Captain Black

drac2485

What's your favorite Captain Black blend?

PappyJoe

None of the above. I haven't smoked Captain Black since about 1978.

Watchmaker61

Have only smoked the original, as I can't find any of the others in my area. Wish I could as I'd like to try them all.

Corey562

Have not tried many of them temd to lean more to Sir Walter Raleigh.

Redhorse

I've tried most of the Captain Black line of OTC blends and I didn't really care for any of them except for Captain Black "Royal" which I found to be an enjoyable smoke.

PappyBadger

Captain Black Black Sea is the only one I care for.

PipeProfessor

I've only had Captain Black Cherry. It's no Cult Blood Red Moon, but a good 'yard work' blend.

judandhispipe

I have never smoked Captain Black,and do not ever intend to do so. I smoked enough drugstore aros when I started out to last me a life-time.

dstrib

Have only tried the Gold and White pouches.  Agree with @PipeProfessor, not bad for the yard.  Have been eye balling the tinned blends.

drac2485

I've tried Dark but didn't care for it to much but at the time I hated straight Black Cav blends.  I've tried the White pouch and loved it, its just sad out how expensive it is in my area if I can find it, plus with the FDA stuff going on I'm in the mode of picking up blends I like that may go away.

PipeProfessor

I too am eyeing the tin blends @dstrib

PappyJoe

I'm actually considering buying some captain black next month. Just because I haven't tried it in 40 years

PappyBadger

The quality and taste of the tins is quite different from that of the pouch. Premium if you will

thewanderingdude

@ PappyBadger Black Sea is pretty damn good. I just bought 4 more tins of it on sale at Pipes and Cigars. I also enjoy the new copper blend as well

LostMason

Captain Black original is my goto blend , I ordered a lb a couple months back
so I could keep it in my daily rotation.

PipeProfessor

Thanks for the info about the tins @pappybadger. I will have to put some in my cart next time I'm on P&C.

crapgame

Capt gold and royal are good get anywhere smokes...the tinned ones i have yet to pull the trigger on nor have i tried dark and copper

JamesH71

I quite enjoy Captain Black original, and I'd like to try their Royal blend sometime. 

PappyBadger

Uf! Didn't like royal at all. Didn't care for cherry either. So I mixed the two together and was pleasantly surprised the outcome. The toned down cherry flavor was just enough to kill that "taste" of the royal.

dstrib

Original is good. I can't say I have tried many others.

drac2485

@lostmason  If you like the original (white), does it have a soapy taste or could that have just been my pipe?

LostMason

Could/probably be a difference in body chemistry. You may be picking up on something I'm not,
or it may be a conflict with some thing in your diet.All the more reason to try as many blends as
you can.Some you'll like,some love,some wouldn't give to rabid dog.

Woodsman

Never really enjoyed one, I've only smoked 3 types.

Pipesmoke33

Captain Black Royal is my all-time favorite.

ghostsofpompeii

There were many years when Captain Black was my go to blend and really only moved on when The Tinder Box opened near me and I started trying their house blends. But even then I'd ask the Tobacconist "what's similar to Captain Black?" - and he directed me to their blend North Sea. Then right around the time The Tinder Box shuttered their doors I inexplicably received a catalog from Thompson Tobacco, and with the closing of The Tinder Box began ordering Thompson's aromatic blends Piped Piper and Magic Flute. Again choosing blends that had similar attributes to Captain Black in their catalog description. A short time later US Steel enacted their no-smoking policy and I cut back drastically on tobacco usage. Which brings us to the present - and this time after discovering the YouTube Pipe Community and Pipes And Cigars. com simultaneously I began experiments with a variety of aromatic blends from Sutliff and other manufactures, as well as purchasing a sampler of Captain Black blends. And after revisiting Captain Black Original, Gold, and Royal ... which were past favorites I remembered what it was about the blends that I enjoyed so much. And once again include them in my regular rotation. Captain Black seems to be much maligned by many in the pipe smoking community, and maybe because I'm strictly an aromatic smoker, but I think it's a very nice smoke. The biggest draw-back is the pouch price which is pretty steep for an OTC blend, so I'd only buy it in bulk.      

ThePipeDean

I recently tried Captain Black Grape and I have to say it is pretty good. I really enjoy that and Captain Black Copper they both are not bad for OTC blends.

Deadpool57

What is Captain Black a cavendish burley aromatic mix?  Can't say that I've had it by itself but I've definitely received gift bags with a Captain Black and some other tobacco as a blend.  The room note, I thought, was outstanding! A big mix of vanilla in it.  

ghostsofpompeii

A little while back I posted a comment stating that I enjoyed all the Captain Black blends with the exception of Cherry which left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth long after smoking it. Then after reading several responses, most of which were positive, I decided to give it another go. I've heard it said that it may take a few bowls of a particular blend before it strikes a positive chord. So I soldiered on. Well one thing that remained unchanged was the pouch note which is possibly the most-off putting aspect of the blend, a sickening sweet chemical smell. But as for the actual smoking experience I must say it was much more pleasant than before. The scent in the pouch did not translate to the taste of the tobacco. The cherry flavoring was not so pronounced as to detract from the tobacco, nor did it leave me with the bitter aftertaste associated with artificial sweeteners like Saccharine or Aspartame as it did before. And as with all Captain Black blends the tobacco was flavorful and mild, left behind a great room note, and there was not a bite in the bowl. Same tobacco ... same pipe ... but different results. Go figure. I would still rank it at the bottom of my list of Captain Black blends, but I will no longer avoid it at all costs, and return to it without reservations.     

Philip

I"ll be the first to admit that I don't give the Captain a fair shake. My experience also varies widely but it is because it's been regulated to one of my 'car smoking blends'. I keep a pouch in the car and if I don't have anything in particular going, I'll grab that. Since it sits in a car all the time the conditions are all over the place, it might be like a desert or a rainforest or even a winter wonderland outside and the tobacco changes all the time. Sometimes I like it, other times not so much. If I were to not leave it sitting in the car I'm sure it would be much more consistent. 

By the way, I don't mind smoking away in my car because, 1) I drive them until they can't go another mile. They either end up in the junk yard or donated to the local Fire Dept. to practice on so I don't worry about resale, 2) nobody ever asks to borrow my car, and 3) my life is too short to worry about something like a car. I'll do what I enjoy with the time I have.

ghostsofpompeii

I don't know how much it would help since the tobacco is subject to such variations in temperature, but you should try the old Mason jar trick. Just get one of those short stubby 2 oz. jars with a nice wide mouth and pour your tobacco from the pouch to the jar before placing it in the glove compartment. Since the Mason jar works so well for both long and short term cellaring it might at least give your tobacco a fighting chance combating the temperature variances of your car's interior. I imagine a dried up batch of Captain Black would sour you on the brand in no short order.  

Philip

Good tip about the jar Mr. Ghost. Just keep it out of the sunlight or I'll have a little tobacco greenhouse going.