Comoy's of London Cask #11 British Strength

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.

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.

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!!

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.