Watch City Cigar Ahab's Comfort

So, the description for Ahab's Comfort obviously hints that this is their take on Penzance. I had never tried Penzance before, but as it happens, my local B&M had an 8 oz. bag of Penzance available the VERY DAY my Watch City order arrived. I probably shouldn't do this, but what the hell. After smoking a half dozen bowls of each over the past week, and finally one of each side by side, here are my thoughts...

Having been initiated into the Penzance club, I guess this is supposed to be where I put on my haughty tobacco snob cap on and say, "Ah, you fools. Nothing could possibly compare to Penzance." I can't do that though, because Ahab's Comfort is actually pretty similar. More so than I recall any of the other blends frequently compared to Penzance (i.e. Lancer Slices, Quiet Nights, etc.). I find the VAs a bit more noticeable, and a sort of "aged" flavor in Penzance. I think Ahab's might be a bit spicier, and I get some subtle notes of vanilla. They're both outstanding. Supposedly, Ahab's has 60% Latakia, but it doesn't taste like it. It's not over the top at all. Both are very fine Latakia-forward crumble cakes. Both full in flavor, and moderate at most in nicotine.

If you think Penzance is God's gift to pipe tobacco, you might be disappointed. Clearly someone who feels that way finds something so unique about Penzance that it would be impossible for others to compare. Obviously, Ahab's Comfort is a different blend, with different tobaccos from different parts of the world. That said, if you're like me and think Penzance is merely an excellent pipe tobacco? I think you might find Ahab's Comfort to also be a very excellent tobacco and in the same class as Penzance. If you don't give a rat's A about this comparison and just enjoy a nice Latakia blend or like to play with crumble cakes? Highly recommended for you as well! If you just want this review to end already? You're in luck.

Beautiful thick, dark flakes with regular specks of tan. Pouch aroma is smoke and ketchup, like a very smoky BBQ sauce. Rubbed out and packed easily, formed a beautiful ember, no relights needed.

Wow. From the get go, it's right up there with Samovar, Legends, Magnum Opus, Commodore Flake and the like, with a healthier nicotine kick than most of them. Thick, beautiful, cedary/leathery smoke with a deep woodsy flavor and aroma; the latakia and orientals play very, very nicely together. Blend is a real steady Eddie through the first half of the bowl.

In the last half/third of the bowl, it gets interesting. This might have been my fault; it was so tasty that I couldn't help but push it pretty hard. The creosote and soapy flavors familiar to Lat lovers started showing up. Suddenly, the buttery and floral notes of a high-quality burley started taking center stage, with occasional hints of dark fruit, spice, and chocolate (the perique?), without ever losing that woodsy campfire in the background.

I thought I was finally settling into a well-defined rotation. Watch City Cigar is throwing that all out of whack.

Excellent blend and was pleasantly surprise to hear from Ernie Q that he had a new Latakia flake. According to the blender this has roughly 40% Cyprian Latakia in it. Delivers a nice gentle smokiness which reminds me of a more rounded out / aged Esoterica Penzance. Not saying it's identical but has similar characteristics. The Krumble Kake format is always fun to smoke and offers the chance to keep it chunky or rub it out all the way. My samples were only slightly rubbed out and kept lit all the way down the bowl. Offers sweet Latakia / Virginia / Burley smoke that is well balanced and leaving this tester wanting more. This is my first review of many to come but happen to enjoy this style of tobacco quite a bit. If you enjoy the richer, slightly sweet latakia blends (Bengal Slices?!? - not the aromatic version) then give this a whirl. Excellent!

This is my first review of smoking a blend from Watch City Cigar and man is this one good! A fellow pipe club member let me try some and he gave me a thick ¼ inch slice that I took half and crumbled it up and put it in a large bowl Peterson. This smoked full, creamy, smokey, etc. I think you get the point. In the back of my mind I kept thinking that this one reminded me of SPC Plum Pudding which I also really like. If I was not a recovering pipe tobacco hoarder (or at least trying) I would buy me a pound of this stuff. I like it that much. Just writing about this makes me want to smoke my last little bit as we speak. I will send a subliminal message to him to bring it with him next time we meet. Hear me? 😊

Smoking now:

Comes in a thick plastic bag too not a cheap sandwich bag. Has a cool label so off to a good start. The flake is a soft crumble cake that breaks apart easily. Careful not not to rub it out too much or it’ll be a powder. The smell is tangy, musty, leathery…. Latakia. It’s an English lovers dream. Moisture level is fine, does take a bit to get lit but burns cool, does require a plenty of relights but is worth the effort.

Taste? Latakia. But wait there’s more. There is a slight sour vinegar tang to this that is enough to make it noticeable. There’s a buttery smooth quality to this too, delightful. The retrohale will give you that wonderful fermented yeast and bread flavor. Herbal smokey, musty, bready, fermented yeast, sweet and savory. Nic hit maybe pushing medium strong. No bite, no harshness, smoked to dry ash. Consistent flavor throughout. There’s a lot going on in this blend. I know it sounds cliché but it’s well balanced and delicious.

For me it is about as tangy as plum pudding. It’s not as dark, smoky, and leathery as quiet nights. Two of the three blends this gets compared to a lot. The other being…. Penzance but the hell if I have ever had that.

* I have now and these two are no comparison. Ahab’s is much more flavorful and pungent if you like that, where as penzance is smooth mellow and creamy. To be honest this is preferred over Penzance.*

This has a nice buttery bread yeast flavor with the Latakia that makes this one of my favorites.

If you’re a fan of English/Balkan/Latakia flakes and cakes this is a must try and unlike the unicorn this is very much available as of now. Do yourself a favor and get it. It’s easily in the top three heavy English blends I’ve ever had.

Absolutely delicious. If you’re a lover of SPC Plum Pudding you may have a new favorite with this one. Such depth of flavor and maybe not as well balanced overall as PP, but man o man this is an enjoyable smoke especially having come from a brick and mortar shop. Relatively cheap, this will be replacing SPC PP in my rotation due to price point and more exciting flavor.

Bag note Latakia with some sweetness. Rubbed out the flake/cake perfect moisture content. After the first light I get Orientals and spice , some sweetness from the Virginia . In my bag the Latakia is only half of the flavor, it is defiantly there but not the main player. This is defiantly a great blend with lots of flavors going on. Spicy with a bit of sweetness. The Latakia gives it fullness but the other flavors are in a good balance. I could easily smoke this all day. The Orientals and the perique give it an excellent flavor. Nic hit is medium to full. Highly recommended for non aromatic smokers.

This is a great English/latakia blend that was my go to blend when when I wanted a STOUT latakia smoke. Kudos to Watch City! The Vitamin L has been strewn with a heavy hand and I love it! The flake looks great with the various tobaccos crumble nicely by hand. It the classic blend of heavy latakia with sweet virginias and a perfect dash of perique. Rich and smooth. I will definitely squirrel some of this in the cellar! Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Package note of pungent sour smoky and sweet. Tobacco is a Krumble Kake of a marbled dark brown, black and brown. Moisture content is great. Kake rubs out nicely. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium to full and consistent, with complex notes of sweet smoke, savory, floral, cocoa, wood, incense, rich earth, leather, tangy lemon grass, musty fermented vegetation, sweet bread, citrus peel/zest, herbal spices, dry dark fruit, a spicy sugary sweet smoky background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Oriental/Turkish, Perique and Virginia supporting. Maryland and Kentucky are cheering on the sidelines. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is great.