Hearth & Home Anniversary Kake

Very smooth and pleasant Virginia blend. Tasty and easy on the tongue. It's relatively inexpensive and keeps fresh for a long time in its cake form. Love opening the jar of this and taking a big whiff! Will certainly be ordering more of this next time I order from pipesandcigars!

I just recently purchased 16oz. of Russ Ouellette's Anniversary Kake. It arrived as a slightly broken dark "kake", with some of the original bars, measuring 2 x 4 inches, still intact. However, the bulk of it was pretty well broken up due to the packaging.

I found the contents slightly moist to my taste and, after storing the bulk in labeled Mason jars, I broke up a few oz. and placed them on a plate for 2 days in the garage, at which point, the material had dried somewhat and was entirely smokable using only one post-charing light.

Jar scent: Fig-like, sweet with chocolate overtones. Pipe: Dunhill #4112 shell briar billiard. Packing using Frank's method. Beverage: Diet Coke.

The first half of the bowl smokes very smoothly, producing a rich creamy smoke, where the sweet virginias really come through. The Perique component could be higher in my opinion, but its there and only intensifies as one progresses down the bowl. I like to smoke Va/Per blends in tall bowls, such as billiards and chimneys, because it intensifies the smoke in the second half of the bowl, allowing less air, as compared to pots and open apples etc. which allow more air during the burn. Anniversary Kake needed only an occasional tamping to cool down the smoke.

I really like Escudo, HH Acadian Perique, Stokkebye's Luxury Navy Flake and McClellan's 2015 and Anniversary Kake from Russ Ouellette really fits the bill. Be aware however that the stock is limited, so make sure you have enough on hand for cellaring. All in all, highly recommended and with a price ($27/16oz.) that can't be beat.

Nice going Russ on a great blend!

So many others have stated the samething I am going to say. This is nice tobacco. Medium in flavor with good smoke volume. I am a puffer and I have found just a little bite. I consider when I do get "bitten" by any tobacco it is my fault because of that.

I recommend reading the reviews below and take a chance. For the price it is hard to beat. AK is in my regular rotation and I lookf forward to each bowl I smoke.

A good, strong, VaPer... but... the taste is a bit harsh at times. I prefer C&D Night Train which to my ignorant palate is just as flavorful and nic laden but smoother and more consistently well behaved.

This is based on a relatively small sample from a buddy of mine that arrived fully rubbed out. Probably five bowls or so, perhaps a bit more. I found this blend to be a bit on the sweet side and a little bit goopy as well. It had a nice rich flavor without being overpowering and no noticeable amount of nicotine.

This blend strikes me as a VA/Per crossover blend as it has a lot of aromatic characteristics.

Did I like it? Yes. Did I love it? No. For me personally I'd prefer McClelland 2015... that's just more up my alley.

Almost a mystical tobacco. Taste is wonderfully addictive. I am mainly a smoker of strong english blends, but, for some unknown reason, this one is a go to every day. A must try for all pipe smokers.

Anni Kake is a very nice bulk blend. It's cheap and it is a great smoke. The aroma in the bag is fruity with a hint of chocolate. It also appears to be like 5100 hundred if 5100 was in cake form. It is very satisfying but needs a long time to dry out to smoking level, very wet. My biggest complaint is the moisture and I wish there was a bit more perique in this blend. Overall it's good stuff.

An interesting tobacco that comes in a sticky pressed block. A bit difficult to light unless dried out, but tasty nonetheless. Overall a very good creation by Russ. A word of caution, smoke slow it it will bite you. If I had any complaints about this tobacco, that would be the only one.

For some reason it isn't letting me review this w/o complaining about some HTML formatting junk... so i have to cut my review short.

Basically all you need to know is that there's no defining characteristic that makes this an outstanding tobacco... it's just darn good stuff and i can't tell you why. I ask myself the same thing every time i smoke it, "What do i like so much about this?" I'll never know, but I love this blend regardless. A reviewer before me said something to this extent and i'm backing him up. Oh and just try to get this blend to bite... literally try it. You'll probably pass out from a buzz before it bites your tongue.

There are times when i was sipping on it that I actually tasted chocolate cake. I dunno if that's just because i associate it's name "kake" w/ the actual food subconsciously... or that it actually tastes like it. Either way, look for it. It was quite pleasing once i found it.