Lane Limited Captain Black Original (Regular)

You know, I am a beginner. I mean, pipe smoking, actually... And all advisers, I asked about a blend to begin, told me "try this!" in one accord. Well, I've tried... Camille Corot said that the impression is everything... Yeah, my first impressoin was amazing! French painter was right... Of course, I've had nothing to compare, but that was beautiful combination of taste, scent, sensation of process as a whole. Even a little tongue bite, came through, has introduced a spicy note in the process. I've tried a lot of others after that, but I always return to CBW. Perhaps, it's kinda first love...

BTW, I feel thirst during smoking just this tobacco. It does not disturb me, but interesting.

For a Lane aromatic, Captain Black White is a decent tobacco. I purchased it in a 1.5 oz. pouch for $5 and think that one can get higher quality tobacco for less money, but it is not a complete waste of cash. It is less goopy than I imagined it would be, though that PG quality to the tobacco is definitely there. The aromatic aspect is also surpringly subdued at the beginning of the smoke but crescendoes towards mid-bowl and quickly decrescendoes at the last quarter bowl. This aspect is creamy sweet with a slightly floral edge--perhaps like a good irish cream. I have had no problems keeping it lit or smoking it to the bottom of the bowl. It burns to an even gray ash and leaves only a little residual taste in the pipe that will be pretty much eliminated in one or two bowls of another tobacco. Probably its biggest plus, the room note is very good and even non-smokers tend to like it. The casing is ever-present and defines the character of the smoke, but it is not unpleasant or overwhelming. I prefer to temper its sweetness in a clay, but a small meer or briar can work as well.

I have to throw my two cents worth in on Captain Black White since I smoke so many over the counter blends. I do not like this blend except for the nice aroma it gives off. It might be a nice intro tobacco for someone starting out, but it doesn't taste like tobacco to me. I started smoking aromatics when I was younger and got sort of burnt out on them. Now I dearly love all those classic American over the counter burley blends like the Prince or Kentucky Club but they taste like tobacco. Plus there are lots of neat Americana stuff to collect, like old ads and tins, with those real old timey blends. The other thing I like about over the counter blends is their low cost but this is expensive for drugstore tobacco. I would suggest going to Rite Aid and checking out their aromatics at half the price if you can't get to a tobacco store.

This is one of the few drugstore tobaccos I do smoke once in a while. It's frankly about as good as most black cavendish/burley blends you will find in tobacco stores and generally at a cheap price. Although I've found Walgreen's Black and burley blend pretty similar for an even cheaper bargain. I smoked it primarly because of a financially tough stretch, and this is what I could afford literally, and I don't smoke it now at this moment. However, if times find me short of cash, this is one of the blends I'll be happy to stuff into one of my cheaper pipes and enjoy. We sometimes forget that pipe smoking isn't just about tobacco, but the experience, and I'm glad to know this old friend is still around.

Like many pipe smokers, this is the first brand of pipe tobacco I ever had. People call it a drugstore blend, which I suppose it is, but the quality level is above that (though still below tins). The taste is pretty strong vanilla.

Like everyone in here says, the aroma is awesome. The smoke has a sweet, vanilla-esque aroma that is really something. I can definetely see how people would want to smoke this in front of company that might be traditionally hostile with pipe smoke. To my surprise, I had at least a few people comment on how good the aroma was.

Despite what everyone else in here says, I had a difficult time keeping this stuff lit, even when I gave it time to dry (and it -never- dries).

Overall not a bad blend, though maybe not the best beginner one (it's too harsh and doesn't stay lit very well).

Edit: Meh, I reduced the positiveness of the review. The thing is, this tobacco is quite harsh. I don't know what it is (added chemicals? burley?). The biggest blow to this tobak for me is the fact that it isn't actually cheap. They sell a 1.5oz pouch for $4.79 around here, and the truth is that it's actually cheaper to get more or less the same thing out of a jar, minus the bizarre chemicals and probably with higher quality leaf. Plus, the same "lady killer" aroma comes out in pretty much every vanilla aromatic. And hey, it'll keep the pipe snobs from ruining your mystique to women by complaining about a drugstore blend.

I just had to try this famous stuff.

I'm a huge fan of the aromatics, which surprises me since I usually tend towards the stronger, darker tastes in food, coffee, beer, etc.

Captain Black White is a very heavy aromatic, but it's also a crowd pleaser. The pouch aroma is delicious. It smells good enough to eat! The mild taste of vanilla is present the entire time, it really doesn't develope much beyond this, but it tastes so good that I don't mind it. It packs nicely, lights easily, and smokes pretty dry, although a little warm. It leaves a nice grey ash. The aftertaste is a little gummy, but again, it tastes good, so it doesn't bother me. There is no bite to this tobacco at all, and for a drugstore blend, it's well worth the money.

A great tobacco for beginners (as I am). Can't complain with the availability, nice room note, mild burn rate, pleasant taste. It gets a bit goopy in the bowl as it burns down, but I dont mind as I smoke this blend in a Missouri Merschaum corn cob. A great lunch hour smoke. Same goes for the Capt Black Royal (blue pouch). I found that the vanilla mellows out a bit as the pouch is allowed to breath over time. Definitely appeals to non-smokers and those sensitive to cigarette or cigar smoke aroma.

While, admittedly, I am very new to pipe smoking, my friends have allowed me to try a number of the 'drug store' brands and this is by far the best, in my humble opinion. Admittedly, I'm an aromatic smoker, and I like a sweet, smooth, light smoke. This tobacco is all of the above.

My only complaint is that it's not very rich or complex, and it gets sort of repetetive about half-way through. Also, I wouldn't finish the last fifth or so. I didn't find the last fifth particularly unpleasant in and of itself, but it was a very jarring and rapid transition from the light, smooth vanilla to a somewhat more piquant tobacco flavor. If you like roller-coaster tobaccos, feel free to ignore my advice, but I just found it sort of ... I don't know, disturbing.

I hope to upgrade to a better tobacconist brand very soon, but this will surely hold me over for now.

*********

Well, I've been smoking for a few months now, I've had some changes in thought.

This tobacco is not quite the roller-coaster I thought it was. I can now smoke a full pipe of this stuff without problems. I was just smoking it too fast, so my recommendation is to take it easy with this stuff if you're new. I still think it's a great cheapo tobacco, and if it was all I had available I'd smoke it without complaint. But if you want something similar but not quite as wimpy and with a bit more complexity for about half the price look for Admiral's Choice Vanilla Cavendish at your local CVS.

I was out driving this evening and realized I did not have my pouch with me. So I stopped at the drug store and picked up a pouch of Captain Black White.

I can remember many, many years ago years when my late father would drive over to the drugstore (with me and my little brother in tow) for a pouch of Captain Black as a change of pace from his regular Tinderbox blend. He would smoke it, but never stuck with it for long. Now I understand why. It was mild, slightly sweet, and smelled nice. It just did not have any umph.

So while I was not crazy about Captain Black; it reminded me of my dad. For that, it was wonderful.