Lane Limited Captain Black Original (Regular)

You know the phrase "Garbage in; garbage out"? I think this is what started that expression, because this is definitely garbage.

Why not just fill your pipe with imaginary tobacco, instead of spending your money on this crap? The effects would be the same- i.e. zero taste and absolutely no nicotine. The only way you can tell that you are smoking it, is by seeing the smoke.

The one advantage the Captain has over imaginary tobacco, is that it smells nice- but the aroma quickly becomes obnoxious and then eventually, undetectable.

I hate to see people recommending this as a tobacco for beginners. I had tried this 30 years ago, in my late teens- along with a few other drug-store tobaccos, and quickly concluded that there was no point in smoking a pipe, as I got absolutely nothing from it, except for seeing some smoke in the air.

That experience turned me off of pipe-smoking for 30 years! But thanks to the internet, I am now an educated smoker, and gave the pipe another try- this time, starting out with some good English blends, and some of the stronger stuff, like Irish Flake and 1792- and now, I see what pipe-smoking is all about, and am loving it.

If your 3 year-old wants to take up pipe-smoking, that is something Captain Black MIGHT be good for....

Another reviewer said it best, and I defer to him: "It's tobacco for people who don't like tobacco"!

I'm still new to pipe smoking, so I'm trying out several different blends to see what I like. Captain Black Regular was one of the blends I saw recommended for beginners. so I gave it a shot. To my unrefined palate, it tastes a little like Lane 1-Q, but with less vanilla flavoring. It also left a really chemical, almost plastic-like flavor in my mouth, even stronger after I finished the bowl. I'm eating Altoids like candy to cover over the aftertaste. I'm either going to give away or throw away the rest of the pouch.

It did smell really nice in the pouch, though.

This is the tobacco that started it all. I was pretty much a pipe smoker before I could even talk clearly. My dad smoked Captain Black for 20 years before stopping all together. They say children don't develop a good memory until around the age of 4. Considering I have 2 boys of my own and was a young boy at one time, I call that bullshit because at the age of 2 I remember my dad smoking a pipe and how it smell. I just loved it.

Now my dad only new pipe smoking as in the only tobacco was what was sold on shelf. Captain Black, Prince Albert, Sir Walter and Middleton Apple. That was all he new and Captain being the main stay and all the rest as being a tie over. Hell he never even has heard of anything that I've even smoked.

It doesn't have a wow factor for flavor. My dad didn't smoke for flavor but for nicotine and aroma but he still loved it.

I have some on hand but don't smoke it often. I had some CB dark also that is similar but didn't care for by itself so I mixed it with the original and it kind of improved the original.

I give it a high recommendation not because of it being the best of the best because there is a lot better out there, but because of the memories it gave me growing up. I'll never forget it.

Think supermarket cupcakes; sweet, vanilla, burnt marshmallow, yellow spongecake somewhat cloying aftertaste. And about the same lack of character with overly-dominant, aspertame-like chemical notes.

There are much better tasting and smoking vanilla family aromatics available out there. If aromatics are your bag, maybe Pipeworks and Wilke, or MacBarens.

I don't want to disrespect the Captain, he has led many a pipe smoker into the world of pipesmoking where many other delights await, he is available, he is economical, he is unoffensive to the nearby non-smoker.

When I started with the pipe I bought a pouch, and having few landmarks to compare did not have many complaints at first. As time went on, however, and I tried some higher quality (and, albiet, higher-priced) blends, I came to see this as a uni-dimensional, overly-sweet, with a slightly off-putting chemical hangover taste, aromatic blend. Now I would be appalled to see it burning in any of my prime briars.

The first half of the pouch was smoked, the sencond half has sat in a jar for a few years. Time has not helped this cheap and artificial factory concoction.

A poster child for the reason why you should drive past the drugstore and find your way to the nearest proper tobacconist. First, because the aromatic blends a tobacconist carries will have more clean tobacco flavour without harsh ersatz notes and heavy glycol syrup topping, and second, because your tobacconist, once he knows you have a sweet tooth, might steer you towards some milder sweet virginia blends with light casing that deliver so much more pleasure.

One star would be unecessarily harsh - but redeeming qualities are limited. One-and-a-half probably fair, but two because given the choice at the local gas station or Qwicky Mart, the Captain lets you off relatively easy compared to some OTC nightmares. If I could start over, or if you are new to pipe tobacco, I might steer clear of the cheap aromatics and pick the Carter Hall or Prince Albert from the mild burleys instead.

When I started smoking pipes many years ago I took on a few blends: Borkum Riff Bourbon Whiskey, Captain Black Original, CAO Eileen's Dream, and Peterson Sherlock Holmes.

I decided to get back to all of these and review them after all these years. See if they bring any memories, do I recommend them or not now that I got more experience.

Here's my #3 review: Captain Black Original.

A few months ago I purchased an estate Stanwell Diamond 242 to add to my 242 collection. Once it arrived I smelled the bowl to see which types of blends it would lead me to. I immediately recognized a blend I haven't smoked in about 18 years: It was clearly Captain Black Original. So I decided to purchase a pouch to see what I think.

Captain Black has gathered a poor reputation as an OTC blend that many people start and end their pipe journey with. I was afraid that this is more or less what happened to me. Not fully remembering what it was (although the smell was fully recognized) I thought it might be an off-putting Burley blend. But as I opened the pouch, it came back to me and I was pleasantly surprised. This is clearly a Lane Limited blend, dancing around 1-Q.

I pick up some cocoa and nuttiness from the Burley, a bit of alcohol-type note, and a hint of vanilla.

Upon lighting the pipe, the vanilla comes out much more. This is very much an aromatic blend. It's smooth and creamy, very similar to Lane Limited 1-Q.

It's pretty mild and consistent throughout the bowl. A bit moist, but leaving it in the pouch slowly dries it out over time so it could be smoked straight from the pouch over couple of months. It has a very good room note. My girlfriend asked me "what is that chocolate smell?" before noticing that I'm smoking my pipe.

Coarse cut, easily to pack and smoke, couple of relights, can be (and for its fans it is) an all-day smoke. If sweet aromatics are your thing. I personally smoke an aromatic ones a day or two, mostly as my last smoke of the day.

Now, if you're a Captain Black fan and only smoke that blend, I can totally understand. It can be satisfying for aromatic smokers and did make me like this blend again. However, it does not reach the heights that 1Q does and the price is a bit too high in comparison as well. So while I am tempted to buy this from time to time, it won't be a regular buy. That said, I'll finish on a positive note. It's a great blend and the purity snobs can complain as much as they want. But if you only eat vegetables, don't hate on someone who likes to suck on a lollypop. They're just ain't the same.

Let me first start out i'm not a snooty pipe smoker and I have smoked cigs for 30+ years so my palette is probably burnt out. 🙂 I also think a big mac is pretty dam good. So you can see i'm not high falutin. That all being said I think CB White is an enjoyable blend. It has a nice aroma and enjoyable vanilla taste as you sip on your pipe. It is mild and burns good. The first half of the bowl is the best losing the vanilla taste on the bottom half. So if your just a down to earth pipe smoker give it a try.

The fabled Captain, an elemental spirit of destruction- this was the guy piloting the Exxon Valdeez after downing a case of Meister Brau, both products which are ironically chiefly bought at gas stations.

To start. I imagine this is probably the best selling tobacco at least in America and Canada and possibly Europe, and if nothing else it is the most widely available. It was my first pouch and often seems recommended to new pipers. Why did I buy it? It was the only thing available. I also fell for its own labeling extolling its virtues. I also knew it smelled good. At least that part is true, unfortunately you, as the smoker, are working the other end of the pipe.

So, I issue a small craft advisory to new pipers. Avoid this stuff, stay in port. There are several major problems with this. First, it is a soupy mess and it smokes wet as hell. It will goop up your pipe. No doubt when I tried this technique was a huge part of those problems, but the product pushes you to it. Two, there is little flavor and little nicotine and as such you're going to lean hard into. Three, you now have a wet smoke made worse by its feableness, and you will have your tongue severely bitten by the captain's ill-tempered, featherless, and ancient macaw. It is not a forgiving blend. These three factors are a horrible combination for someone that's learning to smoke a pipe and should be the last blend that is first offered. As to the taste, what is there is quite sweet but it tastes of high fructose corn syrup. Imagine smoking Karo. The chemical odors and tastes are prominent. The room note is appreciated by those around you, but you're not smoking for their enjoyment.

This blend turned me off to pipes for about 10 years. Even the mention of cavendish in a blend still raises warning flags for me even though I know they come in a variety of styles, some of which aren't delivery materials for chemicals and sauces,and some of which are of outstanding quality. I would suggest another OTC blend that actually has some tobacco taste, is sweet, is softly aromatic, burns well, and is relatively available to a first-timer. Find Prince Albert in a can and let him out. Is that a 4 star product? No, but it's not garbage and you can begin learning how to smoke and build some appreciation of the art.

Captain Black White is an excellent smelling tobacco that offers absolutely nothing to the smoker. This stuff is all about room-note, and nothing else. Taste is somewhat like cardboard boxes – you know the smell, that's how it tastes. Little to no nicotine detected. Absolutely awful stuff that some high-profile supposed non-biased reviewers are singing the praises of on the internet. Hmmm, wonder if Lane Limited is paying them. Half a star out of five isn't possible, so I guess this is a zero. BTW, in Canada, this stuff is 35 f'in dollars a pouch!

I signed up for an account just to leave my review. How this has 3 out of 4 stars is beyond me. It is a complete dud. Rather than stuffing it in my pipe, I may pour this stuff in my wife's potpourri dish; or perhaps sprinkle it on my son's birthday cake. Perhaps I shouldn't go from smoking Nightcap to smoking a pure aromatic like Captain Black White. In either case, this stuff ain't for me. (I'm a newbie, too!)