Sutliff Tobacco Company Crumble Kake Red Virginia
(3.25)
Aged red Virginias pressed into a vintage crumble cake providing an exceptionally sweet and smooth smoke.
Details
| Brand | Sutliff Tobacco Company |
| Blended By | Sutliff Tobacco Company |
| Manufactured By | Sutliff Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | Straight Virginia |
| Contents | Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Krumble Kake |
| Packaging | 1.5 ounce tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.25 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 03, 2019 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Mostly black to dark brown with some light flecks, this came in 2 brownies that were incredibly easy to crumble. A soft pinch and pull did it just fine. A weird tin aroma (and indeed this tobacco was strange for a simple red) that I'm told is vinegar. I got that but I also groaned at what I thought may be an excessive Sutliff PG smell. As this one dried out quickly enough, my worry there was for nought. But the tin aroma is one I don't associate with straight reds. I think they were going for a McClellands fermented sileage aroma but missed, possibly due to the tobacco not being aged long enough. As straight reds have all but disappeared from the U.S market, I certainly can't blame Sutliff for wanting to get this one out quickly!
Each bowl of this started out smooth but with strange flavors. An occasional rough spot, but mostly smooth and with a kind of "wet" feeling. Wet isn't the best descriptor but if you're familiar with a dry mouthfeel, this one is the opposite. Kind of babies the palate - very soothing. Eventually this locked in and what I got was mostly what I would expect from a straight red... that tangy, dried fruit zesty roundness. But along with that, at times I got a spicy, fruity flavor that I associate with a light addition of perique. Is there perique in here??? Sure tasted like it and the snork rendered a light nose tingle I also associate with that condiment. Further, this blend is rounder than, say 5100 or Watch City's Simply Red. Not too much sweetness (just enough) but I suspect a small bit of bright VA is in here as well. All in all, I found this to be a "straight" red that has been fritzed with a bit. I think their 515 is a better example of a standard red VA. I actually liked this one enough to award it 3 stars but I think it's on a different plane than 515. This is just "more" than what I'm accustomed to with reds. No worries, though - this is a fine blend. Not one I'll stock up on but I enjoyed smoking it. It's not 5100, and that's ok... 515 is closer to that and Watch City's Simply Red closer still. The latter is where my dollars will go, but I wouldn't kick either Sutliff out of my bowl.
Each bowl of this started out smooth but with strange flavors. An occasional rough spot, but mostly smooth and with a kind of "wet" feeling. Wet isn't the best descriptor but if you're familiar with a dry mouthfeel, this one is the opposite. Kind of babies the palate - very soothing. Eventually this locked in and what I got was mostly what I would expect from a straight red... that tangy, dried fruit zesty roundness. But along with that, at times I got a spicy, fruity flavor that I associate with a light addition of perique. Is there perique in here??? Sure tasted like it and the snork rendered a light nose tingle I also associate with that condiment. Further, this blend is rounder than, say 5100 or Watch City's Simply Red. Not too much sweetness (just enough) but I suspect a small bit of bright VA is in here as well. All in all, I found this to be a "straight" red that has been fritzed with a bit. I think their 515 is a better example of a standard red VA. I actually liked this one enough to award it 3 stars but I think it's on a different plane than 515. This is just "more" than what I'm accustomed to with reds. No worries, though - this is a fine blend. Not one I'll stock up on but I enjoyed smoking it. It's not 5100, and that's ok... 515 is closer to that and Watch City's Simply Red closer still. The latter is where my dollars will go, but I wouldn't kick either Sutliff out of my bowl.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 24, 2018 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
First, hats off to Sutliff for understanding a big hole in the market and bothering to fill it.
Tin note is vinegar. No joke - not fermented something or other, just plain white vinegar. Singe the hairs in your nose. And if you just load the pipe and fire it... this is pretty bad for about 5 minutes, then smartens up into a pretty tasty red va. Left on the counter for an hour before loading, all that vinegar nose just flashes off and leaves a really nice smelling red va, that deep sweet, almost woodsy smell.
In the pipe this is bigger than the lamented 5100 - more akin to something like Blackjack I supposed. Sweet enough, lots of flavor variation through the bowl... slight ammonia in the snork here and there. Don't know if more age would remove that.
Pleasant tobacco if you can get your head around the vinegar. Not in the same league as either Wessex Red Flake but the effort is there. Not quite a 4 star for me but perfectly acceptable and gladly received as there is a dearth of reds.
Tin note is vinegar. No joke - not fermented something or other, just plain white vinegar. Singe the hairs in your nose. And if you just load the pipe and fire it... this is pretty bad for about 5 minutes, then smartens up into a pretty tasty red va. Left on the counter for an hour before loading, all that vinegar nose just flashes off and leaves a really nice smelling red va, that deep sweet, almost woodsy smell.
In the pipe this is bigger than the lamented 5100 - more akin to something like Blackjack I supposed. Sweet enough, lots of flavor variation through the bowl... slight ammonia in the snork here and there. Don't know if more age would remove that.
Pleasant tobacco if you can get your head around the vinegar. Not in the same league as either Wessex Red Flake but the effort is there. Not quite a 4 star for me but perfectly acceptable and gladly received as there is a dearth of reds.
Pipe Used:
ks111, castello,
Age When Smoked:
fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 18, 2019 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Unnoticeable |
The kakes break apart quite easily . Kind of like marble cake but much smaller pieces and you don’t have to worry about it rubbing to crumbs . Lots of thick fairly sweet smoke . Tastes better in a medium sized pipe . A little hay and grass and some baked bread and a little spice but not a lot . Not really any citrus or dark stewed fruit . Some vinegar does come through but not in a bad way . When i crave some red Virginia this does what i expect . A whisper of cocoa from the natural red Virginia taste . I like it . 3 1/4 stars just because it doesn’t wow me . It is damn good though .
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2020 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
Upon tin opening,you are met with an aroma of earth, sweet hay, and a load of vinegar. Despite the hay tin aroma and visible additions of brights added in the blend, you taste very little evidence of them. This blend is certainly all about tangy, fruity, earthy, and slightly spice, Red Virginas. As the smoke continues, the flavor deepens.
Truly one of the better straight Virginia blends I have smoked. I would also add that it is a solid candidate for newer pipe smokers dipping their toes into straight Virginia blends. I found it more forgiving and cooler than your average Virginia. 7.5/10
Truly one of the better straight Virginia blends I have smoked. I would also add that it is a solid candidate for newer pipe smokers dipping their toes into straight Virginia blends. I found it more forgiving and cooler than your average Virginia. 7.5/10
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 06, 2019 | Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
A mild, slightly tangy Red Virginia, but for me (after trying on and off for nearly a year) actually rather boring on its own. Nice to have around to round out some other blends that need a RV boost, or to tone down a blend on days when you want something less forward.
Pipe Used:
cobs, meers, and briars
Age When Smoked:
fresh when opened
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 30, 2019 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Once you get over the tin note (Very Strong Vinegar Aroma with Hay and Grass), and once you get past the charring light (also a peculiar taste of something like vinegar without the zestiness of vinegar, mingled with grassy, and slightly figgy), this tobacco settles down to a pleasant Virginia that slowly builds in depth. If you change your cadence, you will be rewarded by various subtle flavors that mingle nicely. The last third of the bowl is what keeps me coming back. It is deeper and richer and has a nice calm finish. In the tin, the tobacco has the consistency of thick compressed saw dust like tobacco that breaks up well. You will find that from the tin there is considerable moisture and if not dried out for an hour or so, you will be needing to relight several times. All in all, this is a pleasant tobacco and worth a try.
Pipe Used:
several
Age When Smoked:
Fresh with out aging.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 01, 2021 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Disclaimer: I don’t claim to possess a world class palate when it comes to tobacco. I simply know what I like.
This tobacco, I like. I’ve noted several reviews that report a strong vinegar aroma. Personally, I detected nothing of the sort. After reading the reviews, I checked again and detect something there, nestled into a really zesty, inviting tobacco aroma. Power of suggestion, perhaps?
Anyway, I’m currently in exploratory mode when it comes to Virginias. Coming off a relatively long pipe hiatus, I sampled Black X and a couple other strong rope tobaccos I enjoyed, but that was years ago.
And the Virginias I’m sampling currently bear very little resemblance to THOSE Virginias.
Flash forward to today, and the only other Virginias I have under my belt to compare to this one are C&D Virginia Flake and the one that’s probably the baseline for most smokers, SG FVF.
I find those two have more in common with each other than Crumble Kake has to either. This one seems to have a little something extra that I really haven’t found in the others.
CK has some of that Virginia sweetness, but there’s a little extra zing here. Kind of a tang, that makes my mouth water during the smoke. I can’t recall experiencing that with any other tobacco... but I like it.
It’s not overwhelming, mind you... or distracting. It just enhances everything else that’s going on.
This is a review in progress, and I’m currently penciling in 3.5 stars. But this is certainly subject to change, and likely for the better.
But I’ve only had three bowls of the stuff. And I’ve liked each one more than the last. That may be a good sign... or a flash in the pan.
Stay tuned.
Update 3/29/21 I remain quite fond of Sutliff’s approach to Red Virginia, but I personally prefer the bulk version. I can’t tell any real difference flavor-wise, and I’m a cheapskate.
This tobacco, I like. I’ve noted several reviews that report a strong vinegar aroma. Personally, I detected nothing of the sort. After reading the reviews, I checked again and detect something there, nestled into a really zesty, inviting tobacco aroma. Power of suggestion, perhaps?
Anyway, I’m currently in exploratory mode when it comes to Virginias. Coming off a relatively long pipe hiatus, I sampled Black X and a couple other strong rope tobaccos I enjoyed, but that was years ago.
And the Virginias I’m sampling currently bear very little resemblance to THOSE Virginias.
Flash forward to today, and the only other Virginias I have under my belt to compare to this one are C&D Virginia Flake and the one that’s probably the baseline for most smokers, SG FVF.
I find those two have more in common with each other than Crumble Kake has to either. This one seems to have a little something extra that I really haven’t found in the others.
CK has some of that Virginia sweetness, but there’s a little extra zing here. Kind of a tang, that makes my mouth water during the smoke. I can’t recall experiencing that with any other tobacco... but I like it.
It’s not overwhelming, mind you... or distracting. It just enhances everything else that’s going on.
This is a review in progress, and I’m currently penciling in 3.5 stars. But this is certainly subject to change, and likely for the better.
But I’ve only had three bowls of the stuff. And I’ve liked each one more than the last. That may be a good sign... or a flash in the pan.
Stay tuned.
Update 3/29/21 I remain quite fond of Sutliff’s approach to Red Virginia, but I personally prefer the bulk version. I can’t tell any real difference flavor-wise, and I’m a cheapskate.
PurchasedFrom:
MJM Fine Cigars, Palm Harbor FL
Age When Smoked:
New stock
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 19, 2020 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant |
Very darkly fruity with a little bit of citrus. Some leather and straw notes, to a much lesser extent.
The room note is definitely very pleasant, better than average in fact.
The smoke is a little rough around the edges. There's a little more bite than I'm used to from a Virginia this mild, and there's a harshness on the back of the throat.
ETA: After sitting in the jar for a week, I'm giving it another star. The bite went away and some of the rough edges worked themselves out.
The room note is definitely very pleasant, better than average in fact.
The smoke is a little rough around the edges. There's a little more bite than I'm used to from a Virginia this mild, and there's a harshness on the back of the throat.
ETA: After sitting in the jar for a week, I'm giving it another star. The bite went away and some of the rough edges worked themselves out.
Pipe Used:
Gourd calabash w/ block meerschaum bowl
PurchasedFrom:
smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 25, 2020 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Very Pleasant |
I bought some tins of this about a year ago or so. After about a week in a jar I set out to smoke my first bowl of this. To be honest I wasn't impressed at all. I found it to be very green and young tasting and it was the same anytime I smoked a bowl of it in the first six months. So I put it in the back of the cellar in hopes that aging would improve this leaf. One year in a jar seemed to have done the trick to eliminate that greenness and bring out a wide range of red Virginia flavors. Now it reminds me of a somewhat muted version of their excellent Cringle Flake. It has nice fruity flavors, earth, sweetness and just a little spice. I am very happy to have found a tobacco that that will help me conserve my stash of Cringle Flake, I just need to jar a bunch up for the future. Nice smoke that will be put somewhere in the monthly rotation.
Pipe Used:
Various briars
PurchasedFrom:
Various online shops
Age When Smoked:
1 year
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