Appreciation For C&D Crumble Cakes

[NomadOrb]

Over the last couple of years, C&D has moved into my top spot for blending house. One of the reasons is their fantastic crumble cake.

I love the confetti cut they have, it's so easy to break apart and stuff into the pipe, and burns easily and evenly. I caught myself on smokingpipes going through their blends, and they seem to have more crumble cakes than any other manufacturer aside from sutliff.

The big difference between sutliff and C&D however is Sutliff uses big chunky pieces before pressing into cakes, they crumble fine, but I have a hard time lighting and keeping them lit without fussing with it too much. Sutliff cakes seem to be way more temperamental than those offered by C&D.

How do you feel about crumble cakes in general and specifically C&D crumble cakes?

This post was brought to you by twilight hours shopping and Briar Fox.

 

[blackpowderpiper]

I'm a fan of C&D blends and enjoy their crumble cakes. I agree with you on their ease of use. They fall under my "no fuss, no muss" category. Compact, easily broken apart, light and burn easily. Briar Fox and Kajun Kake are a couple that I reach for fairly often. Some folks say that C&D blends lack nuance and refinement, but perhaps I do as well. They work for me and I always keep a few crumble cakes in the rotation.

 

[NomadOrb]

Some folks say that C&D blends lack nuance and refinement, but perhaps I do as well. They work for me and I always keep a few crumble cakes in the rotation.

I've heard the same, and that kept me away from C&D for years when I first started out. I thought Europe = quality, America = quantity.

I don't believe that anymore. Now I smoke more C&D + GL Pease than any thing else.

 

[fireground_piper]

I’m a big fan of their crumble cake. Love the mechanics from Blockade Runner. I think it’s my favorite cut type.

 

[rmbittner]

The only crumble cake I’ve smoked is Penzance. It’s my all-time favorite blend.

I can’t say that I’m going to go out of my way to sample the C&D CCs, though. For me, C&D has way too much focus on burley and higher-nicotine blends for my tastes. (While I enjoy a few burley-only blends and VA/burley flakes, burley in a blend equals empty “filler” for me; IMO, it’s filler tobacco added either to boost the nicotine level or to carry added flavorings in an aromatic. I don’t expect any here to share my feelings!)

I do love many GLPease blends, but I just don’t see the same approach being taken with C&D’s own blends.

 

[troyniss]

I do agree that C&D cakes are a pleasure to use. Over the years I’ve collected quite a few offerings from them.

Briar Fox is one of my favorites but it seems they might have changed the formula over time or perhaps not, but I’ve had varying ‘cuts’ of the cake itself. I first picked up BF while I was in South Korea and I think it already had 5+years of age on it at the time. It was one of the most superb smokes I’ve had and noticed the ribbons or chunks were cut differently than more recent offerings. I opened one from 2021 and it was tangibly different and the feel of the ribbons used. Regardless, Briar Fox, Black Frigate, Redburn are ones I like the most.

 

[vosBghos]

I agree with their superior ease of preparation and burn and will add that their Plug Dreams of Kadath has the same qualities as compared with others.

 

[NomadOrb]

I do agree that C&D cakes are a pleasure to use. Over the years I’ve collected quite a few offerings from them.

Briar Fox is one of my favorites but it seems they might have changed the formula over time or perhaps not, but I’ve had varying ‘cuts’ of the cake itself. I first picked up BF while I was in South Korea and I think it already had 5+years of age on it at the time. It was one of the most superb smokes I’ve had and noticed the ribbons or chunks were cut differently than more recent offerings. I opened one from 2021 and it was tangibly different and the feel of the ribbons used. Regardless, Briar Fox, Black Frigate, Redburn are ones I like the most.

I believe they switched over to a new cutting machine in 2016ish that led to them using a much thinner ribbon.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Love them. I’ve been smoking a lot of Folklore lately. It’s my new favorite, for now.

 

[NomadOrb]

The only crumble cake I’ve smoked is Penzance. It’s my all-time favorite blend.

I can’t say that I’m going to go out of my way to sample the C&D CCs, though. For me, C&D has way too much focus on burley and higher-nicotine blends for my tastes. (While I enjoy a few burley-only blends and VA/burley flakes, burley in a blend equals empty “filler” for me; IMO, it’s filler tobacco added either to boost the nicotine level or to carry added flavorings in an aromatic. I don’t expect any here to share my feelings!)

I do love many GLPease blends, but I just don’t see the same approach being taken with C&D’s own blends.

To each their own, for sure, but their Burley is another reason they're in 1st place for me.

 

[NomadOrb]

Love them. I’ve been smoking a lot of Folklore lately. It’s my new favorite, for now.

Man it's tough to commit to a whole pound, but I feel like I would enjoy Folklore. Glad it's doing it for you.

 

[Zeno Marx]

I've only had Night Train, and it is a staple. I've ran into a couple problems in aging though. It can get VERY tangy. I'd say downright sour. It can also get incredibly rich in dark dried fruits of prunes and figs, which is always my hope and goal for it. Second, I had some mold beginning to form after three years (I think it was three years without going to check).

It's nutty, rich and dark fruits at its best, but it can get spicy here and there in just about every bowl. New, you can bet on it having a very pure tobacco taste, which I also love. I don't explore much, so from my limited experience, it is the only tobacco I've had in a while that gives you that impression of yanking a leaf from the drying barn and smoking it. You know...the delusional piper dream of something being pure and natural. It's the closest I come to how you'd want a chewing tobacco, like Red Man or Levi Garrett, to taste if you smoked it. It's crazy how much it has gone up in price. One of the reasons I started smoking it was its great value. That's no longer the case.

 

[seanv]

I've only had Night Train, and it is a staple. I've ran into a couple problems in aging though. It can get VERY tangy. I'd say downright sour. It can also get incredibly rich in dark dried fruits of prunes and figs, which is always my hope and goal for it. Second, I had some mold beginning to form after three years (I think it was three years without going to check).

It's nutty, rich and dark fruits at its best, but it can get spicy here and there in just about every bowl. New, you can bet on it having a very pure tobacco taste, which I also love. I don't explore much, so from my limited experience, it is the only tobacco I've had in a while that gives you that impression of yanking a leaf from the drying barn and smoking it. You know...the delusional piper dream of something being pure and natural. It's the closest I come to how you'd want a chewing tobacco, like Red Man or Levi Garrett, to taste if you smoked it. It's crazy how much it has gone up in price. One of the reasons I started smoking it was its great value. That's no longer the case.

A tin of Night Train is $11.90. If you average 3 grams a smoke, that's $0.71 a smoke. That's still great value.

 

[NomadOrb]

Night Train is one I have in my cart, along with 5'oclock shadow and Redburn.

I have to stop myself from trying every cake they have.

 

[troyniss]

I believe they switched over to a new cutting machine in 2016ish that led to them using a much thinner ribbon.

Checks out. I preferred the older method. Somehow the previous cut married the flavors differently for me, because I’m still trying to chase that flavor I got from my first cake of Briar Fox.

 

[troyniss]

Night Train is one I have in my cart, along with 5'oclock shadow and Redburn.

I have to stop myself from trying every cake they have.

Redburn is another great one. Burley forward with quite a bit of spice and a tinge of dark rum. One of my favorite fall time smokes.

 

[didimauw]

I do agree that C&D cakes are a pleasure to use. Over the years I’ve collected quite a few offerings from them.

Briar Fox is one of my favorites but it seems they might have changed the formula over time or perhaps not, but I’ve had varying ‘cuts’ of the cake itself. I first picked up BF while I was in South Korea and I think it already had 5+years of age on it at the time. It was one of the most superb smokes I’ve had and noticed the ribbons or chunks were cut differently than more recent offerings. I opened one from 2021 and it was tangibly different and the feel of the ribbons used. Regardless, Briar Fox, Black Frigate, Redburn are ones I like the most.

Back in 20017 or 18 I believe, they changed something in Briar Fox and a few other blends due to mold issues. But I dont think they changed the recipe, tobacco wise.

 

[NomadOrb]

Checks out. I preferred the older method. Somehow the previous cut married the flavors differently for me, because I’m still trying to chase that flavor I got from my first cake of Briar Fox.

I've heard similar things from people on youtube. I count myself lucky I never tried the cuts before, because I'm loving Briar Fox as it is currently.

 

[anotherbob]

I have not tried a lot of their crumble cakes but the Tuskegee Airman crumble cake is great. It's interesting smells like dirty socks in the tin and smokes wonderfully and sublimely. I don't know if this is normal but sometimes I just put a nugget not rubbed out in my pipe and it smokes better then you'd think it would.
I have to admit that the company in terms of what I smoke is probably what I smoke the most of. I think the worst blend of theirs I have tried was still pretty good and got finished.

 

[anotherbob]

The only crumble cake I’ve smoked is Penzance. It’s my all-time favorite blend.

I can’t say that I’m going to go out of my way to sample the C&D CCs, though. For me, C&D has way too much focus on burley and higher-nicotine blends for my tastes. (While I enjoy a few burley-only blends and VA/burley flakes, burley in a blend equals empty “filler” for me; IMO, it’s filler tobacco added either to boost the nicotine level or to carry added flavorings in an aromatic. I don’t expect any here to share my feelings!)

I do love many GLPease blends, but I just don’t see the same approach being taken with C&D’s own blends.

oh man I feel like you're missing out. They certainly prove that burly isn't filler. God their burly flakes are amazing at showing how skewed your view on burly is. I don't expect to change your mind just expect to tell you that you're wrong .