Lane Limited Captain Black Original (Regular)

I am very surprised to see all of that bad reviews of the Captain. This is not some fancy blend, but its been around a long time and is not going anywhere. It is a built mild for my taste, but remains in my rotation next to the more fancy overpriced tins of tobacco. The smell in the pouch is marvelous and this is one of the best flavored aromatics I have smoked and can be found just about anywhere. To all those that have negative reviews, your palette must be far different than mine.

A nice, inoffensive aromatic. One of my favorite go-to blends when I am in a pinch. Inexpensive, mild, easy to smoke with a nice room note. The vanilla topping is noticeable in the pouch and at the match, but are not excessive. Flavor stays with you almost through the entire bowl. Nothing really outstanding about it, but nothing bad either. Probably the first pipe tobacco I ever smoked, and is still readily available everywhere.

It's funny how CB has been around for so long and nobody claims to smoke it. Yeah right. It's not my go to, must have tobacco but EVERYBODY has it in their rotation at one time or another. CB is like self gratification: nobody talks about it but everybody does it;)

I recently began pipe smoking again with this and was not disappointed. Mild, no bite, lots of vanilla. Easy to light and keep lit. I was walking in Central Square, Cambridge, MA and was "escorted" by 3 lovely ladies who were enjoying the scent, and two of them were cigarette smokers! Too bad I'm married!

I had never tried this well-known tobacco, and was prepared to be disappointed after Captain Black Gold (I am spoiled by having a fine local tobacconist with excellent house blends). Instead, I was very pleasantly surprised; for a high-profile brand-name tobacco, this is very good. A blend of Cavendish including black C., it might be too sweet and sticky for some, but I liked it.

A good first-pipe-of-the-day smoke; not too strong, not too heavy; very easy on the tongue, and a satisfying smoke in my jumbo pipe. Good choice for new smokers and for when only the drugstores are open. I would not recommend it over custom blends, but taken as a popular commercial tobacco, it has my endorsement.

This tobacco is an easy target: you can buy it in groceries and gas stations, it's cheap, and it's an aromatic. "Real" pipe smokers like something more refined - even if that means a nearly identical tinned aromatic with a less well known name and higher price point.

This isn't a masterpiece. That said, it smokes cool and I find it smokes relatively dry. It has a pleasant taste to it, and it has an insanely pleasant room note. I never find it biting, and despite people referring to it as "goopy" it doesn't gum up my pipe and it burns well right out of the pouch. It is relatively affordable, and if you're in search of a full vanilla-ish aromatic, you'll be hard pressed to find one that is significantly better than this. There are a few that are it's equal, and a few that surpass it, but for the category I don't think it's outdone to a significant degree by many blends at all.

I have smoked Captain Black White on and off over the years because I think it has one of the best room note aromas of any tobacco I have ever smelled. That rates it 4 stars from the perspective of the non-smoker. However, I never appreciated it all that much since it had little taste and flavor, and smoked too wet with residual dottle. I give it 2 stars based on this. Why did I pick it up again from time to time after having given it up? It was that fantastic room note. If I had another pipe smoker in the house, I'd be tempted to pick up a pouch and have them to smoke it just so I could smell it again!

2.5 stars for me when all is said and done.

UPDATE 12-29-09: According to the description for CB White in the Dan Tobacco Catalog, CB White is now blended in Denmark: "As close to the original as possible - Made in Denmark under license." Perhaps this is why I have noticed a change in cut as well as taste. I believe Orlik to be the manufacturer. Before Orlik changed their website, they had it listed and described the flavoring to be that of vanilla, chocolate, and licorice. No whiskey whatsoever was mentioned. They also blend a Black Cavendish No. 1 in a 100 gram tin with the same design as CB White against the white background with gold border. They also listed the ingredients similarly. The new Orlik link takes you to the Scandanavian Tobacco Group (STG) and the Black Cavendish No. 1 is now listed under the Stanwell brand. The flavoring is listed as vanilla and caramel. There is no longer a pouch listing for the CB White, nor is Orlik mentioned anywhere on the new site as a blender. The original Orlik site had a great variety of blends that they manufactured and only a few of them (not even half of what was originally listed) are listed on the STG page under the Stanwell label. Very confusing to say the least!

UPDATE 1-18-17: Bought another pouch for old time's sake as I also purchased some CB Copper and RLP-6 for comparison (see my reviews of those offerings). For me, still the best of the CBs as far as pouch smell but still tasteless, unfortunately. Also has the best room note of all of the CBs in my opinion. If they could only figure a way of getting it to taste like that room note!

Captain Black (white) is the tobacco that represents what a pipe is supposed to smell like, this is what most of the old timers smoked when I was a kid and therefore it gives the aroma of PIPE more than any other blend to my nose. I smoked CB almost exclusively for the first couple of years I smoked a pipe and it still has the taste and room note that brings back fond memories of my childhood.

I have found better tobaccos now and there are certainly better quality vanilla aromatics out there, such as MacBaren's Vanilla Cream. However, I still keep a tub of Captain Black around for times when I want to reminisce about the past or for times when we have company over, as no other tobacco says PIPE quite as universally as the Captain.

Wanted to note that the description above should be "Rich black cavendish and mellowed burleys, exceptionally mild, delightfully aromatic".

Guys, I'd have to say that this tobacco is exactly what it claims to be. I am becoming more fond of this blend - and I used to make fun of it. I initially bought some when I was close to being financially broke and couldn't really afford anything else. Also,it was so available. At the time I just smoked it down without thinking much about it. Then I tried it about 6 months later and I'm just really surprised at how much I like it. I'm a guy who loves the English blends. Some of my favorites are Nightcap, 965, Early Morning Pipe, and Frog Morton on the Bayou for reference. I'm also fond of Virginias including Marlin Flake and I like Pease's Stratford etc. What's my point, well, I don't make fun of Captain Black anymore. I like it. It has its place in the rotation and when I smoke it, I really find that it is a refreshing switch from the more introspective English blends and the pure Virginias. I don't find that Captain Black gums up my pipe or anything like what many folks report. Let the bag air out a bit. Also, smoke it a bit slower,and swab the deck if you have to!

Everyone likes a donut or a pastry every now and then. Thats what the Captain is for me,and with no calories. I actually wouldn't mind buying a whole coffee can size of the stuff to have on hand and to let it age a bit. Dudes, sometimes quality can lurk right out in the open at your local drug store. Enjoy! But don't be ashamed of the Captain! The stock I'm finding around here is high quality.

Ok guys, what I want to know is how many of you sent away for the "helmsman" pipe advertised on the inside cover?! (was it any good.....?)