Comoy's of London Cask #9 Spiced Virginia

The bright Virginia provides some grass, bread, light sugar, floralness, a little tart and tangy, acidic citrus and lemon, and a pinch of spice. It is the lead component. The citrusy, grassy Virginia cavendish has a light honey note. The woody burley is nutty, slightly earthy, with a drop of molasses and is just above being a condiment. I don’t notice the Maryland at all, which is not unusual as it is generally used to carry flavors of other components. I notice the vanilla and nougat a little more than the light chocolate. I’m not certain where all the spice comes from, but it’s more a suggestion rather than anything else. The nic-hit is mild. The mildly applied toppings moderately sublimate the tobaccos. More of a shag cut than ribbon, it burns well, cool, clean, smooth with a little creaminess and a very consistent flavor. The strength, nic-hit and taste levels are very mild. Requires few relights, and leaves virtually no moisture in the bowl as it burns to ash. The after taste and room notes are pleasant, but light. It’s an easy going, gentle all day smoke, and though it could use a little more depth of flavor, it performs nicely enough. Two and a half stars.

-JimInks

When I first started smoking a pipe in 2011, I tried a few aromatics and didn’t like any of them and found I enjoyed English blends more. But wanting to try something new, I thought I would give it another shot. My first attempt was with Comoy’s Cask #9. The first thing I noticed is that the smell of this is softer and more subtle in the jar. It feels drier and is not sticky to the touch and it doesn’t seem to have any black Cavendish, which I was happy about. I find this to be mild and taste the vanilla right away. What I like about Cask #9 is that it is sweet, but not overly sweet. It isn’t overpowering and I can taste the tobacco. Along with the vanilla, I can taste the nougat too, but the chocolate is very much in the background. I really enjoyed this blend and it’s made me interested in trying others like it.

As noted by at least one other, Cask #9 in bulk had many bits and pieces of plant other than the tobacco leaf itself. The bulk I purchased was also very, very damp ... which may have been due to the seller and not the producer.

I found the taste quite flat and unvarying -- almost flavorless. And there was a definite note of spice, which contrasted unfavorably with the monotonic tobacco taste.

After I've finished the ounce I purchased to sample this blend, I'll be done with it.

This review is based on bulk tobacco and not the 100g tin:

Boy i hate being a spoiler, especially when it comes to a blend with so many positive reviews but i truly didnt like this stuff. I found the flavor profile to be nothing as described by the blender, the leaf seemed sub par and was just riddled with woody stick pieces and unsmokable bark like chunks. After sifting through and amounting a bowlful of smokable leaf i was greeted with a somewhat sour virginia that wasnt the least bit sweet, the heat really started to kick up about 5 puffs in and increased as the bowl burned down. There must be more burley in here than Comoys is letting on as things got quite bitter towards mid bowl and it certainly didnt have the nic kick a virginia blend should have. Room note wasnt bad and there was no ghost left behind afterwards.Id be interested to try this again out of a tin, sometimes i find quality control is better when you dont buy from the bulk bin. All in all i rate it as sub par OTC by north american standards, there are Middleton Blends i find more palatable than this stuff. I cant complain about the price, but i can certainly complain about buying half a pound of this tripe. Ask for a sample with your next order, i wish i had.

I have grown a deep appreciation for all of the Comoy cask blends. Great tobaccos at bulk prices.

My personal favorite in the Comoy arsenal is Cask No.2. This blend, Cask No.9 is good, but not as good as No.2

An argument can be made whether this is an aromatic blend, or a Va blend this is lightly topped. I personally would put this in the aromatic category. The first thing to notice about this blend is the wonderful tin note and the perfect moisture level. The cut is a very fine and fluffy ribbon. I would even venture to say it could be considered a shag cut. this makes the blend very easy to fill a pipe and light. The cut does lend it to burn fast so pack the pipe a little more than usual and focus on slow smoking. The flavors are nice but not exciting.

I would not hesitate to recommend any of the Comoy tobaccos. Definitely give it a try.

Comoy’s Cask No. 9 is a lovely aromatic that isn’t overpowered by the casing. I find the vanilla to be the most forward of the flavors with a bit of nuttiness in the background. The chocolate seems to appear more in the second half of the bowl. I prefer Virginias over Burley, so it’s more to my liking. It burns clean, with no goop and the tobacco flavor plays along with the casing rather than be taken over by it. There is no bite that I could detect in the half ounce that I smoked. Sold in bulk, it makes for a nice, well-behaved lite aromatic. If you like Erik Stokkebye’s 4th Generation 1957, (minus the chocolate) you will probably find a home here too as they are of the same ilk.

Comoy’s of London - Cask #9 Spiced Virginia I have kept a tin of this tobacco at my office and enjoyed at least ten bowls as I smoke/walked home. It’s only after tonight’s walk home that I remembered how much I have been enjoying this tobacco and needed to write a review.

This tobacco is described as a three continent Virginia with a hint of burley. Ordinarily, I’m not a fan of burley tobaccos, but in the case of this blend, it doesn’t matter. The burley is in the very back seat or maybe in a trailer being towed behind the Virginias. In the driver’s seat is a very sweet Virginia that is readily noticed in the tin note and supported well by an equally sweet Cavendish. Note: When I say sweet, it’s a very light sweetness. This is a very easy smoke and on my 3 mile walk home I often pack a corn cob pipe that I finish somewhere around the 2mile mark, leaving a small amount of ash.

Packaging: Generous portion of ribbon cut tobacco in a 100 g tin. Strength: This tobacco is very mild. Flavoring: Aroma from this tin is sweet that leans toward vanilla or maybe even a caramel. Taste: Great sweet Virginia tobacco throughout the whole bowl. No bite as I walked and puffed this one. Room Note: Difficult to ascertain. Pleasant aroma OVERALL: I love sweet Virginia tobaccos and because the burley is barely a player, I really liked this tobacco

I've jarred this tobacco hoping that some age would improve its taste. I have been disappointed. I bought a few ounces in Nov of 2015 and try a bowel about every six months. I think I'm done and this will go in the compost. There is not much more I can say. (7/28/2017) Well, I didn't put it in the compost I thought I give it another go. No surprise changes after being jarred for 21 months. I can taste nothing of the casings supposed to be on this blend. It gets the one star from me and I am usually not hard to please.(7/16/19) I never did compost this stuff and it's been in the jar for two more years. I have changed my time on this smoke again. I pulled this out this morning and filled my pipe, lit her up and it has been pleasant so far. It has maintained a good moisture content over time and the casing are coming thru much nicer. It has a milder taste and I am much more accepting of this blend. I have raised this now to a two and one half star level, IMHO.

I had a small sample of this, I think maybe 4 or 5 bowls total. My local B&M was selling the samples, which came in pouches, about 5 years ago when these comoy blends were first produced. I bought one of each available and this is the first one I have had the opportunity to try.

As to the sample I feel it was the perfect size. About four or five bowls worth of tobacco. The blend itself was pretty good. It is a European aromatic and presents itself as such. Like other European it is dominated by the virginia. The burley is mostly there to provide some body which is needed as the virginias are both bright and light. Otherwise, the topping pretty much absorbs any flavor the burley may add.

I was between two and three stars on this one, and what bumped it up to three for me was the use of the topping. It is well applied. It isn't goopy which is a little surprising as the tobacco came quite dry. It also manages to be there from the beginning of the smoke until the end. It is nougat, vanilla and will bring to mind the scents of a confectionary store. The blend itself can be bitey, so one must proceed with caution.

I am surprised this is labeled an aromatic. It seems no more flavored then most non flavored blends . It is spicy , must come from casings ? Very mild smoke . I like it and it will not ghost at all . Virginia mostly and a little nutty from burley . Mild vanilla and cocoa flavor but more spicy . If you prefer strong blends , probably won’t like this . Occasional smoke for me and fairly priced . It says it has cavendish but i can rarely taste it unless i add it myself . I get a little pepper in there but it must come from flavoring . I guess it does what it was set out to do . Nice mild smoke .