Flake Smoke Off

I would say give it some time. Come back to these blends later and you will probably find flavors that you missed first time around. Also might try smoking some other VA blends to sample as well. I found that the more rounded my experience became with smoking various VAs, the more my perception changed regarding blends I had tried early on (some for the better and some for the worse). In the mean time smoke the heck out of the golden sliced if that's what you are enjoying right now. It's a very good tobacco and very reasonably priced.

Might try some of the McClelland virginia blends if you are looking for more alternatives. I find them to have a much different flavor profile than the ones you have mentioned. More pronounced sweetness and less of the hay-like subtle sweetness of some of the Euro blends you have been trying. Might be more what you are looking for at this stage of your exploration. If you are anything like me you will have to try a broad spectrum to see what the old buds are craving, and then when you think you have it nailed your tastes will shift on you, lol.
Also, for me personally, I prefer a light to slightly medium Perique element to my virginias. It provides an added flavor dimension that VAs by themselves can't really provide. I found McClelland's St. James Woods a very good entry point into the VaPer arena and is certainly light enough to qualify as an all day smoke. I'm sure others will offer various other well suited suggestions as well. Enjoy the journey my friend.

It is interesting that you prefer the Orlik over the others. I am not a fan of the Orlik unless it has significant age to it( ten years plus), I find it too grassy for my tastes. What shape pipes are you using and what size are they? How are you preparing your flakes? I use the cube cut method 90 percent of the time. What moisture level are you using? I never dry out the Dunhill or the Capstan, to me they are ready to smoke right out of the tin. The Full Virginia needs a ton of drying time and also I cube cut it into much smaller cubes than any of my other flakes. I have also found it works best in a group 4 Dublin or Apple. It will be bitter if it is too moist and if you use too big a pipe, it can get bitter at the bottom.

You left out a couple details in your descriptions and one important point is whether you are rubbing out the flake samples or stuffing then whole. The other is the pipe, size? Bowl shape, drilling? These two factors can effect the flavor intensity or the lack thereof. Coming off heavy Latakia blends and delving into delicate Virginias can require some time to balance your taste buds too. The Dunhill Flake is a favorite of mine and it is in fact a mild smoke but sometimes that's all in really want and I get quite a good range of flavor from it. If you are liking the Virginias, stick with it and keep testing new ones, you'll find what your after.

4 decades is a lot of pipe smoking! What tobaccos have you regularly smoked prior to getting into flakes?

jlr1, when you rub out a flake in my opinion you are defeating the purpose of smoking flakes. Flakes are designed to be smoked either whole or in cubes( my favorite) or in large chunks. They smoke cooler and give much more flavor than rubbing them out. When you rub out a flake it burns hotter and you will lose flavor. I recommend spending some time learning about cube cutting and fold and stuff. Group 4-5 sized pipes in the following shapes, Dublins, Rhodesians, Billiards, Brandy's, Apples work best for me. Look up a shape chart, learn about group sizes and have some fun experimenting with all of it.

jlr1, I would try the cube cut method first then fold and stuff. Fold and stuff is not an easy thing to get right at first. The cube cut is easier and you will get a more consistent burn. I would cube cut the Dunhill flake and Capstan first to see if you get more flavor. Also when cube cutting you want a firm pack, like drinking a thin milk shake through a straw, you want some good resistance. Use a smaller pipe for this. If you enjoy this then start playing with fold and stuff. There are lots of articles out there to read about it.

In one of the Mac Baren Tour videos Per Jensen subscribes to Harris' point of view on the flavor of intact flakes.

I seem to get more flavor from a rubbed-out flake, and it looks like Russ Ouellette does too:

[...] all pressed and sliced tobaccos give the smoker a little more freedom in controlling the burn rate of the blend. If the flakes, slices or coins are stuffed more or less intact into the pipe, the tobacco will burn more slowly and cooler, but won’t deliver quite as much flavor. Rubbing the pressed tobaccos out will increase the flavor, but it will tend to burn a bit hotter.

Click to expand...

I should note, however, that cube cutting, as recommended by Harris, is a wonderful method. Slow burning and flavorful too.

It's just that I'm usually too impatient to cut my flakes when rubbing works so well for me (usually).

cortez, don't be such a lazy bum, cube those flakes. lol
I am here to report, that Russ is wrong, yes you heard it. That man knows nothing about tobacco, just because he is a master blender and sells millions of tons of tobacco does not mean he is right and I am wrong. He likes his rubbed out flakes, fine, good for him. I will go to my grave spouting cube your flakes, they taste better, smoke cooler and you get a more consistent burn. I guarantee I smoke more flakes than Russ does, he is way too busy smoking his concoctions for all you guys to buy. I am the flake master and he is a rank amateur. :rofl:
Russ, if you read this, I would be happy to give you some lessons on how to cube cut flakes and smoke them properly. heheheheheh

I'll throw in my opinion too. Rubbing out a flake is probably the worst thing you can do to a flake, in my opinion. There are worse things, but rubbing it out is right up there. Hair will grow on the palms of your hands and everyone will know your dirty little secrets. Stop it! Well, unless you like it, of course.
Seriously. Try to give it a rest and enjoy the flake in it's pure form. Maybe it works for you, maybe it doesn't. You can always revert to your devious ways. Most of the tobacco I smoke is flake and the reason is because I can't seem to find the same flavour and smoking characteristics in other types of cut. Once I learned the proper technique, it finally hit home. I'm not purely a flake smoker, but it does dominate my tastes. It is that good.
I've been at it for a little over a decade now, so I'm pretty comfortable with the fold and stuff method. It took some practice to get the feel right, so don't be disappointed if you don't get it the first few times. Sometimes I like to get a bit fancy with the preparation, layering it just so with some fine bits on top to get it lit and a little rubbed out filter of tobacco in the bottom, but generally you will get to the point where you can select the right amount for the size of your pipe of choice and fold it in without thinking about it.
Flakes are worth the trouble to figure out. The cube cut method, as cigrmaster points out, is a very good start, and I still toss cubes into my pipes today. Nothing wrong with cutting a flake into cube, as it preserves the natural form. After a few bowls, and when you finally hit it right, I have a feeling that the pipe will sing for you and everything in the world will seem right as it should be for the half hour or so you take to smoke a bowl. Enjoy! And most importantly, don't give up. The flavour, despite your first experience, is really there and people who are talking about those magical tastes and smells aren't crazy. It just takes a bit of practice with the packing method to make those flavours pop out.

What supports Russ's view is that rubbing out the flake provides for more air in the mix, thereby enhancing flavor.

Of course, Harris doesn't need any more hot air than he comes by naturally! :lol:

Ok, my two cents... I'm with Harris on this. I've tried all three methods, and find I enjoy the cube cut the most, although I rub out a pinch to put on top to make getting it started a little easier. Some flakes I find I like fold and stuffing better, mainly PS Luxury Twist, and I'm not sure why, but it seems to smoke better that way to me. One oddball flake I like that requires some rubbing out is McClelland's #2025 English Cavendish. I like this rather tough thick flake for some reason. My wife thinks it smells and tastes like spiced peaches, and hey, she may be right, but I cube it than rub it a little, (this is starting to sound bad) but it's a good summertime smoke for me and my wife. Oh, by the way, I really like OGS too, grassy taste and all, just cube cut it...

JL, your list of favorite Virginias hits home with me. One that I recommend you try if you haven't already is SG St. James flake. I'm going to try some of the English blends that you have ranked. Maybe we have the same tastes we are looking for in a tobacco.