Krumble Kake Kraziness

[Puffaluffaguss]

My brother, my guy, say it ain't so. I've had 2 tins of this, I cracked 1 and the other I'm selling on tinbids as we speak. I tried selling it on here but no takers. I'm telling you, if I would have known, i would have given it to you for way less because well, you know. Man I hope you get to try it someday.

 

[jpberg]

For what it’s worth, OP, I wouldn’t trust a TR review of a unicorn blend as far as I could throw the reviewer.
Guys like Dan Kerr, who’ve smoked hundreds of tins of Gentleman’s Mixture, yeah, but damn there’s a lot of reviews of one tin (or less) wonders that really muddy the waters.

 

[boston]

KK is a very nice blend, I preferred it to Bengal Slices (also great) and Penzance (also great). All of my experience was 20 years ago. Very nice little rectangle tins, wax paper. It was fun. I sold much with pipestud, but kept enough for special occasions.

Worth a lot? Marginally. Stellar, but I can buy a stellar box of cigars and some stellar tobacco for the $250+ it will cost for a 2oz tin of KK. Carpe diem but only with disposable income. It's good tobacco folks...

 

[BriarsAndBottles]

For what it’s worth, OP, I wouldn’t trust a TR review of a unicorn blend as far as I could throw the reviewer.
Guys like Dan Kerr, who’ve smoked hundreds of tins of Gentleman’s Mixture, yeah, but damn there’s a lot of reviews of one tin (or less) wonders that really muddy the waters.

Well that’s unfortunate but worth noting. Not sure what else to go off though as a resource. I hope my stable of unicorns isn’t too horrible. I know I spent more than I should chasing dead mens dreams but my fear of missing out on a “perfect” experience (although deep down I know it doesn’t exist) compels me to fork over big sums.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Well that’s unfortunate but worth noting. Not sure what else to go off though as a resource. I hope my stable of unicorns isn’t too horrible. I know I spent more than I should chasing dead mens dreams but my fear of missing out on a “perfect” experience (although deep down I know it doesn’t exist) compels me to fork over big sums.

It’s difficult to put a value on a unicorn experience; obviously, only you can decide if it’s worth your hard earned cash. What I will put out there for your consideration:

If there are “normal/readily available” blends that you know you do enjoy immensely, would being able to to have thirty-five tins to smoke versus the one give you more pleasure in the long run?

I have bought rare books that I don’t regret that no normal collector would dream of at crazy prices and have no regrets (it’s just money and there will usually be more of that to come—the book, pipe, or tobacco may not, at least anytime soon). I’ve also sprung for several modestly priced books that I’m happy to have, but when I stopped and thought about it, I could’ve gotten a single rare title I was considering buying if I just pooled what I spent on the several modestly priced books. I’ve done the same thing with pipes. It’s very easy to get caught up in the moment. Sometimes, stepping back and gaining some perspective has great value when making a purchase.

 

[jpberg]

Well that’s unfortunate but worth noting. Not sure what else to go off though as a resource. I hope my stable of unicorns isn’t too horrible. I know I spent more than I should chasing dead mens dreams but my fear of missing out on a “perfect” experience (although deep down I know it doesn’t exist) compels me to fork over big sums.

Nothing wrong with that, it’s your thing. Enjoy it.
And continue to ask questions, there’s a few guys here that can speak from experience on some of these blends.

 

[Val]

Well that’s unfortunate but worth noting. Not sure what else to go off though as a resource. I hope my stable of unicorns isn’t too horrible. I know I spent more than I should chasing dead mens dreams but my fear of missing out on a “perfect” experience (although deep down I know it doesn’t exist) compels me to fork over big sums.

Tobacco reviews is best utilized under a couple scenarios in my opinion. First would be finding a handful of solid reviewers and seeing what they say about a tobacco you’re interested in. Jiminks for example is a reliable source on there and one of my go to reviewers. The second way would be when a tobacco has a large sum of reviews. You can trust that if a tobacco has 500 reviews with a rating of 3.5, it’s quality stuff. May not be to your liking, but the quality will likely be there. I think if either of those scenarios are utilized, it’s an excellent resource. On the other hand if you see a tobacco with 5 or 10 total reviews and don’t know any of the reviewers or their level of expertise, you may not get a reliable impression.

 

[Val]

Krumble kake is sort of smokers havens version of penzance…made by germains, the same maker of penzance. It’s more Latakia forward than penzance and so it changes the profile. Most of smokers havens blends mirror one of the esoterica line or germains line with subtle differences. Our best blend mirrors margate, cognac mixture mirrors and so to bed, etc. krumble kale is harder to get than penzance and therefore priced accordingly. Many would agree it is inferior to penzance in flavor profile though.

 

[sasquatch]

I had some pipe smoking friends over a couple weekends ago. One older gentleman (who is not a unicorn chaser, he remembers this stuff being common and treats it as such) was looking over some jars, and he in fact had one marked KK in his hand. I asked what he was hoping for. "Ohhh, something English..." I said "Well that's Krumble Kake, I can't really do better than that." "Oh, is that what the KK is? Yeah, that'll do." And he didn't say another word for about an hour, just poured himself a little more Deanston here and there.

 

[Puffaluffaguss]

Krumble kake is sort of smokers havens version of penzance…made by germains, the same maker of penzance. It’s more Latakia forward than penzance and so it changes the profile. Most of smokers havens blends mirror one of the esoterica line or germains line with subtle differences. Our best blend mirrors margate, cognac mixture mirrors and so to bed, etc. krumble kale is harder to get than penzance and therefore priced accordingly. Many would agree it is inferior to penzance in flavor profile though.

I can't say this for certain because I never got to compare the two blends freshly tinned. I tried KK from 2004 and Penzance from 2013. The KK was superior to my taste. Either way, a king and an emperor might have different names but demand the same respect. Same with these 2 blends

Like the great "James Franko" said in the movie "The Interview"

They are same same, but different, different but same same, but different, but still same .

 

[sablebrush52]

Krumble kake is sort of smokers havens version of penzance…made by germains, the same maker of penzance. It’s more Latakia forward than penzance and so it changes the profile. Most of smokers havens blends mirror one of the esoterica line or germains line with subtle differences. Our best blend mirrors margate, cognac mixture mirrors and so to bed, etc. krumble kale is harder to get than penzance and therefore priced accordingly. Many would agree it is inferior to penzance in flavor profile though.

The Esoterica line up was created for Piedmont Tobacco as a similar, but not same, line up to the Smokers Haven blends that were originally made by Sobranie, then by Germain's when Sobranie closed. They are all basically "catalog" blends, blends formulated for private label use.

I don't like Penzance, so I don't bother with it. But I'm fussy when it comes to English blends. I'll take Renaissance over either of them. And State Express London Mixture over either of them as well. Or Sobranie Chaliapin over all of them. It comes down to what balances float your boat. Someone else will prefer something different.

That's the salient fact of looking for best of breed. There is no best of breed. There is only preference, and that will change.

 

[BriarsAndBottles]

The Esoterica line up was created for Piedmont Tobacco as a similar, but not same, line up to the Smokers Haven blends that were originally made by Sobranie, then by Germain's when Sobranie closed. They are all basically "catalog" blends, blends formulated for private label use.

I don't like Penzance, so I don't bother with it. But I'm fussy when it comes to English blends. I'll take Renaissance over either of them. And State Express London Mixture over either of them as well. Or Sobranie Chaliapin over all of them. It comes down to what balances float your boat. Someone else will prefer something different.

That's the salient fact of looking for best of breed. There is no best of breed. There is only preference, and that will change.

Sobranie Chaliapin? Never even heard of that, great now I got another one to put on my list. Thanks @sablebrush52 lol.

 

[Puffaluffaguss]

Sobranie Chaliapin? Never even heard of that, great now I got another one to put on my list. Thanks @sablebrush52 lol.

I've come down to the fact that I'm never gonna try all the blends I want to try. If guys on here who have been smoking 50+ years and havnt tried everything I know I ain't even gonna come close. But if I focus on what interests me then I can get through a bit of it

 

[jpberg]

Tobacco reviews is best utilized under a couple scenarios in my opinion. First would be finding a handful of solid reviewers and seeing what they say about a tobacco you’re interested in. Jiminks for example is a reliable source on there and one of my go to reviewers. The second way would be when a tobacco has a large sum of reviews. You can trust that if a tobacco has 500 reviews with a rating of 3.5, it’s quality stuff. May not be to your liking, but the quality will likely be there. I think if either of those scenarios are utilized, it’s an excellent resource. On the other hand if you see a tobacco with 5 or 10 total reviews and don’t know any of the reviewers or their level of expertise, you may not get a reliable impression.

I don’t buy that for a minute.

 

[woodsroad]

Maybe you are a youngen. But I don’t consider 15 years that old. Are their other review sites other than tobacco reviews, cause there are a few dozen blends with higher ratings. It also seems to be made multiple years not a one time release. $200 makes sense but $500 just seems odd. To each their own. That’s more expensive, double really, than Sullivan and Powell and elephant and castle blends which seem more rare and more highly regarded.

Yeah, I think that you are overthinking this.
The stuff is worth what people want to pay, regardless of any other variable.
Whether or not you'll like it has nothing to do with its value.
Keep in mind that at 15 years, many blends are past their prime.

 

[BriarsAndBottles]

Yeah, I think that you are overthinking this.
The stuff is worth what people want to pay, regardless of any other variable.
Whether or not you'll like it has nothing to do with its value.
Keep in mind that at 15 years, many blends are past their prime.

I agree. But I do think there is a mix of objectivity mixed in with the subjectivity. It’s like people argue over LeBron vs Jordan, but not LeBron vs Barkley. But yet Barkley is stilled allowed to be someone favorite whether not he’s the “best”.

 

[woodsroad]

I agree. But I do think there is a mix of objectivity mixed in with the subjectivity. It’s like people argue over LeBron vs Jordan, but not LeBron vs Barkley. But yet Barkley is stilled allowed to be someone favorite whether not he’s the “best”.

Uh, yeah…no.
So many phenomenal blends go under appreciated, often because they are still in production and readily available. There’s no fear of losing out, so the anxiety panic buying button never gets hit. There is a great deal of herd mentality, lemmingesque, knee-jerk, peer pressure, fear of losing out kind of behavior in pricing collectables. Eventually, the fad passes and someone is left holding the bag. Just ask the tulip bulb buyers.

 

[BriarsAndBottles]

Uh, yeah…no.
So many phenomenal blends go under appreciated, often because they are still in production and readily available. There’s no fear of losing out, so the anxiety panic buying button never gets hit. There is a great deal of herd mentality, lemmingesque, knee-jerk, peer pressure, fear of losing out kind of behavior in pricing collectables. Eventually, the fad passes and someone is left holding the bag. Just ask the tulip bulb buyers.

I had to look up the tulip buyers. What a fun piece of history I was previously unaware of. At least I can smoke my over priced tins. Better than a beanie baby!

Do you have a favorite underrated current production blend worth recommending? At the end of the day my goal is to try good tobacco not delay my retirement lol.

 

[woodsroad]

I had to look up the tulip buyers. What a fun piece of history I was previously unaware of. At least I can smoke my over priced tins. Better than a beanie baby!

Do you have a favorite underrated current production blend worth recommending? At the end of the day my goal is to try good tobacco not delay my retirement lol.

What? And start a run on my favorites?

 

[Mr_houston]

Krumble Kake was great stuff. Imagine Penzance with Syrian Latakia included.

I I saw the high prices and went to check my stash. I have 2 tins. One was dried out, so I reconstituted it and have been enjoying it. The second weighs more and doesn’t rattle when shaken. I am trying to figure out if I can sell it, as I’m not certain of the condition.