Player's Navy Cut

[jaingorenard]

Already posted in the Open Tins thread, but wondered if anyone else here had tried this. It's one I've been looking out for for a while. This tin was a gift from my friend, which was quite rusted and very dry. However, it wasn't stale. I have just smoked the first bowl from scraps while the flakes themselves rehydrate. I loaded the scraps quite loosely and blew air through them. I have to say, it was fantastic. Very dark, rich VA flake, with something still quite fresh about it. I don't know if this has Perique in it, but wouldn't be surprised to find out it did. I'm hoping the rehydrated flakes will be even better.

 

[jpberg]

Already posted in the Open Tins thread, but wondered if anyone else here had tried this. It's one I've been looking out for for a while. This tin was a gift from my friend, which was quite rusted and very dry. However, it wasn't stale. I have just smoked the first bowl from scraps while the flakes themselves rehydrate. I loaded the scraps quite loosely and blew air through them. I have to say, it was fantastic. Very dark, rich VA flake, with something still quite fresh about it. I don't know if this has Perique in it, but wouldn't be surprised to find out it did. I'm hoping the rehydrated flakes will be even better.

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Yes. When I was a wee pipe novice I bought a few tins from a guy in Ontario. Didn’t appreciate it.
Fast forward several years to when I first had Astleys 44. It reminded me of that.

 

[jaingorenard]

Yes. When I was a wee pipe novice I bought a few tins from a guy in Ontario. Didn’t appreciate it.
Fast forward several years to when I first had Astleys 44. It reminded me of that.

I'll have to dig out a tin of Astleys 44 and compare!

 

[Sig]

Ive never seen their pipe tobacco.
But smoked their cigarettes in their funny boxes while in Canada. When the drinking age in Canada was 19, but 21 in the US we would take the short drive over the border for a weekend. I must have done that 20x in the couple years between 19 and 21. This was the late 1980s.

 

[Terry Lennox]

I always assumed it was a competitor in the market to Capstan. Was sold in pouches in the UK up until a few years ago. You can see photos of the modern version here:
Link

 

[BingBong]

The numerate blend, Players, "It's the tobacco that counts".

 

[jpberg]

I always assumed it was a competitor in the market to Capstan. Was sold in pouches in the UK up until a few years ago. You can see photos of the modern version here:
Link

It seemed a bit darker than Capstan to me, but I bet you’re correct.
Of course, mine had some age, so I can’t speak to fresh.

 

[Goblin_Walrus]

The numerate blend, Players, "It's the tobacco that counts".

* Dracula voice * Ah!

Two, ah ah!

 

[jaingorenard]

I always assumed it was a competitor in the market to Capstan. Was sold in pouches in the UK up until a few years ago. You can see photos of the modern version here:
Link

I saw this article - I never got to try that iteration, as I only started smoking in 2012 and favoured Latakia blends. I'd hazard a guess that the Imperial version is fairly different - it's pretty full-bodied, and not exactly weak when it comes to nicotine (though maybe not exactly strong either?).

As @jpberg said, I would say this blend is significantly darker and richer than Capstan, though having never had earlier iterations of Capstan I can't really compare like-for-like. An aged tin of Capstan would be a great find. I have come across sealed cutter-tops, but they were a bit on the expensive side for me.

 

[greeneyes]

Smells to me like cinnamon cookies.

 

[jaingorenard]

Smells to me like cinnamon cookies.

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There's definitely a sweet, fresh, almost tongue-tingly note to it - although that might just be the rust in mine!

I think there probably was once a boozy top note of some sort. I'll be interested to know what you make of it when you smoke it!

 

[greeneyes]

To me the closest approximation to the old Players is Wesley's No3 Medium, in terms of cut and the base Virginia in terms of quality. Players is more treacle cinnamon while No3 is more chocolate, but I found the resemblance striking enough to warrant buying several pounds of the No3.

 

[Terry Lennox]

It is interesting that some of you mention cinnamon, because the original Capstan, going way back, had coumarin as an additive, which is found in cinnamon. Coumarin in tobacco was eventually outlawed in some countries. I have detected a cinnamon background note in Mac Baren's Capstan Blue. But I take the points made above that Players was a much stronger tobacco, perhaps with some burley in the recipe to give it more strength than Capstan.

 

[Peter Turbo]

To me the closest approximation to the old Players is Wesley's No3 Medium, in terms of cut and the base Virginia in terms of quality. Players is more treacle cinnamon while No3 is more chocolate, but I found the resemblance striking enough to warrant buying several pounds of the No3.
View attachment 413349

was smoking some wesleys navy today, lovely stuff. havent tried the medium yet.

 

[Sig]

Smells to me like cinnamon cookies.
View attachment 413340

What the crap is a cinnamon cookie??
A Snickerdoodle?
Im not sure I've had a cinnamon cookie, but id like to try a dozen.

 

[krizzose]

Ive never seen their pipe tobacco.
But smoked their cigarettes in their funny boxes while in Canada. When the drinking age in Canada was 19, but 21 in the US we would take the short drive over the border for a weekend. I must have done that 20x in the couple years between 19 and 21. This was the late 1980s.

I did the same in Detroit, early 90s. It being pre 9/11 meant that the US border guards were completely unbothered when the designated driver answered the citizenship question for the people passed out in the back seat.