this one doesn't possess (the blue tin follows suit, more a bit more subtly). A second comparison is that I might have enjoyed this one more if I hadn't just smoked F&T's Cut Virginia Plug, which realizes the possibilities of a gold VA flake more perfectly for me. This was far from a bad blend, it was just a bit forgettable by comparison. If you have no such biases, try this one if you enjoy some fruit tang without wanting to go overboard, coupled with some light grassy flavor and more than just a hint of sugared something-or-other. It's not overblown on any of those things. In fact, it's pretty middle-of-the-road for me. I prefer the blue tin, but this is still a solid 3 star blend - just one I probably won't buy again.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2014 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild | Tolerable |
Geez, reviewing this after DK seems a fool's errand.
I'll offer 4 stars as opposed to 3, though my thoughts are VERY much in alignment with DK - this is a slightly fruitier, slightly less bodied version of the Capstan. It's delicious and easy to get along with. I found it more interesting than OGS and better tasting with smoother edges than Cut Virginia Plug. CVP is great, this is.... pure and special somehow.
So, again, a great virginia, clean tasting, easy burning. A little one dimensional? Sure, and if you smoke this after something stronger it won't have much appeal. Clean pipe, clean palette, I can't think of many better offerings.
I'll offer 4 stars as opposed to 3, though my thoughts are VERY much in alignment with DK - this is a slightly fruitier, slightly less bodied version of the Capstan. It's delicious and easy to get along with. I found it more interesting than OGS and better tasting with smoother edges than Cut Virginia Plug. CVP is great, this is.... pure and special somehow.
So, again, a great virginia, clean tasting, easy burning. A little one dimensional? Sure, and if you smoke this after something stronger it won't have much appeal. Clean pipe, clean palette, I can't think of many better offerings.
Pipe Used:
all sorts - big, small, straight, bent
Age When Smoked:
fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2013 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
After smoking the blue version flake I moved on to the yellow. Most everything said about the blue can be said about the yellow with regard to presentation, handling, smoking characteristics, etc. It is a bit lighter in the tin than the blue and its tin aroma is more on the bright side, but not extremely so. Some have said it reminds them of Orlik's Golden Sliced, but I would disagree on that one. For starters, this Capstan flake was darker in color and it lacked that characteristic tin note of GS; nor was there any present in the taste thankfully, as I quickly grew tired of that in the GS. Overall, the yellow-tinned flake was less spicy and not quite as full-tasting as the blue, however, it is still one superior smoke. Like the blue, I can smoke this one every day if need be. I enjoy both the blue and the yellow equally - sometimes mixing them. I enjoy that spiciness I described in the blue and the slightly fuller body to the smoke. As with the blue, a stellar, 5 star smoke. Hat's off to Mac Baren as both will be in my weekly rotation for sure and in my favorites category as well.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 10, 2013 | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
This is one good flake. Nice stacks. Easy burning with minimal rubbing. Cool. Dry. Quite sweet in a good way.
Enjoyable and superior flavor. Reminds me of the old days with Edwards' Honey Cavendish, but this is a more meaty flake.
It's not as strong as Capstan blue lable, and is sweeter to me than new Dunhill Flake is. It is somewhat comparable to Orlik's golden slices (latter being more orangy).
However, it's ready rubbed sibling (gold label) smokes too hot to me. The flake is cool and for me. A desirable smoke.
Enjoyable and superior flavor. Reminds me of the old days with Edwards' Honey Cavendish, but this is a more meaty flake.
It's not as strong as Capstan blue lable, and is sweeter to me than new Dunhill Flake is. It is somewhat comparable to Orlik's golden slices (latter being more orangy).
However, it's ready rubbed sibling (gold label) smokes too hot to me. The flake is cool and for me. A desirable smoke.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 23, 2016 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
As many have stated here this is a simple flake. It's also delicious. The natural flavors of hay and citrus mix very well with the added flavors of more citrus and a slightly darker fruit. I think StevieB suggested plum and that may be correct. That darker fruit flavor has the added benefit of rounding this out nicely. It can burn a little warm, but not enough so to deduct points for it. Flavor is consistent, but doesn't evolve much and for that I'll deduct a half point. This is a 3.5 smoke for my taste and I'll round up to 4.
Mild to medium in body and taste. Flavoring is mild. Burns like a champ. This is a very nice smoke.
Mild to medium in body and taste. Flavoring is mild. Burns like a champ. This is a very nice smoke.
Pipe Used:
MM Little Devil Cutty, Little Devil Acorn
PurchasedFrom:
smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 05, 2013 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
A beautiful mild,tasty flake that satisfies. What a delight. I can't contain my joy while smoking this. This is the McBaren version. Cool burning and extremely delicious with a lovely dry hay-like taste from the all lemon leaf. I enjoy this and the Blue equally. Why did we have to wait so long.
Update: The more I smoke this, the more I like it. I think this and the Blue are the blends I've been looking for all these years. These are my first 5 star blends.
Update: I find that a year of aging does wonders for this already excellent blend. Also excellent mixed 4 to 1 with Wessex Brown Virginia Flake.
Update: The more I smoke this, the more I like it. I think this and the Blue are the blends I've been looking for all these years. These are my first 5 star blends.
Update: I find that a year of aging does wonders for this already excellent blend. Also excellent mixed 4 to 1 with Wessex Brown Virginia Flake.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 04, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
An honest unpretentious tobacco, Gold Navy Cut is the same as Mild only in the more PC euro tin. A very fine quality leaf ranging from bright yellows to almost reds, a flake cut and uniform in the tin 2x3 inches if measurements are required.
In the past, I would pack and light straight from the tin, nowadays, I tend to dry out my tobacco's for about 24 hours before lighting. For this review, I opened a tin and air dried for an hour or so. Still rather moist for my ever changing taste, this still rubbed out well and took easily to the match, gentle puffing produced a slightly sweet fruity taste which soon dissipated and left me with a fine virginia and the occasional hint of Lemon or citrus, but only just. As I tend to smoke alone, I find the room note tolerable, that is, when I can smell anything.
I didn't note any huge voluminous clouds of smoke, but I never look for that anyway, being more interested in taste, flavour and strength, of which all three I find satisfying.
This is not a complex tobacco but nor is it a monochromatic smoke either. It will not bite unless pushed, and burns cool in the pipe after only moderate drying. I find this an excellent tobacco in warm and humid weather, particulaly first thing in the morning or at the end of day when I've been smoking too much of the stronger stuff and want "just one more pipe" before retiring.
In the past, I would pack and light straight from the tin, nowadays, I tend to dry out my tobacco's for about 24 hours before lighting. For this review, I opened a tin and air dried for an hour or so. Still rather moist for my ever changing taste, this still rubbed out well and took easily to the match, gentle puffing produced a slightly sweet fruity taste which soon dissipated and left me with a fine virginia and the occasional hint of Lemon or citrus, but only just. As I tend to smoke alone, I find the room note tolerable, that is, when I can smell anything.
I didn't note any huge voluminous clouds of smoke, but I never look for that anyway, being more interested in taste, flavour and strength, of which all three I find satisfying.
This is not a complex tobacco but nor is it a monochromatic smoke either. It will not bite unless pushed, and burns cool in the pipe after only moderate drying. I find this an excellent tobacco in warm and humid weather, particulaly first thing in the morning or at the end of day when I've been smoking too much of the stronger stuff and want "just one more pipe" before retiring.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 13, 2021 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
I don't mind a topping on my flakes as much as I do on ribbon cuts. There are plenty of good examples of topped flakes I could give you from Escudo, to St Bruno, to PS Navy Flake. I think the pressing makes the topping a background character for a lot of these and thus I don't hear the same gripes said about them as I do with true aromatics.
The tin is the same as the Capstan Blue Flake and you get about the same amount of flakes in the tin. The tin note has a lot of Virginia hay, breadiness and citrus. This is harder to light than the blue flake, and so stuffing about the same amount as I do the Blue, I like to leave this in the bowl overnight so that the top takes a light easier. Once lit it will need a few more than average relights so keep in mind this is a little fussy.
The tobacco is nice and sweet, similar at first to HH Pure Virginia. There is a lot of hay and grass, with some Virginia Bread in the background. The topping doesn't cover the tobaccos and I can barely detect it but there is a slight citrus on the retrohale. The burn is just as cool as the Capstan Blue. I'd also say that your room note is just as pleasant.
The taste is a touch milder than the Blue but not enough to drop it from medium. The strength is a happy medium, no bells and whistles but that's fine. This makes for a nice morning blend, if you refine the dry time this could be an all day smoke. This is a nice example of the more citrusy and sweet end of Virginias. I give this four stars as well. I would buy more given the chance.
The tin is the same as the Capstan Blue Flake and you get about the same amount of flakes in the tin. The tin note has a lot of Virginia hay, breadiness and citrus. This is harder to light than the blue flake, and so stuffing about the same amount as I do the Blue, I like to leave this in the bowl overnight so that the top takes a light easier. Once lit it will need a few more than average relights so keep in mind this is a little fussy.
The tobacco is nice and sweet, similar at first to HH Pure Virginia. There is a lot of hay and grass, with some Virginia Bread in the background. The topping doesn't cover the tobaccos and I can barely detect it but there is a slight citrus on the retrohale. The burn is just as cool as the Capstan Blue. I'd also say that your room note is just as pleasant.
The taste is a touch milder than the Blue but not enough to drop it from medium. The strength is a happy medium, no bells and whistles but that's fine. This makes for a nice morning blend, if you refine the dry time this could be an all day smoke. This is a nice example of the more citrusy and sweet end of Virginias. I give this four stars as well. I would buy more given the chance.
Pipe Used:
Peterson Aran 107
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 03, 2017 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Tolerable |
The best all day tobacco I have found.
My son brings this home from Spain (oh it's so cheap over there) you can't buy it in the UK. And before you start, giving me places all over the country where you've seen it, I've been in tobacconists the length and breadth of the country and online and never seen it, ever.
Reminicent of the wonderful Golden Glow from Gawith's it sends out a gorgeous roasted tobacco scent that assails you from the tin. Straight from the tin, anyway you like, rubbed out or rolled it's a consistent treat. A sweet, tasty virginia flake.
It's a solid, reliable, no-nonsense blend that satisfies everytime. Never had a bad bowl.
If you see it, buy it, whether you cellar it or smoke it straightaway, just get it.
The only complaint is the tin's too small.
My son brings this home from Spain (oh it's so cheap over there) you can't buy it in the UK. And before you start, giving me places all over the country where you've seen it, I've been in tobacconists the length and breadth of the country and online and never seen it, ever.
Reminicent of the wonderful Golden Glow from Gawith's it sends out a gorgeous roasted tobacco scent that assails you from the tin. Straight from the tin, anyway you like, rubbed out or rolled it's a consistent treat. A sweet, tasty virginia flake.
It's a solid, reliable, no-nonsense blend that satisfies everytime. Never had a bad bowl.
If you see it, buy it, whether you cellar it or smoke it straightaway, just get it.
The only complaint is the tin's too small.
Pipe Used:
All of them
PurchasedFrom:
Spain
Age When Smoked:
New
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