Tobaccos W.D. & H.O. Wills - Capstan Mild Navy Cut

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2003-12-18		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

The flake rubs out easily enough. The moisture content is perfect and the tobacco stays lit well in the pipe. It produces huge volumes of flavor and does have that wonderful and mysterious casing that enhances the overall presentation. I have sampled many Virginia flakes in my lifetime, and this one is as delicious as any of them.

If you are looking for big virginia flavor though,you may want to look elsewhere. If you just want something inoffensive to puff on, well then, Capstan Mild is your ticket!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gestalt (20)	2016-03-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

To my taste this is a great Virginia flake and sadly, an under rated one.

Great uniform flake presentation with perfect moisture content straight out of the tin. Grassy light notes mingle with stewed fruit/figgy darker tones and some mild spice is pleasantly present throughout the bowl. I cannot detect a topping, although apparently there is one!? It's so well behaved I usually smoke a whole bowl on two matches and have never been bitten despite being a very aggressive puffer at times and my fast smoking has never marred it's taste.

Age When Smoked: Various from fresh to three years +

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Uban (60)	2014-11-11		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I'm adding this just to boost the rating. I believe it's worth a solid three stars, light & pleasant as it is. The new MB offering is definitely lighter than the blue, which is one of my regulars in straight Va. I like the slight topping of (maybe) orange; it never cloys or bites. Just a good, light Va.

Pipe Used: Clay & briar 'wardens

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: JR

Similar Blends: Light Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Uban (60)	2014-11-11		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I'm adding this just to boost the rating. I believe it's worth a solid three stars, light & pleasant as it is. The new MB offering is definitely lighter than the blue, which is one of my regulars in straight Va. I like the slight topping of (maybe) orange; it never cloys or bites. Just a goos, light Va.

Pipe Used: Clay & briar 'wardens

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: JR

Similar Blends: Light Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cargohold (14)	2014-03-26		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Well after being impressed with the navy cut medium of this tobacco I was tempted to try the yellow tin put out by MacBarens as well and guess what? I found it actually sweeter (in a natural way) and tastier than the old Wills release from years ago. Lighter and more floral than the blue but a great change of pace especially with the Summer coming up.

Pipe Used: Sasieni, Comoy, Dunhill, BBB

Age When Smoked: one year

Purchased From: cargohold of Poulsbo

Similar Blends: Dunhill Light Flake, G.L. Pease Union Square, Dan Hamboorger Veermaster, D.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2012-12-18		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This is a great VA flake that follows through on everything it promises. It is mild in flavor, but surprisingly has a nice nicotine kick. To my taste it is not as good as the original navy cut which is a little fuller in taste.

It is due to this that it misses 4 stars from me, but if you favor a lighter taste in your va's then this would easily jump into the four star realm.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2012-07-11		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Based on a 1.5 oz sample. I hadn't smoked this for many years, but my memory is that I preferred the medium version. No matter - this is a light colored long flake that folds easily or rubs out just as easily. The flavor leans towards the grassy side of virginia, but with a pleasant and not overblown essence of citrus. At times, it also seems to flirt with a darker VA flavor, but this goes away just as it's beginning to gel.

I'd call this a "steady eddie" in that it provides little in the way of excitement but is completely congenial and inoffensive. Like all straight virginias, it will singe the tongue if the smoker doesn't take precautions. I found no overdose of nicotine here and it was quite easy to smoke. Not terribly long on flavor, I'd call it a refreshing smoke rather than one with much depth. Reminded me of OGS in that regard, but the citrusy nature of OGS was considerably more subdued here. It was more of a bit player rather than the star it is in OGS. If you like light, grassy virginias, this is definitely one to try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Connoisseur (47)	2012-02-09		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tobacco is in the same mold as Capstan Medium (Blue) though I would not consider it any milder. It's a much brighter flake - almost yellow in colour with a slightly stronger zesty topping reminescent of fermernted fruit with citris overtones. The moisture is just right and the smoke is pleasent and smooth, but may bite the tongue if not careful. In my opinion Capstan Mild is every bit as good as the Medium, and should satisfy any lover of quality virginia flakes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-08-01		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Capstan Mild Navy Flake is my standard tobacco since the 1980's. A very straight forward light Virginia that I can smoke any time of day. Like with most tobaccos of this type, it should be smoked slowly. If you don't have the patience and suck like crazy on the pipe, wanting to have a stronger smoke, it WILL bite your tongue!

No, it's not an flavour explosion in your mouth, but a cool slightly sweet smoke. The second half of the bowl the taste increases in depth in a way I enjoy very much. The only light Virginia flake I liked more was Four Square Mild Navy Cut (Yellow), but it hasn't been available for years.

As an occasional smoker, I really like the Capstan tin. The seal is very tight, so it keeps the tobacco moist for months (if you are careful when opening it the first time)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipemanuk (76)	2009-08-24		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well, there is the nice raisin'y scent on opening the tin and it looks a very pleasant flake...but for me that's about it.

In the pipe it's thin in taste, nippy on the mouth and generally unispiring to smoke. This is a newish tin mind you, and I have much older ones with the logo horizontally on the tin as per the above picture.....but to be fair if you are going to review a baccy, it's far more honest (and useful to the reader) to base it on a modern tin.

So, as far as Capstan Mild Navy Cut goes, I'd say not to bother.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-07-26		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This flakes are beautifull, large rectangules, as big as the tin. On the tin it comes not very moist, aroma is on the raisins side. Very easy to rub but I prefer it folded or turned into a ball, since it seems to smoke too fast if rubbed.

It's not exactly a mild tobacco in strenght or flavour, but closer to a medium. Smokes really smooth. Dark-gray granular ashes, as stated before.

In the taste department I find it very roasty, warm, like a slightly over-cooked fresh raisins bread. Not much sweetness, nor citrus.

Highly recommended for those who like a roasty flavoured virginia, as I do. Perfect for a early smoke or as an all day. (from a tin with the vertical lettering)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Caripu (11)	2009-03-03		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A good blend, but not overwhelming. I tried it in the hope to replace the hard to find in my town Peterson´s University Flake but unfortunately it plays in a different leage. It seems quite flat in taste comparsion, not so rich in subtle aromas. The tin I got needed a lot of relights to end the bowls and burned too hot. Not bad, but I'll keep with University Flake as I can get some tins.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipepundit (168)	2009-02-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Capstan Mild is an exceedingly well-behaved flake, submitting to rubbing out fully or partially or to being folded and stuffed with equal grace, and without bite. It burns cool and leaves a dark granular ash.

It is a little `brighter` in taste than the Capstan Medium, but with lesser depth. I rather enjoy it as the first smoke of the day, and also mid-morning, but by the afternoon the tastebuds need something fuller. The taste and room note are comparable to those of Luxury Navy Flake.

The lettering on my tin is vertical rather than horizontal - I suspect to make room for the fatal warning.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (129)	2008-06-06		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Original 6/6/2008

Finally managed to get hold of a couple of tins of this, I have'nt had it for years, and I didn't like it then, so I thought I'd give it another try.

A very good quality tobacco, perfect moisture content, rubs out well without turning to sawdust, packs easy and burns down to a fine grey ash with just one match, no tongue bite.

A smooth cool smoke, slight hint of lemon in flavour, much better than Orlik's Golden Slce, but not much else, just a good honest tobacco, not pretentious in any way, wife did not appreciate the room note, I didn't notice it, thus "pleasant (for me) to tolerable" (for her). Sad rearly, I keep expecting more flavour from this tobacco, and it just isn't there, so I have to keep reminding myself, "If you want more flavour YOU SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT THE MEDIUM and not the MILD"

As I can only get this from Germany, when someone goes, will I ask them to get me some more ? most certainly yes. Will I miss this if I run out ? YES I think I will.

update 21/1/2010

Well I did buy more because I knew I would miss it before I ran out. I tend now to let it dry out on a sheet of newspaper for about 24 hours. It now makes an excellent "First thing in the morning smoke" for me, along with a large mug of industrial strength tea.

Well worth 4 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2008-04-27		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

This is a high quality Virginia way too mild for my palate. It varies from a sweet and grassy mild Virginia taste which reminds me of Mac Baren Virginia No. 1 (minus the tongue bite), to an almost flat smoke.

Airing out before smoking improves the taste a lot, as it does DGT. In fact, I only smoke this tobacco after DGT'ing, which kicks the taste and improves its strength significantly.

I haven't tried it yet, but if Capstan Medium Navy Cut is similar at an extra strength, I'm gonna love it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dubinthedam (133)	2008-04-13		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Just started with this one, I am switching more to flakes these days having tried and liked, McBars Navy Flake. This is a really great mild smoke. I find it fruity and citrus. My first bowl was a bit of a disappointment. But there after it just gets better and better. Its amazing how a 'MILD' tobacco can have so many hidden surprises in there. It was tobacco of the month in Amsterdam's most famous shop here - http://www.hajenius.com. And, rightly so. I picked-up the Blue tin (Medium) liking it so much, but that felt a little like a Navy Flake with too little flavour for me, I am sure that will change as I smoke it though.

But right now the mild is great. It feels like a good french white table wine, that you just keep going back to (in your superior cellar) because it is so honest and modest. That said the price is a little high. Along with Sherlock Holmes from Peterson, this will be my all day mild and sweet smoke...and I know that for sure 100% only after about 5-6 bowls. Now how many tobaccos can you say that about?

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-10-16		Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

This is a very mild and smooth smoke. But it is not rich. Rather it is refreshing. There is no 'get in the way' flavoring. Best for folks who wants to try out pipe smoking. Or good for short smoke breaks cause I find this stuff burns pretty fast and also vey hard to make this thing bite. Too bad I can't get it over here in HK. If it is then this is my everyday smoke for work and play. But this would not be the end of the day bliss, not enough flavor for that type of use.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Scottgun (11)	2006-02-02		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Contrary to what one might think when they hear the word 'mild', there is significant taste present in this blend. I let a veteran piper try some and he thought it was more like a medium. The tin I picked up had at least 3 years of aging. The tin aroma is inviting, but the flavor I found to have too much of a cigarette quality however that might be because it does not age well. Good tobacco in a pinch, but I have two more tins of this around and they will probably be given away.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2005-12-19		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was smoking this for a number of years on and off. One day I found a tin that was forgotten in a drawer for some years. Now, that tasted better! I started to age tins of Capstan Yellow and I have to say that this has upgraded my perception of the blend greatly. A very nice virginia flake with a subtle orange topping, that builds some strength towards the end. Can be very pleasing, provided the tins are aged IMO

There exists a rubbed out version of this also, which I have tried, but for some reason find it inferior

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2005-06-03		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

There just isn't a whole lot to work with here. I bought a number of tins that have been aged 5 years. This aging has apparently worn away whatever character that may actually have existed. Capstan Mild smells good, albeit lightly, in the tin. The flakes rub out very easily and the blend puts up minimal resistance to the match. Room note is almost non-existent, even as reported by non-smokers. After half a tin, I finally decided, "What's the point?" The rest of mine will go up for sale. Capstan Mild isn't bad in any way so I can't give it a single star in good conscience; two stars it is.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2005-03-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A companion to the blue tin version (Original Navy Cut; if interested please see my review on this blend), this other Capstan I recently bought during a trip to Spain, with the Gold Navy Cut inscription underneath the red name on a yellow mustard tin, was also a wonderful surprise. Very similar in structure and texture to Original Navy Cut, it however seems to have a bit more spiciness, though it maybe sligthly milder. Again, I find this flake very similar to some of the Fribourg & Treyer's Virginias, but more so to Stokkebye's Navy Flake.

Smooth, toasty, easy to pack in, this is a delightful flake. I don't know if there is some Perique in this one, but by the end of the bowl I do find a certain peppery piquantness that added a wonderful taste to the blend. An excellent straight Virginia that, without that natural sweetness (redolent of molasses or dried raisins) present in many other Va. flakes---Dunhill's, Rattray's or Gawith's---it nevertheless delivers a top quality smoke, very tasty and rich. (03/05)

N.B.: as I stated in my review of Original Navy Cut, I don't know if this review should go here. The tin I reviewed is rectangular, but yellow with red letters, in a vertical rather than horizontal layout.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-03-01		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I have enjoyed Capstan Medium on several occasions, so I decided to give the Mild a whirl. Upon opening the tin, the smell is very similar to Medium, once packed and lit, however, the similarities end. I seem to recall Medium as quite a delightful experience, Mild in comparison is almost boring. Although it's not a bad tobacco, it's just a bit too mild and nondescript to hold my interest.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jakob Kiilerich (120)	2004-02-28		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is a classic english flake. Bright VA leaf and nothing else.

I normally prefer the red or brown VA's but this a nice friendly tobacco i like to smoke in the afternoon.

In Denmark this is the only good quality english tobacco you can actually buy in every drugstore.

There's nothing much to it, just plain tobacco taste. It does not intensify much through the bowl, and some would say it was boring. But as an allday smoke compared with the reasonably low price, this is a good alternative to many uninteresting cheap smokes.

Not outstanding but quite good.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eulenburg (193)	2002-04-18		Mild	Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

This age-old classic is the mildest in the three CAPSTAN flake offerings (CAPSTAN FULL [Brown Tin] is no longer produced by Imperial Tobacco, but is still available from Orlik, in Denmark.)

MILD is a light-coloured flake, with a high orange tonality; this colour influences my olfactory perception perhaps, but I smell something like mandarine orange?a light, inoffensive topping.

The taste is very sweet and refreshing, although it can get aggressive if over-puffed: I prefer it to ORLIK Golden Slices, which is just too light; on the other hand, this is perhaps more likely to bite. (I have not smoked Golden Slices often enough to reassure you on that count.)

There are now so many flakes in the market that this old favourite seems less of a treat than it did years ago; CAPSTAN MEDIUM was always my favourite anyway; but this is certainly one of the classics.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2004-02-10		Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

A waste of time. Alot of hot air and very little taste or anything else for that matter. I did detect some sort of casing that may or not have been responsible for the mild case of tongue bite that I recieved. Mild is the key word in all categories here!

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