Hearth & Home Anniversary Kake

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.