Cornell & Diehl Kajun Kake

Very unique va/per... many va/per blends have the same basic flavor profile.. this one does not.. the most distinctive aspect is whatever Cavendish process is used.. it adds an interesting toasty quality and I also pick up on some must and herbaceous notes.. it comes moist but the smoke feels very dry in the mouth.. most unusual experience.. the virginia is slightly sweet but really earthy.. there has to be a lot of perique in this.. not immediately obvious.. but that retrohale is something else.. for me not an everyday smoke.. an interesting change of pace smoke.

Sample 4/12 by a generous, brotherly pipe friend from the UK.

I got mine already rubbed out, and the tobacco is mostly black with red/brown speckles. The scent in the bag is very fruity, a tad sourness and maybe citrus to it. Some sweetness is also there. Very natural aroma, dominated by the Perique. Rubbed out it's almost shag-like, but a bit more coarse. I dipped my nose several times into the bag, as I found the scent very refreshing and pleasing. Juicy, stoved and sweet fruits.

It can make use of some drying time before smoking. Packed into one of my clay pipes for purest tasting experience.

Kajun Kake's taste is dominated by the fruity aroma of the Perique and Virginias. Stoved fruits like plum, figs and dates is what I get. It has decent, peppery spice to it, that's satisfying to the Perique-Aficionado! The Virginias also sport a delicate earthiness, that gives a bit more depth to the blend. The Cavendish adds a slight "toastiness" to the flavor that's supporting the fermented fruit aroma, as well as some honey notes. Lurking in the back there is also some grassiness from the Virginias. Suprisingly it's not as sweet as I thought when perceiving the unburnt scent. There's a perfect harmony of spiciness and (fruity-)sweetness. The fruit and honey-ish sweetness help making the bold spiciness digestible. It has some strenght to it, but not in a overwhelming way, still its one of the more poerful Va/Per mixtures both in Nicotine and spice.

The flavors intensify a bit throughout the bowl and it settles down for a melange of spiciness and fruitiness, whilst both qualities hold a similar share of the aroma.

Looks like a brownie mottled with brown and black. The smell is perique with a faint sweetness.

For those not used to the Krumble Kakes, fear not, this could be the one of the easiest blends to pack and is a breeze to light. KK pack with much more ease than Penzance (which tends to clog up my pipes a lot). I rub off bits usually working from he corners until I have enough for the bowl. Gravity pack with a slight tamp (similar to my cube cut method) and light away. Unlike most of C&D's blends it comes with a bit more moisture than usual and needs a bit of dry time. It burns very cool (it should with all that perique) and evenly to a fine ash more often than not.

First 1/4 of the bowl I get some very sharp perique notes with a subtle earthy sweetness coming from the VA. Once the bowl simmers down the flavors begin to meld even more and the VA makes a very sweet and savory lining for the brunt of the perique. In an even smaller lining the Cavendish is there but it adds an overall softness to the smoke rather than playing a dominant role. The last 1/4 is a strong finale made by the perique; cavendish is already out the door and the VAs are fading away.

A nice Perique oriented smoke with enough sweetness to keep your tastebuds happy. I was shocked at how well this smoked in my morta pipes as I usually use them for English/Balkans. I did detect more sweetness in my larger pipes (7/8 custombilt pot and Estella pot shapes). It smokes well in a variety of pipes and sizes.

I think this is a must for perique fans and if it's too strong, some years aging on this should make it sublime. The oldest I smoked was 2 years and it was good even then. Bravo C&D

Cake comes as a beautiful, dark, mahogany plug. Pouch aroma is rotting barnyard hay, rich truffles, dark fruits and dark chocolate. To the unfamiliar, doesn't smell like something you'd ever light up and inhale!

Plug cuts and crumbles easily. Depending on its age, a bit of dry time might be helpful (the younger it is, the more time needed). Due to nothing but my own impatience, I find it difficult to let it dry out enough to burn straight through.

Produces a rich, creamy smoke regardless. The Virginias are unobtrustive and provide a base on which the perique can fais do-do to its (and the smoker's) heart's content.

I think it's nice, but the missus doesn't care for the room note one bit.

Still getting familiar with this one, but give it a solid three stars. Several VaPers out there I like better, but it's hard to go wrong with this one, especially if you want a high perique content.

This is a great vaper. I received a good sized sample of this that I recently finished up. I think this has some of C & D Red Virginia Cavendish in it as well as some standard red Virginia. The Perique content is great. Strong enough to let you know that You are smoking a C&D product, but not overwhelming like some of their Va/Bur/Pers such as OJK or Burley Flake Three.

This one started a little ashy and harsh to me, but the sweetness of the vas started to really come through and complimented the perique well, giving that dried fruit taste that so many of us vaper lovers enjoy. It is a rich smoke.

I really enjoyed it and recommend this one. Not sure it is four-star worthy, but I will give it three and purchase more and revisit this review should my opinion change.

I opened up my first tin of Kajun Kake recently and this one was pretty fresh with a birthday of 072018. This is a dark soft crumble cake with a pleasant sweet earthy smell. Fires up nice and easy and produces a large volume of white smoke and burns down to a nice white ash. I must be getting soft as this is the second perique blend in the past week that I have caught myself coughing, probably from the perique. This will not deter me as I like the spicy kick it brings to a blend. This is a smooth smoke with nary a bite. I can see why this is so popular.

Yes, it is true, this tobacco has a very distinct flavour and it is quite different from anything I've tried before, namely, the Kajun Spice topping. The cake presentation is very dark in colour and easy to crumble. The topping is quite distinct in the tin note as well, but difficult to describe. I think part of the problem is I have never tried Kajun Spice in my life, and as I don't even know what it tastes like, I have nothing to compare it with. As for the smoking experience, I am not quite sure whether the addition of this spice is a good or a bad idea, but the virginia and perique leaf it contains seems to be really good quality anyway. I cannot detect any cavendish like it says on the description though. It does evolve quite nicely as you progress with your smoke, both in flavour and strength, but it is a quick burner. In its own right, it is a good VaPer, but I am missing the wow factor, so it is 3 stars this time.

Kajan Kake- Wonderful tin note of maple , perfect moisture and kake breaks up with just a touch of finger pressure ( no slicing and dicing required). Perique incense scent is very noticeable along with roasted marshmallows , very pleasant. Very interesting when snorked or French inhaled as Perique makes itself known from the first light along with a flavor of "Chinese Five Spice" . I would call the taste more sour/bitter than sweet but in perfect balance with the Virginias ( a little green, could use some aging). A very nice change of pace from Latakia but I wouldn't call this a "Vaper" as the Virginias are dark and take a background to the Perique, maybe a "PerVa" .

It's not often I can get a full Perique blast without my tongue turning to Tabasco, but this is smooth. Similar blends ??? maybe some of the McC's Royal Cajun line( this is unusual) but I couldn't smoke this all day, a nice change.

Don't miss out on the scent while "mouth breathing", it's the best scent .

Smoking some Kajun Kake right now in my Savinelli Capri. This seemed harsh right out of the tin in March, but just those few months in a jar have mellowed it out quite a bit. It is nice for slow sipping, strong enough without being overpowering, and the dark Virginia (well, actually just checked and it's Red Virginia, but at least the Kake is dark) and generous Perique is nice. I guess they Cavendishize some or all of that Virginia. I like it, as I like all C&D Crumble Cakes. I might like Briar Fox a little more than this, but they are different styles of course, and I am always tweaking my opinions on C&D blends, for some reason. I am a perique fan, and there seems to be plenty in here. This will be spectacular after 10 years in the tin, I'm sure, and it's enjoyable now. Very nice presentation of this cake (Kake). It looks like a perfectly-formed plug, but I have never come across a crumble cake before that holds together so well, yet allows one to easily pinch off enough for a bowl. Well done, as usual, and I still think C&D does best with their Crumble Cakes.

Or should I phrase that:

I don't think this is spectacular stuff or that it stands out from the crowd in any way, except that it might be the best crumble cake presentation I've ever seen. Holds together so well it looks like a plug, yet you can oh-so-easily pinch off the perfect portion and promptly and properly pulverize it for your pipe with no problem at all!