Cornell & Diehl Kajun Kake
(3.31)
We start with naturally sweet red Virginias and add just the right touch of everyone's favorite Cajun spice, Louisiana Perique. Then we press it into an old fashioned crumble cake which deepens and marries the flavors into what is quickly becoming one of C&D's most popular blends ever!
Details
Brand | Cornell & Diehl |
Blended By | Bob Runowski & Craig Tarler |
Manufactured By | Cornell & Diehl |
Blend Type | Virginia/Perique |
Contents | Perique, Virginia |
Flavoring | |
Cut | Krumble Kake |
Packaging | 2oz Tin, 8oz Tin |
Country | United States |
Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
3.31 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 31 - 40 of 123 Reviews
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 20, 2009 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
interesting!
my first crumble cake, and my first american-manufactured tobacco. i don't know how representative it is. it somehow reminds me a bit of the dan pipe blends, but there's also something reminiscent of "maduro" from mcconnell when it was blended in england.
the tin aroma is deep and fermented, stoved, winey, with a whiff of the caramelized and berryish flavours you get from a typical british virginia.
crumling... i'm not sure i like this aspect. it's easy enough to get the right amount into your pipe, but a lot will just crumle back into the tin slowly leaving you with a loose tobacco that will dry out too fast, imo.
lights easily, and burns well. very nice, but very subdued, too. i detect no flavouring or casing at all. there's a little virginia sweetness, and the perique in combination with the virginia adds up to an almost cigarish and very earthy flavour, without the dryness of the typical cigar. again, i associate to some of the ancient british cavendihed blends. relights are fine, with no harshness at all, and i can't imagine anyone being nipped by this blend.
i do appreciate the pureness and discreet taste of kajun kake, but... there is imo a little too little power in it, taste wise (you really have to search for the taste), and that, in combination with the crumble cake form, keeps it from getting 4 stars.
i'm not sure there's any idea in trying to age it, as it's so deeply stoved.
my first crumble cake, and my first american-manufactured tobacco. i don't know how representative it is. it somehow reminds me a bit of the dan pipe blends, but there's also something reminiscent of "maduro" from mcconnell when it was blended in england.
the tin aroma is deep and fermented, stoved, winey, with a whiff of the caramelized and berryish flavours you get from a typical british virginia.
crumling... i'm not sure i like this aspect. it's easy enough to get the right amount into your pipe, but a lot will just crumle back into the tin slowly leaving you with a loose tobacco that will dry out too fast, imo.
lights easily, and burns well. very nice, but very subdued, too. i detect no flavouring or casing at all. there's a little virginia sweetness, and the perique in combination with the virginia adds up to an almost cigarish and very earthy flavour, without the dryness of the typical cigar. again, i associate to some of the ancient british cavendihed blends. relights are fine, with no harshness at all, and i can't imagine anyone being nipped by this blend.
i do appreciate the pureness and discreet taste of kajun kake, but... there is imo a little too little power in it, taste wise (you really have to search for the taste), and that, in combination with the crumble cake form, keeps it from getting 4 stars.
i'm not sure there's any idea in trying to age it, as it's so deeply stoved.
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 05, 2008 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I love this stuff, I get a fruity red wine taste (a bit like Spanish Sangria) with a spicy hint of charcoal. It is a wonderful experience opening a tin of this and seeing two big chunky blocks, and from there it only gets better, a moist but crumbly texture as you fill your bowl, it's smokable straight from the tin, but not dried out...outstanding! There really is nothing out there like it...treat yourself to this unique perique experience.
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 25, 2023 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
As a lover of Perique I expected a lot more from this blend. The branding emphasizes the perique as part of the Cajun inspiration for this blend, however the decision to use wholly Red Virginia for the base provides a sweetness that overpowers the spice of the Perique. It's like pouring sugar into a spicy dish. The sweetness cuts the heat, and exposes the bitterness of the peppers.
Even as a fan of Red Virginia, I don't think this is an exemplar of the leaf. There is a sort of ashy bitterness that muddles the breadiness and hinders that sweetness which I want from Red Virginias. Maybe my tin came from a bad harvest year? I tried this in three different pipes including a new one just to make sure this isn't an old ghost haunting the smoke.
The peppery notes from the Perique are more detectable when retrohaling, but I have to search for it in the smoke otherwise. It is not completely absent though, because there is the expected fig and plum as well as a hint of spice left on the tongue after exhaling. I would have preferred these notes to not be overpowered within the smoke itself. That spicy note does linger for a while after you finish your smoke, which seems to cast the illusion that this blend is spicy.
Here I must concede that the flavours of Perique are more pronounced towards the end of the bowl. This still leaves a lot to be desired for a tin that states "just the right touch of everyone's favorite Cajun spice, Louisiana Perique". I might have to crack open Bayou Morning after this tin to get a proper taste of perique.
This blend also seems to be very dry, in the red wine sense. It's a very peculiar sensation, as its not a tongue bite but almost feels like it. This is not a sensation you expect from a good smoke. I could see a dry tobacco working, but not to the degree that this dryness is present here.
My final complaint is that this comes far too wet out of the tin, unusually so. I have never had to relight a bowl of tobacco so often as this one. I personally don't believe I should have to dry out my tobacco for half a day or longer to get it to the right moisture level. You run the risk of forgetting it is open and losing a lot of flavour from the Perique.
This is my first 1 star review for a C&D blend. If I want a more nuanced blending of sweet and spicy in crumble cake form, I would rather reach for their Cellar Series' Bourbon Bleu. That's a blend where the Perique is more harmonious and the sweetness works much better and isn't interrupted by unexpected flavours.
Update: After crumbling the entire cake and allowing it to dry since the moisture is just too overwhelming here (which is suboptimal because you want the cake to continue aging in the jar), I can report that the bitterness and astringent dryness has improved. The blend is much more smokeable and the plum and fig notes are far more pronounced. I will raise my score to 2.5 rounded down to a 2. There is promise in this blend but it needs better execution.
Even as a fan of Red Virginia, I don't think this is an exemplar of the leaf. There is a sort of ashy bitterness that muddles the breadiness and hinders that sweetness which I want from Red Virginias. Maybe my tin came from a bad harvest year? I tried this in three different pipes including a new one just to make sure this isn't an old ghost haunting the smoke.
The peppery notes from the Perique are more detectable when retrohaling, but I have to search for it in the smoke otherwise. It is not completely absent though, because there is the expected fig and plum as well as a hint of spice left on the tongue after exhaling. I would have preferred these notes to not be overpowered within the smoke itself. That spicy note does linger for a while after you finish your smoke, which seems to cast the illusion that this blend is spicy.
Here I must concede that the flavours of Perique are more pronounced towards the end of the bowl. This still leaves a lot to be desired for a tin that states "just the right touch of everyone's favorite Cajun spice, Louisiana Perique". I might have to crack open Bayou Morning after this tin to get a proper taste of perique.
This blend also seems to be very dry, in the red wine sense. It's a very peculiar sensation, as its not a tongue bite but almost feels like it. This is not a sensation you expect from a good smoke. I could see a dry tobacco working, but not to the degree that this dryness is present here.
My final complaint is that this comes far too wet out of the tin, unusually so. I have never had to relight a bowl of tobacco so often as this one. I personally don't believe I should have to dry out my tobacco for half a day or longer to get it to the right moisture level. You run the risk of forgetting it is open and losing a lot of flavour from the Perique.
This is my first 1 star review for a C&D blend. If I want a more nuanced blending of sweet and spicy in crumble cake form, I would rather reach for their Cellar Series' Bourbon Bleu. That's a blend where the Perique is more harmonious and the sweetness works much better and isn't interrupted by unexpected flavours.
Update: After crumbling the entire cake and allowing it to dry since the moisture is just too overwhelming here (which is suboptimal because you want the cake to continue aging in the jar), I can report that the bitterness and astringent dryness has improved. The blend is much more smokeable and the plum and fig notes are far more pronounced. I will raise my score to 2.5 rounded down to a 2. There is promise in this blend but it needs better execution.
Age When Smoked:
1 year
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 2023 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
The Tin Art is pretty good. Kind of funny. I do appreciate good tin art. In the tin is a pretty firm crumble cake border line plug. It did not want to crumble so I cut it with a knife and rubbed out the chunk. In hind sight it is a little wet and could probably stand to sit out for 15 minutes after you rub it out. Used a general 3 pack method and it packed easy. Tin note was way different than anything I’ve put my nose on this far. Some of the hallmarks of virginias: hay, grass, lemon like essence reminds me of pine needle scent. In addition to that a vinegar like odor maybe reminiscent of wine as others have noted. Also stewed fruit, something less tart than say blackberry more like plum. Lastly a serious vegetal earthy boggy odor I have to assume comes from the perique.
Was a little hard lighting and took more relights than usual to keep lit. It wasn’t over packed so I’ll attribute this to moisture. Once I got it going it smoked like a champ and even though I pushed it hard due to the extra moisture there was no bite that I could tell. Taste wise the Virginia’s were easy to pick out. Again hallmarks of what I think Virginia’s taste like. Grassy hay subtle sweet and a piney lemony taste. There is also some vinegar, spice like black pepper in a way and that boggy fermented ness but I’d mark this as positive. An earthy quality in consistent in it. Does leave moisture in the pipe especially at the moisture level I smoked it at.
Taste is medium to strong for sure. Strength and Nicotine is noticeable in this one for sure. Not off putting but easily detectable. Might consider food before this one. Room note has been described as tolerable. Don’t think it’ll be a crowd pleaser at the bar. I definitely enjoy the diversity this offers and the strength. Does leave a distinct after taste that must be the perique.
Overall I’d recommend to new comers for the experience and lack of bite and suspect perique lovers would enjoy themselves as well. Will not be an all day smoke but will enjoy bowls in the future.
Was a little hard lighting and took more relights than usual to keep lit. It wasn’t over packed so I’ll attribute this to moisture. Once I got it going it smoked like a champ and even though I pushed it hard due to the extra moisture there was no bite that I could tell. Taste wise the Virginia’s were easy to pick out. Again hallmarks of what I think Virginia’s taste like. Grassy hay subtle sweet and a piney lemony taste. There is also some vinegar, spice like black pepper in a way and that boggy fermented ness but I’d mark this as positive. An earthy quality in consistent in it. Does leave moisture in the pipe especially at the moisture level I smoked it at.
Taste is medium to strong for sure. Strength and Nicotine is noticeable in this one for sure. Not off putting but easily detectable. Might consider food before this one. Room note has been described as tolerable. Don’t think it’ll be a crowd pleaser at the bar. I definitely enjoy the diversity this offers and the strength. Does leave a distinct after taste that must be the perique.
Overall I’d recommend to new comers for the experience and lack of bite and suspect perique lovers would enjoy themselves as well. Will not be an all day smoke but will enjoy bowls in the future.
Pipe Used:
midsized straight billiard basket pipe
PurchasedFrom:
ThePipeNook.com
Age When Smoked:
New
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 03, 2021 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
I’m in the midst of rediscovering pipes in a post-McLelland’s world. A world in which both Gawith marques are as elusive as Bigfoot.
I basically cut my teeth, in a pipe smoking sense, on English blends. I eventually found that I prefer Virginias and VaPers. And a little Burley here and there.
As long as it’s flavorful. And as long as it’s at least a little bit strong, Vitamin N-wise.
To be honest, I only recently discovered the wonder of Full Virginia Flake and St. James Flake. Love ‘em both. Especially the latter.
You see, to me, too many blends (especially Virginia and VaPer blends) on the market just don’t pack enough flavor ...for me.
I’ve been searching the landscape for a readily available alternative to St James Flake. Escudo is good, but it’s not quite what I want. Fillmore reeks of Latakia to me. I know. I’m hyper sensitive to latakia. Haddos is just an abomination in my eyes.
Bayou morning is in the ballpark of right, but it’s not quite as flavorful as what I seek. Sutliff Crumble Kake Va Perique is a solid contender, but it seems to fade late in every bowl. Which is disappointing.
This review is currently under construction. I’ve honestly just discovered Kajun Kake, and need more time with it to properly understand and explain it.
After having smoked roughly half a dozen bowls, I find I like it a little less each time. I think I’m finally starting to get what some other reviewers on here mean when they complain of blends being too perique heavy.
And, at this point, both Kajun Kake and its sister blend Bayou Morning are a little too Perique forward for my liking. So I’m reducing this one to three stars for now. I simply prefer VaPers in which the Virginias are clearly the star of the show. Certainly that’s not the case here.
To be continued
I basically cut my teeth, in a pipe smoking sense, on English blends. I eventually found that I prefer Virginias and VaPers. And a little Burley here and there.
As long as it’s flavorful. And as long as it’s at least a little bit strong, Vitamin N-wise.
To be honest, I only recently discovered the wonder of Full Virginia Flake and St. James Flake. Love ‘em both. Especially the latter.
You see, to me, too many blends (especially Virginia and VaPer blends) on the market just don’t pack enough flavor ...for me.
I’ve been searching the landscape for a readily available alternative to St James Flake. Escudo is good, but it’s not quite what I want. Fillmore reeks of Latakia to me. I know. I’m hyper sensitive to latakia. Haddos is just an abomination in my eyes.
Bayou morning is in the ballpark of right, but it’s not quite as flavorful as what I seek. Sutliff Crumble Kake Va Perique is a solid contender, but it seems to fade late in every bowl. Which is disappointing.
This review is currently under construction. I’ve honestly just discovered Kajun Kake, and need more time with it to properly understand and explain it.
After having smoked roughly half a dozen bowls, I find I like it a little less each time. I think I’m finally starting to get what some other reviewers on here mean when they complain of blends being too perique heavy.
And, at this point, both Kajun Kake and its sister blend Bayou Morning are a little too Perique forward for my liking. So I’m reducing this one to three stars for now. I simply prefer VaPers in which the Virginias are clearly the star of the show. Certainly that’s not the case here.
To be continued
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
Fresh from new stock tin
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 30, 2021 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Been smoking this for years. One of my top favorites. Does very well with age. The Red Virginias are robust, but not overwhelming. The Perique is a background player, but adds a nice plum flavor to the blend. The profile remains pretty constant throughout the bowl. Just a good no nonsense VaPer. If I could only have on tobacco to smoke, this would be one for serious consideration.
PurchasedFrom:
SP
Age When Smoked:
5 Years
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2019 | Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
Who needs sweet?
Its funny to read the reviews complaining about a lack of sweetness, and moaning that it tastes like unsweetened cocoa. Um, yep. And it's lovely!
This is perique forward in an extreme way. I've smoked pure perique, and probably would do so more often except that it tends to be muddled and earthy in flavor. Kajun Kake is as close to a pure perique flavor as you can get, IMO, with other varietals added for the sake of clarity. It is a thick, rich, unsweet, savory smoke, definitely to be sipped and smoked slowly, in fairly small bowls.
But, what a big cool flavor profile. I definitely agree that the unsweet cocoa notes dominate, and I think that's awesome. Some dark fruit and a hearty spice on the retrohale particularly. It's got a HUGE mouthfeel, even when sipped.
Out of the tin, the cake does look like a brownie, smells awesome. It breaks up nicely, and the blend seems pretty even throughout. The sweetness comes up somewhat with age, but its never going to be the highlight.
This is not an "all day" smoke. At all. It's a special treat smoke for me, in a nice small bowl, when I can sit and marvel at the richness of the perique flavors. And for that purpose, its a 4 star smoke.
Its funny to read the reviews complaining about a lack of sweetness, and moaning that it tastes like unsweetened cocoa. Um, yep. And it's lovely!
This is perique forward in an extreme way. I've smoked pure perique, and probably would do so more often except that it tends to be muddled and earthy in flavor. Kajun Kake is as close to a pure perique flavor as you can get, IMO, with other varietals added for the sake of clarity. It is a thick, rich, unsweet, savory smoke, definitely to be sipped and smoked slowly, in fairly small bowls.
But, what a big cool flavor profile. I definitely agree that the unsweet cocoa notes dominate, and I think that's awesome. Some dark fruit and a hearty spice on the retrohale particularly. It's got a HUGE mouthfeel, even when sipped.
Out of the tin, the cake does look like a brownie, smells awesome. It breaks up nicely, and the blend seems pretty even throughout. The sweetness comes up somewhat with age, but its never going to be the highlight.
This is not an "all day" smoke. At all. It's a special treat smoke for me, in a nice small bowl, when I can sit and marvel at the richness of the perique flavors. And for that purpose, its a 4 star smoke.
Pipe Used:
Various small-bowl briars
PurchasedFrom:
smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
Let it age, if you can, but not bad fresh
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30, 2017 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Cornell & Diehl - Kajun Kake
Bayou Morning, also from C&D is my main "go to" va/p. Compared to that one, this one is more earthy, more spicy, and less sweet. With any C&D offering, I find it just seems to work out better to hold back for at least about three months before opening the tin. A fresh tin of Kajun Kake strikes me as potent in perique spiciness and nicotine power, while after several months in a jar the Kake is more mellow, the perique comes out with more flavor than spicy mouthfeel and the virginia brings an almost coconut-like note. Kajun Kake has a certain "old timey" vibe about it, both in regard to taste and ritual that I really enjoy. More a 3½ star blend than 3.
Bayou Morning, also from C&D is my main "go to" va/p. Compared to that one, this one is more earthy, more spicy, and less sweet. With any C&D offering, I find it just seems to work out better to hold back for at least about three months before opening the tin. A fresh tin of Kajun Kake strikes me as potent in perique spiciness and nicotine power, while after several months in a jar the Kake is more mellow, the perique comes out with more flavor than spicy mouthfeel and the virginia brings an almost coconut-like note. Kajun Kake has a certain "old timey" vibe about it, both in regard to taste and ritual that I really enjoy. More a 3½ star blend than 3.
Age When Smoked:
from fresh , up to a year or so
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 11, 2016 | Mild | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
Lovely smoke. Opening the tin it smelled plummy/raisin like. I liked it. I got a large crumble cake and a small piece that I broke up and stuffed in a peterson system pipe. The tobacco is not as dark as I imagined it would be. There is slight tobacco plume on the sides of the cake. (I first thought it was mold 8/ ) Luckily it was not after google helped me out what mold will smell like and what it looks like on this crumble cake.
Anyway so lighting this tobacco: first impressions, it tasted like i was smoking vulcanite. I was a tad put off. Tamped it down and lit it again. Tastes of plum from the sweet perique came through, this is a real tasty tobacco. No bite at all. Halfway through the bowl you taste the peppery side of the perique. I put it down and let the pipe cool.
I lit it again, and smoked a bit deeper into the bowl but it kept going out. Unfortunately I was not able to smoke right to the bottom. It burns to a fine white/grey ash. Tobacco quality is outstanding. My only concern was that it burns really really hot, might be because the pete was new. Will smoke it again in a few days.
Anyway so lighting this tobacco: first impressions, it tasted like i was smoking vulcanite. I was a tad put off. Tamped it down and lit it again. Tastes of plum from the sweet perique came through, this is a real tasty tobacco. No bite at all. Halfway through the bowl you taste the peppery side of the perique. I put it down and let the pipe cool.
I lit it again, and smoked a bit deeper into the bowl but it kept going out. Unfortunately I was not able to smoke right to the bottom. It burns to a fine white/grey ash. Tobacco quality is outstanding. My only concern was that it burns really really hot, might be because the pete was new. Will smoke it again in a few days.
Pipe Used:
Peterson System
PurchasedFrom:
Cup O'Joes
Age When Smoked:
5 months
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 03, 2016 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
Coming from a cigar guy this is the blend that made me seriously respect pipe tobacco. Cigar smokers, and Maduro lovers rejoice because C&D will show you the light! Like a well seasoned creole dish, Kajun Kake offers up plenty of perique's spicy goodness.. the red Virginia is earthy and tangy and the cavendish is what ties the two together and elleviates any bite or sharpness that can happen with redVa+Perique. This is an earthy blend, the finish is long with notes of dark fruit, coffee, and chocolate pastry. Not the most complex, not flavored, just comfort food for the soul. Doesn't need much drying time and doesn't leave too much moisture in the bowl. If pushed hard, at times the perique can take on this dry club Soda like element which is its only downside. 4 stars for me personally.. but others may not like this kind of blend.
Pipe Used:
Cob, briars.
PurchasedFrom:
Local B&M