Captain Black anyone?

[Alottalatakia]

Dear Gents,
I just decided to launch this topic to see what you think about Captain Black blends...And not only what you think about them and any particular blend. I'm fascinated by the passions this tobacco entice! Loathed and loved almost in equal proportions, reviews about them are wildly varied and they have almost always a emotional connection, since for many people it is where they started their pipe smoking career. It is cheap, available everywhere, even here in the Brazilian backwoods and can be as sweet or disastrous as the first kiss or the first STD. Could you share some thoughts?

 

[Stick]

Yes, it really is a blend that divides opinion.

As is often said, the best tobacco is the one you enjoy the most, regardless of packaging. To put it another way, if Cap'n Black didn't have a name or label, would you choose to smoke it?

 

[peanubutter]

The local store here only carries the over the counter blends, Captain Black, Borkum Riff and a few others. So I have a pouch of each of the Captain Black blends and a few tins. I find most of them mellow and uneventful with a good room note. I only have a two of the blends open since I don't want to have too many packages open. I think they are a good starting point though.

 

[Alottalatakia]

Yes, it really is a blend that divides opinion.

As is often said, the best tobacco is the one you enjoy the most, regardless of packaging.  To put it another way, if Cap'n Black didn't have a name or label, would you choose to smoke it?

And this is exactly in line with what I read once. Someone pointed out that Captain Black Royal and Lane 1-Q were all but the same thing and bashing CBR while praising 1-Q sounded hypocritical. How it would fare in a blind tasting I wonder...

 

[Brewdude]

Actually I've never had it. Must try it out sometime, simply for the experience.

No, this is not a mooch attempt. So please don't offer to send me any!



Cheers,

RR

 

[Alottalatakia]

The local store here only carries the over the counter blends, Captain Black, Borkum Riff and a few others. So I have a pouch of each of the Captain Black blends and a few tins. I find most of them mellow and uneventful with a good room note. I only have a two of the blends open since I don't want to have too many packages open. I think they are a good starting point though.

And not as offensive as some say. I actually came across some ridiculously expensive and hyped tobacco that were awful!!!

 

[Blackhorse]

The local store here only carries the over the counter blends, Captain Black, Borkum Riff and a few others. So I have a pouch of each of the Captain Black blends and a few tins. I find most of them mellow and uneventful with a good room note. I only have a two of the blends open since I don't want to have too many packages open. I think they are a good starting point though.

And not as offensive as some say. I actually came across some ridiculously expensive and hyped tobacco that were awful!!!

Yup...one man’s passion is another man’s poison. Certainly, Capt. Black is one case in point. Another hotbed of competing opinions is the broad sweep of Gawith blends. Therein lies much of the fun surrounding competing preferences.

 

[Zanaspus]

It's not for me, but I'm not much into aromatics. But, as always, smoke what you like, like what you smoke. Words to live by.

 

[Fr_Tom]

I have tried it, but it just does not do anything for me. I am glad other people like it.

 

[user 2027]

Tried it the first time I started smoking a pipe in '97. I believe it Captain Black Blue and wasn't a fan. Then discovered London Mixture and Nightcap and I was off to the races. Now if they had introduced Captain Black Grape back then it would be a whole new ballgame :lol!:

 

[Blackhorse]

Tried it the first time I started smoking a pipe in '97.  I believe it Captain Black Blue and wasn't a fan.  Then discovered London Mixture and Nightcap and I was off to the races.  Now if they had introduced Captain Black Grape back then it would be a whole new ballgame :lol!:

OMG...please...I haven’t eaten yet. :fpalm:

 

[BriarPipeNYC]

I use Lane Ltd RPL-6 and HGL as base blends, then add other blending tobaccos or other available mixtures to create a new, "hybrid-blend".

RLP-6, and HGL = Captain Black-original...but HGL has the addition of a small amount of Latakia. Both can be enjoyable, mild, smokes. Either you like them, or you don't.

The addition of a little cigar-leaf, helps both.

 

[Alottalatakia]

Actually I explored the full gamut of OTC tobaccos available in my time. Captain Black was the last of the lot. Amphora and Clan were the first tobaccos that I actually finished the pouch.., learning more or less how to manage the smoke along the way. I vividly remember  Amphora's ready rubbed looks, flavor and smell in the pouch. As for Clan, I only remember its shag like cut.., but everything else eludes me till today.., very busy with aromas competing for attention. Then I moved on to Borkum Riff.., pre-ship design pouch  still with the crest in it. Very pretty indeed! I liked that a lot..! Specially the Black cavendish and the regular/white blend. It was also the first time that I  totally hated a tobacco- Cherry cavendish...! That was bad, so bad that, I thought, perhaps I should try something without Chocolate, whiskey, cherry, champagne or even cavendish written in the label. I still tried  Troost, a dutch cavendish..., very different from all those above.., but still too sugary. And when I reached the Captain Black range.., well, I hated it. It was too sweet, too late. At last I came across Mac Baren. Well, I surmised, Scandinavians may do better pipe tobacco! And worked then and have been working till today. This said so.., I'm glad that I started with those OTC blends. Since all good pipe tobacco brands disappeared from the Brazilian market I can go back to them with a wiser and more balanced understanding of their qualities and/or weaknesses... And still have something to smoke... And enjoy them!

 

[Blackhorse]

Sidebar story:  I remember dropping into he now gone Dunhill store in downtown SanFrancisco and purchasing a pretty large canister of their A21000 blend.  It was a great smelling vanilla aromatic. Was told it was one of their most popular blends.  Turns out it’s Lane 1Q.  

http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/1434/dunhill-a-21000  

You can still find Dunhill A21000 out there in bulk and once again, years down the road, I bought a quarter pound of each and did ‘em side by side.  Same same.  Identical.  It’s still an enjoyable smoke if approached with the proper attitude.  

https://www.4noggins.com/dunhill-bulk-a-21000.aspx

Cap’t Black and other OTC blends can be enjoyed in the same manner.  

But I draw the line at Grape...fer gawdz sake.

 

[Alottalatakia]

Sidebar story:  I remember dropping into he now gone Dunhill store in downtown SanFrancisco and purchasing a pretty large canister of their A21000 blend.  It was a great smelling vanilla aromatic. Was told it was one of their most popular blends.  Turns out it’s Lane 1Q.  

http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/1434/dunhill-a-21000  

You can still find Dunhill A21000 out there in bulk and once again, years down the road, I bought a quarter pound of each and did ‘em side by side.  Same same.  Identical.  It’s still an enjoyable smoke if approached with the proper attitude.  

https://www.4noggins.com/dunhill-bulk-a-21000.aspx

Cap’t Black and other OTC blends can be enjoyed in the same manner.  

But I draw the line at Grape...fer gawdz sake.

hahahahaha! And indeed 1-Q is something else! It is everywhere.., with many different names and disguises..., people may have smoking it under a different moniker and never realized that.

 

[ftrplt]

As we are voting of a sort on this subject...I vote No!!! :cheers: FTRPLT

 

[Fazby]

I haven't had CB white in a long time. Never tried the other pouches. However, Red Sky is delicious (to my taste buds anyway - YMMV).

 

[peanubutter]

This topic reminds me of the 'real' cigar versus acid cigars. I am more of the like what you smoke, smoke what you like. And my order last month included a CB grape pack. I'm not scared. :lol!:

 

[Corncobcon]

Just the work "grape" in the name of a tobacco turns me off. I haven't tried CB since my college days so I don't remember it.

 

[DrumsAndBeer]

I have only ever had the CB White and one called Round Taste which was anything but flavorful. Turns out that Round Taste used to be called CB Light but was renamed along with all everything else that used to be called light or mild. Both of these were not my cup of tea, but white was a slight improvement over the round taste.