The presentation of the tobaccos in the tin is very impressive; it contains quite a colorful array of tobaccos. The moisture level is just right, and the cut of the ribbons was a good choice. When I first opened the tin and smelled the unique smell of good tobacco and grape, I knew I was in for an interesting experience.

Part of what makes this blend so appealing is that it is such a full-bodied, complex blend of tobaccos, yet it seems to take the flavorings in a very "natural" way. Obviously, with the inclusion of Virginia, Burley, Oriental, Latakia, and Perique, this is a full-flavored, English-style blend, but I don't think I've tried such a heavy blend with flavorings like this. The description on the tin states that this blend is "finished with a refreshing flavor." I have to agree with this; for some strange reason, there is something refreshing about this blend, especially the added flavorings.

Throughout most of the smoke, the only topping I detect is the grape flavoring, although I'm sure that the other topping flavors contribute to the overall taste as well. Despite the unmistakable presence of grape, the wonderful tobacco flavors are not drowned out by the flavorings--this is clearly an English-style blend with flavors added to enhance the overall taste. Again, I think that this is what is so remarkable about this blend; the natural tobacco flavors are present throughout the smoke.

As with some aromatic blends, the flavoring slowly fades into the background throughout the bowl, while the natural tobacco flavors become even more prominent. This blend definitely changes characters as the smoke progresses. One thing that is particularly interesting to me is how the other flavorings (other than the grape) become noticeable later on during the smoke, albeit in a very gentle, subtle way. When the bowl is about 3/4 of the way smoked, I notice a bit more of a creamier flavoring. I suspect that this is some of the vanilla, maple, and walnut making themselves known.

In regards to room note, I don't know what to say about this. Although many pipe smokers can't easily smell the room note of their own smoke, I do find that certain aromatics do lend themselves to being noticed even by the smoker. With this blend, the aroma of creamy grape is evident immediately upon lighting the bowl. However, I'm not sure how this blend would smell to a person passing by. It seems as though the blend has a pleasant scent like most aromatics, but I would think that the presence of Latakia would make the room-note a bit less sweet than a typical aromatic.

After some contemplation, I decided that this blend would probably be better smoked in a pipe dedicated to aromatics. While it has the component tobaccos of a full, English-style blend, the added flavorings make this blend more suitable for a pipe used solely for aromatics. This blend truly defies typical classification of pipe tobaccos. It is, of course, an aromatic, but I think this is the only aromatic I've had that contains Latakia and Perique.

Well, I think that about sums up my impression of this blend. C&D has really given me a greater appreciation for the art of quality aromatics. This is a very smooth smoke, and unlike some aromatics, it smokes dry and does not leave a goopy mess in the pipe. I can certainly see Captain Bob's Blend as being a blend that I would want to keep in stock.

Just a little background on myself first. Maybe it’ll make this review make more sense. I grew up in a Baptist tea totaler family. My grandfather smoked and drank himself out of a liver and bladder among other things. So, these types of libations were rather frowned upon. That being said, we never seemed to much mind a pipe smoker although there never were many of them around. I don’t think my family did me a disservice, on the contrary I think it gave me a healthy respect for moderation. As I got older, I started to get a little suspicious of the anti-smoking movement for various reasons. A couple years ago I got very interested in pipes (one of my favorite bands in High School - a Christian band called The Newsboys has a guitar player named Jody Davis, the one who lives in AZ and makes REALLY beautiful pipes) and started doing some research. Long story short, I dived headlong into pipes and pipe tobacco.

I joined an online smoking community called My Pipes Community and met a lot of really great people there. One fellow in particular, Bob Coffey. Somewhat of an informal mentor, and a really great guy who also happens to have developed several blends of his own pipe tobacco. Shortly after I started smoking a pipe I received a sample of Captain Bob’s Blend. Being a noob, the stuff was WAY out of my league but I could tell it was a high quality tobacco.

Over the course of the next year and a half I tried all kinds of pipe tobacco. My sense of smell and sense of taste are very acute and I tend to gravitate towards fuller flavors (very dark red wine, Guinness, well seasoned steak, maduro wrap cigars, English type tobaccos, etc…) and I gained an appreciation for very high quality, mostly non-aromatic pipe tobacco.

When the opportunity to really sit down and write a review on a bowl of Captain Bob’s Blend, well, I jumped as quick as I could. I remember gaining a deep appreciation for it but beyond a few memories couldn’t really tell you all that much. So here is my in depth review on Captain Bob’s Blend, by Cornell & Diehl.

In preparation, I sat down with the list of ingredients. Tobacco: Red Virginia, Flu cured Kentucky Green River Burley, Carolina Virginia Brights, Ismir Turkish, Perique and Latakia. The topping (sauce) consists of grape, vanilla, orange, caramel, black walnut and maple. The pipe I chose to use was my Peterson Silver Cap straight billiard.

The first thing I did was take a whif of the jar, since smell and taste are so closely related. A lot of the reviews I have read on this blend concentrate on the grape scent/flavor. That is the predominant smell, but the first thing that hit me was the citrus. A nice little tang. The citrus and grape were tempered very well by vanilla. The blend is great to look at, it is very colorful. Each type of tobacco has its own shade and in some ways reminded me a little bit of a Picasso cubist-style painting. Unlike most topped tobaccos, this blend was not in the least goopy. It packed very easily.

The beginning of the bowl brought about some typical Virginia characteristics. Light, sweet but no tongue bite. It had another dimension, enhanced no doubt by the Turkish tobaccos. A very well rounded smoke for a light flavor, and the topping in no way overwhelmed the taste of the tobacco. I appreciated this aspect very much. As far as the aromatic properties are concerned, the grape and vanilla really complimented each other. Vanilla can be very bland by itself and grape can be just a bit “vertical” (for lack of a better description) in flavor. The orange seemed to stand alone while the other three combined to fill out the blend. The result is a very round scent - ball shaped if you will.

Room note is predominantly grape, enhanced of course by vanilla and maple.

I didn’t have to re-light until I was well into the mid bowl. That was kind of nice as seeing the humidity level was about 2000% here in Southern Indiana. The burley starts to make itself known in the taste and nicotine content. Burley can be a bit thick for me sometimes but this was just enough to give the Virginia some balls, for lack of a better term. The English character started to make itself known but not in a typical, tangy Latakia sort of way. It gradually came into the room, unobtrusive and unannounced and *very* sophisticated. It started to make me wonder what the unsauced blend tastes like!

At this point it was apparent, this tobacco would most certainly be a crowd pleaser when walking on the river front. At the same time it will satisfy a pallet that needs a fuller, more complex flavor. I would also compare some of the flavor and aromatic properties to Autumn Evening (also by C&D) but not overwhelming in the maple and burley department. AE was a bit much for me.

Later in the bowl, the English tobaccos had made themselves very well known but again not in a moldy socks sort of way. The taste broadened in a way I’ve not experienced with pipe tobacco (some fine cigars perhaps) and at this point my analytical efforts took a hike. I sat back with my pipe and my beer and thought to myself “now THAT is what a well rounded, multi-faceted pipe tobacco SHOULD taste like!” Every puff made me forget what I was out there to do.

I should add at this point that cleanup is a breeze. No gooey dottle left to scrape out as with many aromatics.

Conclusion, this is a MAN’S aromatic tobacco. A lot of effort and a lot of thought went in to creating this blend. It is almost four dimensional.

VERY pleasant note - not offensive to passers-by; indeed, intriguing and inviting ("What IS that?"). Highly recommended if you tend to smoke in, say, public parks and the like.

Flavoring stays to the end (unlike many other aromatics). That said, one caveat: this seems to burn hot and has bitten once or twice or thrice when puffing too fast. I have taken to blending it with a little burley to try and cool things down a bit. Conversely--given that this blend lights easy and stays lit--I sometimes add it to other, finickier blends as an accelerant!

So: very pleasing--and I am very pleased. Recommended. Thanks Cap'n Bob!

Also, as my senses of taste and smell aren't as sensitive as most pipe smokers out there, I have had to smoke the more potent brands to get a "true" experience. I also prefer blends with a high nicotine content.

With all of this having been said, I have found CBB to be quite a wonderful and aromatic experience.

When I first opened up the package, the strong scent of grape assaulted my nostrils. It reminded me of either grape bubble gum or grape cool-aid. As I actually enjoy grape, this was not a big concern for me. I was somewhat concerned though that the grape flavoring would overpower the tobacco. This is not the case.

It lights well, and the aroma of grape is most assuredly there, yet it does not overpower the taste. There is also a strong underlining aroma of hay which I find compliments the fruitiness of this blend.

I have not had much tongue burn with this blend, and found that I can smoke it faster then most others. For me, this is a wonderful experience as the surrounding air soon fills with the sweet aroma of grape.

Personally, I have had trouble keeping it lit, though I contribute this to my own inexperience. Also, it is a wetter tobacco then I am used to, and must keep a pipe cleaner handy while smoking. I do plan on letting it air out for a few hours and will update my findings after that.

The smoke is full bodied, yet not overwhelming. I have found that I instinctively inhale through my nose quite often with this blend. It enhances the experience for me.

The nicotine content isn't as high as I prefer in my normal rotation, yet I find that this blend is a perfect nightcap for me, as I settle down into my favorite easy chair and delve into a good book.

In the end, I am forced to rate this as a three on the scale here, though it rates an 8.5 on my personal scale. The reasons being are that I do not normally smoke aromatics and the nicotine content is a bit less then I prefer. However, I do plan on keeping a constant stock of Captain Bob's Blend on hand as it always fills the spot when I simply need to relax.

I do indeed recommend it!

The result is a light English aromatic with unique character, taste and aroma. I used a very small amount of Latakia in this blend. Kind of like I use pepper on eggs. Just enough to know that it's there.

I am truly honored that Cornell & Diehl offers "Captain Bob's Blend" as one of their World-Renowned tobacco blends.

You can usually find me hanging around on MPC (My Pipe Community Forum). Enjoy a variety of tobacco blends. You will be rewarded and not tire out your taste buds!

Now I am not normally much of an English blend kind of guy, but with the reviews of the crew, I just had to try it.

When I opened the bag, the grape aroma definitely hit me along with a chemical type smell that was no doubt the mixture with the latakia in it. The blend lit very well and stays lit after the charring light.

As with a lot of blends, I did not expect to taste the grape nuance as much as smell it prior to light, but this blend was different. The slightest taste of grape really melded these tobacco's together and provided and extremely enjoyable and tasty smoke.

I find myself reaching for this when I need a break from my all day smoke. It delivers a consistent smoke that I find myself yearning for more than most fill in blends.

I can see this blend as easily being an all day smoke.

I have to recommend trying this blend! It is like none other you will try.

I got a small sample of it and here is my take: First impressions are very nice. I love the smell of the tobacco, you can smell its english just underneath the sweet smell of a fruit tree field. It makes me thinks of a Grape Nehi soda mixed with apricots.

It packed well in my pipe and lit just as easy. The smoking was very very pleasant. Smoke was abundant and thick, and hints of a fruity flavor mixed with a fine leather were clear.It was refreshing to smoke. The room note made my wife want to try it as well. She said that this blend was her favorite since it made the room smell so good. I had no tounge bite and I have been known to be a super puffer. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be buying more.

EDIT*

I smoked about 1.5 ounces of this blend. I have come to the realization that I just dont get along well with the heavy flavor casing on it. The three pipes i smoked it out of have such a ghosted flavor to them that I canot smoke anything else without tasting Grape. Each to their own. I will go somewhere else.

In the bag it has a light grape aroma which is very nice but more complex than just grape flavoring, I also smell a touch of orange. The combinations of the different tobaccos and the light topping are very complementary making it a very pleasing enjoyable smoke.

If I had 1 complaint , I just wish the topping carried over to the pipe just a bit more. The full taste of all the different tobaccos truly comes through without any heavy topping or goopy mess

I am currently on my second pound of Captain Bob's Blend and have been enjoying it as my all day, everyday staple. I truly believe this is a very light aromatic that almost all smokers would enjoy.