My First Flake!

Best way to smoke!

And you picked a very good flake to start with! Glad you enjoyed it.
Bob

And the next stage of experimentation is to play around with the prep and notice the differences. The same tobacco will be different is rubbed out, folded up, etc. I'm too lazy to cube cut with regularity. My favorite is the ol' fold and stuff. The initial light can take longer but it usually burns well once it gets going.

Best Brown is the flake I've had the most success with so far. Probably my favourite tobacco so far. I still have some packing issues but the flavour is so good I really don't care about relights.

Best Brown Flake is a wonderful first flake. Personally I rub out my flakes (blasphemy, I know!) to a broken flake form. I feel this helps it burn easier and gives a bit more flavor. Cube cutting is a good method as well.

Ah now you've got me itching to try this. I have not as of yet smoked anything but ribbons. In fact, I just received two tins of BBF yesterday. They, along with Klondike Gold Flake and Gaslight are the first that I have acquired, and I am anxious to try them out.

+1 SG's Balkan flake.

Try some Navy Flakes/Rolls. I love them. Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake, Escudo.

I'll be smoking some Beacon Extra on the drive home tonight. I also prefer the cube method though I haven't really tried the other methods yet.

I also mostly smoke flakes. I am also too lazy to cube cut, and have only done so a few times. I do think that cube cutting brings out the most intense flavor especially with perique. I fold and stuff when I want a long smoke because you can get the most tobacco in there. The vast majority of the time these days, I fully rub out. Easier to light, just the right length of smoke, and my tobacco lasts a lot longer as rubbing out puts about half as much tobacco in the bowl. The smaller my bowls get from cake, the less I rub it out.

Love flakes, smoke a bunch of different brands, next up Peterson's Irish Flake for after dinner.

Dan

Gabrieli Pipes

As a new pipe smoker I have been the most impressed with the different flakes I have tried. They appeal to me on lots of levels, not only flavor but also from the appearance, the way you smoke them, the way to prepare them. I have to admit though I have lots to try still.

Orlick Golden Sliced was my first flake and still in the rotation.
It's good folded, stuffed, rubbed and cut.
I prefer the rubbed out method for the reasons stated by BryanF.

Orlik Golden Sliced was my first flake

Click to expand...

Mine too. It is well suited for all shrewd judges.
Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake is the Alec Guinness of pipe tobaccos.

Welcome to the world of flakes. You picked a great classic as your first and just wait till you see what 8-10 years of age does to it. I smoke flakes exclusively because of the cool burning and intense flavors I get from them. I have smoked all the other types of cuts and for my tastes nothing beats a flake. In terms of preparing them, I cube cut them most of the time followed by fold and stuff, those are the only two methods I use as after trying all the others, I have found what works best for me, I never rub out my flakes as that will make them burn hot and lose flavor. I have a rotation of 28 different flakes and usually have somewhere around 20-25 open at the same time to smoke from, I have no problem with tins drying out on me ever after letting them sit open for 6 months or more. Here is my list of flakes I enjoy, the TR next to the name means the tobacco is ready to smoke with no additional drying time on most occasions. The flakes are listed in no particular order so if you are looking for my favorites you will have to ask. The pic below shows some tins in plastic containers that I buy at Walmart. A 4 pack of different sizes cost about 6 bucks and they keep my open tins perfect for months at a time.
Virginia Flakes
Fribourg&Treyer Cut Virginia Plug TR

Fribourg and Treyer Vintage TR

Fribourg & Treyer Special Brown Flake TR

Wessex Campaign Brigade Dark Flake TR

Wessex Brown Virginia Flake TR

Wessex Gold Virginia Flake TR

Wessex Gold Brick TR

Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake

Samuel Gawith full Virginia Flake

Hamborger Veermaster TR

Dunhill Flake TR

Astley’s no. 44 Dark Flake TR

Astleys 109 TR

John Aylesbury Luxury Flake TR

Rotary Navy Cut TR

Capstan Blue Flake TR

Brigham Klondike Gold TR
Virginia/Perique Flakes
Escudo TR

Solani 633 TR

Samuel Gawith St James Flake

Dunhill Deluxe Navy Rolls TR
Virginia/Burley or Kentucky
Solani Silver Flake TR

Petersons Irish Flake TR

GL Pease Navigator TR

Peterson 3P TR

Peterson University Flake TR

Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired TR

Esoterica Stonehaven