Hearth & Home Marble Kake

In the tin it's presented as pieces of broken kake instead of one big cube crumble kake. Very easy to rub them out and pack lightly. Bright and deep sweet virginia flavors floats out in the first puff and it may get a little hot if fast puffs. Not as complicated as some of Russ' Vapers, but really easy to fall in love with. I will give it 3 1/2 stars if I could.

Generally speaking, this is a very nice tobacco and will resonate well with the smoker looking for a reliable Virginia; it might lack some of the depth of some of the fuller VAs, but as light, airy blends go this really is a good one.

I had this in bulk, and it came not in a single cake but broken into very thick strips - in other words, its as if someone sliced top-to-bottom through the cake so that each layer was present in each strip (as opposed to, say, lateral slices cut one layer at a time). The presentation in an actual tin might be different. The aroma was a nice, citrusy tang that was somewhat sweet in a very natural way.

The smoke itself was fairly straightforward. Despite the layering of the cake, there wasn't much layering of flavors; this is not necessarily a bad thing, as the tradeoff is a consistent and predictable smoke, bowl after bowl. It is a tangy, sweet VA as one would expect, but I found a bit of spiciness in there as well. Not so much so that I'd suspect some perique to be hiding in there, but enough from the underlying VA to really highlight the sweetness. Very, very satisfying in that regard.

Rubbed out, it takes on the appearance of a chunky confetti, so I've found that gravity filling, followed by a VERY light tamp, then topping of the bowl resulted in the best burn. To that end, it takes the flame very well and requires very little in the way of maintenance - very few relights, does not overheat, and doesn't generate a lot of moisture. Very much a "set it and forget it" sort of blend.

The nicotine is medium - not a monster nic hit, but enough that it's noticeable. Personally, I have an above average (but not exceptional) tolerance for nicotine, so I can handle several bowls without feeling like I've overdone it, but for most the nic level is enough that MK probably won't be a bowl after bowl after bowl, all-day sort of blend.

In then end, I'd call it 3.5 stars. Definitely good enough for a re-order, keep on hand, and smoke regularly, but juuuuust short of being one of those "day dreaming about smoking while sitting at my desk at work" blends.

One of the few Hearth & Homes blends I would recommend. It may be because of the moist cake it comes in that keeps it from biting, or the simplicity of the straight virginia.

It kept cool and had a good body. I wish they would stick to these simple blends because it seems the tobacco is quality.

I would recommend this blend, however there is a learning curve with all cake/plug tobaccos.

This is a good example of what I would call a 'standard VA' blend.

Slightly sweet, light hay, and light lemon. It's very mild and would make a good introduction into straight VAs. It's smooth, unoffensive, but lacks a 'wow factor'. Burns well and has a quick drying time. I prefer it in a narrower bowl as a wider bowl mutes the flavors too much.

Very pleasant room note which I enjoyed more than the flavor of the smoke.

2.75/4 stars. Would recommend if you;re looking for a mild VA.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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