Kane's of New Zealand Lamb Cake Slices

The official description here is misleading, as I detect far more mutton here than the advertised "lamb". Upfront I should advise, as a number of pipe forum members know, that I run a fiber farm: sheep, alpacas, angoras. I know lamb from mutton, godammit.

While the grizzlier, damper, rain soaked fleece and spittle notes predominate upon the charring light, I will concede to a slight nuance of younger and drier lamb. However, these crisper flavors soon disintegrate into a homespun mess of deeper, nastier mutton and ram.

The delicate top note of elderberry does battle with the dank, dark mutton-fleece in the middle third of the bowl, adding just a touch of residual sweetness until the entire bowl collapses into a rain-soaked barnyard of dank mutton fleece and dung.

There is some Virginia sweetness here, yes. Glorious, for those intrepid smokers prepared to snorkel within the gangly mass of the four season, unshorn wreck of pseudo-lamb, true mutton tomfoolery.

For this pipesmoker, however, I'll get my lambs wool kick from the pure virgin article rather than suffer through this dank, mangy mess of a dishonest tobacco blend.

I should note, however, that the original blend was a sublime ornamental and artistic gesture, aiming straight towards the heart of the sun and falling ever so slightly short, falling as it were into the hands of mere mortals, mere pipe smokers, who took up this divinely lambish blend unto our pipes and stood somber, in awe, of what the pipe gods took their leave to bestow upon us.

This contains some of the largest percentages of Auckland latakia I've ever encountered. Made in the traditional way in the peasant homes of rural Auckland it takes on the smokey flavour of sheep dung used for domestic fires. For those lamenting the absence of genuine Syrian latakia, this is the answer.

The casing of lamb and mint is to my mind overdone. I agree with other reviewers who say that aged versions of this resemble mutton or hogget and are best avoided.

Produces large volumes of fluffy white smoke and will bite if pushed too hard.

Good stuff, but you can't smoke it unless you dry it out quite a bit. The oven method works quite well. Then depending on the cut (which you actually have to do yourself) you can get quite a bit into a good sized bowl. Then, depending on how long you keep a flame on it, you can get billows of savory smoke. Quite a full flavor here...the mint is way in the background. Mom used to buy this regularly, and everyone in the family loved it, sitting around the old kitchen table, smiling their way through their bowls. What memories! Now, my wife won't have it in the house. Doesn't like the flavor OR the aroma I guess - plus she used to raise it herself and it breaks her heart to see it smoked. I'll give you all a good tip - take a whole clove of garlic and stuff in right in your bowl before lighting...or better yet, add the garlic before that oven heating thing. It may sound crazy, but it really, really works!

4 April 2008: It surprises me that pipe smokers around the world haven't cottoned on Lamb Cake Slices before now. Although it is one of the world's rarest (excuse the pun) tobaccos outside of New Zealand, it is well worth the effort of tracking down.

Initially I was hesitant to try a tobacco that was cased in real lamb juice, but the tin aroma is amazing, like the Sunday roasts of my childhood. While packing my pipe I actually tried chewing a flake and yes, this stuff IS good enough to eat. All the flavour with none of the calories.

The subtle lamb roast and mint flavouring comes though from the charring light and is backed up by wonderful Virginia sweetness with surprisingly little bite. A very hearty and satisfying smoak that goes well with a glass of red.

The only downside is when I'm smoaking this stuff, the dog won't leave me alone.

Now, if Kanes can come up with an Apple Pie Slices for afters, I'll be set.

UPDATE 11 April 2008: For those who've had trouble tracking down Lamb Cake Slices, Shepherds Pipes (www.shepherdspipes.com) has it in bulk for $15.99 per pound. What's more, they'll throw in a free Kane's Lamb Cake Slices pipe knife with every five pound internet order. Now that's a baa...gain.

I am told - I do not know - that there is a comparable French blend, in which the agneau is pre-sale from Bordeaux, and there is the barest touch - juste une larme, messieurs - of a Premiere Grand Cru.

I came across a tin of this tucked away in the chiller at my local supermarket, pleasantly surprised I added it to my trolley. Upon opening the tin at home I was greeted with s smell akin to a lamb roast- mint sauce and all!

The slices in my tin were rather fatty, so I assume a wether must have gotten into the mix somehow, be that as it may it gave the flakes a superb burning characteristic. All in all highly recommended, no need for dindins after a bowl of this, although perhaps some roast potatoes and peas on the side would add to the enjoyment of this particular blend.

(As another reviewer noted DGT is best avoided especially in warmer climes)

Frankly, I was curious about this and once tried it found it to be too close to Royal Yacht, which is not made with lamb juice but Yak juice - hence the real name Royal Yak.

Jay

I have to say that this tobacco is one of the hardest to get hold of that I have ever come across. By the time I had got my hands on it I was almost so out of breath that the thought of actually smoking it kind of put me off. Not only that, but as I like to smoke the original, just cramming it in the bowl is practically impossible. I use a Group 26 bowl which has a special floor stand to take the extra weight.

I must say that I found the tobacco resisted all attempts to feed it Virginia or Burley or Perique...though it liked Ryegrass and to be honest I don't think the flavour suffered too much.

I'd give it 4 stars but for the continuous plaintive bleating.

A kiwi friend of mine brought me a tin of this back after visiting the homeland recently. Everyone should be so lucky to have such a great friend.

My greasy hands were trembling in anticipation as I popped the top on the tin. The tobacco was moist to the touch with just a bit of coarse white hair mixed in. Lambs wool? I dunno. Anyway, I fired it up and first impressions were it was a bit minty. The wool-like stuff definitely improved the burn as it was easy to keep lit. About a third of the way down the bowl the mint taste settled down and now a deep meaty taste developed that would only increase, eventually tasting a bit like carmelized meat on the grill. Surely this is what burnt sacrifices were like in biblical times and so the whole experience was just heavenly!

Incidentally, unlike Pagercat's experience, my tin contained no "beige water-like substance" in the tin.