Cornell & Diehl Pirate Kake

If you want to strip the gears of a non-smoker, well folks this Latakia packed blend will get the job done. I am trying this out today as I wanted a full throttle Latakia smoke for a change of pace. A wonderful smoke! I knew by the guy who I traded tins with ( He got an old tin from me of Kingfisher ) that it was a full bore Latakia blend, I have to say I am most pleased. ( And I think I got the better of the deal ) So if you are a lover of Latakia this should satisfy your cravings. The room note though, will send some running for the door. Great smoke when the in-laws show up......

This and the pipe I used in smoking the "Lat Bomb" were given to me a generous friend and this smoke was an adventure worthy of the name "pirate." I have heard a lot about this lat bomb and I was ready to explode it in my den. I have to admit I sort of got into the spirit of this blend and my apologies for what follows.

Latakia, Burley, Oriental/Turkish are the ingredients. I opened the bag and was greeted by a very rich, heavy pleasant smoky flavor that was leading this charge of flavors. Right behind were the first mates of a mild earthy and mild woody flavor that played well together and led a balance assault upon my senses. This comes in a Krumble Kake and was fun to break and crumble to prepare for the bowl. It seemed perfect to smoke but I left it out for a half hour and could smell the smokiness across my den. Loading was easy since this crumbled in to small pieces. The charring light was interesting for the tobacco swelled grew like C&D's Crooner and the second light the tobacco took off nicely. The smoke was heavy yet disappeared quickly, but whether I sipped or puffed it stayed heavy until half way down the bowl when it grew even thicker and did not disappear. Looking up at the riggings... er... ceiling I noticed smoke hanging pretty well. My loyal first matey collie came in to join me and looked at the smoke and me and joined in for the fun. The next loyal matey did too but the rest... well those yellow stripe down their back traitors looked and ran... puffing or sipping this will not bite or even come close. This burned cool, slow and very consistently and needed very little re-lighting. This left no moisture in the bowl. During the smoke this left a sweet, rich, smoky aftertaste and after the smoke the same aftertaste that was pleasant for over an hour.

The room note, well.... I wanted to test it to make sure so I left the den for a few minutes to get a drink and came back to rolling smoke and a room that had a pleasant rich and smoky smell that was strong like there had been a pillaging and plundering and burning raid in the room.. there were even bodies laying there in the smoke..... oh wait those are passed out collies taking a nap. The room note is pleasant yet very strong.

Lighting up the bowl I was greeted by smoke rolling from the bowl and a rich, heavy, sweet smoke that I found very pleasing and that dominated this smoke. Not drowning out the others but definitely the Captain of this outfit. Closely behind the Smoke were a pleasant medium Earthy and mild woody flavors backed up by a light pleasant sweet butter, a mild spicy flavor, a light toasty and light nuttiness as well as a mildly spicy flavor. They did not change and they played very nicely together willingly letting the wonderful smoky flavor lead the way. Very consistent flavor that was much to my taste of this very uniquely wonderful blend that really is for those looking for something different.

I have to admit I sort of got into the spirit of this blend. I enjoyed it immensely and it really fed the itch for something different. It joins a favorite list and while it wont be a regular part of my rotation I definitely will smoke it when I need something different in my smoking rotation. I found it pleasant and will smoke it again even though this is not my usual type of smoke although I am coming to enjoy more English Blends. I give this a 3.8 out of 4 stars and it gets rounded up to 4 stars for when I turned on my ceiling fan and as I watched the smoke roll out the windows I couldn't help but laugh ....Har, Har, Har.... if I had close neighbors what would they think?

Nice. I really like this one. Latakia heavy at first (in a good way), then the orientals make their nutty, exotic spice appearance about half way in. I rubbed then let dry for an hour or 2. No burn issues at all with minimal relights. Will definitely get more

This is a lovely lat-bomb. (That's not a sentence you'll hear very often.) It's surprisingly sweet and well balanced for such a wallop of latakia. The krumble kake is easy to worth with, the moisture level is great, lights and stays lit well, the mouthfeel is creamy and thick, the flavor (if you're into lat-bombs) is top-notch. What's not to love? A gold-hearted thug of a blend.

Was expecting some brutal Latakia monster knocking everything down! But it wasn't like that! I was pleasantly surprised with a subtle, multi-faceted tobacco.

Tin note is sour and latakia, tin date is 102617. The Kake easily breaks apart, easily rubs out. Tobacco is soft and dry. Burns consistently once lit. The strength is mild-med, nic is mild at most. No Flavoring detected. Taste is med to full and consistent throughout. Taste wood, mildly sweet, some floral and smokey earthy flavors. The smokey latakia is up front (though I wouldn't consider it a lat bomb), and floral riding shot gun and mildly sweet in the back. Room note offends everyone and leaves that creosote like aftertaste that I enjoy. 4 stars

If your looking for Latakia, then search no further, this has it. Very smoky, leathery, and herby. The Latakia is pretty much is the main driver, and the orientals do give some tea like qualities. I do read some reviews that the burley is undetectable, and used as a filler, however this is not the case for me. I can taste it from time to time, not in a nutty burley taste but more of a vegetative way. The cake crumbles good and packs well, I like to put the finer rubbed out pieces in the bottom and top with some fat chunks in the middle. The smoke itself, is probably the thickest, creamiest, smoke I’ve experienced. It’s actually quite satisfying to feel the the fat clouds rolling out of your mouth, taking any negativity from your day with them. Final thoughts: if you get bored with all the medium strength english blends, and want something a little stronger tasting then pick some of this up and throw it in your rotation for the nights when you feel you just need something extra. Though not similar in taste, it’s like nightcap, in the sense of a heavy desert like tobacco, or your last smoke of the day.

Step away from this if you are not a latakia addicted. Be aware and try not to have any other E.M. in your rotation bc this is the kind of tobacco that affects your taste for ages, after a few bowls of PirateK you cannot feel any latakia in other mixtures.
Good for adding in other mixtures, it is a good source of latakia, for those who feel overwhelmed. It can save you from throwing this latbomb away.
IMO it is a really good experience, not like a pure latakia, it has his own personality and delivers what it is suppose to deliver. The crumble is easy to break, easy to pack, easy to keep it lit, smokes really cool, full taste from the very beginning till the end. The Burley is extremely good high grade otherwise you would not taste in it .... I just want more and more!

This is Lat strong, so if you don't like Latakia, take a pass. Pirate kake has that nutty burly and the sour orientals in the background of a sea of Latakia. It's smokey alright. Ex cigar smokers might enjoy this more than not.

Pirate kake is smooth, and it has a strong smell, but oddly enough my wife, who always complains about my smoke if it's not a sweet aromatic, came out once and sat next to me and said, "Whoa I don't know why I'm saying this but I like the smell of that." Maybe it was the drink she was drinking and that it was at night. I can't imagine that response in the morning or afternoon.

Pirate kake retrohales like a champ. It's smooth as butter on the retro. It has a smokey sweetness to it that I have not detected in any other blend. It's incense like. The aftertaste is yummy smokey incensy latakia.

I never really get a nic buzz from this. (which is fine) I assume it's because it's mostly latakia and the burley and orientals are background players.

I get a kick out of the one-star reviews. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, these guys write it like it's etched in stone. Guess what? Pirate kake is popular for a reason!

I initially bought a tin, liked it, then eventually bought a pound brick which I placed into two of the large mason jars. Every so often I grab a piece to refill my small jelly jar which I pinch it from when I smoke it.

Great stuff, IF you like latakia dominated blends.