So What's the Deal With Captain Black

[thuber88]

First the Earth cooled, then the dinosaurs came, a few years later they opened up these things called drug stores, there were no "tobacco shops" and all you could do was get a pipe and tobacco at the stores that existed.

These pipes were Grabow's and Falcons, and they were cheap, and so was the tobacco, so you learned on your own, or what your dad smoked.

So for a very large percentage of people, it was CB,SWR,come cherry flavored stuff, or cheap cigars or cigarettes.

While many moved on to new flavors and new experiences, some chose not to or could not afford to, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Every pipe smoker is one more pipe smoker to keep the smoking world spinning every day.

When the bubble pops for many of the more snobbish smokers out there, what will be left is the normal people, and guess what they will smoke, whatever they can enjoy at the end of the day, or to relax. Whether that is lawn clippings, tea leaves or CB, it just doesn't matter if you enjoy what your doing.

People at either end of the scale have no reason to look down or up to the others, just smile and recognize a fellow smoker and appreciate the brotherhood that we share.
Of course its always easier to say than to do. Theoretically speaking, but I'm big on theory..

 

[wnghanglow]

Thuber your the reaso. I don't skip posts on this forum, never thought of the Bubble popping!

 

[thuber88]

You need to add a little more soap in your tobacco, then you can see. :lol:

 

[jgriff]

Ghosting is part of it. In addition, CB and a number of the other drug store aros will leave alot of goop. It's not a huge deal but you'll be cleaning a little more, that's all.
But if you're trying it for the first time, be cautious and use a cob or, even better, a beater Kaywoodie or Grabow if you have an extra floating around....

 

[flyguy]

cgrmaster wrote:

He loves his CBG, and that is the only thing he will smoke. Does this make him a non pipe smoker, I think not. Who is anyone to judge what he should smoke and enjoy? Who has the right to look down on someone like this, no one. There are more pipe smokers like this than there are of us, trust me. These old timers have their one blend a couple of pipes and they are happy. The guy at the pipe club who looked down his nose at the guy smoking his CB is an a$$hole.

+100

The best judge of what you like is you! The best judge of what I like is me!

 

[fitzy]

Zono people look down on the Lane products as well. I find Lane 1Q and RLP to have far less goopey stuff than any OTC. I think what you'll find is that the Lane products are very similar CB. Some people say identical however as I said above I found the Lane products to be far less goopey.

 

[puffy]

In my neck of the woods 12 ounces of Captain Black cost $10 more in the store than 16 ounces of lane bulk tobacco cost me online.

 

[zonomo]

Zono people look down on the Lane products as well

wow, i didnt know that. I LOVE Lane BCA. Its emerging as one of my favs. No goupy probs at all that Im aware of.

 

[fitzy]

I'm a fan of BCA, RLP and the 1Q. All good to me. No goop. Most however just lump them in with the regular OTC stuff such as CB's. I know some swear it's the exact same thing.
Z have you tried Frog Morton's Cellar? I think it's a good cross over between an English and an Aro. It's fantastic.

 

[judcole]

I never meant try every OTC Aro or even that you have to try CBW, I'm saying if your curious try it, obviously your not

Glad you clarified.
Cigrmaster's point about his neighbor is well-taken. Most pipe smokers are not hobbyists - they are like this fella. If he's happy, good for him - just like the guy who smokes flavored White Owls.

Guys who join pipe clubs, and go to pipe shows, and so on are hobbyists, and have a totally different attitude towards pipe smoking. Amongst that crowd, drug store tobaccos, Lane blends, and almost any aromatic, for that matter, are considered fine for new folks, but not for serious pipe smokers.

 

[lyle]

I think that part of experience of being in a club like this (I don't have a local pipe club, but I have been a member of the local homebrew club for years) is figuring out who in the club 1) really knows their stuff, 2) who is fun to talk to regardless of their knowledge, and 3) who to avoid because they don't fall into either category #1 or #2.
Everything becomes a lot clearer when you get to know people and where they are coming from. Hang in there, you'll figure out who the bozos are pretty quickly.

 

[reap]

Captain black white is worth trying - I've found it to be tasty and smooth and a little goopy at the end. If it had some N in it I'd consider smoking it regularly for the flavour and aroma for others.

 

[nsfisher]

My own take on it (after smoking it for quite some time and never really getting past the "it's OK" stage and into actually liking it) is that it's mediocre at best, with too much topping and only fair quality tobaccos, inherently blended and formulated more to please those in the same room as the pipe smoker, rather than the smoker himself.

I have tried it a few times and that's about my take on it. Little too wet for me, even with hours and hours of drying time. But, if it is all that is available, I could smoke it.

 

[zonomo]

UPDATE: Nobody here is going to believe this but I swear its the absolute truth. I went to 7 stores to find this stuff and NOBODY carries it. I first went to Bartells. No dice. Then Walmar #1, nope. Walmart #2. Nope. 7-11 #1, nada. Walgreens, nah. 7-11 #2. not happening. So I finally said, screw it, I'll go to my B&M. AND THEY DIDNT HAVE IT EITHER!!!! I didnt walk away empty handed. I picked up to corn cobs so when i do find this crap, I'll have something to smoke it in. 8O

 

[bigboi]

Zonomo, my local little smoke shop has it, I am not to far from you I can get you some if you want.

 

[zonomo]

Zonomo, my local little smoke shop has it, I am not to far from you I can get you some if you want.

Really? Where are you? I am in downtown but all of the 7 shops I tred were in Bellevue. My B&M is Tobacco Patch.
Hey Mike: So tonight i tried my first ever Navy Flake in one of the Cobs. All I can say is.... Interesting...

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

To respond to the original post, its possible the gentleman came down from Canada, and if so the cost difference on tobacco is significant. Its possible CB could be expensive for him even being an OTC.

 

[piperl12]

"Cigrmaster's point about his neighbor is well-taken. Most pipe smokers are not hobbyists - they are like this fella. If he's happy, good for him - just like the guy who smokes flavored White Owls.

Guys who join pipe clubs, and go to pipe shows, and so on are hobbyists, and have a totally different attitude towards pipe smoking. Amongst that crowd, drug store tobaccos, Lane blends, and almost any aromatic, for that matter, are considered fine for new folks, but not for serious pipe smokers"
Exactly Right Jud, I shudder to think what would have happened to pipe smoking if these old codgers hadn't kept the torch lit for us to enjoy it as a hobby and pass the flame. We now have artisan pipes and tobacco's and enjoy an experiance that our fathers never got to experiance. My father smoked a pipe for 60 years and only smoked half and half and then later Amphora Regular and the odd white owl slim cigar. Was it not for him I would not get to enjoy this excellent hobby and the gentlmen here that make it so enjoyable.

 

[zonomo]

I'm a little surprised you didn't care for that navy flake, it's a very pleasant tobacco, lightly aromatic and clean smoking with little or no tendency to bite. Can you put a finger on what it was about it you didn't care for? Or maybe it was that it just seemed to be missing something?

I know right? I am beginning to think there is something wrong with me. I could be that I smoked this in a brand new cob, which obviously hasnt been broken in yet. I'm not giving up on it yet but you hit the nail on the head. I just tasted like smoke to me without flavor. I can only describe it as "flat". I dont know.

 

[zonomo]

Amongst that crowd, drug store tobaccos, Lane blends, and almost any aromatic, for that matter, are considered fine for new folks, but not for serious pipe smokers

I think this sums it up.... yet, there I was, as with Mr. Captain Black, at a Pipe Club smoking our Aros. I think there is a parallel here with wine drinkers. Certain wine people would thumb their high-altitude noses at people who drink certain blends or worse yet, based upon the cost of the bottle. I think there is a certain amount of "group think" with society where people want to like what everyone else likes. That may explain Justin Bieber and the Kardashians. I sure hope nobody ever writes a book on what constitutes a "serious pipe smoker" because I consider myself pretty serious about it.... and yet.... I smoke aros, go to pipe clubs, spend a lot of time here, but tons of pipes and tobacco and really like pipe people. Now where did I put that 1Q.......