Lane Limited Captain Black Dark

When I heard Captain Black had a new flavor out I was quick to hop aboard the legendary schooner and give Dark a whirl. I've tried quite a few of the other CB line and I find the original (white) to be quite pleasant on occasion especially when I'm in the mood for something to appease my sweet tooth. I wasn't really sure what to expect from this new blend as the label describes it as "100% pure black Cavendish" and there were no reviews or opinions about it on the web or in the forums. I'm happy to be the first piper to share my thoughts on this interesting leaf.

For the first time in the CB lineup, the package truly is black true to its namesake. Upon opening the pouch the tobacco is finely cut in ribbons and broken flake. Color is black as midnight, reminiscent of Ramsgate, and smells of raisins and vanilla. The tobacco looks a bit wet and could probably stand some drying. Not sure if it's the casing or just part of the steaming process that makes it this way.

It takes a match easy enough, surprisingly given its moisture level, and burns nice and cool. The taste is a little more subtle than White and not as overtly sweet. I detect a slight licorice taste along with the vanilla. Also, some nutty overtones peaking in and out. Definitely a sweet tobacco and clearly so as aromatics go. Room note is pleasant, quite similar to White and 1Q with that musty vanilla smell.

Overall, a better drugstore blend than most others out there. I didn't experience any bite and I was puffing away pretty steadily. However, there was a bit of wet dottle at the bottom of the bowl, again probably due to the moisture content. A nice middle of the road aromatic that surely won't offend unless you don't dabble in that sort of thing. Honestly, I find a certain charm in the drugstore/OTC blends and the Captain doesn't disappoint with its newest entry. Besides, this hobby encourages trying new blends and experimentation. And at under $5, you could certainly do a lot worse. Happy piping!

OK gonna give this 4 stars!! Since McClelland is gone now and the price gouging for the leftovers has begun, I felt compelled to post this review as quickly as I could upon trying Captain Black Dark. Simply put, it is almost identical to McClelland VBC. Fans of the VBC can now get their favorite vanilla cavendish fix with this blend and shed no more tears for our tragic loss of McClelland, at least for this flavoring. For more details see my review of McClelland Vanilla Black Cavendish.

Captain Black Dark at this time is the best pure dark vanilla cavendish on the market, and the price seals the deal. You can pay much more and get a lot less. The only other vanilla blend I smoke that can hold a candle to this one is MacBaren Vanilla Cream. No Bite, mild cavendish tobacco taste, great vanilla flavor and outstanding room note. A pleasure to smoke and a crowd pleaser to passers-by and at parties. No one will be offended and even the most rabid anti-tobacco howlers will reluctantly admit they love the smell of this one. Cheers All, Good Draw to You!! Glorfindel

I packed a brand new Dr. Grabow with some freshly opened Captain Black Royal the day I graduated from bootcamp in 1982. I lit and puffed and lit and puffed, wanting to enjoy it, but failing miserably. With no internet to guide me, and no knowledgeable tobacconists around (the guys at the mall Tinderbox just mall employees, not pipe smokers) my masochistic piping didn’t last long. Fast forward to 1998 when I bought a Peterson System rustic 303, and introduced to really good baccy. The blogs I read more or less implied that grownups didn’t smoke aeros. If you weren’t puffing a Va/Per, English blends, or some exotic Oriental, you were some rube stuck in the world of drugstore pipes and PG saturated garbage. Over the years, I certainly came to appreciate the great variety of blends available, but still missed the aroma (if not the tongue bite) of Captain Black. It took me even longer to realize that there is no shame in enjoying an aero. Now that I’m a bit more seasoned, I can enjoy an aero without burning my tongue. Captain Black Dark takes me right back to the great vanilla aroma, without any bite, easy to keep lit, and actually tasting like real tobacco. Not my everyday smoke, but it makes a great dessert smoke, and is much more forgiving than the stuff that scorched my tongue in my 20’s.

Not a bad black Cavendish. Probably not the best choice of words but I find it smokes drier as in a wine compared to Lane Limited's Black Cavendish Aromatic (BCA) which is sweet and are made by the same company. Most likely because this one does not seem to have as much vanilla flavor as BCA. I like it but since I have a ton of BCA will probably not try it for awhile. No room note rating because I smoke outside alone.

I just had to try this after the other reviews. This is not available in Canada as far as I know so I ordered some from Smoking Pipes.

My tobacco preferences are English flakes. Perique and Latakia are on the top of my favorites. When I want a no brainer smoke I go to an aromatic just for a change of pace.

I like the "bag note" for its deliciousness. It's not overpowering and certainly not off-putting. There is no tongue bite at all with this one. The smoke is thick, sweet and the room note is a new favorite for my number one aromatic fan, my bride. She loves the aroma of this one.

Tobacco here in Canada is $35 per pouch thanks to our anti smoking taxes. Smoking Pipes had this on sale for $5 a pouch. Even with exchange it was still obscenely cheaper.

Well worth a try.

With nothing but 4 star ratings how could I pass this one up? Well, I wish I had because I'm gonna have to break that streak. The flavor is nice, but too mild for me to enjoy. Might be the fault of my 60 year old, jaded taste buds, might not be. All I know is I can barely taste it. What I can taste is pleasant and I'm sure if you enjoy mildness more than I you'll like this blend. Not for me though.

Mild in body. Very mild in flavor. Burns well. Burns cool. No bite. No harshness.

I've had this pouch for over a year just sitting around collecting dust, and I finally got an inkling to give it a try. And as the story goes, boy am I glad that I did! I guess I hesitated giving this a try due to my uneventful experience with the original Captain Black White. The White has a fantastic pouch and room note, but falls flat when it come to any actual flavor. That's where the Dark really excels, flavor! It has all the aromatic qualities that Captain Black is famous for, and the flavor to make it real. It is sweet and confectionery in taste as in aroma, but quite short of cloying. It also has a substantial "mouth feel" that is very pleasant, which its older brother very much lacks.

Don't let the whole "pouch", "over the counter" thing fool you on this one. As far as aromatics go, IMHO, this one is a must try!

A VERY black steamed Cavendish with a lot of surprises. The first is that despite the appearance of being too moist in the pouch, it smokes remarkably dry and without moisture building in the bowl. Next, the taste is sweet but in a rich and delicious way. Not overpowering at all. CBD also didn't bite when smoked in any pipe and at any pace. Just pleasant over all. Also, a pleasant after taste. Finally, I have never smoked a pure black aromatic that smoked with such character. This line is not a world's best seller for no reason. The folks at Captain Black have done their homework and created yet another well made aromatic that would be a great beginner smoke for its forgiveness and a regular go to smoke for any long time smoker because of its excellent flavor and quality leaf.

For those who love latakia and perique and don't particularly care for aromatics but picked up a sample or a free pouch to try, don't bother to write a review. We know you will not care for CBD. This is an aromatic connoisseur's treat.

My experience is that CBD consistently burns to the bottom of the bowl with minimal re-lighting, produces dense smoke and tastes and smells very nice.

My only downside to this tobacco, and it is true with many such aromatics, is that after about half the bowl is gone, ALL of the flavor is gone. I tend to smoke the bowl about half way down and then dump the remainder. The last half tastes more like cigarette smoke than a rich pipe tobacco. Still, this is a blend that I really enjoyed and would recommend to anyone who enjoys aromatics and values a remarkably good room note.

This is basically the same tobacco as Smokers Pride Black Cavendish , which is excellent , though the flavoring s slightly different . If it isn't the same , it's damn close . I'm a big fan of SP BC and I just recently tried the CB Dark . I cracked up when I lit it up ! I thought .. they put SP BC in a pouch and charge double + . It's a good move by Lane . Many more people will smoke it as a Captain Black Blend and others may get turned onto the fact that an all Black Cavendish [ that's done well ] is the coolest bite free smoke in the world ! All I can say is that it's about time .. it's a wonderful Black Cavendish . Many of the all Black Cavendish blends are damn good or better . This Blend isn't better than any other Mildly flavored BC . I'm glad it's getting damn good reviews because now people may try other BC blends , but wouldn't have in the past from all the poo pooing that the Latakia snobs do during BC write ups at review sites like TR . If youre just getting into a BC , after you get them down , try Sutliff Dark Decadence ... it's a mind blower .