Struggling with flake

beardedcavalier · Mar 4, 2015

I've recently graduated into the world of flake - I've got a tin of Planta Black Vanilla and SG Kendal Cream here. They both smell wonderful from the tin, but I just can't seem to get a good 'cherry' going. Have to relight a lot, and the smoke feels light and devoid of flavour after the first few puffs. I tend to leave it out of the tin about for about 10 mins before packing. It certainly feels dry enough then, but I'm wondering whether I need to leave it a bit longer, or perhaps pack more tightly? All suggestions welcome.

menuhin · Mar 4, 2015

hi beardedcavalier,

I'm also trying to improve my flake smoking techniques.

First of all, how do you pack your flake tobaccos into your bowl? Do you cube-cut them, rub them to broken flake, or just fold/roll and stuff them into the bowl?

oldreddog · Mar 4, 2015

Hello beardedcaavalier
I would suggest that you may need a longer drying time with KCF, I find that it is quite a wet tobacco out of the tin and some seconds in the microwave can be useful. I also find with these irregular cut flakes it is best to cube cut or rub them out, and use a little rubbed out tobacco as tinder on top.
For thinner flake I would recommend the Z pack method, utube has some very handy videos.
I hope this is of some help to you.

cobguy · Mar 4, 2015

I've found that flakes require more dry time than ready rubbed.
Try cube cutting the flake and THEN letting it dry for about an hour.
Tap the cubes in using a gravity pack only and top it with some very finely rubbed out "kindling".
Good luck and keep at it ... flakes, plugs and ropes are the best! : puffy

:
EDIT: Great minds think alike oldreddog!

mlyvers · Mar 4, 2015

All these suggestions should get u out of the woods breadedcavalier. Good luck too u sir.

oldreddog · Mar 4, 2015

And fools seldom differ cobguy! :D

freakiefrog · Mar 4, 2015

Good advice, I like to set 99% of my flakes out for at least 1/2 an hour prior to smoking.

brass · Mar 4, 2015

Drying time is key. If the the tobacco is too humid, you'll have problems no matter how you prep the tobacco.
I get satisfactory results from rubbing out or stuffing. I've tried cube cut and it really does help. But the burn quality improvement isn't worth the prep time to me. Mostly, I just stuff and light.
I'm thinking I need to get a good jacknife for cubing and for cutting plugs. but that is another thread.
Pax

lordofthepiperings · Mar 4, 2015

This video helped me out a lot with flakes when I was getting started.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=733OzTBYYwA

billypm · Mar 4, 2015

Dry your tobacco as long as it takes to get it where you want it. Timing is pretty meaningless. FVF takes a LOT longer to dry than say, Wessex Brown Flake or other thinly sliced flakes for instance. I find cube cutting works great for me-- so that's what I do, but YMMV. The important thing is that flakes (and cubes) hold moisture inside and will feel dry before they actually are. Try getting a flake TOO dry and see how that works-- and then adjust from there. Trial and error wins the day.

clickklick · Mar 4, 2015

Cube cut all day. Surpasses any other method for cool dry and flavorful smoking and minimal relights.

dottiewarden · Mar 4, 2015

Dry your tobacco as long as it takes to get it where you want it. Timing is pretty meaningless.

This is the absolute truth of the matter.

Trial and error wins the day.

billypm gets right to the point!
However, it still typically takes me a little more work to get a bowl of flake going, but once it's going it's all worthwhile.
@lordofthepiperings
Thanks for the excellent video, although I still tend to rub out flake, rather than the fold and stuff method. But maybe one day I'll work up the nerve to give it a try. It's just if I don't rub it out I can't be sure if the flake is really dry enough for smoking. I'm currently smoking through a tin of Samuel Gawith Balkan Flake, and it came soggier than a day old bowl of cereal!

jkrug · Mar 4, 2015

I'm very new to flake tobacco as well.

For me, rubbing it out has proved to be the most successful method so far.

Good luck with your new flake adventure.

lochinvar · Mar 4, 2015

Gawith is the flake that needs the most dry time. Usually for FVF about an hour under normal circumstances, or about 10 minutes on the dash in the hot sunlight. That usually gets you to the point to where it will be easier to smoke. The one I really have to prep is Gawith Navy. I've cracked tins that were so wet, you could rub it out fully and still have trouble getting it lit.
The main thing is to make sure your preparations get you the flavor you want, that is what is important, not how many times you have to relight. Try different drying times and different cuts and see what tastes the best to you. A match costs at most 4/10 of one cent. You don't get a trophy for 'Least Amount of Matches Used', taste is the reward.

kane · Mar 6, 2015

Thank you for posting that video. I too am fairly new to flake, and have just been rubbing it out and then treating it like regular pre-cut or ribbon cut. I will have to experiment with folding, making plugs, etc. I am curious if you all adhere to the advice about smaller and conical bowls for flake? If so, in dimension or Dunhill sizing numbers, what is optimum? Also, do you do the same fold and rub technique with the medallion or coin cut, like Escudo, or is that cut mostly rubbed out?

wilson · Mar 7, 2015

I'm far from an expert on flake, but the advice given -- let it dry -- is sound. I tried cube cutting, rubbing, and folding and nothing worked very well. I just got tired of messing around and didn't bother for many, many months. Then, I read a post on Navy Flake and decided that I should try again, and it was much improved because it had dried. Let it dry and stick with it. It's a little like learning to smoke a pipe in the first place. You struggle for a while and then, for no apparent reason, it starts to work.

shanelktown · Mar 8, 2015

I must know the answer to this fold and stuff or rub out. I have done both methods without any issue but what will give the best smoke.

redbeard · Mar 8, 2015

I prefer flakes to other tobacco types. The best piece of advise for flakes I can give is this, dry it longer than you think you should. I actually set out some LNF and had to run and couldn't get to it that night. Once I finally got home I went straight to bed and noticed the flake the next morning. I packed it up and it was an amazing smoke!! You would think its way too dry but it stayed lit and had a great flavor throughout the bowl.
With that thoroughly dried out flake I folded and stuffed since it was so dry. If you don't have that time to let dry rubbed out would be my suggestion.

stickframer · Apr 12, 2015

I am also very new to flake. First I rubbed it out after about an hour dry time and it smoked well. I tried to fold n stuff after and i)did not dry it nearly enough and ii) failed to trim excess from the top of the pipe. It was a still a good experience as the process is a little more involved and I could sense the potential if done right.
My understanding is that there should be a difference in flavor between rubbing out the flakes and stuffing them and that full flakes can take much more dry time than ribbon cut.

settersbrace · Apr 12, 2015

The video Lords posted is a good one. Flakes are meant to be smoked whole IMHO to achieve the most generous amount of smokin bliss. Yeah, you can rub them out, cube cut, all that jazz and it'll smoke ok enough. Flakes are pressed and layers of varietals are sandwiched together and the flavors intermingle and marry to create a smoking experience that develops and evolves as you work down through it. In my experience simply folding, manipulating the tobacco into a plug and loading it provides a taste sensation altogether different than if I were to rub out and load the same flake. I know I struggled for a looong time before I started to get the desired results but my persistence paid off.

Struggling with flake

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Site Sponsors

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Lurker

Part of the Furniture Now

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer

Can't Leave

Part of the Furniture Now

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer

Lifer

Can't Leave

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Can't Leave

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer

Part of the Furniture Now

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer