Tobaccos Sutliff Tobacco Company - Crumble Kake Va. Perique

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2018-09-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

The tangy, earthy, woody, lightly floral and bready, lightly citrusy and sugary stewed fruity, very dark fruity, matured fermented red Virginias are the lead components. They also have a few notes of sourness, grass, lemon and spice. The tingly spicy, raisiny, plummy, perique is a supporting player. The unsweetened black cavendish provides a little smoothing sugar in the background. The perfectly intermingled varietals create a harmonious, deep, rich, consistent sweet and lightly savory flavor from start to finish. The strength level barely reaches medium, while the taste sits squarely on that mark. The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. Won’t bite or get harsh. This mildly moist crumble kake easily breaks apart and burns cool, clean, and a tad slow. Hardly leaves any dampness in the bowl, and depending on how one prepares the tobacco, may require some relights. Has a very pleasant, mildly lingering after taste and room note. The blend packs a little punch, but not enough to preclude it from being an all day smoke, especially for veteran pipers.

-JimInks

39 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2019-03-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Sutliff Tobacco Co. - Crumble Kake Va. Perique.

Love it!

Well, Fridays are my favourite smoking day of the week. I always use, on this day, my prized Altinok Meer', based on the model formerly owned by the actor Lee Van Cleef; I bought this as a present to myself after spending a year, ill, in hospital; so, I love smoking it! And, this is the ultimate blend to fill my best pipe with!

The tin holds two, thick, slices of dark kake, which emanate a dark-fruit aroma, have the moistness I like (a little damp), and although they're fairly thick I don't need to rub too efficaciously; a gentle hand produces the perfect consistency. I like mine to be a little chunky when I fill my pipe.

From first light, at the risk of sounding melodramatic, the smoke is heavenly. To my palate, there's a hearty amount of fruity, slightly spicy, Perique, which intertwines perfectly with the doughy, bready, Virginias. The black Cavendish is a lesser addition; this brings a euphonious, soothing quality, and prevents any rough edges becoming apparent. Because I keep my kake fairly coarse to smoke it I get a slow, cool, steady, burn, with the number of relights being a tautological and superfluous topic; it goes perfectly!

Nicotine: a little less than medium. Room-note: not bad.

Crumble Kake Va. Perique? Four stars, easily:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Altinok Lee Van Cleef: Friday pipe

Age When Smoked: One month

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sasquatch (90)	2018-12-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I can't give this 4. It's a nice presentation, smells like good clean va/per fun in the tin - a little sharp but some deeper tastes are promised in the tin note. Busted up, filled and lit, no trouble. It is a little sharp at first but settles down into a pleasant but to me unremarkable va/per sort of taste. It hits me as a little unrefined to be honest. If I think of Navy Rolls or any of the other real classic va/pers, I am reminded of the balance they offer, the interplay between sweet virginias, leaf selected for body, and perique, I find that missing here. It's got a little spice, and enough sweetness to balance it, but the basic flavor is just that - a little spice and a little sweetness and I don't have a lot else to hold on to. I could not, for example, specify how this is in any way better than Sutliff's other va/per, the 1849.

Glad I tried it, and I'll throw a tin in the cellar, but this isn't in the same class to me as other top-notch va/pers (Solani 633, Gawith Cabbie's, DNR, Scottish Cake). It lacks a softness and a fullness which these all present. Room note sees approval from Mrs. Squatch.

EDIT bumped up to 3. No bite, friendly smoke, lots of worse stuff out there.

Pipe Used: big and small

Age When Smoked: new

Similar Blends: Sutliff Tobacco Company - Sutliff 1849.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	nkulk8r (90)	2019-01-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Opening the tin, I’m greeted by a couple of superbly crafted, handsomely hewn cakes that smelled of spice, raisins, fig, notes of bread, accompanied by a faint whisper of vinegar. The Virginias bring the tang, dark fruit, bread and hay, while the Perique delivers the pepper that tingled almost the entire tongue. It’s the addition of the Cavendish, however, that really characterizes this blend and sets it apart from the more orthodox VaPers -- those containing only Virginia and Perique. The cake itself, a Goldilocks crumble (virtually identical to that of the Red Virginia release in this series), which has a semi-soft, faintly moist, brownie-like texture. Pleasing to the touch and fun to crumble, it is indeed a cool, slow-burning blend. Lovely stuff, this crumble – highly recommended.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WolfmanSam (37)	2019-05-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Upon lighting, I’m greeted with tart and tanginess. The red Virginia is sour, vinegary, sweet, tart and mouthwatering. I also sense a tingling spiciness on my tongue. The perique is slightly sweet.

The burn rate is quite slow, but consistent and even. It’s medium in strength, and the nicotine level is slightly more than mild. I’ve smoked at least a dozen bowls in various briars and cobs. It smoked well in all varieties.

I highly recommend this tobacco. It will be appreciated by both VaPer and Red Virginia aficionados. It’s excellent now and I suspect it will age magnificently.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2019-11-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought this at Emerson's in Williamsburg so I could smoke in the lounge.

Presentation in the tin is a little awkward. It belongs in a rectangular tin to match the rectangular kake. There is a lot of air space in there. The kakes are maybe 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick and hold together nicely. They crumble readily in the fingers with no residue and the result is a wide chopped ribbon - mostly dark browns and black. The tin note is earthy and slightly sweet. I smoked it as delivered and did not let it dry. It came at a good level of hydration for me - maybe a little on the moist side of things.

Smoked, this is a tasty red Virginia first. There is enough perique to give it a little plum and some spice when puffed. It has the bready and darker citrus notes you expect in a red Virginia. I am not really tasting the black cavendish, and I think it is a pretty mild touch that may contribute to the sweet and fairly smooth smoke.

It burned as expected and stayed lit as well as you might hope. It was on the medium end of the mild->medium range, and it is not heavy in the vitamin N. It was a pleasant smoke, but it was not awe inspiring. There is a lot of competition in the VaPer market.

This is a solid 3 on the scale. It is easy to recommend. It is not fussy, and it is a good smoke. if it were all I had, I would smoke a lot of it with no regrets. I am not likely to buy more.

Pipe Used: various pots

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (401)	2019-07-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Unnoticeable

I bought this gem last Sunday at my pipe club meeting. My first peeve is having square tobacco in a round tin but have complained about this in prior posts so I will move on. When I opened the tin and unfolded the paper doily the round black paper cover was creased and folded up like a triangle. Not sure if this is packaged by hand or not but it made me feel that whoever or whatever packaged this did not give a darn. Has a nice sweet VA smell out of the tin and there were two squared kakes about ¼ inch thick. It smokes smooth, slightly sweet but did not offer a whole lot for me. In fairness I have been smoking some Perique bombs lately and this blend did not have that Perique pizazz that I have come to like. For me this is an average smoke, maybe the VA’s need to age somewhat. I will not be buying this again. Sorry to be the first two-star reviewer, wait a minute, no I am not sorry. Ha. Good but not that good.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: New

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius (3)	2019-05-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Soft smooth and very tasty. This tobacco burns dry and slow with hardly any moisture ever. It’s a nice way to enjoy a smoke and reflect the day.

Pipe Used: Corn cob

Age When Smoked: 2018

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hrhf (38)	2021-01-15		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Crumble Kake Va. Perique is a winner in my book.

I’m the type of inexperienced pipe smoker who tends to try to rush through a bowl... Especially if it’s something I really like. And, as we all know, rushing a pipe can be problematic.

But man this stuff is good.

I came to pipes over a decade ago, having been a daily smoker of Cubans for a while. So, after briefly messing around with aromatics, I began searching for more flavorful (and oftentimes stronger) types of tobacco.

I still prefer flavorful tobacco. I’ll occasionally smoke something mild-medium, but my baseline is at least medium, usually with a bowl or two per day of bold/strong thrown in for a change up.

This CKVP is probably a haircut past medium, flavor-wise. I’m not going to bother going into the specifics of presentation, tin-note and what have you, as that’s been capably handled already by previous reviewers.

I just felt the need, considering the fact that there have been relatively few reviews, to help spread the word about what I consider a really good, possibly great tobacco.

I’d compare my personal smoking experience similar to St. James Flake. I’m not trying to say they taste a lot alike, but they do resemble in enough ways, particularly depth of flavor, for it to be MY current favorite replacement for the aforementioned hard-to-find SG VaPer.

CKVP certainly has more in common (per my palate) with SGSJF than it has with, say, Escudo, Fillmore or Bayou Morning.

I’m fond of those three, but I love SJF. And this Sutliff Crumble Kake Va. Perique is definitely a contender for my affection.

All this is subject to change, of course, as my palate evolves. But for now? 3 3/4 stars, rounded up to four for our purposes here.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New stock

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2019-12-30		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Mostly black crumble cake that breaks apart easily. Fruity and heavy tin nose of perique and red Virginia. I rubbed this out fairly vigorously but left some small chunks for the bottom of the bowl, as is my custom for crumble cakes so that I don't get tobacco chunks in my mouth or plug up the draft.

The first half tin or so was really excellent - so good in fact that I accused Ernie of Watch City of putting this together, which he denied. A nice rich and savory tasting VaPer with a goodly amount of fruity, spicy perique. The various red Virginias ruled the show but not by much. A rather punchy and tasty blend with the "unflavored" black Cavendish providing some smoothness. I did taste a very light casing which may not have been a casing at all - hard to tell, really. I spun through the first half-tin pretty quickly. Then I began to notice a bit of unruliness to the smoke, particularly when I compared it to other VaPers, such as Watch City Old Dominion and McClellands St James Woods. It still tasted good but as I neared the end of the tin, I found it lacked the character and balance of the best VaPers on the market. Something was amiss, although this is still a very smokable blend. In fact, this may be the best blend Sutliff has ever produced. There aren't a lot of Sutliff blends to choose from in that regard, but I have to say that with this crumble cake series, Sutliff is raising the bar on what they themselves have produced. I find that encouraging. I hope they continue to improve. Oh, and no Sutliff chemical taste in any of the three! That's cause for celebration! I'd give this 3.5 stars. This is pretty close to a reference - it just misses the mark by a bit and I'll be focusing elsewhere. But this is a heroic effort and is worth an audition by any VaPer fan.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (221)	2019-06-01		Medium	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

On opening the can , very fruitful of fig and plum and raisons . Needed very little drying though moister than it appears . Very slow and even burning ! I like the cake presentation but I can’t get past the damn fruity taste ! Too much for me . I may try to mix it something else . It just smokes like an aromatic to me and not my cup of tea . Maybe too heavy on the casing ? Better than anniversary cake but not by very much ! Update 7/20 I left the rest of this after a few bowls in mason jar and tried it again . The topping must have eased off after some time but it is better than it was fresh out of tin ! I bumped it up to 3 stars .

Pipe Used: Large and medium size billiards

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

Similar Blends: Anniversary cake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wizard_duty (6)	2021-12-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very well presented! Two thick flakes and wonderful aroma of fruits and earth and some slight vinegar. Crumbles very easily, like the others in this series, and packs much the same. The light is easy and the smoke is rich and flavorful. Somewhat less sweet than the Red Crumble Kake Red VA, but makes up for that with spice and depth of flavor. This one is not quite as satisfying as the full red, but definitely a nice smoke.

Pipe Used: Briars of various shapes

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CarlC (18)	2020-10-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

It has that stewed fruit smell and dirty socks odor that I like.A good VA/Per.For me,it could use a little more perique, but still smokable.Lit up as is out of the tin, with no issues.Crumble cake breaks up easily.Good "gateway" blend if the smoker likes perique,and is looking to work his/her way up to some of the ones that could make their planets whirl and twirl if not prepared.No date stamp noticed on the tin.

Pipe Used: 9mm Savinelli straight apple

Age When Smoked: New out of the tin

Purchased From: Emerson's Cigars in Chesapeake,Va.

Similar Blends: L J Peretti's #8 slice , L J Perretti's Saint James Mixture.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2019-09-19		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very fruity tin aroma which is delightful but this doesn't carry thru when smoking; breaks up easily resulting in easy packing; smokes cool and evenly without condensation or the need for relights; didn't get much of the perique influence that I prefer

Pipe Used: Estella billiard; Montbatten bent billiard

Age When Smoked: unknown

Purchased From: pipes & cigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Planet Scott (66)	2019-08-20		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Reading the numerous positive reviews, I had to try this. I doubt I will buy again. It reminds me of a less complex and rich 5100. It's not a horrible blend, but it's not stellar. I enjoy the fuller and richer Va Pers, such as SG St James Flake, or Silliems Councilor flake.

2.9 stars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (557)	2023-05-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note of pungent sweet, vinegar and fruit. Tobacco is a Krumble Kake of a marbled reddish brown, dark brown and a little black and tan. Moisture content is good. Cake breaks apart and rubs out easily. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and very consistent, with notes of sweet dark ripe plums, spice, tart and tangy citrus, floral, peaty hay, wood, fermented vegetation, bready, lemon grass, savory, slightly spicy, slightly acidic, a slightly sour sugared raisin background note, and a peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Cavendish and Perique supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Pipe Used: 2016 Northern Briars Regal Rox Cut #4 Pot

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: cupojoes.com

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Quiggifur (99)	2023-02-22		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

The 'eau de foot' of the perique really comes through in the tin note, not my favorite scent. Luckily it doesn't translate to the smoke. I get berry, stewed fruit in the smoke, very pleasant. A light acidity and nice sweetness. It's very spicy, had to set the bowl down a couple times. Next time I'd smoke a smaller bowl. Flavor doesn't wane, from beginning to end.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HeadmasterOfHerf (25)	2023-01-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Smells dark and fruity in the jar.

Crumbles up easily without turning to powder. Packs just as easy.

Immediately tastes tangy and fruity. The fruit is something closer to a plum then to citrus, which is what I would normally expect out of a VaPer. In that same way, the pepper from the Perique is pretty muted; you really have to look for it to find it.

There’s no tongue bite to be seen here.

All in all, I’d still recommend this for the outstanding flavors, even if they’re not traditional VaPer flavors.

Pipe Used: Mayfair bulldog

Age When Smoked: 4 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipefitter (51)	2022-07-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Red Virginia-Perique is one of my favorite blends and this one rises to the top of a list of very fine offerings by many good blenders. I’ve given all of the Va-Perique blends I’ve tried high marks and I’m partial to this one because it’s pressed into a cake. Whatever the blender has done with this tobacco they’ve managed to bring all of the complexity of sweetness, spiciness, fruitiness, smokiness, tartness, etc. This is a consummate blend that never bites, smokes cool and clean and has a mild enough nic-hit to smoke all day. This will always be part of my regular rotation as long as it’s available. I would not recommend this for newbie smokers unless they are in to blends that are not flavored or topped with sugary additives.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	b7q (54)	2022-07-20		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I like VA/PERS, so I bought a can. Open the box without smelling it.

Direct loading. The smoke is cool and burns slowly.

The biggest feature is smoky taste, everything else is normal, no bite, worth a try, but I won't buy any more,The lady didn't like the smell of the room, haha

Pipe Used: Meerschaum&Clay&Briar

Age When Smoked: new

Nobody has rated this review yet.