Dislike of flakes

deathmetal · Oct 6, 2015

@drwatson writes:

I'll smoke just about anything but flakes.

I remember my first encounter with flakes. It was at a local B&M run by one of the larger interests where I had stopped to find some Dunhill "Standard Mixture." There were a bunch of guys hanging around the tobacco counter. I picked up snatches of dialogue.
"...still using a filter pipe, obviously new to this..."
"...some of them just smoke loose tobacco; they can't handle the flakes..."
I went over and looked at the flakes in one of the large glass jars used to store tobacco. They did not resemble tobacco as I imagined it. They looked downright difficult. Feelings of inferiority and panic overrode my conscious mind. I staggered to the counter, blurted out that I wanted to buy the Dunhill, flung money at the apathetic individual behind it, and fled to (I imagined) snickers from the self-described experts in the corner.
Fast forward to several months later. I have just opened a tin of Peterson "Irish Flake." The scent is delicious: dark and rich leaf in harmony with a light anise scent. On the laptop screen before me are messages from PipesMagazine forums. In one, blenders are quoted as saying that the only way to enjoy flakes is whole. In another, an experienced user describes the joy of "rubbing out" (which I thought made you go blind).
I look at the flake in my hand. Dense, dark. It looks like a confection, or something used to cushion shelves. Panic grips me yet again.
(...to be continued...)

elbert · Oct 6, 2015

I'm still fairly new to flakes myself. Its going fine--or it was, until I switched to the German Packing method recently. I love it for ribbon cut, but I can't seem to make it work so well for flakes.

lordofthepiperings · Oct 6, 2015

I love flakes. To me they seem to have more pronounced flavor than loose cut blends.
I've always used the DubInTheDam method, calling it that because his YouTube channel is where I learned it from. No idea if it's called something else already. Basically you fold the flake in half from side to side and then in half from top to bottom. After that you cradle it on your middle finger with your ring and pointer elevated slightly. With it cradled you use your thumb to break it up a bit. I usually do it by rolling the flake over a few times. Then she's ready to be loaded up and struck with flame. Breaking it up helps get a better draw. Usually takes a couple char lights, but when it's going it's a nice smooth slow cool smoke.
I'm in the boat of smoke what you like and like what you smoke. If flakes aren't you're thing that's okay.

cosmicfolklore · Oct 6, 2015

The beauty of flakes is that you can smoke them in a variety of ways; rub them out, cube cut them, fold and stuff, or what I do mostly is just crush, wad, and stuff. Each way makes the tobacco burn at different rates, so the strength and flavor is affected.
I think that when people say that this or that pipe doesn't work well for flakes, they mean that the bowl isn't a good size, proportion, or shape for a fold and stuff. But, just folding and stuffing limits the ways that you can explore and enjoy the tobaccos, IMO.
There ain't no rules. Another favorite of mine is to take two different types of flakes and twist them together and cram it into the pipe. Stokkebyes LTF and LNF are favorites, but you can just as well fold a ODF and FVF, or a coin of Escudo and a Newmister SNF, or which ever two strikes your fancy at the time.
I hate consistency, and variety and exploration are why I am into all of this. A bad smoke, bad combination can be a great thing. At least you will learn one way in which you will never try again. Ha ha!

fadingdaylight · Oct 6, 2015

I find that flakes often hold flavor better than loose cut. It has to do with the tobacco having been pressed into blocks or cakes, squeezing some of the oils out so that they could meld together from the various types of tobacco. Then the cakes are usually left to age a bit before the slicing occurs.
How you go about smoking them is up to you. With most, I rub them, dry them until crisp and then pack kinda lightly. I find I get a nice even burn this way with minimal relights.
The choice is yours though, enjoy them, experiment with them, mix them like Cosmic, whatever you want to do, that is the fun in pipe smoking, the quest for the ultimate bowl never ends!

reniaeats · Oct 6, 2015

Maybe I'm just weird, but Savinelli Brunello Flake is hands down my favorite thing to smoke these days. It does require some planning to smoke though, because it needs a little drying out time. I like the fold and stuff method. It's harder to get lit at first, but then it stays lit better than anything else I've ever smoked.

cosmicfolklore · Oct 6, 2015

Renieats, that is one flake that I have never, ever heard of. Now, my curiosity is piqued. Thanks for mentioning it.

brass · Oct 6, 2015

I don't smoke flakes exclusively but could be relatively content if I had no other choice. The various ways of prepping a flake lends variety to the smoking experience. If you vary the pipes you use to smoke a flake and you vary the prep methods, you could easily find 6 or 9 various experiences with one blend.

mso489 · Oct 6, 2015

I bumbled into flakes, was given a tin of Cup O Joes #5 and that's what it was. So I rubbed it out and smoked it, and liked it fine. However, if you find yourself blocking on flakes, finding them inhibiting or confusing, the vast array of loose cut tobacco of many different kinds has you covered until later or for a lifetime.

redpanda · Oct 6, 2015

IMHO, the fold n stuff method is the best way to smoke flakes. The problem is, packing the pipe in this manner has to be mastered, and it can take quite a long time. I am a year old smoker and I still do not get it right every time, but when I do, there is nothing like it. Having to relight has never bothered me. I will continue to practise fold and stuff for as long as it takes. It is the only way for me.

drwatson · Oct 6, 2015

OK,OK I have to jump in here. I like the story of the B&M you have, cause I get the same reaction if I stop in to the one closest to me. Go in with my Capt. Black dark and they are like "NEW GUY". Then they start to talk to me and they realize I know more about what they are smoking then they do. I have been smoking my pipe for about 20 years (off and on) Am I a PRO? Nope, learn something new all the time. I still get bowls where I have packed to loose or tight, or smoke too fast.

Over the years I have tried flakes many times, tried the different methods. They are not horrible, but a little to much effort for my taste. I'm more of a load and go person. I also really dislike perique, many of the blends contain this. Now the strange thing is I do like coins.

cobguy · Oct 6, 2015

Flakes / Ropes / Plugs comprise a good part of my smoking.
For me, the ritual of preparation is part of the experience.
Also, in a rush, the microwave will shorten the prep time considerably.
Lastly, cube-cut flakes seem to burn cooler and longer than the same flake rubbed out. YMMV and all that ... : puffy

:

gloucesterman · Oct 6, 2015

Flakes are my evening staple, when I have the time and space to sit down and prepare them properly. The flavors in flakes are much more robust. Anything short of a plug pales in comparison (type for type). I must however concede that proper preparation is much more than I care to deal with during the daytime so ready rub is usually what I smoke then.

gloucesterman · Oct 6, 2015

Flakes are my evening staple, when I have the time and space to sit down and prepare them properly. The flavors in flakes are much more robust. Anything short of a plug pales in comparison (type for type). I must however concede that proper preparation is much more than I care to deal with during the daytime so ready rub is usually what I smoke then.

andrew · Oct 6, 2015

I can relate there were alot of flakes in the beginning I'd written off. I find getting the right moisture content and packing is hard enough at first as well as proper smoking, plus most flakes are Va's which are usually the last type of pipe tobacco people learn to appreciate. Eventually I got the hang of it and now I love them, personally I just rub them out, occasionally cube cut if scissors are nearby, but I definitely don't overthink it. I've tried folding and stuffing a few times and each time it's not been as enjoyable as my usual methods of preparation. Keep it simple I say. Really though if it's too wet it's going to be gross, if it's too dry I don't like it either, it's getting that just right level which is the key to me.

deathmetal · Oct 7, 2015

Go in with my Capt. Black dark and they are like "NEW GUY". Then they start to talk to me and they realize I know more about what they are smoking then they do.

I've seen less of this with pipes than other activities -- for example, compare it to your local music store -- but there was definitely a vibe of that. And at the time, I knew very little. But what most people forget is that a "newbie" in one area may be an old hand in another, and so if the person is useful, it makes sense to treat them with respect.
Congenital idiots -- the bulk of humanity -- are another story, but there's no point treating them with disrespect. Euthanize them if you have to, or like the rest of us just pass them along, but sneering at them like hipsters do is sort of like kicking puppies.

gloucesterman · Oct 7, 2015

Disrespectful, condescending behavior is the sign of true ignorance. The lack of knowledge can be fixed but making oneself look important at the expense of another is inexcusable conduct. It's the hallmark of a Pompous Ass. 9 times out of 10 what you know was a gift from someone else. The truly enlightened feel an obligation to pass it on. We were all newbies once upon a time.

deathmetal · Oct 7, 2015

9 times out of 10 what you know was a gift from someone else.

Very true and also... most people suffered for their mistakes, and will try to help a fellow traveler avoid the same mistakes.
But there are always new mistakes to be made of course...

cosmicfolklore · Oct 7, 2015

I have noticed, myself included, that when people start to learn a littleon the forum or at the B&M, they become experts, and after they learn a lot more about pipes, they become students(or at least wanting to explore even more knowledge).
Me, I just shoot my mouth off and let the pieces fall where they may, ha ha.

reniaeats · Oct 7, 2015

Cosmic, that's the old saying, "The older I get the less I know" right?
Totally agree with you. Knowledge is a humbling experience, because there's always so much more to learn.
Also, the Brunello Flake is well worth a try. We had tons of it around (probably because no one seems to have heard of it, despite the Savinelli name on it) and I've started hording it.

Dislike of flakes

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