I took it as a comic relief experience after trying so many amazing mixtures. I needed a reminder that pipe smoking is a privilege in these days of political correctness. For all of those that call this a terrible smoke with a taste of cardboard and on and on and on, I say you lack the palate to back up your griping. Having said this Captain Black Regular is in my pipe every morning with my first cup of coffee. It is a quality aromatic with just the right touch of virginia and nicotine for the first smoke of the morning. I did not find it to be as aromatic as some other people seem to but I would no turn my nose up at this blend. Maybe it was the propylene glycol, maybe it was something else. What I do know is that it was exactly the same as I remembered it being over 10 years ago. It was all there, the taste, the mouth feel, the tongue bite. A decade of smoking experience did keep me from suffering a serious tongue bite. I have used Captain Black for 30 some years because I think it is the best for me. Service excellent and price reasonable. I will probably try something else next time. While I like this tobacco just fine, it is too similar to my other purchase, Cornell &Diehl Autumn Evening. More of it is sold, than all bulk or tin tobaccos combined. Is it because people simply want to torture themselves, and smoke a bad tobacco? Or, is it that Captain Black, is a good overall tobacco? The room note is pleasant and it burns real smooth no bite. At the end of the bowl, the fruit dies down and sweetness goes away but the smoke is still pleasant. This will be added to my buy again list and can be a daily smoker for some but I think I would get burned out on this if I smoked it more than once a week. It's good but I like more complex flavors. Very smooth smoking with great taste. I like the taste and smell and my spouse loves the room note.... I ordered online from Pipes & Cigars for the first time. Being the responsible company that they are, they ensured I was of legal age and then my order was shipped without delay. It was received a few days later at my home. This is the tobacco I grew up around, and smoked in college. I'd love to drive a Bentley...but not to the market everyday, you know? Anyways, comparing this to a high profile brand does it a dis-service and frankly, if you only smoke High End tinned brands, why did you pick up the Captain anyways? So, it is an OTC ouch blend, Pouch Note is great, potent though. Dried out a bit, it burns just fine, taste is really mild as is the room note. I'll give it two stars because it's a classic blend, and it smells awesome. But I won't return to it again because it lacks tobacco flavor and strength. There's just something comforting about reaching for the White package that I just can't let go of. I've even gone so far as to mix it with other blends that I didn't really dig, or I knew I wouldn't touch as often. I gotta' say, this isn't as bad as I was expecting it to be. Didn't bite me, decent and simple flavor and the room note is amazing.