Updated 1/20/12- Ah, there it is, after almost 12 months of cellaring, this has mellowed. Has a nice sweetness, no bite, yes still some spice but just enough to make it interesting. Not my favorite Vaper but very good. 3 stars

Updated 2/10/12- I've been smoking the hell out of my one year old "stash" of AK and it is wonderful . It now reminds me of a McClelland type Vinegar Virginia , say 5100 Red Cake, then kick it up with some Perique and you really have this winner. I just purchased another 4 ozs. to start the ageing process again , but I found the new sample to taste almost as good as the aged. For those that like" McVV", you can't beat this as a VaPer. Well let me clarify that, sweet and sour, a little diffrent than Escudo.My only problem is it is very spicy and you can't smoke this all day, so I have to keep this at 3 stars.

Updated 12/26/12- NOPE ! Just don't feel this is for me . Even after a year of cellar time ,this is still hot and spicy. Less sweet and more sour, dries and puckers the mouth. Flavor reminds me of "Prince Albert". I know , different tobaccos, but still a similar experience.

I rubbed out a good quantity and thought I would try it without any dry time. I loaded a Wiley freehand with a large bowl. Anni Kake lit fairly easily and was smooth and sweet from the start. My Wiley has an easy draw, so it was easy to smoke it slow, but still get a nice volume of smoke.

The flavor remained to the bottom of the bowl, which lasted nearly an hour. About 2/3 down, I had to set the pipe down for 20 minutes and come back to it. This tobacco DGT's well too. After a quick relight, the flavor was right back without any ashy taste.

I'm glad I received a good 6-7 ounces of this blend because I really like it. I wouldn't mind putting away a pound in the cellar to make sure it's around when I want it.

To set the Record straight, I had previously been smoking a full bodied Turkish blend, strong enough to cause headaches and make my 18" fez tassle spin like a propeller on a beanie-copter. Having finished the Turkish blend, I decided to smoke this blend. It was like listening to a Germanic operetta sung by a tenor barritone and suddenly going to the alto soprano of Tiny Tim, singing "Tiptoe Through the Tulips".

The strength is very mild with the typical Virginia-noted tongue bite characteristics of unaged tobacco. Sipped, relatively no bite remained, to cause alarm. The Room Note, is nice. The flavor, bizarre. Maybe my tastebuds are finally shot after 45 years of smoking a pipe, because what I taste is, sweetened brewed tea (no milk), and toasted bread. Not bad, but definitely not what I expect in a pipe tobacco blend. This is a softer blend which I will venture a guess, that has been aimed towards a younger/newer pipe smoking audience, and there is nothing wrong with doing just that. I rate this blend at 2-stars.

Bear in mind, I love full bodied, robust blends. Latakia, I am immensely fond of. All lovers of lighter blends, or if you simply desire a lighter blend in your rotation, sipping this one is important, to avoid the Virginia tongue bite issue. I would think that aging/cellaring this blend for about three years minimum, will render a thigh-soft smoking experience. As for me, I will continue the Southwestern Orient blends, and Balkan blends, in particular.

I think I gave it a fair trial, smoking through the bag and going back time and again. But it didn't knock me out and I can't say I ever really got to looking forward to smoking it. Perhaps I got a substandard batch and there's a quality control issue?

Generally, I favor english/oriental blends over english/virginia/vaper blends but I like to have a straight virginia in the non-aromatic rotation to have a change of pace. Importantly, I should note, some of the best blends I've smoked have been predominantly English virginias and I recently rated a virginia flake at 4 stars. So, I am not entirely adverse to predominantly virginia blends.

This blend has no detectable casings or flavorings. Anyone who thinks it's an aromatic has been smoking wacky weed.

Worth a try especially for the virginia fans.

arrived in nice little bricks/ kakes with a little shake from shipping. smells amazing right out the bag, very fruity almost like a prune/ fig/ bakers chocolate aroma. very sweet smelling. a little damp but lights very easily. i broke it up in my palm a tad and it packs very well. not fluffy at all so i gave it a light tamp. flavoring is not apparent at first but the smoke is abundant light and fluffy. flavor reminds me of a light brew of good coffee, all the way through. towards the end of the bowl the flavor became very sweet and i could definitely taste the fig casing. no bite at all and very mild and relaxing. i Highly Highly recommend this blend. when i heard virginia perique i was concerned it may be a little peppery but its not at all. room note is very nice and dissipates shortly after a good smoke and doesn't linger.

I would give it five stars if i could.

edit: after smoking this for a while ive learned a few things: keep your pipe clean. Anniv Kake will leave a dusty old resin aftertaste in the stem thats not very pleasant and ruins the experience of this tobacco, cleaning with spiced rum brings out the flavor of this blend: It also combines well with many other tobacco blends, so if youre a mixer like me youll have fun blending this one around. also: i am pretty sure there were several batches made during the single run of this, some turned out better than others, the more compact solid block cakes turned out very nice whereas the light crumbly cakes are lackluster. and: leave it in block form until youre ready to smoke it

I found the contents slightly moist to my taste and, after storing the bulk in labeled Mason jars, I broke up a few oz. and placed them on a plate for 2 days in the garage, at which point, the material had dried somewhat and was entirely smokable using only one post-charing light.

Jar scent: Fig-like, sweet with chocolate overtones. Pipe: Dunhill #4112 shell briar billiard. Packing using Frank's method. Beverage: Diet Coke.

The first half of the bowl smokes very smoothly, producing a rich creamy smoke, where the sweet virginias really come through. The Perique component could be higher in my opinion, but its there and only intensifies as one progresses down the bowl. I like to smoke Va/Per blends in tall bowls, such as billiards and chimneys, because it intensifies the smoke in the second half of the bowl, allowing less air, as compared to pots and open apples etc. which allow more air during the burn. Anniversary Kake needed only an occasional tamping to cool down the smoke.

I really like Escudo, HH Acadian Perique, Stokkebye's Luxury Navy Flake and McClellan's 2015 and Anniversary Kake from Russ Oullette really fits the bill. Be aware however that the stock is limited, so make sure you have enough on hand for cellaring. All in all, highly recommended and with a price ($27/16oz.) that can't be beat.

Nice going Russ on a great blend!

I must have gotten a bad batch but I'm reticent to purchase more to find out if I did or not. Giving it two stars for merit alone.

Good luck.