Mac Baren Capstan Original Navy Cut Ready Rubbed

Well, this is good, pure 100% Virginia - take it or leave it. As a matter of fact I think this is the first pure Virginia blend that I have tasted, all others being mixed with at least a little bit of other varieties (even if light) or aromatized to some degree. The dried-haystack-in-the-summer flavour is wonderfully present throughout, from tin note to smoking to room note, the taste is just slightly sweet, and the largish, long, ready rubbed strands are a delight to pack a pipe with after just a little bit of drying, and then burn easily and consistently.

The problem for me is that pure Virginia just doesn't seem to do the trick for me. It's enjoyable, but a bit bland and boring. Therefore, a firm two stars but personally not likely to buy again - though Virginia lovers may just as well read this review as a reverse recommendation!

Sometimes I smoke a tobacco having read other reviews and I start to wonder how my opinion can be so different from everyone else’s. Thankfully there seems to be a polarised split in opinions on this one...

Firstly the cut. How this can be sold as ‘Ready Rubbed’ is beyond me as it has clearly not been rubbed from anything. It is more of a fine shag cut. Fine to the point that I expected it to burn hot even before it had seen a flame. Pouch note an inoffensive Virginia. Nothing to get excited about.

Sadly I didn’t get excited once I’d lit the bowl. Took a couple of char lights and despite giving it some drying time to get to a reasonable moisture (the tobacco in my pouch was almost Gawith-esque in its dampness) the number of delights required to get through the bowl almost led me to believe I’d forgotten how to smoke. Even two weeks later (still in the original pouch and therefore much drier) it is fussy and needs relighting a few times. Seriously I never smoked anything that just won’t stay lit like this.

All of this would be forgiven if it was a delicious unique smoke but sadly I just find it bland, characterless, almost flavourless... steamy, hot and boring. Despite having no flavour the room note is actually pretty strong and cigarette-like - not nice. I’ve given it a fair chance but I don’t think I can be bothered to finish the pouch. At least it only comes in 25g in the UK so I won’t be ditching too much!

I've been meaning to try this for ages. After all I rate the flake version of this very highly indeed.

This one, though, lacks the pouch aroma of it's flake parent, although a pleasant enough fragrance comes off this one. I can only seem to get this in the UK in the 25g pouch, I've not seen it in a tin anywhere, so I decanted it immediately.

It's a bit of a bugger to light to be honest, and needs numerous relights even though it doesn't feel moist. A light loading doesn't seem to make much difference, either.

The smoke itself is nothing like the flake. It's harsher, stronger and far less mellow. I came very close to biting the old tongue at one stage. Strength does not necessarily mean taste of course and this doesn't really have much of that. Sure straight virginias don't taste of much, but this one is really flat.

The room ends up smelling like someone's been smoking cigarettes and I'm surprised I haven't had a reprimand from Mrs RW.

So, this was really disappointing. I thought it was going to be a convenient version of the flake, but it isn't. No, it's very different, but not like say, St Brunos flake and ready rubbed are different. With those they are at least cut from the same cloth ; but this seems to be like a badly rubbed out MacBarens Virginia flake.

It almost certainly has the capacity to bite ; again the flake did not. I suppose the moral of the tale here is don't assume a ready rubbed version of your flavourite flake is going to be the same. It isn't in this case.

It is possible I have been a bit harsh on this blend, and I am going to try it in a pipe with a bigger bowl, to see if that makes any difference, but I certainly wouldn't recommend this to new pipers and with a bite warning to those of more seasoned experience,

A bit of a let down from its Gold sibling. This tasted darker and less sweet than Capstan Gold, I know that was the point, but I just didn't care for it. Capstan Blue was rather boring and well....just so so. I liken this to a tobacco like Carter Hall, not in the composition as one is a Va. and the other a Burley, but in the heft and flavor interest, they will both get the job done, but with tobacco as expensive as it is, why settle for just OK. I suppose this might be a good Va. to use as a blending base for some more spicy tobaccos, as this would certainly not compete with them, but this was just too bland to warrant another tin purchase from me.