Some may be horrified by that bit of sacrelige, but personal preference is the name of the game isn't it? Availibility meets respectable quality - I recommend it. I read the reviews and decided to give this a go. Like a few people it was my 1st OTC that I purchased. Not a particularly interesting tobacco. I bought some because I decided to head to a local tobacco shop instead of order some nice tobacco online for my first pipe tobacco endeavor. It is not cheaper than high quality blends, in fact it was slightly more expensive than most blends that I have since purchased online. I think I'll throw in my two cents on this classic OTC. I would confidently wager that in the history of pipe smoking no other tobacco blend has caused as much disappointment as CBW. It's nearly a universal rite of passage for neophyte American pipers to give this one a try. The pouch aroma and room note are both so damned enticing. To me, this one has the ultimate nostalgic "Grandpa" factor. I wouldn't be at all surprised if this disappointment in CBW has single-handedly turned off a hundred thousand new pipe smokers. It burned all the way to the bottom, to a fine grey ash with very little dottle, and never any gurgling, or goop. It is a combination of black cavendish cavendish, burley, and Virginia. The pouch mixture is mostly blackened leaf. It has one unquestioned strength. The room note is outstanding, like that of toasting marshmallows. Very distinctive, very nasty and will stick on your tongue all day. I got this the hell out of my pipe as soon as I possibly could. I will be completely honest with you.....I enjoy CB! I picked up my first pouch when i first stated this hobby a few years ago. I had 3 blends in my collection at the time. It packs nicely, lights easily, and smokes pretty dry, although a little warm. The aftertaste is a little gummy, but again, it tastes good, so it doesn't bother me. There is no bite to this tobacco at all, and for a drugstore blend, it's well worth the money. Perhaps this still used "drug store" reference is an indication of how old fashioned many pipe smokers are, regardless of their actual age (I'm certainly guilty). What I feel is being missed, or maybe only vaguely touched on, in the reviews, is that this is not only a mass produced "drug store blend", it is a "NAME BRAND PRODUCT". In pipe tobacco it is "the" name brand product. For years, this was the only pipe tobacco I had ever tried -- only because this was the only tobacco local stores sold. Man, did I not know what I was missing. I gave up the pipe for ten years because of this wet, gooey mixture. The wife is in love with this blend, so use this in times of arguments and you will end up cuddling in bed like nothing ever happened. It is also an interesting way to approach the female sex, cause trust me, they cannot resist the sweet smell of this daredevil. The point I’m failing to get to is that I really enjoy this blend. To me, that makes Captain Black White Label a very important type of pipe tobacco to always have on hand. S for sure, smoker or bystander alike. I can certainly see myself playing a good chess game while smoking this and having full confidence that because it is so mild it will not distract me from the game. T feel like I am wasting a good complex bowl of pipe tobacco because of the game and not concentrating on the smoke. Well, I've smoked it before and will probably smoke it again.