Hearth & Home Classic Burley Kake

The cake is a little freaky, but the flavors are nice. It crumbles easily into near dust with some thin pieces of leaf in various sizes. Burns pretty well in spite of that. I can taste the Burley and Kentucky, but not much from the Virginias unless all of that maple-like sweetness is coming from them. It's fairly pronounced and I have trouble believing it's all from that leaf. The added flavorings of cocoa and anise come through nicely. Can't get the rum. It's a very nice tasting blend.

Mild to medium all the way around. Burns fairly well. May need two or more lights to get going.

Classic Burley Kake, what a delicious treat. The flavors are well melded: Oats and a rich cocoa/molasses sweetness, slight nuttiness, earthy/tangy sweet red Virginia, the rum and anise are an after thought and I didn’t find them overpowering at all. The Mrs. likes the room note, and it burns clean all the way down, with the first puff of creamy smoke tasting just as good as the last. After reading the reviews I feel that this is more of a niche blend, for those that enjoy light, Danish style aros and burley blends. I personally love this blend and enjoy it best with a cup of coffee. Bought 6 ounces when I saw it was available. Highly recommended.

Oh yes!! This is what a Burley Blend should be. The flake or "kake" cut on this is 3.5 inches long, 1 inch deep, and 3/8 inch thick. The flakes are a deep coca brown with a wonderful aroma. One especially notices the cocoa, rum and anise top note upon opening. The flakes are not overly moist, although I have found that some drying turns up the flavors. This flake "krumbles" easily for filling the bowl, but can be left in large chunks if desired.

Burley Kake has a nice room note, and the flavor is very consistent from top to bottom. Some may find this boring, but I enjoy its uniform flavors which I find mild and subtle. This flake does not bite or burn hot. There is a basic Burley taste - not very sweet - with hints of cocoa and rum. It does not get bitter at the bottom of the bowl (which speaks to the high quality Burley leaf used) and stays lit easily. Although Burley is not noted for improving with age, I plan on lay more of this away.

As a codger burley lover, this blend really drew my attention. I'm half way through the tin now and can say that I really do enjoy the blend. I would compare this to an upscale Prince Albert in taste, with more of a sweetness to it that does not get bitter at the end of the bowl. Tried it in many different pipes, but like a true codger burley it does best in a cob. Does not like to be packed tight. A loose pack and careful tamping will get you through the bowl with a couple lights.

Presentation is tightly pressed cake. Despite the use of several burleys and some Virginia in this blend, the color is of generally uniform burley brown.  Pouch note is largely neutral, slightly sweet, with a hint of molasses. Caked tobaccos, all things being equal, tend to hold a bit more moisture more than ribbon or shag and this blend is no exception. But the moisture content is not excessive and while it might benefit from some dry time before smoking, Classic Burley Kake can be smoked immediately after rubbing out. 

The charring light reveals a touch of sweetness on the tip of the tongue that dissipates within the first third of the bowl. The true light brings classic burley flavors predominately of sweet and salty nuts.  As the first third continues, I detect a light, sweet rum topping applied with an easy hand. But despite being usually sensitive to anise,  I'm not picking it up so far. 

By mid-bowl the blend presents a woody note that is balanced against the nut flavor. Not "woodsyness" mind you, but more literally a wood flavor akin to basswood. I interpret this as a more extreme version of the parchment flavors common among good burley blends. While the rum begins to flicker in and out by the end of the middle third, I finally find the anise, but it's very mildly done: to my taste buds, this is a positive. It's not that I dislike anise, just that it's a flavoring that can easily overwhelm the more delicate tobacco flavors if not applied conservatively.  

In the final third of the bowl, the light, sweet rum flavors reemerge along with a raw, dark chocolate note that takes some of the saltiness out of the blend. I also begin to get an ever-so-slight hint of the light cocoa and parchment notes I associate with a top-shelf burley.  Near the end of the bowl the sweet cocoa and parchment fully reveal themselves, balancing out the salted and sweet nuts (visualize a blend salted cashews, unsalted walnuts, and sweet macadamia), resulting in a final crescendo of the full range of burley flavors.  

Overall another excellent creation by a master blender. Room note got the seal of approval from Mrs Perique. This blend is extremely cool smoking, even when inconsiderably puffed and has absolutely zero bite. The burley lover could do much worse for an all-day smoke, but there are enough flavor nuances and changes throughout the bowl to make it a good early-evening blend as well. Though I find a few other burley blends a bit more complex with gentler cocoa and parchment nuances, I have nothing but compliments for Classic Burley Kake: a delicious, lightly aromatic blend that any burley lover should try. I can see this edging out a few others as my preferred all-day smoke.

Update, Jan 2015: This has earned its place among my favorite all-day blends. I just ordered another pound. An outstanding daytime blend that will satisfy both burley and aromatic smokers.

This is a friendly all-day easy-going kind of smoke. I know this was modeled in the tradition of some of the American favorites, but I haven't smoked a single one that tastes as good as this. Me and burley are usually a bad mix. Typically, a couple blends aside, it really does my tongue a harsh disservice. Classic Burley Kake is one of the rare exceptions. As long as I take it slow I find that I can keep the bad chemistry at bay and amazingly this blend will give me ample fair warning to slow down.

For me it's best enjoyed after popping the tin, putting the lid back on and letting it sit in my tobacco cabinet for a month or so. At that point I jar it up and gradually work my way through the jar. The tin note is down right funky. To me it smells like Pla-Doh. When lit I get a soft, slightly-sweet and extremely mellow smoke. The room note is terrific. It's got that perfect quintessential "pipey" aroma. The flavor is a straight ahead affair with no curves, turns or big surprises. As far as nuances go, every so often and mostly when I smoke it in my garage, as opposed to outdoors, I get a slight taste of the rum and cocoa casing. Aside from that, it mostly tastes sweet and nutty. I have smoked this in a number of pipes and it leaves each one smelling nice. However, I find it tastes best in a large wide bowl model.

Sometimes a simple dependable, affordable blend is all one needs. Classic Burley Kake fills that role perfectly. It also pairs nicely with tea, coffee or a good pint of ale.

Russ has created another fine tobacco in Classic Burley Kake. The aroma of this tobacco is mouth watering and the thick flakes crumble easily. This is an excellent burley/VA tobacco that has an excellent nutty flavor, smokes cool, and has not bite. I would call this tobacco an aromatic, but the flaovrs stay in the background and don't interfere with the taste of the tobacco. I guess becasue the flavors are steamed into the tobacco.

If you like burley and burley flakes, this will be a real treat. Stonehaven was my favortie burley flake until smoking Classic Kake.

Smoking now:

Bought in bulk. Smells of cocoa powder and cinnamon.

Lights really fast and burns well. It’s a very good consistency. Unsweetened cocoa powder and cinnamon is what I get the most. A warm earthy toasted cereal nutty flavor too. Enjoyed with black coffee. It’s summer right now I can’t say I’ll smoke this one again any time soon. I’ll save this for winter time. The dark cocoa and cinnamon might be more enjoyable for me then.

*Edit*

Smoked this again on a colder rainy day with coffee and man it hit the spot. It has a dry, not crunchy, but dry consistency with like a dusting of coco powder. Darker unsweetened coco flavor with a toasty, earthy, nutty, molasses, dark bread like flavor. My friend says the room note smells like baked cereal grains. Very pleasant smoke. Non offensive short lingering aftertaste. No bite or mouth tingle. Does dry my mouth out a bit, drink with coffee and it’s very nice.

Russ Ouellette did a nice job of selecting and balancing the right Burleys to reveal their finest attributes. The red Virginia sweetens it, and the cocoa and other flavorings add a delicious finishing touch. This is a flavored blend, but more like a non-aromatic that satisfies a taste for something sweet. Good body, whole mouth feel, creamy smoke volume, strength, and a smoothness that makes this an ideal smoke to start the day with a cup of coffee.

Downside: I don't trust the aluminized cardboard container. So, while I have high praise for the blend, I have to soften my recommendation.