Hearth & Home Marble Kake
(3.13)
A firmly-pressed crumble cake blend of bright and red Virginias, it comes as a solid cake which can be broken or sliced and rubbed-out, and the flavor changes depending upon how you prepare it. Knowledgeable Virginia fans often compare it to Hamborger Veermaster as a smooth, but tasty Virginia blend.
Details
| Brand | Hearth & Home |
| Series | Signature Series |
| Blended By | Russ Ouellette |
| Manufactured By | Sutliff Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | Straight Virginia |
| Contents | Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Krumble Kake |
| Packaging | 1.5 ounce tin, bulk |
| 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
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.13 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 31 - 40 of 60 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 07, 2010 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Like most of Russ's blends, and I think i have smoked them all now, when you get them from the blender, they are a little green. One must let these blends sit awhile and let them meld. if you do, you are rewarded with some very tasty blends. This one is not different. It comes in broekn large cakes, looking much oke the range cubes I fed my cattle when I lived on a ranch. They do crumble easy but rub our hard. The tobacco appearance is a mix of light and dark irregular cut and it has a soft look and hand touch to it. I like most of my flakes dried out a lot, but this one can easily be dried out too much resulting in a very hot smoke. Dried out just right, where it is springy but not sticky, it results in a very tasty smoke without tongue bite and it smokes down the pipe at a nice even slow pace. The ash is a black and grey mottle and it smokes dry leaving a fine ash at the bottom of the pipe. It has a somewhat nutty, sweet taste to it, not the hay like, tart, citrusy taste a lot of VA's taste like. The room note is pleasant but not distinctive. It is not heavy in the air and room. It does satisfy but it is not overly heavy in the "N" factor. It is rather one dimentional but it is full bodied and a jot to smoke. I like this blend, no, it's not the best Va blend I have smoked but for the price it could be an all day smoke for many. I do recommend trying it.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 03, 2010 | Medium | None Detected | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Tolerable |
This tobacco came with several other tobaccos from pipesandcigars.com in a grouping from Hearth & Home called "Steve B's VA Elite." These tobaccos are collectively just not my cup of tea....or bowl of tobacco, as it were.
I found this tobacco, like the others in the collection, to be harsh, irritating to the throat, burns way too hot, and lacking in any kind of real flavor. As I have noted in my review of AJ's VaPer, these might be good tobaccos for the ex-cigarette smoker. But to me, they do not embody the cool, smooth, flavorful smoking experience that one thinks of when thinking of pipe smoking.
I found this tobacco, like the others in the collection, to be harsh, irritating to the throat, burns way too hot, and lacking in any kind of real flavor. As I have noted in my review of AJ's VaPer, these might be good tobaccos for the ex-cigarette smoker. But to me, they do not embody the cool, smooth, flavorful smoking experience that one thinks of when thinking of pipe smoking.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 10, 2010 | Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
i was not nearly as impressed with this as i'd hoped. that said, it's a lovely, straightforward and remarkably friendly smoke. a good introduction to the pleasures of Virginia for those tiring of syrup. without the tempermental behaviors of many Va's. i find i favor the richer flavors of red and stoved Va's. i may return to this occasionally for it's simplicity alone. mown hay and spring breezes come to mind. but for me, old red, and anniversary kake rule the roost.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 01, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
Ok, for those who can't figure it out, simply drop Marble Kake in a blender and hit it once or twice. It is a krumble kake, and not a soft one. So what? We are men and can handle it! And it is worth the wait, although I usual smoke it in loosely rubbed chunks. This is a very nice Virginia flake. Rather than a pressed ribbon, it is pressed shredded leaf of a Red, Bright variety. Slow smoking, it stays lit easily. It does not bite, smokes cool and has a depth and complexity not found in Russ Ouellette's other krumble kakes. It has a sweet and spicy edge.
One of my "go to" tobaccos.
One of my "go to" tobaccos.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 30, 2007 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I find this tobacco with a wonderful flavor. I would smoke a great deal more of it save for the fact that it burns much too hot for me.
In addition, the effort required to cut the cakes of tobacco just isn't worth the time and energy.
In addition, the effort required to cut the cakes of tobacco just isn't worth the time and energy.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 12, 2007 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
I enjoy this mostly alone, sometimes as a blender as I've found it interferes very little with other Virginia tobaccos I smoke. It reminds me of Cornell and Diehl's pressed brick tobaccos such as Briar Fox as mentioned below, though this is nowhere near the depth of flavor of a Night Train. It's a great Virginia blend though, especially about halfway through the bowl where some of the mellow nuttiness/grassiness really comes through. Otherwise it's not incredibly deep in flavor but generally has that wispiness of natural Virginia hay/grass/nut sheets of vanishing taste mentioned below. It is a very neutral tobacco, one that loads and smokes well, that tastes good, and is a great buy.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 06, 2007 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant |
Do you enjoy an honest-to-goodness, old fashioned American virginia smoke? No casings, no flavorings, no goop; just a subtle dry hay and grass flavor with hints of natural sweetness? Welcome, this is Marble Kake. I would recommend this tobac to experienced pipe smokers since the myriad of tantalizing sweet aromas are fleeting. However, the foundation and bass notes are solid. Puff gently and ponder; do not hurry, and you'll be transported back to an old stone hearth in colonial Virgina.
Only two tobaccos invoke these images to me...C&D Briar Fox and HH Marble Kake.
aj
Only two tobaccos invoke these images to me...C&D Briar Fox and HH Marble Kake.
aj
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 23, 2006 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
The first Russ Ouellette blend to be loaded into one of my pipes is Marble Kake. It won't be the last. This pipe-weed is beautiful to behold, resembling, as others have said, a brownie. So much so that one is tempted to eat it. The aroma is mown hay. It was a delight to rub MK out, and an easy load. Once charred, the burn was even to the bottom.
The smoker is greeted with much natural sweetness, and almost no tang. I detect no citrus or floral notes. While there is not much complexity, there is also no lack of depth. The nuances of American VA are present to be savored. If you're not familar with such nuance, it is possible to find MK on the bland side of things. Delicious all the way through, improving toward the end of the bowl, with thick smoke, and nary a bite. This is one of the most bite-free VAs I've had the pleasure of smoking, and what a welcome change that is. In short, I've made a new friend.
The smoker is greeted with much natural sweetness, and almost no tang. I detect no citrus or floral notes. While there is not much complexity, there is also no lack of depth. The nuances of American VA are present to be savored. If you're not familar with such nuance, it is possible to find MK on the bland side of things. Delicious all the way through, improving toward the end of the bowl, with thick smoke, and nary a bite. This is one of the most bite-free VAs I've had the pleasure of smoking, and what a welcome change that is. In short, I've made a new friend.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 09, 2006 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
If you hate American virginias, don't try or review this. But if you love the sweet, piquant taste of VA in a rich pressed form, this is the stuff to try. I swiped a few bars at Russ Ouellette's table at the Chicago P & T, and I'm glad I did. I don't care much for the 10 to Midnight, prefering the more powerful, aggressive C & D Pirate Kake of that genre. This reminds me of C & D's Blockade Runner, though this is richer, more flavorful and not nippy to the throat or tongue. It breaks off like chewy nougat, rubs out beautifully and packs well in the pipe. Unlike most krumble kakes, it remains firm and does not break up into a dusty powder. I love the texture as well as the mottled brown and gold colors. Very fine stuff from a very good blender and tobacco shop.
Three and a half of five stars
august update 2006
Smoke this stuff quickly and be sure to ask for the tinned version, as I'm hoping that will retain more moisture than bulk. After this stuff turns to wormwood, it's impossibly dry and you can't pack anything less than large chunks in your bowl. Also it starts to burn terribly hot and loses all its delightfully nutty flavors. I'll not get this in bulk again, and hopefully it will be more moist and spongy the next time.
Two of five stars
Three and a half of five stars
august update 2006
Smoke this stuff quickly and be sure to ask for the tinned version, as I'm hoping that will retain more moisture than bulk. After this stuff turns to wormwood, it's impossibly dry and you can't pack anything less than large chunks in your bowl. Also it starts to burn terribly hot and loses all its delightfully nutty flavors. I'll not get this in bulk again, and hopefully it will be more moist and spongy the next time.
Two of five stars
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 21, 2006 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
Gives new meaning to the term "flake." Very dense little bars rub out into dusty little flakes somewhat like uncooked oatmeal. Burns a little hot, though certainly not outside of the range characteristic of this type of VA blend. Damned nice flavor, though---a lingering sweet, natural 'earthiness.' It works just fine in my all-purpose VA flake pipe, and lighting, etc, are easy.
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