A Question About Flake

cavendish · Mar 19, 2013

I have some Erinmore flake and I relly don't like it all that much. I've tried different ways of smoking it (fold and stuff, rubout, and cube) I don't like the way it burns, the way it tastes or the room note. I find it ghosts my pipes and my mouth REALLY bad and it has a bad aftertaste. I'm placing an order and I have some Orlik Golden Sliced and some Peterson University Flake. My question is this; Do these other brands, or any other type of flake, have any similarity to Erinmore in anyway?

I'm curious b/c I don't want to buy something then not like it and have it go to waste. I have 4 Erimnore flakes left and I'm contemplating on just throwing them out cause I doubt I will ever smoke them. Please someone help me out here I don't want to have buyers remorse and no where to unload it to try to get a little of my $ back.

pstlpkr · Mar 20, 2013

There are many here that love Erinmore Flake... I personally found it rather mundane and unexceptional.

As for other flake tobaccos smoking the same as Erinmore... I think that would depend on several factors.

e.g. size of bowl, method of preparation, and other personal smoking practices.

You mention Orlik Golden Slices and Peterson University Flake; it never occurred to me to compare Erinmore with those.
While I have a number of Flake blends, they all bring something different to the table.

Have you considered something along the lines of PS Luxury Bulls Eye Flake or Escudo Navy Blend?

You might need a pinch of Perique to spice up your smoking experience.

I found a pinch of Perique went a long way in improving my experiences with Erinmore Flake.

YMMV

: puffy

:

hfearly · Mar 20, 2013

There are many here that love Erinmore Flake... I personally found it rather mundane and unexceptional.

Ugh! Those are for sure not the 2 adjectives I'd have used ;-) As to the OP question: you will likely find that University Flake "ghosts" your mouth and pipe too. Orlik Golden Sliced probably not.

cavendish · Mar 20, 2013

I have the 4 flakes in a small mason jar. I have a 'cellar' of sorts. Its a cupboard against a cool wall and it works out pretty good. I will jar those flakes and not smoke any EF until I have smoked those next March. I find it dries my mouth out to the point where I don't even want to finish the bowl, sometimes I haven't and just dump it out. Sorry if I've offended any the EF lovers out there, but I just have to see if this tobacco is one of my tastes or not.

Don't take this wrong or in any way condescending, but you have a lot to learn about pipe smoking and pipe tobaccos.

I didn't lol, don't worry roth

I know I have alot to learn lol. Like I said in my previous posts I only know what I have smoked in the past and wasn't aware of all these different blends until I picked up the pipe again. It's been about 4mo maybe 5. I didn't really keep track of the date. I have learned quite a bit but this is a hobby where the learning curve never ends and that's what makes it so intriguing. I think I might take the PUF and add PS Flake sounds pretty good!
Thanks for ALL the advice and help guys! I feel like a total noob with all this pipe culture around now.

withnail · Mar 20, 2013

I can't stand Erinmore! It's the one blend that I actually threw away because, to me it smells like vomit! University Flake has a much much more subtle flavour to it and won't leave as much of a taste in your pipe.
Hope you enjoy the new blends

withnail · Mar 20, 2013

Rothnh - You're right, I've only tried the modern version of Erinmore. I'm not sure what it was about it, but as soon as I opened it, my stomach turned over. I managed about half a bowl before dumping it out. I even ended up doing a salt and alcohol clean on the pipe. Nasty, nasty stuff! I can't see how a soapy texture would have helped me like it any more.
But then there are people who love it and keep some in the cellar just in case the tobacconists are out of stock.

rmbittner · Mar 20, 2013

Cavendish:
It sounds like one of your concerns is whether the flavor/aroma you're getting from Erinmore is typical of all flakes. The answer is a resounding "no." Erinmore, in my experience (and it's been decades, literally), is a unique blend. I've found it's probably one of the most powerful "ghosting" blends out there. But it tastes and smells the way it does because it's Erinmore, not because it's a flake -- which is simply how the tobacco is cut. The cut doesn't determine the flavor in any way.
If you don't enjoy Erinmore, then I would just encourage you to avoid blends that are similar -- which are typically identified as "scented" or "Lakeland" blends or blends containing tonquin. If you do eventually acquire a taste for Erinmore, then those would be similar-styled blends you might want to seek out.
For now, though, know that the vast majority of flakes will not bear any resemblance to Erinmore whatsoever.
Bob

cavendish · Mar 20, 2013

Thanks for the info Bob! I know most tobaccos don't taste the same and cutting it into flakes won't give that flavor, I just don't know what any other flakes are like b/c I've never smoked them before. EF was the first and only flake I've tried and I didn't have a good experience with it. I keep an open mind about everything, I will try the Orlik, if I like it I will avoid the Lakeland style flakes. I think that might be it, judging from what whithnail said, I felt the same when I opened it, and even worse when I smoked it.
The first time I smoked it I fold 'n stuffed it into a brylon so I didn't mess up any of my good pipes. I lit it, it was 'ok' them I tried puffing on it, and sipping slowly. It dried my mouth out to the point I couldn't smoke for the rest of the night, it caused a few dry heaves, and left an awful, horrid taste I couldn't get rid of until after lunch the following day.

Thanks again for all the tips guys!

sparroa · Mar 20, 2013

I am a fan of the current incarnation of Erinmore Flake.
In my opinion, you can do a lot worse. Especially among aromatic tobaccos, there are far more sickening flavourings and top notes added to tobacco out there.
Honestly, I wish the casing was stronger - it is too bad that they abandoned the approach taken by Murray's.
I taste a light fruitiness blended with undercurrents of licorice that is well blended in turn with melded flavours of burley and Virginia. It is smooth, easy to smoke, and mild in my books. Exceptional, no - dependable, yes.
I smoke it in a dedicated cob.
Anyway, you may find some similarities with University Flake but the Orlik Golden Sliced should be a safe bet. (I think Erinmore and Orlik are both recognizably STG products; there is a great deal of similarity in the presentation and in the leaf IMO)
Flakes, in general, have nothing to do with flavouring so you should be safe in trying other brands. What flakes do offer, though, is a) concentration of flavour b) versatility - you choose the way you wish to smoke it, and each method of preparation has slightly different nuances and they all affect the burning rate.

thesmokindragon · Mar 20, 2013

I myself didn't care for EF, but all this Lakeland talk has me wanting

to crack open a 5 year old tin of SG's Bracken flake

damn tasty VaK

flake and I usually smoke it in my cobs, but this stuff just hits that

sweet spot for me... Sorry didn't want to hijack the EF thread here

thesmokindragon · Mar 20, 2013

I had to take a stroll outside while smoking some C&D's Three Friars

to get my mind off the Bracken ;-)

rmbittner · Mar 21, 2013

Simenon wrote:

In my opinion, you can do a lot worse.

There's a ringing endorsement for you. . .

tbradsim1 · Mar 21, 2013

Bake a tin of Erinmore , oven for 6 to 7 Hrs on 190 deg and you will love it, Cajundad came to my house for a smoke-in and I loaded his bowl with the Baked and he couldn't" believe it was the same Flake, bakeing tones the fruitiness and brings out the tobbaco flavor, you almost want to eat it when you take it out of the oven. The old cajun

cavendish · Mar 21, 2013

Bake a tin of Erinmore , oven for 6 to 7 Hrs on 190 deg and you will love it, Cajundad came to my house for a smoke-in and I loaded his bowl with the Baked and he couldn't" believe it was the same Flake, bakeing tones the fruitiness and brings out the tobbaco flavor, you almost want to eat it when you take it out of the oven. The old cajun

With the heat expanding the eair inside doesnt it blow the tin open? And I'd be a little worried about burning the tobacco in the tin. I might try this if I ever decide to buy some EF again. Thanks for the tip oldcajun!

tbradsim1 · Mar 21, 2013

Doesn't" blow up, I"ve done it many times I put it in a metal tin and never had an accident that I had to explain to wife LOL The old cajun

cavendish · Mar 21, 2013

I make roasted tomatoes the same way, very low heat over a relatively long period -- ripe Roma tomatoes sliced into two half ovals, rubbed with a bit of good EVOO oil, placed in a half-cake pan, salt, pepper, shredded fresh basil, fresh minced garlic, and an EVOO drizzle. Pop in a 200F. (93C) oven for 8-12 hours. Great for pasta, salads, sandwiches.

I slow cook alot of stuff. I'm a 'pit master' some say when it comes to low and slow BBQ and smokes meat. I LOVE to cook, and eat what I cook.
I was just curious about the tin popping open, also a possible rubber taste leaching in from the rubber seal. This is an unopened tin so I know there is some vacuum in the tin. I will give it a go like I said, it sounds like a good idea. Would this work for any other flake, or have you tried it on any other flake?

cigrmaster · Mar 21, 2013

I am also not a fan of EF, I find it to be cloyingly sweet and not to my tastes. I really enjoy University flake and Golden sliced is a good beginner flake. I would also recommend grabbing a tin of Dunhill Flake, Escudo, Solani Silver Flake and Solani 633. Astleys no 109 is a great beginner flake as well.

mluyckx · Mar 21, 2013

it takes a certain weidro to love EF

Well slap me silly, load up a bowl and call me weirdo then...
Cavendish: As others have said, EF is a bit of its own thing. It's very often a "love it or hate it" tobacco. Keep trying different kinds, different cuts and after a while you will find out which tobacco's you like and which ones are not your ~~cup of tea~~ bowl of baccy.
Me for instance, I can't stand anything that has a lot of Latakia in it. Others here love it. IMHO, they are the weirdos :rofl:
So don't give up. Good luck and welcome to the frey.

cavendish · Mar 22, 2013

Would the low and slow method work for other flakes as well does anyone know? I did a little research on this and it seem to be pretty popular for making EF a little more smokeable.

cigrmaster · Mar 22, 2013

cav, you definitely want to smoke any tobacco low and slow because that is where the flavor is. If you heat up your tobacco by smoking too fast, you lose flavor.

A Question About Flake

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