Tobaccos Comoy's of London - Cask #11 British Strength (Comoy's)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2016-05-02		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The Virginias offer grass and hay with some tart and tangy citrus as the lead component. The Orientals are lightly woody, earthy, herbal, floral, mildly sweet with a touch of spice as a supporting player. The Cyprian Latakia is a little smoky, woody, earthy, and mildly sweet in what is almost a back up role. The strength and nicotine levels are mild, while the taste is a couple of steps past that mark. Burns cool, clean, and fairly smooth at a reasonable rate with a mostly consistent taste. Requires few relights. Virtually leaves no moisture in the bowl. The after taste is pleasant, but doesn’t give you a sense of having smoked a Balkan. Neither does the tobacco itself. There’s a tame quality to the experience that isn’t quite explained by being a mild Balkan by design. There’s not much complexity or depth of flavor to rate it at more than two stars in the genre of mild Balkan blends. Why the word "strength" is in the title escapes me as it's misleading. For a work and play smoke, it will do.

-JimInks

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	musicman (131)	2014-12-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Another winner from the folks at Comoy's of London.

My journey through the blends available from this company has been nothing but very pleasurable. I have been very happy with all of their offerings and the quality of the product they produce. To top it all off, these blends are available for bulk purchase. Quality product at a modest price. A true winning combination.

Cask No. 11 was a very solid english blend for me. Not a complex mystery of a tobacco like some of GL Peases english offerings, but a very tasty, I can smoke this all day kind of blend.

The tin note definitely has that charcoal like latakia element. Looks and smells like a typical english blend. The cut is very easy to pack and light, and my sample came at the perfect moisture content.

This was a very pleasurable blend for me because it was just so easy going. It stayed lit, bellowed smoke, did not bite, and burned all they way down to the heel of the bowl. What more can you ask for?

This is not one of those overly mysterious blends where you need to concentrate on the palate to discern every single hidden note and flavor, this is a very straight going enjoyable blend. In my opinion the perfect blend for puttering or reading or watching a movie or whatever else you would like to do that does not require babysitting a temperamental bowl of tobacco. Definitely worth a try.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pilotpuffer (6)	2014-02-07		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I’ll start this review with a quote from Colonel Klink of Hogan’s Heroes – “Verrrry interesting.”

Comoy’s Cask No. 11 was a very pleasant surprise. I am drawn to English blends such as Dunhill’s EMP, and H&H’s Marque Magnum Opus. To me these are my desert island blends that have stood the test of time in my never ending search for The Reliable Blend.

I recently read about the new blends from Comoy’s of London as blended in Denmark and was happy to receive a few different sample packs from John B. Hayes Tobacconist in Winchester, VA. So I tried Cask No. 11 not expecting a fine quality blend, I was mistaken.

This mix looks like a nice ribbon cut similar to Dunhill’s EMP. Nice variety of VA, Cavendish, Orientals and some Latakia (not much). It packed very nicely because I was in a hurry and didn’t take the time to perform a 3-step pack. Nope, I just pounder it in the bowl of my Parker billiard. The moisture content felt right from the sample package.

The charring light was smooth and I noticed this weed didn’t need an additional light. What the hell, so I proceeded with my smoke after a quick light tamping. I immediately noticed how smooth this blend is with an even mixture of the different leaf types. I need to emphasize that this is a mild English blend and the Latakia just teases from the background. It burns very closely to EMP with a nice white ash and little dottle. No gurgling was noticed and absolutely no tongue bite.

I really like the way this blend smokes consistently without worrying about relights. Good room note according to the wife. I did not notice any change in the flavor throughout my trials from first light to the bitter end. Very consistent.

This could easily become an all-day regular addition to my rotation. Highly recommended for a mild English smoke.

Similar Blends: Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2013-11-19		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was pleasantly surprised when Cask #11 arrived with my tobacco order. The pouch scent is deep and smoky with thin ribbons (not shag) and some ribbons chopped. Cask #11 is a good looking tobacco. In the pipe though, the Latakia dominates the blend. While there is nothing wrong IMO with Latakia dominated blends, Cask #11 is billed as a Balkan, one that I find to be out of balance. As a result, it seems a little rough around the edges for my taste. This is not a bad tobacco, but in a marketplace with a huge number of blends in this genre, it is very average. For lovers of heavy Latakia blends, I still find it to be average compared to some of the better Lat blends out there. If there is a topping on this blend, it is extremely light. On the plus side, a 3.5oz tin can be had for about the cost of a 50 gram tin from other makers and can be bought in bulk.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2017-04-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Comoy's of London - Cask #11.

This review's based on a 1oz pouch bought from bulk, as a big tin can be a bit excessive if the first bowl goes down like a ton of bricks! Plus, with bulk purchases, I'm not so worried about the blend arriving soaked. The ribbons are quite fine, and the blend looks about an even split between black and brown; some of the browns are light, others medium.

To me, for the first third the Latakia leads, giving quite a full flavour, but it isn't too coarse tasting; somewhat mellow. The Orientals join in after the first third, but still have less volume than the Latakia. The Virginia seems quiescent for the first part, but after halfway I begin to get a delicate freshness from it. Towards the end of a bowl I start to get an 'extra' flavour: not like a casing, but the taste becomes even mustier. The burn from #11 is good, albeit faster than I'd like, and it can give me a slight bite.

The nicotine's mild to medium, being closer to medium, and the room-note's a little heavy.

This is o.k., but I can't do more than somewhat recommend it. It's a little clumsy tasting.

Two stars.

Pipe Used: Brebbia Fat Bob

Age When Smoked: From new

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	King Weed (228)	2014-02-24		Very Mild	None Detected	Mild	Unnoticeable

I had a very unhappy experience with my sample of Cask #1 and found it a very tepid smoke not worthy of further attention. Cask #11 only fared slightly better. At least this blend had a little bit of pouch aroma - not much, but some. It also had a small amount of room note - again, some, but not much. It's physical appearance was more of a normal looking english blend than Cask#1 with some dark components including, I assume, a smattering of latakia. I loaded up my 2009 NASPC year pipe and sat back to enjoy the smoke, but was dissappointed. Once again I experienced a very tepid smoke; constantly trying to determine just what it was that I was smoking. Cask #11 purports to be a balkan english blend, but balkan english blends are known far and wide for their strength and fullness - sometimes to the point of being overwhelming to some smokers. This blend is very far away from being that. And there was another characteristic to this blend that I didn't like - tongue bite. Although not a terribly strong bite, it roughed up my tongue from beginning to end.

When one considers the vast number of good and solid balkan english blends that we have available to us today, it becomes hard to understand why any of us should prefer this weak and thin blend to any of them. Also, I have the same level of doubt abount Cask #11 that I have about Cask #1: are these sample pouches that are being distributed in our smoke shops really indicative of what's in the 100g tins? If yes, that's not good. If no, that's not good either. My advice to fellow smokers is, take a pass on these Comoy Cask blends and dive into the wonderful world of english and balkan blends that we are so lucky to have available to us today. Somewhat recommended - two stars.

Pipe Used: Northern Briars 4 square billiard

Age When Smoked: not known-probably recent

Purchased From: dealer sample from Barclay's pipe and tobacco

Similar Blends: somewhat similar to King Charles Mixture.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2015-08-03		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a basic mild balkan. It strikes me as a EMP or Daybreak "lite" and reminded me a little of Sutliff's Sunrise Smoke. It is slightly oriental forward with just a hint of spice. The latakia is more than condimental but only barely. The Virginia provides some sweet and hay.

This was a pleasant, easy smoke and not very challenging. It did not punch many buttons for me, but it will be easy to smoke up the couple of ounces I got in trade. I can imagine this might make a great "starter" balkan for someone wanting to dip a toe in the waters.

As a plus, this is available in bulk at a reasonable price.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-06-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A pretty nice Balkan. The Oriental leads with woody, leathery notes. Only mildly spicy. The Latakia is a little ways behind with smoky, spicy notes. The Virginias are in the background lending just a hint of hay with a mild sweetness. Can burn hot if you're careless, so behave yourself. I'd rate this as a little above average among other Balkans. It's a good smoke.

Mild to medium in body and flavor. Burns very well.

Pipe Used: MM General, Country Gentleman, Mark Twain

Age When Smoked: fresh bulk

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2020-04-12		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I'm a huge fan of Comoy's Cask No.7, so I went ahead and ordered 4oz of Cask 11. The price was very affordable, so why not?

Pouch aroma on arrival smelled like a wonderful Balkan. A subtle sweetness from the Virginias, rich smokiness of the Latakia. The Orientals offered a touch of pungency to round out the blend.

Packing is a bit of a hassle Since the Va's and Orientals are thin ribbon cut, but the latakis is finely chopped, it tends to separate in the jar. In order to keep this blend balanced, I mix this blend thoroughly before I load the pipe. Moisture level is where it needs to be.

Initial lighting is effortless. Bready, mild sweetness, slightly sour, with a touch of spice start this blend out. Even with the amount of Latakia that appears in this blend, the Turkish seem to override it throughout the smoke. As the bowl progresses, the spice increases, and the sweetness declines. This blend is fairly unbalanced. Id like to see a bit more Virginia poke through, as this is basically smoking straight Turkish with a touch of latakia. For the most part, this blend burns clean and cool if you keep it to slow sips. If sped up, it can tingle the tongue. I'm gonna take a break from this one for now, and return in a few months to a year. I really want to enjoy this one, but right now it's hovering at 2 stars. Hopefully is just that its young and needs some time to age.

Update 6-7-20 Even after just 2 months, this blend has really come into its own. I'll add another star!!

Pipe Used: several

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2018-03-10		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The contents of the pouch was filled with very thin ribbon shreds that could be used for packing material. It gave off some spicy overtones hovering over what felt an English base.

Everything was quite dry, so the tinder lit up instantly and the Latakia instantly made its presence known with it's charcoal foot. The other Balkan I once tried (Sasieni) let the virginia come through, where as Cask #11 was far more of an oriental. Heck, my tongue is still a bit numb from the spice as I write this.

The stuff was filled with a lot of stems, which solidified my earlier feeling of it being packing material and therefore 'cheap'... caping my review at 2 stars.

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (403)	2018-02-11		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Strong

I got this 10g pouch a few years ago. I finally finished it off which though a good pipe tobacco must tell me that it is not one of my favorites. There are so many blends out there and sometimes I think too many. I mean how many times can you build a better mouse trap so to speak. What is funny to me about this one is that I was smoking this outside on the porch as I never smoke inside and my girlfriend said ‘what it that smell, it stinks’. Guess that answers the room note rating. Good but for me not a repeat.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: 2 years

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RoundTwo (38)	2017-11-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Another English blend from Comoy's. More robust and smokey than the No. 1. The Virginia is present but more hidden in that the bowl does not begin as bright as No. 1. Go with this one if you like a stronger smokier and fuller English blend, otherwise stick with the No. 1. I prefer this blend more than the No. 1. The container I received was 16 years aged and I think that all of the Comoy's age great, and at this price point what a deal!

Age When Smoked: 16 years aged

Purchased From: Iwan Ries

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	1979 (62)	2017-03-11		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Comoy's of London - Cask # 11 British Strengthless.

A fine blend if somewhat generic of taste, nothing about it really grabbed me. An "also ran".  Two unoriginal stars.  It does seem to have price point going for it. I found this blend more oriental forward than some of my fellow reviewers seemed to, but it just wasnt a very interesting blend. For me at least, this one will go in a jar that won't be opened again for quite some time, if ever.

Age When Smoked: fresh, bulk

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jevverrett (107)	2016-01-16		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Another of the bombing blends I got nailed with.

I got this as a gift, and it was a bit dry so I rehydrated it. It smells English, looks English, but is definitely Balkan. The cut is easy enough to work with at the right humidity. I had to dry it a bit after I rehydrated it. The orientals are very present in this. Tastes of olives and smokey leather goodness. There is sweet element to it that makes me think it's been cased. Probably just sugar water, but maybe too much for my tastes. It burns well, if a bit hot. It gave me a bit of tongue bite first time. Gotta smoke this one slower than I normally would.

I would recommend this to someone who likes Balkans. It may not be for beginners as it can scorch the mouth if not smoked properly.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: BoB gift

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2014-10-28		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I got this sample which turned out to be a nice surprise. The smell in the pouch is definitely of a "Balkan" mixture, smoky and sour. A thin ribbon cut of yellow, brown and dark tobacco.

The Orientals drive the show, the Latakia is blended with a balanced hand and the Virginias impart some sweetness.

A mild to medium Balkan that is mellow, spicy and sour with an omnipresent tangy taste on the tongue.

Virginia lover

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rakntur (4)	2013-10-05		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Comoy's of London's Cask No. 11: British Strength, is a Balkan mix of Orientals, bright Virginias and Latakias that in their masterful proportions create a very fine, smooth, flavorful result. I was surprised, never having heard of Comoy's tobaccos before, to find this and the other new Cask blends I tasted recently at my pipe meeting all quite good if not excellent. This one, however, does not hold up to, say, Gawith Balkan Flake or the Balkan Smoking Mix Sasieni, but it succeeds in creating its own unique new version of the old favorite.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Phillip Ellis (14)	2018-07-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

So comoy's cask 11 is an interesting english blend in the essence that if you want a smokey complex and robust smoke this is for you. The flavors merry very well even for how fresh the tabacco is "in my case". If you are a lover of medium full english blends this is for you ENJOY.

Pipe Used: Peterson 106

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JohnH (24)	2018-05-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I got a couple of oz of this to try form bulk. I had only intended to buy one oz, but accidentally got two, which I was a bit peeved about. However on smoking it I wasn't too dissapointed.

I emptied the bulk bag straight into a mason jar as soon as I received it. Opening it shortly after I got a pop from the lid, suggesting it had been well sealed. I took a whiff from the tip and was pleasantly surprised by the Balkan aroma. On taking a pinch to load my bowl I found it drier than I would have expected, as others have commented. On lighting and smoking I didn't find the tobacco overly dry, though it did burn a little quick.

Overall the smoke is enjoyable, I wouldn't rush to buy it again, but I feel it's perhaps a little unfairly treated with it's reviews here. It is quite unique, and the Oriental's come through very brightly. It's a smoke that changes through the bowl, and I think that should be applauded. It is an interesting smoke, unique as I say, so worth a try if you fancy something different.

Pipe Used: Cheap non branded briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smoking pipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rufus T. Firefly (24)	2020-10-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

So I bought this in bulk with sutliff old professor. When I received them I put them both in mason jars with a humi-stone. The old professor was rough cut and number 11 was finely cut. I smoked them both when I received them and the old professor was excellent, while number 11 was ok at best. Well it sat while I smoked the old professor for about a month. When I started running low I tried number 11 again, holy shit what a difference. I'm not sure if it was time or the humi-stone but whatever it was it worked. It's cool smoking and delicious. The tobacco flavor is excellent with a little vitamin n kick. I would now recommend.

Pipe Used: Ashton, Ferndown and Dunhill

Age When Smoked: 1 month

Purchased From: Smoking pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DArizona (1)	2020-04-25		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Nice Virginia start with a Balkan finish. Has elegance to the overall experience. The calabash gives the true taste and burns evenly through the smoke. When it is time to relax cask 11 adds to a crystal of port or glass of beer.

Pipe Used: Calabash

1 person found this review helpful.