Hearth & Home Marble Kake

Marble Kake has a toasty bottom and lot's of VA tastyness. Very akin to Hamborger Veermaster, with the Red VA giving this Krumble cake plenty of positive merits all its own. Smooth, toasty, nutty and full of flavor. Being that it is a true kruble Kake it affords the option of preparing as desired. This is a 4 star VA blend!

Rich and malty, a bit astringent to start but settles down. A bit hard to work with and get going if you try to rub it out. Breaks up into thin slabs of whole leaf. Likely best to slice it. If the mechanics were better, would be a four. Lots of relights at first to get going. The lingering smell and flavor is delicious.

Hearth & Home Marble Kake. Well, it is marbled. And it sticks together like cake. And that is where the comparison ends.

This stuff was not a pleasant smoke. Dang near bit my tongue clean off. Had to look in the mirror to make sure it was still there.

And taste? Well, the grape vines I smoked at Boy Scout camp tasted better. Marble Kake was not good at all. Hot and dry and not even woody like the grape vines.

I have some more Hearth & Home to try, and I'm not looking forward to the experience. Only their Chestnut has been passable thus far.

I'm going to toss this one on the fire. Might keep the skeeters away.

Tin note of tangy sweet, vinegary, and spices. Tobacco Krumble Kake is brown with smaller amounts dark brown and light brown. Moisture content is ok, some may want to dry it out a bit. Kake breaks apart and rubs out easily. Burns slow with a few extra relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and consistent, with notes of spices, bread, wood, leather, floral, spicy, mildly sweet, stewed dark fruit, lemon grass, mildly sour, hay, acidic, earth, mildly zesty dry, mildly bitter, savory, a tar and tangy citrus background note, and a peppery retro. Room note is pleasant, and aftertaste is great.

This is a simple, good blend of straight Virginias. It has the typical Virginia flavors of hay mixed with something citrusy and it leaves a pleasant taste in the mouth. I still think Rolando's Own is the best Virginia blend Russ makes; but this is good. It is easy to pack and provides a cool smoke. I don't think I'll be buying it again, but it is still a good tobacco, especially if you're a new pipe smoker and want to know what Virginia tobacco is like.

This is my first review in about 5 years, because Marble Kake is that good. I used to smoke Dunhill Flake quite a lot, but alas, it fell by the wayside. MK compares very well to it, and is much less expensive, and when I buy it, I am supporting an American company, which makes me feel good too. This is a light VA blend, so it can burn, but if you are a VA lover, the taste more than makes up for it. Nothing here but good clean Virginia tobacco taste with medium body. I think it is quite a lot better than Hamborger Veermaster.

Good, bulk priced cake tobacco. Difficult to break up, but once broken and dried a little it smokes down the the bottom. No bite.

Another good offering from Russ, and the fine people at P&C.

This Kake resembles weathered particle board. Nice and dry. Pinch off the needed amount to fill you favorite pipe. Lightly rub out....this stuff falls apart into a light flaky mixture of bright, and red Va. tobacco. Easy pack, light, and burn. Mildly semi sweet taste. This blend has much competition, but with form, and price it holds it's own with more expensive Virginias. May not be "THE BEST" but is not far behind. Rate * * *

I'm currently having a promising romance with Marble Kake. I have to admit, I thought the first couple of bowls were pretty bland, but something kept my interest. I had never smoked a crumble cake before. As my experience in preparation increased, so did my satisfaction with this blend. Every bowl seems to yield some new flavor or nuance. The burn is exceptional, and I don't think you could make this blend bite your tongue if you tried.

The flavor is slightly sweet and pretty earthy, but rather toned down compared to other blends, like Louisiana Red. It really could be an all-day blend if that's what you are looking for; it requires little attention once it's rubbed out and is priced right. All in all, a wonderful Virginia blend that's smooth, not too sweet, and burns wonderfully once you get the hang of preparing it. Highly recommended!