Sutliff Tobacco Company Crumble Kake English #1

Jimlinks is probably one of the best reviewers on this web site. He has a way of describing tobacco's like no one else. Also,his tastes are very similar to mine. This is a wonderful cake with just the right moisture level and breaks up easy for a good pack. Fold and stuff will not work here. Although I feel this is a tad more Burley foward it may be just a matter of taste. I am usually not much of a Sutliff fan but they did very well on this one. Come on Pipestud you need to get your review in, we are waiting.... Smoke in Peace- Lager ( formerly Budman)

Let me start by saying that Sutliff has been very good to me of late. First, with the discovery of their Matured Red Virginia 515 RC-1, and then, with these 3 beauties: the Red Virginia Crumble Kake; the Va. Perique Crumble Kake, and finally with this excellent English #1 Crumble Kake. Four Sutliffs -- four consecutive grand-slam blends in a row -- just fantastic creations, all four of them.

Regarding the crumbles: All three in the series are vintage, old fashioned crumble cakes (though I've only been piping for 5 years, so I must confess to having no real idea of what a "vintage" or "old fashioned" crumble cake would have actually looked like, but these three very much do resemble what I imagined a vintage, old fashioned crumble would have indeed looked like -- they really do present a pleasing visual, with an arresting allure).

JimInks' spot-on review of this beautiful American blend kind of sucked all the oxygen out of the room, so I will save everyone's time and simply recommend his crisp critique of the stuff in question.

Sutliff Tobacco Co. - Crumble Kake English #1.

I'm impressed with the new Sutliff Crumble Kake series!

The tin holds just two slices of kake, speckled in colour, nicely hydrated, with a medium weight English aroma. A piece crumbles perfectly.

The Latakia's a lead player, however the other ingredients prohibit this from being a 'Bomb. I find the Latakia as equal with wood, as it is smokiness. The Burley gives a rough, course, edge to the smoke, and dries it somewhat. I find the Burley stronger for the initial quarter. The red Virginias give some pizazz, in the form of succulent, sweet, fruit; it's a decadent flavour. I get an acidulated touch from the Orientals, which gains strength as the bowl progresses; taking the stance that the Burley had at the start, by the time the bowl comes to an end. It burns and smokes easily; consistent, cool, and devoid of bite.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: I don't mind it.

Crumble Kake English #1? Simple, highly recommended:

Four stars.

This blend is absolutely remarkable. A perfect mixture of Burley and red Virginias with Latakia being so perfectly noticeable - while Orientals add an incredibly perfect spice to the mix. Is this a dream? It holds flavor perfectly throughout the smoking experience. I predict that this will become one of the most sought after blends in America. This will leave you speechless. Thank God for Sutliff!

Crumble Kake #1 is a very nice blend. I couldn't write a better review than Jiminks on this. Smooth flavor, slow burning. I found no moisture in the bottom of my bowl, but YMMV.

From the tin, Crumble Cake English #1 comes in a sliced cake form. They hold together well but break apart easily enough. The moisture from the tin is at a nice smoking level. The tin note is rich creamy Latakia, along with woody, musty, tangy notes.

The Latakia is the star of the show. It’s rich and creamy with woody notes as well as a woodsy musty note that puts you in the mind of a Forrest after it rains. The Virginias are sweet and add some tanginess and subtle fruity and earthy notes. The orientals aren’t as strong as they are in other similar blends, but are still in every puff. They offer tartness, a light touch of floral, and the incense note that they are famous for. I think the Burley is the lightest component but balances the blend and rounds out the flavor profile. It offers some nuttiness and earthy notes as well. The flavor is simple but with some complexity, and even with quite a few flavors, remains consistent. This fits the bill as an all day everyday Balkan flake.

English #1 behaves well. It needed only a couple relights, and left little moisture in the bowl. It smoked cool with no bite or harsh notes. The flavor was full while the nicotine stays at a nice medium. Complex enough to keep you interested, consistent enough to smoke while going about your day. 3.5 out of 4 stars.

Refer to JimInks oh so good description of this great tobacco. I loved the very mild floral notes. I will be cellaring a few tins of this.

This is a really enjoyable and pleasing pipe tobacco but it certainly does not taste like a typical English blend to me. Perhaps it is the way it is prepared, in a pressed cake, that causes the flavors of the various components to meld together in such a way that a singular, unique flavor is achieved. Not only is the taste not typical English, the inclusion of Burley would technically preclude this from being classified as English based on the ingredients. So it is odd that Sutliff decided to call this "English #1". It is also odd they they call it a crumble cake as it really is presented in thick "slices", similar in appearance to Bengal Slices. So, while upon opening the tin I was disappointed that this is really not an English or a cake, I was more than delighted with the unique tin note and wonderful flavor of the smoke. To my palate, the flavors of the tobaccos meld so well together that it is difficult to pick out any particular variety but I definitely think that the Virginias provide the backbone of this blend, providing the base upon which all the flavors come together, almost like a canvas for a painting. The Latakia is present but it is not overpowering, lending a nice smokey and woodsy note. The orientals are barely noticeable on their own but the spice and incense they bring is an important part of the overall flavor.

This Blend is mild but has plenty of flavor and produces a nice, slightly sweet and creamy smoke. I would call this a Spicy Virginia, much more pleasing and complex to me than a VaPer, for example, but not as robust as a true English. I prepared this by cutting off a thin (2mm) slice across the grain and rubbing out the slice into tiny bits. I packed this fairly loosely in my Savinelli KS320 bowl such that this small, rubbed out slice, filled the entire bowl. It took a couple of charring lights to get going but once lit, burned down to the bottom of the bowl with no relights and zero moisture or dottle at the bottom. Prepared this way, the tobacco burned very cool and slow and had absolutely no hint of bite.

This is definitely not an "also ran" blend. It is definitely unique and absolutely something that you should try, no matter what genre of tobacco blends you typically smoke. You really can't miss with this blend unless you are strictly a Lat Bomb devotee.

Tin note of sweet smoky tangy fruit and musty vegetation. Tobacco is a Krumble Kake of marbled reddish brown, dark brown, black and a little tan. Moisture content is good, some pipe smokers will want to dry it out a bit. Burns slow with a few extra relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of smoky, floral, herbal, incense, tangy dark fruit, spice, savory, fermented sour, leather, toast, lemon grassy, wood, nuts, earthy rich, cocoa, sugar sweet, a musty dry vegetation and citrus background note, and a peppery retro. Latakia is leading with Burley, Oriental/Turkish and Virginia supporting. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is great.