Cornell & Diehl Pirate Kake

This is a great blend. I love Lat. Actually, for a good Lat. fix this is a great place to go. However, for the most part I found that there was so much Lat. in this blend that it tended to be rather 1 dimensional. It was rare for me to pick out anything but the lat. especially the Turkish, which I really like. Overall, a good smooth smoke that had no bite. Great for one of those times that you don't want to think about the smoke while doing other things.

I really do not smoke this straight, but I do enjoy adding this to many of the blends I enjoy that need an extra kick of Latakia. I mix it three parts Dunhill Early Morning Pipe to one part Pirate Kake. This will keep you going.

Very latakia... The kake is very crumbly, easy to break into chunks or rub out. Smells pretty full on on the tin and while smoking. Taste is very smooth, strong and stinky. The burley is noticeable and really brings it all together. Enough nicotine to keep me happy, enough stink to annoy the wife.

I like it, but not sure if I'll buy more. This stuff is fantastic if you want to piss off non smokers. I now know why pirates don't have wives.

If you like latakia then consider this recommended, at least to try, it's an experience.

I just started to smoke pipes, so you could say that I picked up this tin too fast. This tin taught me all too well what latakia is. I found it an intriguing taste, but my wife would have kicked me off the state if she had had the opportunity. Still it burned extremely well, and it was smooth smoke. I will recommend it for latakia lovers, and who knows once I have more experience I will appreciate the tin more. To be clear, I enjoyed the smoke a lot however the latakia odor still haunts one of my pipes.

A mighty cake burley, for the lover of Latakia. Keeps away loiterers and unwanted company.

Not for everyone, and cake tobaccos require some rubbing out, but all in all a good tobacco. Makes you earn it's respect. I enjoy it with a strong black coffee.

I really like this tobacco once in a while, not an everyday smoke. Latakia is out front with maybe a hint of vanilla hidden way , way, way in the background. I don't like the cut of this tobacco ( Krumble kake, broken rubbed out flake). It doesn't stay lit, requires constant tamping and seems to fall out with hot embers.

A word about the aroma, I always thought this would send people running, but the other day I was with three other guys smoking cigars when I lit some PK, they all said how great it smelled. I guess aroma is all relative to your surroundings. I really don't think I will buy again as this is very one dimensional.

Updated 11/2/11- Well after a few months to breath and a different pipe ( if that is what one calls an Ozark Cherry Wood, original review was with a cob ), this blend is complex, without heat, creamy , cheezy and a keeper. It must be sipped , that way you bring in the Turkish as a minor player next to the Latakia. I don't notice the Burley at a sip, which is fine, since I'm not a Burley fan. I'm still not a fan of the Krumble Kake as stated above, but it does burn at a sip.

I had just finished some Orient Express and I noticed in the description that it was 50% Pirate Kake and 50% Odessa. OE was suppose to cut the heavy Latakia of PK , but one thing it does is bring the Burley slightly into play, that I don't like.

I still don't see this as an all day smoke , but I will buy again. I will now compare this to Engine 99, Odyssey & Ten Russians blends for my Lat bomb fix. Stay tuned for the results

Updated 8/10/12 I've just tried, Engine 99, back to back with, Pirate Kake, both bulks, and I find PK better . You had better have a liking for Latakia with both of these blends, more so with PK that gives an almost oily taste. E99 is not as sweet and doesn't bring much Oriental and is very one dimensional. I've decided I would rather put my money towards PK.

Updated 10/13/12- I ordered another Bulk batch of this blend, rubbed it all out, let it rest for about a month and I have to say, "this is outstanding". Everytime I try this tobacco, it's a new experience. It has a lot of similarities to Penzance (including the iodine note identified by reviewer," GSTQ 12/27/2011" ). It has a smoked bacon with sharp provolone flavor !!! I also detected an unusual Oriental scent when snorked, hold on....., it's a freshly split oak log with shellac coating scent ( Turkish?, Burley?),. I wouldn't even argue with reviewer,"Ecdycis 07/29/2012" on his "Menthol sensation", I know, it doesn't sound good but it's different and wonderful. I believe I detected the same oak scent in a tin of Dunhill London Mixture . I want to give this 4 stars but I will hold off as everytime I try this, I detect something diffrent?

Not all that much one can say about a 70% Latakia blend, but the real coolness of this is in the presentation. I'm really starting to like C&D crumble cakes. Before this, I've had Black Frigate and Bow-Legged Bear, which were both really old (from those crappy metal tins C&D used to use that didn't seal), and were falling apart, and Briar Fox, which I liked; but this one is really dense and really fun to play with/chop up. Good smoke, if you like Latakia...

I got a one ounce sample, and loved the look of it: brownie-like cake (ok, a brownie left out in the sun!) that is dense and smells...of Latakia. Not much to say beyond that. Of course, I smoked some before ordering a half-pound, but this is just a straight out Lat bomb. Sometimes, I like that, though I smoke Virginias most often. I'm an experimenter, though, so I try all styles. I could give four stars for the presentation; it's about the coolest cake I've ever seen, but since it is almost straight Latakia, detract a star. I don't know how long it will take me to smoke all this, but since I like to do a Latakia mainline once in a while just for a change, I will not mind having this in my cellar. Very pretty to look at, and I enjoyed carving the "big brownie" into "little brownies" with an Alaskan chopping bowl blade. It was almost worth the price just for that. This cake should hold together nicely as it ages in the Ball jar.

Pirate Kake is a good tobacco to close a late evening, to compliment a strong cup of coffe, or when you just need a strong latakia fix. Having said that, this tobacco is in no way an every-day smoke as it just doesn't have enough character to contemplate on. However, when the mood strikes, Pirate Kake may just hit the spot.

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soli Deo gloria

Less sweet, more nutty, camp fire smokiness. Yep this and star of the east are extremely delicious tobaccos.

Let tobacco dry out some and keep your pipe cool.