Tobacco Selections: The Haunting Cake

October 8, 2025 by Kayla Ivan in Tobacco Talk

Jeremy Reeves, Head Blender of Cornell & Diehl, discussed the return of The Haunting Cake. After three long years, it's coming back for the Halloween season. Made in collaboration with Kyle Gellis of Warped Cigars, this favorite autumn smoke is now presented in a cake format.

Note: The following transcription has been edited for clarity and brevity.

[Jeremy Reeves]: For a refresher on The Haunting, Kyle Gellis and I came together and discussed the direction of the blend. We wanted to really showcase Virginia tobacco because he was interested in Virginia pipe tobacco, but we also wanted to pay homage to how he had come up in the premium-tobacco world with cigars. We found this beautiful AA-Dominican leaf, Red Virginias, and just a touch of cigar-leaf Black Cavendish that bridged the gap between the flavor profiles.

The OG The Haunting

The first blend that was in the Warped line was the original The Haunting that we released in 2018. There's deep Red Virginia with a fair amount of nicotine but also a nice sweetness, a touch of tartness or tanginess, and then processed cigar leaf that has soft, round edges and adds just a little bit of body to the smoke. There's also a lovely, earthy Dominican leaf that has notes of baking spices and a touch of cinnamon. We found proportions that worked and I think it's just lovely. We brought it back a few times and now it's been three years since the last release. We decided it's time to bring it back.

The Haunting Cake for 2025

The Haunting Cake is out now for the spooky month of October. It's been pressed into a beautiful cake. I think that you'll notice on the tin note that it is a little more subdued because everything's compacted together right now. I think when you get into it, you'll find that it takes to flame beautifully, opens up really nicely, and there's a real depth of flavor, specifically from that pressing and fermentation.

I love this cigar leaf so much. It is just a touch sweet on its own but then it gets kicked up just another notch on sweetness with that Virginia, and you can already begin to taste the effects of the pressing and fermentation that's taking place inside these cakes. The spices are present as before, but more subdued. The sweetness is kicked up. The aroma reminds me of baking spices and a fine, premium cigar.

If you are a fan of Virginia blends, cigar blends, or blends that prominently feature White Burley, I think there's a lot here to enjoy. If you're interested in venturing into the world of cigars from pipes, or if you're interested in venturing into the world of pipes from cigars, I think that this is one that is worth checking out and can be a nice introduction to or a nice change of pace for your rotation too. Thanks, everyone. I look forward to hearing what all of you think about it.