Hearth & Home Anniversary Kake

Chocolate covered figs served on graham crackers with a glass of port best describes the tin note and initial lighing. Crumble kake does just that, crumbles when you pick it up. Easy to prepare and light, a few months of resting in a jar delivers perfect moisture. I do not get any bite from this whatsoever, and I have a very VA sensitive tongue.

I cannot see myself smoking this all day, but it is a great evening smoke that paired very well with a VSOP Cognac.

After a year of aging, I upgrade to 4 stars. And I can see myself smoking this all day long!

Excellent tobacco blend.

arrived in nice little bricks/ kakes with a little shake from shipping. smells amazing right out the bag, very fruity almost like a prune/ fig/ bakers chocolate aroma. very sweet smelling. a little damp but lights very easily. i broke it up in my palm a tad and it packs very well. not fluffy at all so i gave it a light tamp. flavoring is not apparent at first but the smoke is abundant light and fluffy. flavor reminds me of a light brew of good coffee, all the way through. towards the end of the bowl the flavor became very sweet and i could definitely taste the fig casing. no bite at all and very mild and relaxing. i Highly Highly recommend this blend. when i heard virginia perique i was concerned it may be a little peppery but its not at all. room note is very nice and dissipates shortly after a good smoke and doesn't linger.

I would give it five stars if i could.

edit: after smoking this for a while ive learned a few things: keep your pipe clean. Anniv Kake will leave a dusty old resin aftertaste in the stem thats not very pleasant and ruins the experience of this tobacco, cleaning with spiced rum brings out the flavor of this blend: It also combines well with many other tobacco blends, so if youre a mixer like me youll have fun blending this one around. also: i am pretty sure there were several batches made during the single run of this, some turned out better than others, the more compact solid block cakes turned out very nice whereas the light crumbly cakes are lackluster. and: leave it in block form until youre ready to smoke it

Just like to add to the number of reviews, this is a fantastic smoke

My first "cake". Yum. A bit peppery when blown out the nose.

My God I love this stuff! I'm not really big on Perique but it is so well balanced by the sweet Virginias in this blend. Sweet and spicy, complex, smooth and so satisfying. I have had my most sublime smoking moments with Anniversary Kake. This is definitely my desert island smoke. LOVE IT!! LOVE IT!! LOVE IT!!

THANKS RUSS!!!!

I got a generous ounce of this stuff from Pipes and Cigars two months ago and it just seemed bland at first. It wasn't bad though. After half a dozen bowls or so, I lost any desire for it, stashed it in a Mason jar, and forgot about it.

I cracked the jar this evening, loaded a bowl, and holy moly is this sheat ever delicious. Smooth, full bodied, sweet, and chocolaty. I'm on my second bowl as I write this. One just wasn't enough.

It does seem on the moisty side and after 30 minutes of air drying, it smokes effortlessly.

The last review noted that there are blends that "ring your bell" and this one certainly does that for me, too. There is little to be added to the excellent reviews below. This is an interesting flake, not made with long strands, but with chopped tobacco. The finished "Kake" looks like particle board and I have mostly rubbed it out, although you could break or cut it into chunks and smoke it that way, which I will have to try. It burns nicely, does not heat up the pipe no matter how hard you puff. Anniversary Kake performs well in a range of pipe sizes and shapes. AK smokes smooth, never bites, and delivers a sweet spiciness that is a delight. This will easily be my "go to" baccy. Russ Ouellette has a home run with this one.

I am usually found smoking a good English/Balkan but wanted a little change of pace. I ordered 8 oz of Anniversary Kake. When it arrived I loaded up my 35 year old Larsen ( Ole made some beautiful pipes )and had a most enjoyable smoke. This tobacco arrived with a perfect moisture content and was easy to light. What a wonderful blend of va/per! The room note has brought no complaints from those around me. This stuff can be smoked all day long without worries. I kept out two oz for smoking and set up the rest for long term storage. Cant wait to try this in about five years! I will be ordering more. You cant go wrong.

Firing this baby up was tasteless for the first several puffs... but then again it could've been the freezing temperatures outside when I smoked it. After warming up this blend became a symphony of rich flavors and experiences. The balance of va/per tends towards the perique side but the va's provide great accompaniment. Somewhere in there is a chocolate undertone to all this that only adds to the experience.

The caked tobacco looks and smells good enough to eat in the pouch and crumbles into the most easily ignited tobacco I've encountered; fears of constant relights are nil.