Lane Limited Captain Black Original (Regular)

The first tobacco I ever smoked and enjoyed in a pipe when I was a kid. My buddy and I acquired a pouch of this stuff when we were 13 years old, along with a corn cob pipe. I still smoke it till this day even though it is no longer my favorite it is still a good smoke and an excellent introductory tobacco.

The room Aroma is excellent it is very smooth & Mild as far as taste goes. It's affordability is almost unmatched for it's quality. It does have a tendency to leave the pipe a bit wet, it also tends to get a little bitter towards the end or if smoked too hot.

Now I see that this brand has gotten a lot of bad reviews and that is because it has not been judged fairly. It is important to keep in mind perspective and context any text without context is a con. It reminds me of a passage from the Bible with Jesus talking about John the Baptist asking what people went out to see when they went to search out John the Baptist, Jesus asked those who were gathered what did they go to see a reed shaken by the wind or a prophet and yay what a prophet for none born of woman has risen greater than John the Baptist.

Would you go to the drugstore and pick up a bottle of Aqua Velva, Brute, Old Spice, or Clubman and then turn around and compare it to Drakkar Noir or cool water Dusseldorf?

No, of course you would not!!!

Well you shouldn't do that with pipe tobaccos either. Like the drugstore brands aftershave and cologne they are trusted cheap and very effective doing the job they were designed for and most of our parents and grandparents used it and probably we first put it to the test when we became of age.

Captain black original to me is much like Old Spice it smells much better than all of its competition it's reasonably priced and if you're just going to be sitting around your house and you want something to enjoy, it does the trick and better than its competition. It doesn't seek to impress it puts on no Showmanship it is just simple common pipe tobacco.

It tastes good, it smells good, it's not ever going to be single malt scotch. If you bought it expecting that and wound up being disgusted and highly disappointed that it turned out to be Johnnie Walker red then it is you, who went in with your eyes closed and fooled yourself.

I recommend this tobacco highly for everyday use however I don't claim it to be the best on the Shelf in the smoke shop. However it is the best on the Shelf in the drugstore, where it was supposed to be bought and purchased by the everyday Common Man.

Lane Limited - Captain Black Regular (white).

I'd wanted to smoke this ever since I saw a guy reviewing it on YouTube, but with the U.K. being how it is with tobacco choices, limited to say the least, I had to wait. I finally stumbled across it on Smokingpipes.com, and as they do delivery here to me, I ordered a pouch.

I couldn't remember if this was or wasn't an aromatic, but the pouch-note soon cleared that up. It makes it easy to identify the flavouring: vanilla. The pouch isn't factory sealed, the lids folded and secured with a little piece of tape, ergo, it's been able to breathe so it isn't too damp.

Now, this seems to have had a bit of a slaughtering from many reviewers, but each to there own. Me? Well I'm in the three star camp, it's not worth four, but firmly worth three. The tobacco flavour that comes over initially is the black Cavendish, this, obviously, is heightened by the vanilla. As well as the vanilla there's also a detectible added honey sweetness, and a very slight dark fruitiness. To me, the best way to picture this is like Captain Black Dark, but cleaner tasting and a LOT less sticky! The tobacco flavours seem quite constant throughout: black Cav' in pole position, Burley second, and the Virginia last.

The nicotine's really mild, and the room-note's superb!

Recommended.

My first tobacco, an old friend, consistent for the 35 years I have smoked it. Sure, there are better tasting, but I still keep it in my rotation. But then I still enjoy Maxwell house coffee and McDonald Hamburgers.

I cannot believe I have not reviewed the Captain. This is actually a very good blend in that it has a great aroma and topping, was very innovative when it first came out and I do believe a very good beginners smoke. Where it fails is the over the top use of humectants but if I was going to sit on a shelf for years and years I would need a little help too but the PG really beats your mouth up. I much prefer RLP-6 which is the same ingredients and topping but without the PG additive. If I had nothing else or had a coupon for a dollar pouch, then sure I'd take a ride with the Captain but I have 1Q and RLP-6 so why waste my time and hurt my mouth? 🙂 Wives and girlfriends love it, everyone carries it and a lot of people started on it. So three stars for the good aspects..

BTW a 1.5 ounce pouch is $8.99 at Walgreens now, very expensive compared to lets say Peter Stokkeybe bulk which is a much higher grade IMO.

.... The Captain of the ship had decided. I was to walk the plank. I had made a seemingly small mistake.... or at least I thought it was small; but to Captain Black, it wasnt. To put it simply, I had made love with his woman. You see, Black always kept that fiery Spaniard, Isabella on the ship; always. She never left, so needless to say, she was rather lonely. And I, having seen nothing but gruff pirates and fish was often tempted with this forbidden fruit... But let me start from the beginning.

On one night the captain had left to lay raid to a Royal Navy vessel with the men, and left me to swab the deck. The nerve... I was one of the best guns on the ship... How could he? But shortly thereafter my abandonment, I wouldst reap a reward.

The opportunity struck as I was cleaning the captain's quarters as per my instruction. And there she was; the fair skinned Isabella, changing before my eyes, unclothing herself as her eyes pierced into mine. There she stood before me, fully unclothed, pleading with me to take her there in the Captain's bed; I gave in... to my great pleasure... 6 times on that moon's rise to be exact. I had never been with anyone quite like Isabella. She even remarked on my size, saying I "out gunned" that of the noble captain. As we lay there, sweating after making love like wild animals, I craved my vice, the only thing that could appropriately cap off the night. I had to smoke. The captain had always kept in his possession his prized pipe, and I concluded... Why not? I had already taken use of his woman; why not delve into his sacred stash? All I needed was the key around Isabella's neck, which she gladly gave me, due to the fact that my balls hung low, they wobbled too and fro as well.

I smoked the pipe tobacco wilts once again laying "siege" to Isabella's booty. The tobacco was mild and delightfully aromatic. Once the sun began to rise, I covered my tracks well, but not well enough for Ole Captain Black. He detected my presence in his chambers the moment he arrived on the ship. How, still remains a mystery to me. Never the less, he was furious. So I walked. At the end of the plank I turned to the crew and bid farewell, blowing a kiss to the Spanish beauty. Then to the captain, I turned and said "Seems to be that I was the captain of HER ship!!" Then I jumped, plunging into the depths of the sea.

A beautifully smelling tobacco; one that should not be mocked or overlooked by any pipe smoker. The tobaccos are quality and the cut is always perfect. Personally, it gives me zombie tongue flavor after just a few consecutive bowls, but if you enjoy this as an all day every day blend you are lucky because it's the greatest smelling tobacco out there.

Unfortunately, the nic hit is too low for my needs, but this is the tobacco I go to when a friend wants an introduction into the beautiful art of pipe smoking.

There is no other pipe tobacco around today that has brought more people into the wonderful world of pipe smoking than Captain Black and for that I am eternally grateful. To the experienced pipe smoker that has never tried Captain Black, give it a try. You will be pleasantly surprised.

To me this is the go to comparative for "aromatics". About 15 or so years ago I went on a "craft beer" drinking binge. Trying probably multiple dozens of "have to haves". My take away was 90% of them were horse pizz, trying to mimic an old timey standbye, but with a hint of citrus. If you didn't pull up a chrome stool, and savor every warm froth bubble of said horse pizz, then clearly you were a uncouth heathen. I've found on this site, not surprisingly, many of the reviewers I've read, have a glass of fresh squeezed horse pizz in their hands as they type. Bottom line, Capt. Black original, is like Genesee Cream Ale. Yeah it's been around a long time. But it's good. Period. Capt. Black original is probably the most copied flavor I've ever encountered. "OMG try this succulent kriss-kross jump cut, West virginia Klondike clover butter noodle McCavendish with cheese!! OMG it's like so smokey and a hint of..." *SMACK!* Sorry that was me smacking the Van Dyke off of someone who's trying to sell me a bowl of frothing horse pizz, TRYING to copy Capt. Black original.

Oh, I had to edit this review with at least mentioning the "blend-ability" of Capt.Black (White). Sometimes it tastes better cut back. Like 50/50 with Half and Half. (A personal favorite I call "Bad Math" lol). It cuts back good with some Cherry blends in the mix as well. I've always thought the mystery flavor in Capt. Black original was amaretto syrup. I may be wrong, but I swear I can taste that in there, which is why cherry blends off well with it I suppose.

Really a different smoke in a smallish briar. My large cob's are too air-ey for this, and just wash out. Must need a small tapered bowl to concentrate the flavor. 1Q, RPL6, C.B.Gold, others do that to me as well.

It also needs to air a bit as well, as most tin/buckets do. I think this has gotten C.Black a bad rep. Crack the lid, and let it sit like that a couple days, then put it in your jars.

12/21/20 Smoked a bowl of this while watching the planet alignment (Christmas star) with little pockets of people around also observing. Had many, "man that pipe smells good" comments. Considering the attitude of people towards smoking in general, was a pretty nice surprise.

Younger pipe smoker here. I’m 26 and live in a rural area in the Deep South. Not a lot of places to buy pipe tobacco, let alone the good stuff. I don’t know anyone that smokes a pipe so I’ve had to figure it out on my own and with the help of YouTube, Internet forums and common sense.

One thing the Internet seems completely wrong about is this blend. I’ve smoked some good stuff. I’ve tried some Balkan’s, English and VaPers. I don’t have a ton of tobacco under my belt yet but I’m not inexperienced. I’ve got about a years worth of smokin in and the hobby just keeps getting better for me.

The point I’m failing to get to is that I really enjoy this blend. I’ve had other Captain Black blends that weren’t my favorite and taste too chemically and artificial for me (Cherry) but this really hits the spot.

The flavor is surprisingly deep and complex. I’ve tried Sir Walter Raleigh and Half & Half and they’re pretty one-note compared to CB regular. I get a lot of spices like cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla, maybe some nutmeg which I assume has to be the cavendish, followed by some mild dark and smoky flavor that seems like an old dark cellar (which is more enjoyable than it sounds). I assume this is the burleys. I can just barely make out the Virginia here but it’s there in the background and I think I’d notice if it weren’t there.

This tobacco at times feels much older than me. It has me nostalgic for a time long before I came into this world. For some reason it always makes me think of a good cold Christmas morning where you’re just happy to have folks that you’re close to. To me it feels like a winter smoke, though I could smoke it year round no problem. It’s a good all day type of smoke and never offends my senses.

I like to think this is as classic as Coke or McDonalds and should probably be treated as such. It isn’t fine wine or a good steak, but it’s not meant to be. It’s an OTC that comes in a pouch for cryin out loud. I don’t understand all the snobbery towards this blend. I’ve had some of my best “nirvana” smokes with this cheap drugstore rubbish (as the snobs would call it) and I think that’s saying something. It lights well, smokes consistent throughout and has enough variation to be interesting but not overly complex or too underwhelming. If you let it dry a bit and get a little age on it, it can develop into a nice smooth creamy smoke. Right out of a fresh pouch might be a bit wet and harsh.

I’d guess that one reason that people don’t enjoy this is because if they’re strong English smokers, this may very well taste like vanilla and hot air to their pallets. I’ve tried Dunhill - Durbar and smoked this afterward and could hardly taste the CB. I would suggest if you smoke strong English blends and want to give the captain a second chance, allow your pallet to adjust to the more sweet and subtle flavor of this tobacco. It’s not very intense or in your face like some I’ve had and it might take laying off on those stronger blends to adjust to this mild and mellow smoke.

We all know, that this is a "Drug Store Blend", or even a "Supermarket, Walmart, 7/11 Blend" But, does that make it a bad tobacco? Captain Black is the most popular tobacco in the United States. More of it is sold, than all bulk or tin tobaccos combined. Why? is it because people simply want to torture themselves, and smoke a bad tobacco? Or, is it that Captain Black, is a good overall tobacco? Yes it is a sweet, cavendish style, flavor cased, tobacco. But is that bad? NO! This is good stuff. It is cool, has a good ribon cut, is tasty, and has tobacco flavor. Some people say it burns to wet. May I suggest they pack it right. I have never had a wet bowl smoking Captain Black. I sometimes think there are just too many snobs in pipe smoking, and that is one reason many people won't take up the pipe. So I say lighten up. Relax, and take a sail with the Captain. You'll like the destination.