Capstan Original Flake

I see why J.R. chose this blend. The flake is much better than the ready-rubbed.

Full bodied flavor consisting of subtly sweet bread notes, a hint of dark fruits (think plum or raisins). Doesn't bite if you smoke slowly, and the smoke is smooth and rich. A high quality blend. Will purchase again.

Pretty good. I only smoked one bowl fresh. Gonna let it age before I really make my decision on it.

This has been my go to tobacco since the early 1980s, except for the nearly 20 years it was not available in the US. Medium to full bodied, cool smoking if you smoke it at a reasonable pace. Not a tobacco for someone who puffs constantly. Smoke it slow and relax! Acceptable room note. A delicious Virginia flake tobacco for Virginia lovers!

The Original Capstan is excellent. Naturally sweet, smooth and flavorful. medium bodied but not too strong or harsh.

One of the perfectly all-round full Virginia flakes. An honest flake with just enough sweetness to make it accessible to a wide range of smokers.

A superior well rounded straight virginia flake. If you like virginias you like this.

If you like a nice tasty Virginia, sweet hay, mixed with some citrus notes - it’s a nice fresh natural sweet bowl. It’s always in my rotation.

Cody Q.'s review described the taste best: bright and grassy with a hint of citrus that's subtle yet present enough to satisfy the lemonade enjoyer within me. I'm relatively new to pipe smoking, but this is easily my favorite out of all that I've tried and will likely continue to be for the foreseeable future, much to my wallet's dismay. As a Virginia it does burn a little hot, but smoking in a churchwarden effectively mitigates that (with the added effect of making you feel like Gandalf).

A most excellent Virginia offering. Very enjoyable standard Virginia qualities, bright, grassy hay barn notes, very subtle citrus, nice roasty,toasty creamy finish, with a thick, voluminous smoke. After spending many bowls with Capstan O.G. Navy , I have concluded it is the background music of tobaccos. By that I mean it is a fine companion to a multitude of tasks one's day might comprise of. Like a nice soundtrack of classical music to assist with your studying, writing, meditation, etc,etc. I mean, it helped bring about the hobit and the lord of the rings!

I'm relatively new to pipe smoking, but I have studied up quite a bit and had the pleasure of trying a fair number of tobaccos at this point. This tobacco is perfect. I lit up my first bowl in my little hardwood missouri meerschaum pipe, and got tongue bit. As soon as I put it in my other prince style pipe I had no problem and it was pure bliss. Literally everything about smoking this is perfect. Sweet, smooth, fragrant, natural, good to the last puff.

I get the flavor of sweet raisins. I bought it because it was J.R.R. Tolkien’s favorite tobacco. Now I know why.

Excellent flake, but alas expensive - which stops it from getting 5 stars.

Smooth taste

Ohhhhhhhhhh.now I know why JRR Tokens smoked it..the complexity..aroma..wow.nice

I acquired this solely on the idea that this was JRR Tolkien’s particular brand of pipe tobacco. The first pipe I used was one that had an aromatic in it years prior and thus destroyed the initial tasting. Recognizing this I had a Comoy’s estate located acquired it solely for the purpose of this and CS Lewis’ 3 Nuns. A dedicated bowl was the trick and while I did not like the Capstan blue as much as the 3 Nuns I was pleasantly surprised on how fresh the smoke is compared to my typical English blends which are Latakia heavy typically. I will probably obtain a few more tins and lay them up to mature over time to see if that is more to my liking. My guess is that Tolkien smoked it as he got it and didn’t age anything at all.

In my years of pipe smoking I have tried many virginia flakes. All the famous ones, and a good number of the more obscure ones. Capstan Blue is my favorite. Period. Citrusy, grassy, sweet and mellow. In never bites. And it always comes at a good moisture level, lights easily, and stays lit well. It’s medium bodied and flavored for a satisfying but not overpowering smoke, and has a nice round sweet room note. And I’ve never found it out of stock when ordering, which these days is a common thing. It is the Fender Telecaster of pipe tobaccos: straight forward, no nonsense, satisfaction.

An excellent Virginia tobacco, absolutely one of my favorites now. Smokes cool and flavorfully, no wonder it was a choice of the honorable John Tolkien. I will continue to smoke and recommend this tobacco to anyone who likes Virginias.

What a great surprise

This is a phenomenal tobacco. It has a naturally sweet taste that begs for 2 or 3 more bowls once your first is finished. It burns well and the smoke has a lot of body. Definitely a tobacco to smoke slowly and enjoy. Cheers!

This is a very earthy blend with hints of hay and grass. Very pleasant smoke.

It’s a great mild Virginia that can easily be smoked all day. Definitely going to get more to cellar.

Really nice flavor. I tend to be a BCA smoker (Lane preferred) and more yellow tobaccos tend to bite me hard or hit me with a "gag" moment about 30 minutes in but the Virginias in this are a real treat. No bad bite, nice flavor and aroma. Tend to mix about half/half with BCA. Absolutely get again.

The flake rubs out easily and has the perfect moisture content. Obviously a premium high grade virginia with it's own unique flavor that separates capstan from other quality Virginia's with little if any bite.

Very good, nice Virginia

Most excellent.

Heavy smoke and great flavor.

Very nice, mellow, tasty. Recommend.

A good solid tobacco, nothing fancy. Burns well.

I really like the flake tobacco. P&C had it on sale, and I'm glad I purchased it. Flavor is great, and it has no bite that I can tell. It's a great smoke. Highly recommend it for anyone who likes the flake products!

Never tried it before, but I found it to be nice and smooth!

It’s a bit pricey but it’s worth the convenience. How so? Well, the flakes are cut perfectly. The moisture is just right, needing no adjustments or wait time for drying it out. The flavors are consistent. It’s always a great smoke. I’ve been smoking a lot of Peterson Flake, Full Virginia Flake, Solani 633. While all of those were are absolutely amazing, I’m very much enjoying the Capstan. I’ll let others get into the fine flavor details. I love predictability and easy of preparing a bowl just right with this one.

This is a great mellow tobacco. The tin smells of raisins/plums, and light hay. The smoke flavor is similar, mild, slightly sweet. A very pleasant smoke!

My first Virginia and one of the blends that made me go from “I like smoking a pipe” to “I LOVE smoking a pipe!” Sweet and rich, grassy, bready, just wonderful. The smell out of the tin alone is worth it.

A smooth smoke. Might be classified as an all day tobacco. About the closest match I've found to the discontinued Troost.

Easy to fold and stuff.

This is one of my top three favorites. It's my first straight Virginia. I wasn't sure if I would like a straight Virginia but this was excellent! It's no wonder Tolkien apparently liked this one.

Love the smell and aromas involved in this tobacco, the sweetness and the powerful taste!

This is fine

This is a fantastic tobacco. I am sure this is what old toby tasted like., this tobacco gave inspiration to the greatest writer of the greatest novels of all time. Imagine Tolkein writing about the battle of helms deep while smoking this tobacco.

First straight Virginia, and first flake as well for me (newbie here). Very fine smoke, and I will be ordering more to smoke, and cellar. I do not have a very discernible palate, and as Jeremiah M up above said with an eye roll “it’s sweet and cool.” That’s about as perfect as I can describe it as well. Gave about an hour smoke with the fold and stuff method and burned to ash with little dottle. Love it.

He really enjoyed it. Hard not to like a classic

All the comments mentioning hay and grass notes are correct. I usually go for more robust blends but I really like this mild classic. Excellent quality and very approachable. A great choice.

This is a excelent all day smoke.

As producers of Virginia flakes close their doors, the flake resins a stalwart against which others are to be measured.

Out of the handful of tobaccos I've tried this is my favorite and will probably be one of the tobaccos in my rotation. It took me a few bowls to get to know what flavors and such were in there. The tin note is ketchup-esk with a hint of hay and citrus (eye roll) like everyone says. When I smoke it, it's sweet and cool. Really like this stuff.

Wonderful Matured Virginia Blend. Experienced smokers will REALLY appreciate.

Glad to find it local stores have stopped carring pipe tobacco

I had smoked Capstan Yellow and Blue many years ago - and in fact saved one tin of blue in my cellar, so I was able to compare the "new" vs the old - tho' of course, the old has aged since about 1980 (yea, that long ago), so they WILL BE DIFFERENT. But, the two weren't that much different! The taste is similar, the cut is almost the same (the older we approx. 1.0mm wider strands). The newer was a little sharper, but that's to be expected. I hope I can buy more - as I like the flavor of the Blue. I hope you all don't like it as much as I do, so there will be more left for me.

great service...highly recommended

this is what I expected. I have smoked it for a long time and this pretty much what I expected.

Great smoke-nice room note.

I'm a beginner, so everything is new. I smoke this one on a clay churchwarden and it's smooth and pleasant. On the third bowl I started getting more details not noticed before. If you are a Tolkien fan, you have to try it, since he is known to smoke this tobacco.

Just as advertised. A mellow and straight-forward Virginia with a fine flavor. A bit on the pricey side, but a nice smoke.

Everything I buy From here is excellent. They have never let me down!

I'm a latakia smoker, and I usually turn my nose up at any Virginia blends. This one however, is top-quality and one the only Virginia blends I like!

Capstan Blue is a mild-medium Virginia flake with a wonderful citrusy, hay aroma out of the tin. There is enough darker leaf to give it body, and plenty of Virginia sweetness and grassiness. Capstan responds well both to being rubbed out, and being folded and stuffed. Mild, tasty, and fragrant. This is one of my favorites.

There are times when we all want something that is uncomplicated, without numerous ingredients, condiments or toppings. To me, Capstan Original Flake foots the bill. Pure Virginia taste, period. This tobacco is great for earlier in the day when the palate wants to keep things simple. The flakes are beautifully wrapped and when rubbed out, I ended up with a pile of fluffy ribbons. Burns to a white ash while providing a sweet Virginia taste throughout the smoke. Basics can be difficult but, this tobacco is basics done well. Highly recommended.

I thought it was very smooth but a little too much bite.

Whether you're new to smoking flake-cut tobacco, or an old hand at it, definitely try this! Capstan boasts a time-tested flavor, that is pleasant all around. The price is a little steep, but the product is worth it, even still.

Love the flavor, not harsh, great milder Virginia flake.

I have been pipe smoking for a few years now but it was not until I tried Original Flake by Capstan that I really began to understand what is a good Virginia. I smoke English blends more than anything else but after trying Capstan Blue I can safely say that straight Virginias will be more regular in my rotation. It has a great grassy / hay flavor and when sipped is sweet. It can bite if smoked too hot and fast, but I have found that happens with most Virginia blends. Give it a go (and feel like Tolkien!).

I hesitated purchasing this since the price is comparatively higher than other blends. Well I just purchased a tin and immediately opened it. This broke my first rule I impose on myself of always putting tins into the cellar for 6 months prior to smoking. Wow! This is one fantastic tobacco. It is just the right blend of tobacco. Really mild but not too mild, burns great and absolutely no tongue burn. It is quite hard to describe this tobacco. Each pressed piece is exactly right to rub out and fill an average size pipe. Just one thing I must mention. Dunhill Ready Rubbed is as close to this as you can get and almost 1/2 the price. I smoke DRR as my daily tobacco but will make sure I have Capstan on standby for at least two smokes each day.

This is a excellent tobacco. Definitely in my top 5. Only thing to say negative about it is the price. It is so good that even that doesn't stop me from buying it. Highly recommended.

Capstan Original Navy Cut is a straight Virginia blend with a slight but undetectable casing. It is just shy of a medium bodied blend; lighter than Dunhill Flake and a little sweeter. Typical Virginia hay and grassy notes are there with some sweetness and an occasional lemony apricot-y note wafting through. Silky, creamy, simple, unpretentious, and delicious are words that come to mind. Comes ready to smoke, but also benefits from a few minutes drying time when new. Smoke it gently and enjoy.