We’ll since we’re all sharing our favorite colors, I’ll go. Gray is my favorite color. As for the tobacco it’s too expensive.
Capstan Original Navy Flake (Blue)
- Thread starter Briar Lee
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Maybe. Probably works out to be around $1,00 per bowl. The price of a really, really cheap cigar. $1.00 for an hour of smoking pleasure. If you like Capstan Blue, or any other blend for that matter, $1.00 per bowl is certainly not extravagant. That compares to around $.70 per bowl for most standard tinned blends. A 30 cent premium if you consider Capstan Blue a premium tobacco.
30 plus years in the hobby and I never tried Capstan. Guess I will try the blue and gold in 2023 to see what I'm missing...
Really missed out on when they were offering capstan in bulk. They dont even have the 250g veermaster anymore. 4 kg is a bit too much for me.
Speaking of Captan, I have a collection of tins from over the years, mostly from the 1980s and '90s. This picture shows the graphics that changed on the Capstan blue tins, the earliest being to the left of the picture and the last ones I bought around 2000 is on the right of the picture, at least that's the way I remember them. Also included in this picture is a empty tin of Capstan Full. It was a great smoke, especially after aging. Also in the picture is Robert McConnell Scottish Blend, circa the late 1980s. The John Cotton's was just another empty tin
I had nearby. As I recall it was orientals with Latakia, but it was never my cup of tea.
I had nearby. As I recall it was orientals with Latakia, but it was never my cup of tea.
Tolkien may have smoked the brand, but he never smoked the MacBaren version of it. It’s impossible to know if the current fresh version bears any resemblance to the Tolkien-era fresh version, other than being a Virginia flake. (Unless there are some long-lived pipesmokers here who took meticulous notes back in the day.)
Nope. There is a huge difference between smoking a long-aged version of a blend and a fresh tin. That’s why I specifically compared fresh-to-fresh in my post. JimInks would have had to have smoked his 1938 vintage in 1938 to be able to make a direct comparison.
Absolutely, I agree, there is a huge difference between a fresh tin of Capstan and one that has a few years of age on it. I haven't aged any of the tobacco made by Mac Barron's, but I imagine it would Age nicely, most Virginia flakes do.
Capstan Blue, (or Capstan Medium as it was usually called in those days), had a good deal of variation between years, and even between batches. An older tobacconist told me that there was even a point in time when Imperial tobacco used Rhodesian Red Virginia tobacco in Capstan Blue. Not sure what his source of information was but you could tell a difference in the color and the smell in the tin. It was a darker reddish brown color with a rich aroma from the tin.
I had one sales rep in the 1980s tell me, "All of you 'tinned tobacco' smokers are crazy because you think you can tell the difference between batches of tobacco!"
But it was true, there was often significant variations between batches of Capstan in those days. They were darker in color then the Mac Baron's version and to my nose no more like raisins than hay.
That's really reasonable considering only a 30 cent per bowl difference. I live in the Pacific Northwest where people routinely pay $5 plus per cup of coffee sometimes multiple times a day. And I do find coffee enjoyable and indulge in it myself on occasion though not nearly as often since I retired as it keeps me awake during my naps.
At 30 cents per bowl; if a person smokes five bowls a day that's only a saving of a $1.50. It would take more than 3 days to save enough for that $5 cup of coffee.
I know times are not as easy now as they have been in the past and prices are going up on everything. I have even been trying some less expensive tobacco's, mainly out of a desire to try new tobaccos that weren't around when they stop smoking 20 years ago. I have found C&D Bayou Morning flake to be a very pleasant surprise and was even more surprised when I found the bulk version that was rubbed out. That's considerably less expensive then Capstan but it really decent smoke. I expected it to be hot, wet smoking and to bite my tongue. I found it smoked cool and dry without biting my tongue. It seems to me the aroma of the smoke is milder than Capstan also.
I've tried the Blue and enjoyed it, even back when I was preferring English blends. The golden haired sister is still on the shelf and gives me a wink from time to time - she'll get her turn.
Right now, my only open straight Virginia is F&T Blackjack, and I'm liking it.
Right now, my only open straight Virginia is F&T Blackjack, and I'm liking it.
Caveman like Pegasus tobacco. Pegasus tobacco give nicotine and good flavor for less than .20 a bowl. Caveman like swr too for same price as Pegasus. Caveman no smoke cigars.
Search, there's tons of threads here covering that subject.
Sometimes I wish I enjoyed straight virginias more. The burleys are just so much easier for me to smoke. In all seriousness though, I haven’t tried this one in a few years and I’ll have to try it again when I get the chance. I do think it’s pricey but no pipe tobacco is really THAT expensive as you said (at least as of right now). I’ve only tried the blue one when I was a noob and I imagine I was packing it too tight.
I have a tin of 2013 from a generous member that I've smoked 2 bowls of today and fixin to spark up a third. I only have one flake left and I'm feeling a little verklempt. This is my first tin to smoke of Capstan Blue so a little spoiled. I immediately jumped on the aged 2019 deal after smoking my first bowl of this one. I give it 4 stars. I don't like the price on a lot things but I don't let that stop me from enjoying them if I want. Lifes to short to smoke cheap shit
I smoke a lot of Capstan Blue and it's one of my favorites.
Taxes here in Denmark are crazy - but funny to see, that Capstan Blue is one of the cheapest tobaccos in Denmark.
50 gr. costs 169,50 Dkr = 24,62 USD.
Taxes here in Denmark are crazy - but funny to see, that Capstan Blue is one of the cheapest tobaccos in Denmark.
50 gr. costs 169,50 Dkr = 24,62 USD.
You are right, that pricing is insane!
Finland is even more insane in this regard. Country where standard Mc Barens pouch tobacco or Amphora start at $ 28 yet assortment is very limited. Our Nanny State health officials have declared their aim is to cease tobacco consumption till the end of 2035