Lane vs. Captain Black

[adrianslomo]

I read somewhere from tobacco reviews that Lane's 1-Q, RLP-6 and BCA are actually Captain Black Royal, White and Cherry respectively, but without the preservatives. CB puts them in to preserve shelf life. Is this true?
I'm asking because Captain Black is the most widely available (vs only 3 other brands) in my country.

 

[olkofri]

They're probably Lane's counterpart to CB, just like MacBaren Seven Seas blends are (MB goes one step further and colours its tins to match). But I don't see BCA being a match for CB Cherry: BCA is all black cavendish and doesn't taste or smell like cherry at all. Maybe Lane's Very Cherry is the one you're thinking of?
Lane's blends have preservatives too, mostly humectants, which can leave a chemical aftertaste. I would think they're far superior to CB, though: Craptain Bleak is quite bottom of the barrel stuff. If you can get Seven Seas where you live, I'd smoke that instead.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

The closest to BCA in the Captain Black line would be Captain Black Dark.

 

[sablebrush52]

Lane makes Captain Black. I used to love Captain Black. After a hiatus of many years I decided to buy a pouch to see how I would respond to it. Blech! The taste of chemicals was way too present. But I also taste the chemicals in 1Q, BCA, RLP-6, and can't abide any of them, either.

 

[danimalia]

My understanding is that you are correct. I might suggest an e-mail to Lane to confirm which are which, and if they're not forthcoming, try the folks at some of the online vendors.

 

[homesteader]

I smoke Captain Black Royal and bought some bulk 1Q believing it to be the same. It's not. It looks and tastes different. I smoked the 1Q in a pipe reserved for CBR and was disappointed.
I had some CB Dark that was about a year old. Maybe age was the only difference, but I liked it better than the BCA.
There is a fellow who posted a series of videos on youtube comparing the Captain Black blends to their supposed identical counterparts. IIRC CB White and CBR came out ahead, but he thought Lane BCA was better than CB Dark.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

just recently I had me some Capital B Original mixture, and the initial taste of it seemed to me way more chemical loaded than say Carter Hall or Sir Walter Aromatic

 

[bosmer]

Id like to compare Lane RLP-6 with Captain Black bulk(instead of OTC pouch).

 

[f4phantomdriver]

Id like to compare Lane RLP-6 with Captain Black bulk(instead of OTC pouch).

I had bought RLP-6 from one vender because they didn't have any Captain Black Original in bulk. I was craving my CB so I ordered from my back up vender of 10oz of the bulk. I was a little weirded out because the two bulk tobaccos were identical to each other in cut, smell and smoking aroma. Now, the pouch and tub captain black is very different from the bulk. I still had some in my tub and compared them all. Needless to say I thought I'd been had because Captain Black is about 50 cents more an ounce then RLP-6! I emailed the vendor who sold me the CB bulk and he said that they are very close but different sauce. I don't think it is any different. The captain black bulk and RLP-6 are the same darn thing. They are exact. I will never buy CB in bulk again. All it is -is RLP-6 with a higher price tag. Plus, CB original in the tub and pouch tastes a whole lot better than the bulk!

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Captain Black Original (white) is not Lane BCA. I smoke both occasionally they are both ok, but not the same.

 

[homesteader]

I didn't care much for Captain Black original when I started smoking years ago, but recently I tried it again and liked it. I also got some Lane RLP-6 and I cannot tell the difference between them. I can't really tell the difference between BCA and Captain Black Dark now that I've had more of it.

 

[f4phantomdriver]

They're probably Lane's counterpart to CB, just like MacBaren Seven Seas blends are (MB goes one step further and colours its tins to match). But I don't see BCA being a match for CB Cherry: BCA is all black cavendish and doesn't taste or smell like cherry at all. Maybe Lane's Very Cherry is the one you're thinking of?
Lane's blends have preservatives too, mostly humectants, which can leave a chemical aftertaste. I would think they're far superior to CB, though: Craptain Bleak is quite bottom of the barrel stuff. If you can get Seven Seas where you live, I'd smoke that instead.

Captain Black is not bottom of the barrel tobacco. That is your opinion, but the tobacco used in the blends are of high quality and the flavorings are food grade. Lane Limited had been around for a long time, if the Captain Black line was "Craptain" like you say, they wouldn't have been selling the blends for 50 years. I've never had any chemical aftertaste. I do know people who have though. I'm not trying to argue or anything because we do need to stick together as pipe smokers. We are a dying breed for sure, but myself and I'm sure hundreds of pipe smokers enjoy the simplicity and "home cookin'" of Captain Black tobaccos.

 

[mortonbriar]

I gave a friend some RLP - 6 to smoke when his tinderbox equivalent 'chartwell' (I might have remembered that name wrong) ran out. He said it was ok as a substitute but DEFINITELY not the same blend...and although it was the same blend in actuality, I believe the psychology of a favourite blend, its name and all other connotations contribute to the individual's experience. If you enjoy a smoke better because it has a sailing ship on the pouch, then smoke the pouch with the sailing ship on the front!

Lane produces a defined quantity of aromatics that get labelled according to the market they are for, and then once the bulk blends get to the individual B & M they get personalised to make them more sentimental or local to the environment. Perhaps different storage methods (like 2oz pouch vs 5lb bulk bag) get different preservative quantities, but other than that I would be surprised if the Captain Black blends and their Lane bulk counterparts are different recipes.

 

[anotherbob]

I smoke Captain Black Royal and bought some bulk 1Q believing it to be the same. It's not. It looks and tastes different. I smoked the 1Q in a pipe reserved for CBR and was disappointed.
I had some CB Dark that was about a year old. Maybe age was the only difference, but I liked it better than the BCA.
There is a fellow who posted a series of videos on youtube comparing the Captain Black blends to their supposed identical counterparts. IIRC CB White and CBR came out ahead, but he thought Lane BCA was better than CB Dark.

thanks because I am sick of people saying they're the same.

 

[drrock]

Personally I don't know for certain if many of the Captain Black offerings are, indeed, Lane bulk blends put in a pouch with more humectant or not.

I've read that they are/they aren't, but have never seen a definitive answer to the conundrum.

However, it's been my impression & personal experience that the following are pretty close to being the same:

Captain Black Original (White) ~ Lane RLP-6
Captain Black Royal ~ Lane 1Q
Captain Black Gold ~ Lane MV-1000
Captain Black Black ~ Lane BCA
Captain Black Cherry ~ Lane TK-6

YMMV!

 

[anotherbob]

Personally I don't know for certain if many of the Captain Black offerings are, indeed, Lane bulk blends put in a pouch with more humectant or not.

I've read that they are/they aren't, but have never seen a definitive answer to the conundrum.

However, it's been my impression & personal experience that the following are pretty close to being the same:

Captain Black Original (White) ~ Lane RLP-6
Captain Black Royal ~ Lane 1Q
Captain Black Gold ~ Lane MV-1000
Captain Black Black ~ Lane BCA
Captain Black Cherry ~ Lane TK-6

YMMV!

I always find these lists suspect. I do however find that they work in a if you like this you'll love this one. Though Royal tastes nothing like 1q to me. Royal is much more fruity then 1q in my opinion. But I could be wrong and who knows maybe the moisture levels and storage make a huge difference.