Hearth & Home Anniversary Kake
(3.31)
Created in celebration of the 1st anniversary of the Hearth and Home line of tobaccos. This is a special blend of Virginias ranging from lemon through brown, combined with a liberal dash of St. James perique, presenting an exquisite aroma and naturally sweet flavor.
Details
Brand | Hearth & Home |
Series | Signature Series |
Blended By | Russ Ouellette |
Manufactured By | Sutliff Tobacco Company |
Blend Type | Virginia/Perique |
Contents | Perique, Virginia |
Flavoring | Rum |
Cut | Krumble Kake |
Packaging | bulk, 1.75 ounce tin |
Country | United States |
Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
3.31 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 31 - 40 of 95 Reviews
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 2012 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
When I bought this blend in October 2010, I liked it. My notes at the time were "Big, gorgeous VaPer. Like smoking a charbroiled steak, with a little Bloody Mary mix added". After a year and a half of focusing almost exclusively on English blends, I dipped into the jar of AK that has been quietly aging, all of this time.
Pouch aroma still good, baccy a bit dry but still serviceable. Packed into my medium bowl Mario Grandi, a quick light, and WOW. All the sharp edges I remember with this blend have been removed, the Bloody Mary mix has been replaced with cocoa powder. Mellow, mellow, mellow. For a non-latakia blend, this is very rich and satisfying. Reminds me a bit of Sam Gawith's Commonwealth Blend.
Stays lit, no bite, copious clouds of thick smoke. Not much Nick to be found, which is fine by me.
The only other VaPer I really like is Bayou Morning, by Cornell and Diehl. That blend is very sharp, and bitey unless sipped slowly. This aged AK is neither sharp nor bitey, and I've been pulling on it pretty hard.
My rating for Anniversary Kake: Upon arrival, 2 1/2 stars. Aged since October 2010: 10 stars out of 4. Really outstanding.
***Update 12/26/15: Even more mellow. Absolutely no sharp edges. The cocoa powder sensation is gone, allowing the red VA to come through like a soft, downy kiss. This blend just gets better and better.
Pouch aroma still good, baccy a bit dry but still serviceable. Packed into my medium bowl Mario Grandi, a quick light, and WOW. All the sharp edges I remember with this blend have been removed, the Bloody Mary mix has been replaced with cocoa powder. Mellow, mellow, mellow. For a non-latakia blend, this is very rich and satisfying. Reminds me a bit of Sam Gawith's Commonwealth Blend.
Stays lit, no bite, copious clouds of thick smoke. Not much Nick to be found, which is fine by me.
The only other VaPer I really like is Bayou Morning, by Cornell and Diehl. That blend is very sharp, and bitey unless sipped slowly. This aged AK is neither sharp nor bitey, and I've been pulling on it pretty hard.
My rating for Anniversary Kake: Upon arrival, 2 1/2 stars. Aged since October 2010: 10 stars out of 4. Really outstanding.
***Update 12/26/15: Even more mellow. Absolutely no sharp edges. The cocoa powder sensation is gone, allowing the red VA to come through like a soft, downy kiss. This blend just gets better and better.
Pipe Used:
Mario Grandi, Norwood custom blast
PurchasedFrom:
pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked:
5 years
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 26, 2011 | Mild | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
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!
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!
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 2010 | Very Mild | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
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
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
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 17, 2010 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Just like to add to the number of reviews, this is a fantastic smoke
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 2009 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
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!!!!
THANKS RUSS!!!!
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 2009 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
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.
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.
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Very Pleasant |
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.
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 28, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
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.
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 14, 2008 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
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.
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.