Hearth & Home Anniversary Kake

The first couple of bowls of this I thought this is going to be a regular smoke. But it quickly lost its flavour and became somewhat boring. The Perique taste at the end of the bowl was tolerable but nothing I liked and without the sweetnes coming through more it was just OK. With all the hype I was diappointed. Not much tongue bite and fairly easy to smoke. 2.5 stars

One of my most anticpated blends. I recently ordered some tobacco from my new supplier 4Noggons and am very happy with their service. Included in my package were a few samples which i really appreciate, one of which was a most generous amount of Anniversary Cake.

I rushed to prepare this for smoking even before unpacking the box by laying it out on a baking sheet for the rest of the day. The next morning i had my first bowl. Before i go into detail i absolutely need to bore you guys with my opinions of Virginia and Perique.

Virginia and Perique is a combination that is earth shattering when done right, but disastrous when not. It is possibly the most dangerous thing to try and mix because the wrong quantities of Perique really ruins a good bowl of Virginia. Virgina in its own right is something i smoke all the time, Perique in my opinion is only there as a spice to enhance, not to overpower. It is for that reason we call them VaPers not PerVaps. The most perfect example of this marriage shall remain Reiner LGF IMHO. I have a tin of Escudo that is aging as we speak, but until i have smoked it, LGF shall remain the benchmark.

This blend starts off wonderfully, delicious Virginia burst of creaminess with a delightful Perique tang that i find fantastic. This flavourful smoke continues until the last third of the bowl comes along and just sours the whole thing very quickly. I have smoked many bowls and have finished my sample but i noticed that i always find myself staring down the bowl during the last third to see if an insect has somehow managed to fly into the bowl and i am smoking it, the answer is a naughty little insect called Perique.

I really wish it could maintain its composure until the bowls end but alas.

This blend only deserves 2 stars, it is low on nicotine, the Perique/Virginia mixture needs to be adjusted and it really stunk up my pipes. That horrible last third of the bowl really left a ghost in my pipes and whatever i smoked after still tasted like it for at least one smoke.

I guess lots of Perique will suit many pipers, just not me.

Mo, South Africa

First of all, my tobacco was not delivered as a Kake, it was totally broken up and closer to a ribbon. We are talking an 8 Oz. shipment here.

At this point I find this blend overrated. I have certainly had worse, but this is not what I expected or what was advertised. It is just mediocre at this point. I did cellar some for future use and will update if it gets better.

There are much better vapers to be had.

I was inspired to purchase this stuff based on other reviews, but it definitely needs more time to age, IMHO. Found it to be similar to McClelland bulk 5120 Va Ribbon. Too wet and too fruity. Into a Mason Jar it goes for a few mos. if not years. I like my Va's a little woodsier.

Good aromatic topped with rum and maybe some wine. Sweet & sour, with an underlying note of nut and cocoa. Low nicotine content and very wet from humectant. Could not taste any perique, but felt an ever-so-slight tingle in nostrils upon retro-hale. One of the better aromatics.

smells great out of the tin doesn't pack or burn well underwhelming in the taste department but give it a shot if you can try it for free like I did

This tobacco, while not high quality, was wonderfully chocolate covered cherry flavored, and burned well, when I first tried it two years ago? based on others' reviews. Unfortunately the taste has gone downhill since.

I tried this after talking to Mr. O at a pipe show, and was very pleased, initially. "Yum, yum, eatem up," I believe is how the saying runs? My third purchase was the problem -- all I can taste is bite. A bit of the peppery perique, but it burns hot and has little to know taste. Must be running out of the stuff. I would cellar, but my experience with doing so is iffy. I have smoked twenty year old virginia that everyone was raving about, but I believe the emperor was in his altogether.

Sorry, Pipesandcigar.com dudes, but I'll stick with the 965 and the 2010 with my own perique blended in.