Preparing SG Flakes

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workman

Lifer
Jan 5, 2018
2,793
4,219
The Faroe Islands
A couple of weeks ago I received two tins of FVF. I jarred it and began smoking, taking out one bowls worth at a time, drying it and loading fold and stuff with some rubbed on top. It worked sometimes and sometimes not. I have been reading some of the discussions here on packing and have decided to try cubecutting. Very much thanks to Harris' constant going on about it.

So I've cube cut, dried and rejarred the FVF and am smoking a bowl and it is good.

Yesterday I received two tins of Best Brown Flake, two tins of BS Flake and one 1792 flake. Cube cut, dried and jarred all of it and am going to try all of it within the next week.

Am excited ✌

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,255
108,359
Fully drying before jarring can cost flavor loss. I jar flakes, and cube cut them about 30 minutes before smoking.

 

hawky454

Lifer
Feb 11, 2016
5,338
10,220
Austin, TX
Each flake is so different. I have some older tins of St. James Flake that are really thick and hard to work with and very moist, then I have 4 boxes of SJF and the flakes are very thin cut and pliable with perfect moisture content. I uaually dry out the entire contents of the tin so I don’t have to plan each smoke a couple of hours in advance then I’ll fully rub out a flake when I’m ready for a pipe full. I almost always prefer the box to the tin for several reasons.

 

mcitinner1

Lifer
Apr 5, 2014
4,043
24
Missouri
Workman, I use a dedicated medium sized food processor for all flakes. Chop the whole contents up and then dry it all a little, spread out flat for an hour or two, and then jar it up. Works great and it's fast and simple. :mrgreen:

 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
The plant is alive in the field. When the leaves are harvested, they are cured and the life is subtracted. Surely that is the biggest change from the points alive and growing the field and arriving as a tin of tobacco ready to be smoked. Meanwhile the tobacco is dried before sale to the blender. Moist, it will ferment, dry it is in stasis until the blending house is ready to prepare it for sale.
It is my unsubstantiated, subjective opinion that blenders know a great deal more about the moisture level at which the tobacco smokes best than we. Yet in the end the smoker will do what he pleases. I practice restraint.

 

workman

Lifer
Jan 5, 2018
2,793
4,219
The Faroe Islands
The foodprocessor trick is definitely something I might get into eventually. For now I'll stick to experimenting with fingers and knives, for educational purposes. I'm really not very good at this stuff. Yet.

 

workman

Lifer
Jan 5, 2018
2,793
4,219
The Faroe Islands
@saltedplug: but do you think the level of moisture in the tin equals optimal moisture for smoking? I would think it is there for preserving flavors.

 

leacha

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 19, 2013
939
8
Colorado
Rubbed out or cube cut seems to be the only ways I get good flavor from flakes but each blend is different. McC 2015 I like cube cut. McC Beacon, rubbed out. You have to try all 3 ways and see what works for the blend, the pipe and your smoking style.
Exception!! I like the coins (LBF, DNR, NM No 403) fold and stuffed or balled and crammed. There's always exceptions. :)

 

fitzy

Lifer
Nov 13, 2012
2,937
27
NY
@saltedplug: but do you think the level of moisture in the tin equals optimal moisture for smoking? I would think it is there for preserving flavors.
I think some manufacturers sell their product that moist so they have to put less tobacco in the tin = more profit.
If you ever open any Hearth & Home tins you will see that Russ sells his products ready to smoke right out of the tin. It is incredibly dryer than any SG product.

 

thomasw

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 5, 2016
862
24
With a flake that is still slightly too moist to smoke well, my quick smoke 'cheat' method is to zap the flake in my microwave for 10s or so, and then prepare it and smoke it. Here's my experience: quite contrary to what I have read others claim, the tobacco doesn't lose lots of flavour (if any) as compared to the much slower air-drying method. If you want to prepare an ad hoc smoke and you live in a wet high humidity climate like I do, give it a whirl. Oh, I do prefer my tobacco dry and crispy; it smokes deliciously for me in that state. YMMV

 

lazar

Can't Leave
May 5, 2015
445
3
I like the "firewood" technique. Basically separate the flake into "sticks" and arrange them in the bowl lengthwise with a point at the top. Sounds like it would be a terrible method but works great.

 

theloniousmonkfish

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 1, 2017
943
497
Oh, I do prefer my tobacco dry and crispy; it smokes deliciously for me in that state.
Same here, the flavors appear to jump out when tobacco is about bone dry. Gave a friend some SG stuff and he thought it was okay, then packed a bowl the next morning from the plate left out overnight and was sold on it.

 
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