Lane Limited Captain Black Original (Regular)

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.

Fact: I only smoke aromatics & I have only been smoking a pipe a few years, but I have smoked cigars & cigarettes, & chewed tobacco so I know some things about baccy

Fact: You can't flavor bad tobacco & make it taste good

Fact: I got this wild hair & went into a Cigarette store, waited in line behind a weird guy, then bought a pouch of this for $10 (the cost plus tax & .50 to use a debit card) its not cheap OTC it was expensive BTB (behind the bongs)

Opinion: I love this stuff, its not too flavored, lights & smokes great, room note is very nice and no lingering Burley effects like you smoked a cigarette

Opinion: I think people who negatively review this, but really don't even smoke this type of tobacco are trolling, all Captain Black blends aren't good, but this is a fine go to blend

Opinion: You can't flavor tobacco without consequences you have to compromise something - in other words if you over flavor tobacco you get blends that are sticky, hard to light, hot burning steam etc. If you back off the additives & flavorings just enough, you can really enjoy the taste of the tobacco & have a solid aroma

I don't know why so many people knock Captain Black tobaccos. I rather like them, and I think extra points should be given for price and availability. The overall quality is better than most people judge. I don't smoke the cherry, but I do smoke the White, Royal and Gold. Of these Royal suits my taste best - it's a little more refined than White with a slightly deeper tobacco taste and less vanilla topping. However the White Regular is also a good smoke with a stronger vanilla aroma and slightly less obvious tobacco taste than Royal. Overall a very nice aromatic smoke, more complex and higher quality than most people judge. I like it and always have a supply in my cupboard. Smokes nicely in my Big Ben which has a slightly wider bore and therefore easy airflow. No wetness. Burns down to a nice clean ash.

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.

Update 11/25/15. After bad experiences with Paladin, as well as the awful Captain Black little cigars I tried when I was 18ish, I swore off drugstore blends. Then I read the reviews on this site. I first tried this in 2010. It is an vanilla aromatic with various tobaccos used and delivers a nutty and vanilla room aroma. It has a high nicotine content and highly recommended for someone who wants to quit cigarettes. Not recommended as a beginner's blend for the same reason. It will color a meerschaum within a few years.

Note: It must be bought fresh or it will sour quickly.

I originally gave this 4 stars. However, I found PA and can actually taste the PG in aromatics now. I haven't been able to go back to aromatics since, even though I smoked them for 16 years. I smoked this particular blend for 5 years until my eyes were opened.

I'm new to pipe smoking and thought I should give such a popular and mild tobacco a try. The pouch note was nice, a combination of vanilla and mild tobacco. It lingered in the pack I carry every day and was a pleasant reminder that I had the stuff with me and might get to try it soon. I must be getting better at packing and lighting as this was the first bowl of anything that stayed lit for a good while, even very moist right out of the bag. But this is also the first time my Peterson System gurgled. I thought easy burning and liquid buildup wouldn't go together, but again I'm new. The smoke itself was mild in strength and flavor, but just tasted like a fancy cigarette, if that's a thing. I don't know what flavor I want; I just know I don't want a cigarette. The room note was not good according to my wife and I agree based on what I smelled coming straight out of the bowl. On the plus side, I got no tongue bite, which has been an ongoing problem as I learn how to manage my pipe. So a Not Recommended from me. If you want to try the $1 special I keep seeing, you can't go wrong. I wouldn't pay the $10 I did at Walgreen's again. Cheers

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.

Captain Black Regular (White) is the best selling packaged pipe tobacco in the United States. By far. Bud Lite is the best selling beer in the United States. By far. So is Captain Black Regular the best pipe tobacco available and Bud Lite the best beer available in this country? Not exactly. But the sales do reflect the fact that a lot of people like them. There is an unfortunate tendency for people who do not prefer very popular products to be condescending toward those who do. I am not overly fond of Captain Black White myself, but I find no reason to ridicule its many admirers.

What is Captain Black Regular? It is a combination of black cavendish cavendish, burley, and Virginia. The pouch mixture is mostly blackened leaf. It has one unquestioned strength. The room note is outstanding, like that of toasting marshmallows. Smoke this tobacco and you are almost guaranteed a comment of, "Oh, that smells good," from non smokers.

The taste is surprisingly restrained for a tobacco with such a pronounced room note aroma. You get the vanilla, and a touch of chocolate, but the taste is not at all strong. The nicotine level is low.

This is an exceedingly moist tobacco. Yet, surprisingly, it burns well and is not difficult to keep lit. With a restrained sipping technique a pipe full can last a long time, and many of those who smoke this tobacco exclusively can prolong the smoke for an extended time.

The Captain promises an "exceedingly mild" blend. It can be when smoked slowly with a careful puffing technique. Smoked rapidly, this is not an exceedingly mild tobacco.

Likewise the smoking technique affects the moisture problem. A carefully restrained puffing cadence does not eliminate the goo, but it does keep it within reasonable bounds. Puffed rapidly, Captain Black Regular will yield a gurgly pipe.

Given the necessity for careful smoking technique, Captain Black Regular is probably not the best pipe tobacco for a beginner, for novice pipe smokers tend to puff overly strong.

I smoke aromatics about one quarter of the time. I find Captain Black Regular to be a decent but not outstanding smoke. Personally I prefer both the Captain Black Royal and Gold to the White. I give the White high marks for the room note, but find it quite ordinary otherwise.

As with other aromatics, there is ghosting of flavor in succeeding smokes. I usually restrict smoking aromatics to my cobs, meerschaums, and Dr. Grabows.

Honestly,

I find this the blend I enjoy the most. I've smoked from low end to high end as far as reviews go and if on a desert island I'd want this along.

Perhaps my tastes are different from most but I have no complaints. This consistently satisfies me ... and I guess in the end that's all that matters 🙂

Rev. Avery