Comoy's of London Cask #2 Portwood

The more of these Comoys cask blends I smoke, the more I like them. They have all been really good quality, great taste, and all at a bulk price. I have been very impressed. I have been most impressed with Cask No.2.

This blend claims to be an aromatic flavored with port. As always, I am not sure if what is in the description was what was coming out of the pipe, but overall I fell in love with this blend at first bowl.

Most people will claim that as a pipe smoker matures he slowly moves away from aromatics. I am not sure if this is completely true. I think as a pipe smoker matures he becomes much more attuned to the qualities of a great blend, and therefore the majority of aromatics do not make the cut. I do not consider myself a pipe master in any way shape or form, but I have smoked hundreds of blends. I have found that a great aromatic has become like finding a rare diamond. I can smoke great Vapers all day long without any trouble finding them, but to find a really good aromatic is a rare treat.

That is exactly what I have found in Cask No.2. This blend is not just good, it is fantastic. The tin note is just scrumptious, and the moisture level was perfect. Upon filling a bowl I found that the tobacco packs with ease, and upon lighting there is a large amount of white billowing smoke.

The flavor is just excellent. The perfect balance of fine tobacco and quality added flavors. Through the whole smoke there is not even a hint of tongue bite to be found. This is such a pleasure to smoke. Will definitely stock up on this one.

The Virginias offer grass, a couple splinters of wood, and tart and tangy citrus, and a hint of tangy darker fruit as the major components. The burley has a light nutty, earthy, woody, molasses sweetness as a second lead. The black cavendish offers a mild sugariness. The chocolate and vanilla toppings are mild. The port wine is also mildly applied, and adds a nice obvious under current of flavor to the blend. The toppings do sublimate the tobaccos to some extent, both working together to create a nice harmonic aromatic. The strength and taste levels are mild. The nic-hit is barely noticeable. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool, clean, and smooth at a moderate pace with a very consistent taste that doesn’t weaken. Hardly leaves any dampness in the bowl. Requires an average number of relights. Has a short lived, pleasantly mild after taste and room note. A very easy going all day smoke.

-JimInks

This is easily my favorite aromatic.

I tried a sample pouch of this for 50 cents from my local tobacconist. At 50 cents, I just had to give it a try. There was enough in the pouch for 3-4 average sized bowls, which is just enough to get a good idea for the flavor.

There is no description on the pouch, so I didn't know what to expect when I tried it. The moisture level is perfect out of the pouch.

To me, it has a strong vanilla - cedary note to it, but it's not overpowering--it's actually REALLY good. I haven't seen anyone else comment on the cedar notes, so maybe it's just my palate, but I really enjoy it. It's heavier on the virginias than the cavendish, which is my preference, and is hardly sweet at all. It somehow manages to taste like vanilla without being syrupy or tangy like most vanilla blends.

Cask No. 2 is the second aromatic from Comoy’s that I have tried. This one is slightly more cased than Cask No. 9. I enjoy No. 9 a bit more because of the ease in which the tobacco flavor comes through in unison with the casing. But, I find Cask No. 2 very interesting. I have only tasted one or two tobaccos flavored with wine, and the only I recall is one of the Wessex blends. But my brief experience wasn’t a good one and that is being polite. Cask No. 2 gets it right. The Vanilla and Chocolate are there, but the splash of wine adds almost a blackcurrant flavor to the blend. It also seems to add a little depth. Considering that we are only talking about a small splash here, it accomplishes quite a bit. I have been impressed with both of the Comoy’s aromatic offerings I have tried thus far. If you want a little more tobacco flavor, No. 9 is the way to go, however, Cask No. 2 is far from the heaviest aromatic I have tried.

What a pleasant surprise this aromatic was. I usually smoke english blends, and reserve aromatics for company. When I smoke an aromatic, I want to know that I am smoking one...so heavy on the casing. This one delivers very well. For me, the vanilla played a leading role, with the port more in the background. My wife really enjoyed the room note. This packs, lights, and smokes well with no tongue bite (I smoke like a chimney). If you enjoy aromatics that taste more like the casing, this one will do you right.

I first tried Comoy's blends because my grandfather smoked only pipes made by them and he was the only person I knew who smoked a pipe. I figured if their pipes were good enough for him then their tobaccos must be good to try. Cask #2, Portwood, has turned out to be my favorite of their blends. Upon opening the tin, the smell is delicious with the odor of port wine present out front. It is ready to smoke immediately with no preparation, but as it ages the flavors are enhanced. The taste is very balanced with an undernote of the port coming thru. It is a sweet, cool smoke. It packs and lights easily burning down to a fine gray ash. This tobacco has become a staple in my cellar.(4/13) I just finished a couple of bowls that of Cask #2 aged for 16 months. It just gets better and better.

Well-balanced, well-mannered, lightly and consistently flavoured: this blend is a winner for me. I tend to prefer middle-English blends (Blackpoint is my reigning favourite blend), but I have recently begun more boldly to seek and to find good aromatics.

In my mind, a good aromatic presents a stable tobacco base topped with complementary and subtle flavours; a good aromatic burns quietly and coolly, and it maintains its flavour throughout the bowl. Cask No. 2 meets all those requirements. It has a pleasant and easy smell with strong notes of cocoa and hints of vanilla as advertised. I get passing notes of the port, too, but no more than subtle, momentary whiffs or tastes. It behaves well, even though it can be temperamental and burn hot. It does not leave any goop or moisture in the bowl, or lose flavour. Even though the aromatic component dissipates towards the bottom of the bowl, the nutty tones of the underlying blend continue to excite my palate. Moreover, the wife likes the smell--says it reminds her of autumn.

This blend will certainly sit in my rotation--especially once I have an indoor venue for smoking. In the meantime I highly recommend this blend to all pipe smokers. It's a real treat. Cheers to all!

Comoy's - Cask #2 Portwood.

A coarse cut blend, with a higher amount of medium and light brown pieces than black. I ordered this from bulk rather than in a sealed in the hope of avoiding 'sealed tin dampness', and my decision paid off nicely. The label from Smokingpipes.com doesn't say Portwood, just Cask No. 2, so being unsure whether or not this was an aromatic I did a 'blind smoke', before checking here: flavoured blend.

The first added flavouring to come through was vanilla. The chocolate requires a little more detection. At first I thought these were the only two additions, until I got a way in. Around now another ingredient came to light, albeit, quite tricky to pinpoint at first; slightly sharp, somewhat sweet, with some red-fruitiness: the port! Once this has landed the flavour steadies itself! The tobaccos give a relatively smooth taste, without too much vigour or causticity. I get a good burn, giving a cool smoke, with no tongue bite.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: pleasant.

Three stars for Cask #2:

Recommended.

Comoy's of London Cask No. 2: Portwood, the only aromatic in the trio I was able to taste thanks to a friend in my pipe club who works for my tobacconist and gave all of us samples of three of the new Cask Series, is one that, judging from the packet blurb, would be ghastly even to die-hard aromatic fans, among whom I counted myself until I was liberated and enlightened. Cask 2 fuses Virginias, Burleys and a mild Black Cavendish with "a unique combination of chocolate and vanilla with a hint of port" (hence the name). Yikes! But not so. This seeming Stygian Stew creates a wonderfully surprising light aromatic that almost everyone who tried it Friday night, including the harshest of the Latakia and Perique ogres, enjoyed. And I may be one of them now. All of these examples of the Cask Series, even No. 2, smoke long and well.

The tin smell is luxurious. Ripe Raisins and a hint of liquor is what I got.

Nice, white, creamy smoke that smells great at first light. The bowl fluctuated from chocolate to port - port to chocolate all the way to the end and left a white, fine ash.

This stuff will win over the gals who are on the fence about smoking in the den or other common areas in the house.

Aromatic fraidy cats should give this a go. You may surprise yourself and actually like it. For those of you that enjoy light aromatics, RUN, don't walk and get your hands on this stuff!

EDIT: back to Earth... Gotta downgrade after several bowls. It's nice but, there is definitely an "alcohol" taste happening that wasn't as pronounced initially.