Cornell & Diehl Pirate Kake

If Nightcap is Wagnerian, this is a brass band. Loud and exhilerating in small doses but difficult to live with on a sustained basis. The orientals are drowned by the Latakia and the burley, apart from mitigating the burnt cork taste of pure Latakia, does little. An occasional excess has its place in life, and Pirate Kake is an excess.

A latakia-heavy cake? Must try! Wow, holding in the hands a brick of this extremely dark brown-black blend (no light-colored bits in it!) is a pure joy, a mouth-watering experience that makes a latakia lover like me dream of the moment in which the flame will light the crumbled tobacco in the bowl! Crumbling the cake is easy (but beware, your fingers will become dirty as if you had been playing with the ashes in your fireplace), and soon the flame can release some of the most intense flavor ever offered by a pipe tobacco. It is very strong and spicy, and the latakia is a wonderful presence throughout the bowl. As you progress, the burley makes its presence felt with a note that reminds of baking bread and rounds the harsh edges of the licorice-like (in looks and taste) black weed. Until the bottom of the bowl, it's an explosion of taste! It reminds of the intensity of Old Ironsides, but in my opinion it is slightly less pleasant. It isn't a very sophisticated, subtle or multidimensional tobacco, and it isn't suited for all-day consumption (in spite of the relatively low nicotine content). Nonetheless, it makes for a great after-lunch/dinner smoke. A must for any latakia fan, especially at the great price it is sold in bulk (and the cake form allows you to cellar it without perceivable deterioration). Just beware of the extremely strong room note: while not particularly nasty (unless you hate latakia), its ghost will haunt your house for many days, haunting your house!!!

Well, the description states it has LOTS (emphasis theirs) of Latakia, and it does. This is a dark black brick which crumbles into wonderful flakes very easily and is able to be sprinked and packed nicely - a few lighter colored flakes are evident in the crumbling. The nose of the bag is prodigiously Latakia. After the initial char, it takes to a match easily and produces good volumes of velvety textured smoke. As it says, Latakia predominates, but there are some sweet spicy notes making their presence known as well. A few puffs into the bowl, the Latakia smooths out a bit and it is just a great smoke. A few firemen at the fire meeting asked me what died in my pipe - but, for a Latakia lover, this was an incredible blend. It remained smooth and cool throughout while the spiciness of the Turkish and the sweet underpinings of the Cavendish also made their presence known.

If you love Latakia, this is a must try. If you like Latakia, try this anyway as it is exceptionally wondeful example of the fact that a predominantly Latakia blend can be heavenly.

This one has definitely crept aboard ship and stolen my tastebuds! I was always a little leary of the thought of pirates boarding my ship and plundering it - however, if they bring a Kake of this along, I will welcome them aboard!

3rdguy

Just finished my 1st full tin of this and it did not take long. Tin had almost exactly 3 years of age on it and yielded a latakia smoke that had all of the finer points of smoothness, mellow, consistent in flavor and no rough spots.

I did find drying it out a bit gave the best results and minimized the relights. It still took a fair amount of relights to get it going each time. No real complexity here but this is not a blend you sit and ponder over, you know exactly what you are getting and I like that sometimes. Ten Russians is still the latakia heavy blend I reach for but this is a nice step down.

Pure latakia goodness. Impressively well-balanced for such a latakia-dominant blend, the burley and orientals add a beautiful woody flavor to the rich smokiness of the latakia. Remarkable!

Presentation: A hearty, dark dense block. My 6 year old piece had a nice oily sheen to the eye and a few spots of plume. Black mostly in color with some remnants of what brown tobacco was there. The age has definitely blended the strong latakia together into the others.

Palette: Smells of rich peat, ash, campfire and a little spice. Had a light vinegar note on top. Taste like how it smells. Has a waxy essence to it and if you enjoy Latakia this will be a go to blend. You may even liken this to a creosote and tar aroma. Barely any sweetness in the blend, and if you do find it, it doesn't stay. With the majority of this being Latakia, you should know what to expect.

Performance: A very cool burning blend. Absolutely no indication of bite even when puffing vigorously. Very creamy, smooth in the mouth and leaves a nice coating for you to enjoy for an hour. Leaves more than average moisture and requires a few relights and smokes at a less than medium burn rate. One dimensional taste. I didn't find this blend to change much in the bowl. Mild nicotine. Not an all day smoke,. Maybe once a week.

Conclusion: A very interesting and heavy blend. You either love Latakia or you seldom partake in it. I fall in between. I enjoy a good Balkan or English blend, but not this much Latakia. I bought this because I found a 6 year old tin at a local B&M. I enjoyed the tobacco for what it's worth, but felt completely satiated for a while. A very straight and narrow taste profile with hardly any change. I can see why some like this alot, and some who would never smoke it more than an initial bowl. I don't think I will be buying another tin, but it was a good experience.

Cornell and Diehl's Pirate Kake is the last of the bulk samples from my recent half tinned and half bulk thin down purchase and I saved it for last. The reason for this was a combination of my observations and the many warnings from fellow reviewers about its heavy-to-horrid Latakia content. When I lit it up, my sample smoked like a purring kitten. Yes, a lot of Latakia, but I agree with several reviewers who used Pirate Kake as an example of how high Latakia content does not equate to overly strong. Heavy in each puff but always controlled by the Burley and Orientals, the Latakia seemed almost like a mild perfume that the other two were wearing. This perfume burned off some where in the upper third and the rest of the smoke proceeded down the bowl as, believe it or not, a light English. So, for all the dark brooding color range, somewhat ominous tin aroma and all the bluster; this blend smokes in a very civilized way and I have no problem recommending it to fellow smokers.

A brownie of cyprian latakia - 70% (!) and orientals. Open the tin and a waft of campfire smoke will invade your nostrils. The cake / brownie is easily dismantled into crumbs that are easily loaded into the pipe. Burns well but I miss Virginias in here... It is a bit light on body for me... I miss some sweetness and complexity. It is a good blend but could be better if it were 50% latakia, 30% matured Virginias and 20% orientals, in my humble opinion. It is a great blend to make other blends stronger in smokiness if you will. Just get some of it and mix it at desired ratio with other non aro blends for a nice smoky twist. Recommended.

Tin note - Very earthy/musty Lights easy and burns well. Minimal relights.

This tobacco is incredibly smooth and cool to smoke. Since it is a lat bomb, obviously Latakia is the star player here and pretty much what you are going to get. The main flavors I pick up are a dark leather mixed with an earthy peaty taste, with a subtle sweet/smooth undertone. A lot of people say it reminds them of a campfire, but to me I get a much more "box of leather" vibe from it. It is pretty straightforward with its flavors , but in an enjoyable way, and as I said before it is a very cool and smooth smoke. It is also very consistent throughout the entire bowl. Not a life altering smoke for me, but one I will always keep on hand for those cool fall/winter evenings when I crave a bit warmer/darker smoking experience. A very enjoyable 3 stars with no complaints from me.