Hearth & Home Anniversary Kake

What a complete disappointment. I was very excited to try this blend. This velvety, wonderfully fragrant cake showed a lot of promise in the bag. It reminds me of Prince Albert or Carter Hall. In the pipe, it falls way short. It may pack well, but it smokes hot and the flavor is synthetic, and somewhat chemical. Tastes like burning tires smell. Reminiscent of spilled diesel. I tried it in several pipes: a Ben Wade Danish, an Ehrlich prince, a John Bessai poker, a Peterson System 315, and a cob churchwarden. The only pipe that it was remotely tolerable was the Savinelli Trevi 626 using a balsa filter. Even with the Sav, the finish was sour. And it bites, even gently sipped. Leaves the pipe in a hot gloopy mess. I expected more from Mr. O. And the Burley Kake isn't all that great either.

In spite of the fact that I have smoked two pounds of this stuff I have never reviewed it. With over 100 already posted I suppose one more doesn't matter, mostly though it's because I am at a loss to understand why I like it. Let's start first with the fact that I did not ry this blend until right after H&H switched it's manufacturing to Sutliff so many of the descriptions I have read about large dark and dense cakes are not what I have got. In fact not a single tin I've opened has ever had cakes in it, it is instead a fluffy rough cut. It is rich brown in color with no visible sign of perique. It smells in the can of a hint of rum and must. The must is enough for me to say why do I like this but I do, inspite of my disappointment in the lack of cakes to break up I filled that first bowl with low expectations. A subtle sweetness flowed from the first light and the perique wafted in and out throughout the smoke. It has an almost buttery quality and I was soon finding myself craving it and it became a daily smoke for awhile.

I don't smoke as much of it these days but I still have another two pounds (in 8oz. cans) and will buy some more in the future. It is a bit moist, as some have pointed out, but not problematic.

Anyhoo I like it, maybe after a few more pounds I will be able to express more eloquently why. But I doubt it...

I'm giving it four stars but you should probably not use my review as a reference.

I had read so much about this tobacco and was anxious to try it. I'm a big fan of Hearth and Home tobaccos and when I placed my last order I got an ounce sample. In the bag the tobacco has a wonderful spicy aroma. But upon lighting it none of that spice came through. I found the tobacco to be very bland and it burned hot. You really have to smoke this one gently to the point of letting the pipe go out or you'll get a bad case of tongue bite. Although the tobacco packed well, stayed lit and smelled wonderful in the bag I found it to be a big disappointment lacking in flavor and burning much too hot for my taste.

I've been an Aro-Smoker for over 35 years. This year I found out that you can actually TASTE your pipe tobacco and not just Smell it! Latakia and other Orientals have been on the menu in several variation,s and I really like the subtleties in flavor and taste. However, I saw some very positive reviews on a group of blends of tobaccos called VaPers (well, it was new to me anyway!). This was my introduction to H&H Anniversary Kake. So, I ordered four ounces to see if it could actually be "that good." IT REALLY WAS! I love this stuff!!! Tasty Sweet Virginias (whatever Russ found to mix in) and the Perique...Oh, the Perique. Sweet Cinnamon Bun Spicy Goodness! And, when I came back to re-order, it appeared that everyone else had discovered it too! THEN CAME THE FAMINE HIT: Backordered!!!

So, for the past three weeks I've been on an ordering rampage !my wife DEFINATELY thinks so! I've been trying desperately to find a Virginia/Perique blend to fill the void in my life since the H&H AnniKake famine began; From PS Luxury Navy Flake to Luxury Bullseye Flake. McClellands 2015, Escudo Navy Deluxe and even Dunhill's Deluxe Navy Rolls. (They seem SO similar!) Please don't misunderstand me. I can honestly say, these tobaccos I've sampled over the past couple of weeks are very good. Some of them are Extremely Good...BUT, none of them Ring my Bell like the Anniversary Kake! Please tell me that Russ has this stuff ready to ship. I'm having AnniKake withdrawals.

I have nothing new to add except that Russ told me he makes Ani Kake 9 pounds at a time and he has sold huge quantities of it. I save Ani Kake for when I can sit quietly and really appreciate the flavors as they evolve down the bowl. This, and Rolando's Own are my favorite tobaccos lately. They both are lovely blends...but Ani Kake is worth my full attention as I smoke a bowl lest I miss a wiff of spiciness or the evolution of the french-toast-like caramelization of the sugars in the Virginias....do yourself a favor and just get some and try it.

I ordered a few ounces in bulk from Pipes & Cigars. It's a great predictable smoke and came in the bag as a rough ribbon cut with some loose clumping. I enjoy Virginia-Perique blends and appreciate the flavors of Anniversary Kake. If you don't like to work with flakes, this bulk VaPer might be a good option. I enjoy it more than Elizabethan Mixture.

Back in August of 2018 I was able to get a nice sample of this. There was one catch, the tobacco was like railroad spikes. I was given two and a half of these spikes. It appears it was a bulk buy and somehow was compressed rock hard. Not sure if by misfortune or deliberate. I probably smoked some there and after two years decided to smoke more and leave a review. The ‘spikes’ had an unsweetened licorice smell or best I could make out though it says it has a rum topping to it. I crumbled some off and loaded small chunks of this into my pipe. It is definitely an aro to me and was not bad but nothing that I would write home about. A few days later I smoked some more with pretty much the same results. This does seem that it could burn hot if pushed. Not sure if something happened to this blend the past year but this one racked up 3 one-stars and one 2-star. I do not have any fresh and can only review what I was given. Okay but guess I expected something spectacular being that it is an anniversary blend. Try some, you may like it but for now my sample will go back into hibernation.

3rdguy

I am in the underwhelmed group with this one. Perique is barely present. Cased to the point it is wet to touch regardless of dry time yet smokes and burns nicely. Just not enough interesting anything in this blend to make me want to try it again. I smoked 2 ounces on a trial. First blend by Russ that I found so so.

Not a bad blend just average for me.

I've been on a big run lately trying blends in my possession that, allegedly, have a rum flavor infusion in them. Some are okay and some are failures. Here we have a winner that shows the rum flavoring adequately and, at the same time, is a fine vaper. I could detect the rum in both the tin and smoking aromas, although it was all but gone by the one quarter point in the smoke-a fate shared by most aromatic blends. Although called Anniversary Kake, my tin came in a sliced and partially rubbed out form that made it quick and easy to light up and enjoy. The enjoyment level shot straight up at about the time the rum infusion quit, though I don't think they are necessarily linked. AK quickly became a four star smoke and that level of enjoyment lasted throughout the top third of the bowl. Like many pipe blends, the strength and tenor of the smoke leveled off in the middle third to an okay blend. To my surprise and delight, the toasty strength and aroma came back in the bottom third to a beautiful finish. Pretty sure by now that this was a four star blend, I began to insert it into micro blends and was just as happy as in smoking it straight. That's what I call a four star pipe blend and, once again, thanks Russ!

Smoking Hearth & Home Anniversary Kake is like eating the celebration cake of your marriage anniversary, it's tasty but it's still missing something as well as you miss being single. Recommended.

Read all the great reviews, had to try it, did. In fact, I bought three tins on ebay at 5.00 each, about 3 yrs. old. I used to like VaPers more than I do now. This is good stuff, but I found it bitey if pushed, and unlike many bitey blends it burned my mouth, not the tip of my tongue. It also bites if I have more than one bowl a day. Also had a tendency to get harsh at the last of the bowl.

Having said that, the figgy tin note is nice and very promising, and the taste is good, a very refined VaPer, though not much strength. The room note is very VaPer-ish, I like it, others not so much. Very good tobacco indeed, just not a great fit for me, chemically speaking. I had to buy three tins. Two stars.

OK, I've been through all the H&H VaPers, this one, despite being a bit weaker on N, is the winner. I didn't like Escudo, but I will cellar some Peterson's Irish Oak, for an occasional treat. I'm usually craving an N or Lat Bomb, but I will repeatedly return to this wonderful stuff.

I've had these blocks in the cellar for 8 years now and, by George, it is still too wet to smoke! After drying out for a few minutes I'm a bit underwhelmed at first light.

Citrusy-sour Virginias are well-accordant with perique and I could swear I detect a hint of Cavendish. Halfway through the bowl a toastiness gradually rises and flavor intensifies - slightly.

The Perique comes into its own during the final phase of the bowl and I am a bit more encouraged.

Images evoked: Three blind mice constructing a miniature bidet with lemur-femur Lincoln Logs and tinker-toys made of rat skulls.

My review is pretty much an echo of KinnScience's- Anniversary Kake is fine, nothing to complain about really. However, it certainly does not wow me at all. Solid Virginia flavor without too much sweetness, with varying degrees of Perique spice as the bowl progresses. This varying amount of spice is the only thing that saves this blend from one-note mediocrity. Using Gawith St. James Flake as a yard stick, this blend comes in somewhere just shy of 1 ft. Worth smoking in of itself, but it pales dramatically when compared to some of the other great VaPers out there.

A perfectly adequate smoke but nothing noteworthy. OK, the Vaper church isn't quite where I worship to begin with, but I'm sure there are better Vapers out there- and they also cost more. That's what this blend is not.

But what it is; I'm barely aware of the perique or the toppings. Doesn't get bitey either or deliver anything tangy which could get unpleasant. Performs well and smokes slowly like other good VA-centric blends. Maybe I'm more partial to flakes, but what I like about this is that it's good to go.

Yeah, that's blasphemy to those into the ritual. Me- there are times I never get to smoking those flakes because they're not ready when I need them, and if I rub them out I might not get around to smoking them soon enough. This is a reality for those who live in relatively dry climates.

This is for VA fans who are looking for something that doesn't break the bank. There's much to be said for that. I'd smoke more flakes if it wasn't for the expense and preparation. Two stars.

This is a great VAPer. It has the sweet and the spicy, but they don't overpower. This is not a daily smoke for me, but it it tasty, and I have a couple of pipes with large bowls that seem especially well suited to this blend. There is a certain complexity to the smoke and I find I savor it in an occasional bowl. There is a whiff of a topping that I think is rum that adds a slightly heavy quality to it.

I recommend this a little higher than Rolando's Own (also a H&H). If you think you might like to try a VaPer, this is a good place to start. I suspect I will always have some of this on hand.

This is a blend that needs drying out. From the tin, the tobacco is "sticky and clumpy" and I suspect that the chocolate is to blame.

When you spread this tobacco out to dry and smell it, the chocolate is there in a good amount. That's not a bad thing, just understand that chocolate is what you're smelling and not the virginia nor the perique. It's not V/P figgy smelling, it's Hershey®.

If you are or were ever a cigarette smoker (I raise my hand as a former cigarette smoker) then you'll understand when I call this the Marlboro® of pipe tobaccos. That's a compliment coming from me, not a negative remark.

Some won't know that chocolate is one of the biggest components of cigarette blends. I always smoked Camels and Marlboro Reds; The Camel gave a little turkish "bang" to the smoke and the Marlboros were full and smooth with that chocolate flavor. In fact, I'd say that Marlboros are probably the most chocolatey cigarettes as I remember them.

Anniversary Kake is still moist even after the drying and is more difficult than most to get lit properly. I wanted to be careful and not "over-heat" the tobacco and get into a harsh beginning. The cut is excellent for packing the pipe.

Patience is rewarded. Once settled, the blend hits a good full note and smokes consistently down the whole bowl. The Chocolate mutes the sweetness/woodiness of the virginia but keeps the perique from becoming a "pepper bomb" on the tongue. Solid, round and satisfying.

I found myself attempting to light the ashes once the bowl was done. The last quarter of the bowl was hearty and full. If you're not careful, you'll find yourself inhaling this tobacco (cigarette smokers/ex-smokers).

Anniversary Kake - I'll buy more. It's different enough to warrent a place in my tobacco rotation. If you like Gawith and Hoggarth "Louisiana Flake" then this is similar, maybe a bit fuller and definitely a cool smoking V/P with a heavy chocolate bass note.

Good stuff.

The sample bag I received smelled like a dark sweet Virginia, some vinegar, hay, malt, honey, stewed fruit. Moist but it smoked just fine after some light rubbing out.

What I like about this is how smooth it is. It’s not harsh on my tongue or in my nose some some va/pers can be. This has and deep rich stewed fruit sweetness to it. Barn yard wood, hay, and some vinegar tartness too. This is a darker Virginia perique flavor. Smokes just fine too with average relights and moisture. I feel like whatever “sauce” they used on this really helps mellow it out and amplifies the flavor. This is really good and tart too with just a touch of the pepper on the nose. A definite winner. Nicotine is medium. Repeatable after a meal.

There was no production date indicated on the tin, but I'm pretty sure the blend was made this year.

The appearance is that of a finely chopped tobacco blend pressed into an easily crumbled cake. Component colors range from straw to bitter chocolate. The different varieties of tobacco are fairly easy to distinguish. The moisture content of the blend appeared to be excessive. The tobacco is easy to pipe and light, but I recommend a little drying.

The flavor is, to describe it in one word, "luxurious." When I opened the can outside, I smelled two bright notes - mocha coffee and cream and hazelnut. In reality, however, it turned out to be much more complex. Beneath the rum topping, which I mistook for a hint of hazelnut, was hiding a whole ensemble. First of all, the aforementioned chocolate and coffee, with cinnamon and a light peppery set next to it. The citrus duo - bitterish lime and sweetish mandarin - played the second role, but not inferior to the leaders. In the background lurked a light note of stale hay, dried fruit (a little prune and pear), some wheat bread and barely perceptible saltiness. The whole bouquet unfolded very gradually - after a couple of minutes, in general, quite reminiscent of a rum-soaked biscuit cake. The only thing left to do was to taste it.

An equally complex set awaited me. Baked sweet dark fruits, citrus, a creamy chocolate note, sweet biscuit, a bit of walnut, pepper and spices, and all generously topped off with an alcoholic dressing. The blend lived up to its name. Fruity and citrus notes played together with the topping the main melody, biscuit, cream and chocolate were in the secondary roles, the rest created the shades. Surprisingly, the main notes of flavor and aroma almost switched roles, without destroying the overall composition and idea of the author.

The tobacco smokes softly, slowly and quite cool, but the overall flavor and relative lightness of the blend provokes you to take longer puffs. In this case, it, because of the excess moisture, can bite the tongue. Of course, you can protect yourself from this by taking a pipe with a filter, but then some of the nuances of the blend will probably be lost. The strength of the tobacco is below average, but the XL pipe can remind you with a weak nicotine kick that it is still a vaper and not a light flavoring. The tobacco burns into a light gray dust, leaving quite a bit of moisture in the pipe. The aftertaste is sweet and spicy, with a slight sourness.

The smoke from the tobacco has the flavor of caramel and allspice and, being light, it is easy to disperse.

Bottom line: the blend is definitely not made for every day. Again, it has a great smell and a great taste, but it can get boring if you smoke it all the time. If you indulge yourself with it as a tasty dessert, it is a lot of fun. The only disadvantage is the excessive humidity, but this little thing can be easily corrected. It remains to add that if the Golden Triangle blends were a vape assignment for beginners, this tobacco is a real test. I hope I passed it.