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Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 41 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
DK	05/14/2013	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
Another sample given to me but this one was an ounce. If an ounce is not enough to "get" a tobacco, Russ Ouelette should be thankful, because before I "get" this one, I'm going to order several pounds. To start with, I guess I'm not a "knowledgable" virginia fan, because I don't get the comparison to Hamborger Veermaster. While this one has a smidge of the sweet citrus of HV, it goes beyond that. Marble Kake is much deeper, broader and more complex. Rubbing it out was fairly simple. I'm going to experiment more with this one when I get more to experiment with, but fully rubbed out worked very well. The flavor was deep. Rather than HV, this did remind me of another blend I'd smoked in the past but I couldn't recall which. So I cheated and read some of the other reviews. Mr Big nailed it with C&D "Briar Fox". But that one didn't hit me as hard as this one. Marble Kake is a mellow-spirited, faintly sweet and rich tasting VA that improves down the bowl. It can tolerate a bit heavier puffing cadence and never loses its cool. No heavy nicotine here, this is something that could be smoked all day long and never become tiresome or monochrome. I've smoked a lot of Russ' blends. Some I didn't care for, some I liked and even a couple that I thought were 4 star blends. But this is the first one that so distinguished itself that I thought "Man, if I had to, I could give up every other blend in this genre". This is that good. If you're a virginia lover, this is a must try. Just let me get my order in first! :)
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serif365	11/19/2012	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant
This tobacco was my first pipe experience with straight Virginias. I particulary enjoy "working" the kake slices, cutting them into little chunks and then rolling them out. I gravity feed and lightly pack a Missouri Meerschaum General I reserved for smoking straight Virginia tobacco and it seems this was an excellent choice combination. The smoke is ample and the flavor is enticing, developing from very faint in the beginning to moderate in the middle to great in the end. I experienced no bite with Marble Kake but I do suggest smoking this blend in a pipe that has an easy draw. I smoked one bowl in a vintage MM cob with a small bore cane stem and after working very hard to keep the smoke flowing and the bowl burning my tongue was slightly raw from the effort. :) I started out with a 2 oz sample and I've since ordered more to cellar. I recommend this tobacco.
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graygeek	09/29/2012	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
Stopped by P&C the other day to find something different from the usual ARO that I smoke. Really wanted to try a Va, and this is what they recommended. Brought home a sample. After reading the reviews, I wasn't quite sure what I had gotten myself into. What a great surprise!! This is wonderful! For a VA, this has some very nice sweetness, and good aroma. It's a bit of a challenge to rub out, but your rewarded with a tobacco, that lights well, and stays lit. If others experience bite, I never found it. It was gentle on the tongue, and easy on the nose. First part of the bowl is light and grassy, but as you smoke down the bowl, the flavors get sweeter and more complex, but always mild. As you get to the bottom of the bowl, it keeps you wanting more. Being an ARO smoker, this is a really nice change of pace. This could be a very nice everyday smoke, for VA lovers or new pipe smokers.
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Brown Pipeman 1940	03/23/2012	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a simple, good blend of straight Virginias. It has the typical Virginia flavors of hay mixed with something citrusy and it leaves a pleasant taste in the mouth. I still think Rolando's Own is the best Virginia blend Russ makes; but this is good. It is easy to pack and provides a cool smoke. I don't think I'll be buying it again, but it is still a good tobacco, especially if you're a new pipe smoker and want to know what Virginia tobacco is like.
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Mr. Big	02/16/2012	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
Well I've never smoked Hamborger Veermaster but I have smoked C&D's Briar Fox and this blend has similarities. To me, Briar Fox, is an airy, fairly smooth stoved Virginia. Marble Kake is not, that is, not smooth and maybe should have been stoved. It has the ability to remove all feeling in my tongue ( I am a puffer). It is naturally sweet, low in "N" and not a heavy smoke but rather a non complex blend. I will cellar this and see if it mellows but I don't think this is one I need to buy again. I just read some of the other reviews and was surprised to see others finding it similar to Briar Fox, and here I thought I was so informative!
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SteelCowboy	09/15/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I wasn't too sure if this tobacco would be my thing as straight Virginia's are not always at the top of my list so I just received a sample. This review would be based on that rather than the normal full tin I try to smoke before any review. With that in mind all I can say is WOW this is a good Virginia tobacco! My Kake was a broken into smaller pieces. When rubbed out the moisture leval is perfect. This tobacco appears in the pouch as mostly light pieces and the scent was a bit winey. I put "none detected" in the flavor box, but there was a slight stickiness that could be simply from the pressing of the tobacco. I'm not sure. I tend to be a bit of a "puffer" so I need a Virginia that is forgiving and Marble Kake is such a blend as it did not bite me, even when pushed a little. Marble Kake is sweet and when sipped, really sweet! (Not in a cased way). The sweetness remains throughout the bowl even though it grows more complex throughout. Many Virginia's are nuanced and subtle, Marble Kake is much more bold IMHO. I can only imagine what a couple of years in the cellar will bring to the blend. I'll be picking up a pound to find out! Highly Recommended!
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Pipestud	08/11/2011	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
Russ Ouellette is continually proving himself to be remarkably talented as a master blender of fine tobaccos. Marble Kake is another fine example of his work. One of very few true Krumble Kake Virginias on the market today, Marble Cake will satisfy those who like a deeper flavor from their Virginia leaf without the added nicotine strength. A little on the airy side in that department, but the flavor of sweet taste with true depth really comes through with this one.
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Knitpicker	08/04/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I haven't smoked a terribly wide variety of pure Virginia blends, but I can say that this has miles over McClelland's 2010. It's smooth, requires little to no drying, stays lit well, packs easily weather worked or not, has less bite, a sweeter flavor, and did I mention how smooth it is? I realize that palate may not be as cultured as others posting here, but if you're in the market for a good Virginia blend, give this a try, it may surprise you!
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Mr. Ubiquity	03/29/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
This is my first review in about 5 years, because Marble Kake is that good. I used to smoke Dunhill Flake quite a lot, but alas, it fell by the wayside. MK compares very well to it, and is much less expensive, and when I buy it, I am supporting an American company, which makes me feel good too. This is a light VA blend, so it can burn, but if you are a VA lover, the taste more than makes up for it. Nothing here but good clean Virginia tobacco taste with medium body. I think it is quite a lot better than Hamborger Veermaster.
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BrSpiritus	03/11/2011	Mild	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
It took me a couple times to finally get into this tobacco but after trying it in my Savinelli churchwarden which is my dedicated Va pipe, oooo boy this stuff is tasty. Though I wouldn't go so far as to compare it to SG FVF, it is what it is... a nice golden VA that is properly aged and very smokeable right out of the bag. This is one I would like to try aging to see how the flavour changes over time.
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MDP	03/08/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
Marble Kake belongs with blends like Orlik Golden Sliced, Dunhill Flake, and the many other mild-medium flakes of brighter Virginias pressed on the Continent. Fragrant and not noticeably flavored, MK delivers solid Virginia flavors on the sweeter and grassy side of the spectrum of that well-known leaf. I have the best results trickling large pieces into a wide bowl with shallow chamber, such as a pot. Sprinkle in some well-rubbed pieces to fill in the gaps and to ease the lighting ritual. Kept on the dry side, MK will smolder gently and provide creamy, caramel notes delivered on swirls of smoke. If you need more complexity, Russ offers blends with more types of Virginias and condimental leaf. MK is an utterly relaxing blend and won't hurt my tongue unless I get careless.
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DocCool	10/22/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
A great tobacco I wasn't much on the presentation or the ammount of work it took to rub out. The tobacco is quality tobacco if your looking for a good Virgina this is a great option I had been smoking SG BBF but with the degree of dificulty in getting it I needed a go to for an all day smoke this one is that one not by any means BBF but a good substitute worthy of a try
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strongirish	06/07/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
Like most of Russ's blends, and I think i have smoked them all now, when you get them from the blender, they are a little green. One must let these blends sit awhile and let them meld. if you do, you are rewarded with some very tasty blends. This one is not different. It comes in broekn large cakes, looking much oke the range cubes I fed my cattle when I lived on a ranch. They do crumble easy but rub our hard. The tobacco appearance is a mix of light and dark irregular cut and it has a soft look and hand touch to it. I like most of my flakes dried out a lot, but this one can easily be dried out too much resulting in a very hot smoke. Dried out just right, where it is springy but not sticky, it results in a very tasty smoke without tongue bite and it smokes down the pipe at a nice even slow pace. The ash is a black and grey mottle and it smokes dry leaving a fine ash at the bottom of the pipe. It has a somewhat nutty, sweet taste to it, not the hay like, tart, citrusy taste a lot of VA's taste like. The room note is pleasant but not distinctive. It is not heavy in the air and room. It does satisfy but it is not overly heavy in the "N" factor. It is rather one dimentional but it is full bodied and a jot to smoke. I like this blend, no, it's not the best Va blend I have smoked but for the price it could be an all day smoke for many. I do recommend trying it.
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Smokey45	04/03/2010	Medium	None detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable
This tobacco came with several other tobaccos from pipesandcigars.com in a grouping from Hearth & Home called "Steve B's VA Elite." These tobaccos are collectively just not my cup of tea....or bowl of tobacco, as it were. I found this tobacco, like the others in the collection, to be harsh, irritating to the throat, burns way too hot, and lacking in any kind of real flavor. As I have noted in my review of AJ's VaPer, these might be good tobaccos for the ex-cigarette smoker. But to me, they do not embody the cool, smooth, flavorful smoking experience that one thinks of when thinking of pipe smoking.
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str8blastpot	01/10/2010	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
i was not nearly as impressed with this as i'd hoped. that said, it's a lovely, straightforward and remarkably friendly smoke. a good introduction to the pleasures of Virginia for those tiring of syrup. without the tempermental behaviors of many Va's. i find i favor the richer flavors of red and stoved Va's. i may return to this occasionally for it's simplicity alone. mown hay and spring breezes come to mind. but for me, old red, and anniversary kake rule the roost.
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WmZiggy	09/01/2009	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
Ok, for those who can't figure it out, simply drop Marble Kake in a blender and hit it once or twice. It is a krumble kake, and not a soft one. So what? We are men and can handle it! And it is worth the wait, although I usual smoke it in loosely rubbed chunks. This is a very nice Virginia flake. Rather than a pressed ribbon, it is pressed shredded leaf of a Red, Bright variety. Slow smoking, it stays lit easily. It does not bite, smokes cool and has a depth and complexity not found in Russ Ouellette's other krumble kakes. It has a sweet and spicy edge. One of my "go to" tobaccos.
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quantumboy	05/31/2009	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This blend just seems rather flat to me. To give it the benefit of the doubt I jarred it for about four months and tried it again. Still uninspiring. I'm an English smoker who likes a good, rich Virginia, so it has to be something special to make it into my rotation. This one is just too plain, little complexity, with an ordinary tobacco flavor, lacking the sweet and rich sipping qualities of something like Blackwoods or FVF. It burned just fine in a meer, thoroughly rubbed out and lightly packed. I'm totally willing to give it a few more months, and it might make a fine blender, so I'll give it two stars.
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drmeer	01/02/2009	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Good, bulk priced cake tobacco. Difficult to break up, but once broken and dried a little it smokes down the the bottom. No bite.
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Packer	06/07/2008	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
Another good offering from Russ, and the fine people at P&C. This Kake resembles weathered particle board. Nice and dry. Pinch off the needed amount to fill you favorite pipe. Lightly rub out....this stuff falls apart into a light flaky mixture of bright, and red Va. tobacco. Easy pack, light, and burn. Mildly semi sweet taste. This blend has much competition, but with form, and price it holds it's own with more expensive Virginias. May not be "THE BEST" but is not far behind. Rate * * *
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tonyg	07/30/2007	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I find this tobacco with a wonderful flavor. I would smoke a great deal more of it save for the fact that it burns much too hot for me. In addition, the effort required to cut the cakes of tobacco just isn't worth the time and energy.
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 41 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >