Tried flake tobacco for the first time. Epic Fail.

hierophant · Jul 31, 2014

I bought a tin of Samuel Gawith's Navy flake because, you know, Navy. Watched a video on some different ways to smoke flake and tried 3...folding method, rolling method and just rubbing it out. The stuff would. Not. Burn. When I rubbed a few flakes, that burned the best, but even that I had to relight about 10 times. As for folding and stuffing or rolling and stuffing...I can't see how that would ever work well.
Now my assumption is that the tobacco is just too moist and I should let it dry more than I did, but how dry should it be? The flakes I pulled out to smoke I did let dry for about 30 minutes before trying to do anything with them, but maybe that wasn't long enough.
I hope I can make this work because the smell and taste of this tobacco I think is pretty nice.

andrew · Jul 31, 2014

Cube cut it, it's the best flake method.

tbradsim1 · Jul 31, 2014

Some people will call fowl on this, but microwave flake for 10 seconds in a paper plate, put aside forget about it and next day cube cut it, or smoke it after the micro waveing , will make a big difference.

daimyo · Jul 31, 2014

I'm not sure if i'm doing it wrong but cube cut always burns too hot for me. I usually rub it out about half way through drying so that it loads easier once fully dry. You want it to still spring back when compressed but dry enough that it doesn't stick to itself. It sounds like you aren't letting it dry enough. If you are going to fold and stuff, it definitely can't be too wet. I do the same with this method, let it dry some but fold while still pliable then let it dry the rest in the bowl. That's just if you want to rub out or fold though. The Old Cajun has way more experience than I do and there's probably something to the cube method I am getting wrong.

ruscho · Jul 31, 2014

SG flakes are not for beginners

Just rub it out and smoke it. Try some user-friendly flakes like Dunhill or Solani, or any other besides the Gawiths'.

warren · Jul 31, 2014

I open the tin, rub a bit out, layer it with a tamp or two and light up. Been doing it in this manner for fifty plus years with nary a problem.

cigrmaster · Jul 31, 2014

Samuel Gawith Flakes can take 2-3 hours of drying time in some cases. It depends where you live. 30 minutes is no where near enough dry time.
If anyone is having trouble with cube cutting, what I do is cut the cubes pretty large( around 1/2-3/4 inch) and then pack the pipe very firmly. When I test the draw I want some real good resistance, like sipping a thinner milk shake through a straw. If you pack them too loosely it will burn hot. Better to pack too tight, you can always run a pipe cleaner through into the bowl to loosen it up. I also smoke my flakes on the moist side, too dry and it will burn hot and lose flavor. I can always smoke a little slower for a flake that is a tad too moist.

voorhees · Jul 31, 2014

On Orlik GS I just dry a bit then stuff and go. I rub out Penzanze. Coins....still working on those.

settersbrace · Jul 31, 2014

IMO Dunhill Flake or OGS are the best beginner flakes to play around with as they tend to be pretty forgiving and are delicious too. The steam pressed, dark flakes can be a real test even to more experienced smokers and I'd recommend trying ALL of suggested perpetration tecniques and settle on what works best for you. I have popped fresh tins of Dunhill flake and loaded a pipe and have it smoke to a fine white ash on three or four relights, the moisture levels are that perfect. I sometimes fold and stuff and other times lightly rub them out and use the smaller pieces for the top portion of the bowl. Almost foolproof.

frozenchurchwarden · Jul 31, 2014

One thing you have to remember is a flake is extremely densely packed. When I'm filling a jar with flakes I usually have room to spare, whereas a few days ago I was packing a somewhat dry loose cut into a jar and had to force it down with a rod under my full weight to pack it tight enough. Same size jar, same weight, it didn't want to fit. It was a sort of springy tobacco nightmare.
That is to say, it shouldn't be surprising that the preparation and burning characteristics are so different.

daimyo · Jul 31, 2014

what I do is cut the cubes pretty large( around 1/2-3/4 inch)

So the individual pieces are more rectangular then? I have been cutting them pretty small so they actually look like cubes and I have likely been packing too loose. I really like folding but would like to perfect all methods of smoking flake. Thanks for the input.

phil67 · Jul 31, 2014

St. James Flake is just one very good example of something that needs quite a bit of drying time. Those damn flakes are so freaking moist I have to hang them out on a clothesline all day before their ready to smoke! lol
Other than that I'll have to try cigarmaster's suggestion on cutting much larger cubes and see how it works out.

redbeard · Jul 31, 2014

Much of this has been said already but I will give my two cents anyways. I absolutely love flakes and it's mostly all I smoke although I have not tried a SG flake. Most of the time it's a fold and stuff method I go with. Some times is will rub it out if it's not burning how I want it. Flakes take some time to learn though so don't be discouraged. Dry time, packing method, and even the pipe all can make or break your smoke. I find a skinnier tall bowl works best with flakes. And the kindling on top really helps when trying to light it up.

phil67 · Jul 31, 2014

Dry time, packing method, and even the pipe all can make or break your smoke. I find a skinnier tall bowl works best with flakes. And the kindling on top really helps when trying to light it up.

+1 to that. I've also found it to be true that some pipes just aren't up to the task of handling flakes as well as other pipes.

torque · Jul 31, 2014

The tinned SG flakes can be a bit moist but the 250 gram boxes come ready to go moisture wise. At least all the ones I've bought have been damn near perfect. The flakes are loose packed in a ziplock and then the boxes are heat shrink wrapped. They seem to loose a lot of the excess moisture during transit.

igloo · Jul 31, 2014

Get permission from wife for a ugly plate with a chip in it .Rub tobacco between palms of your hand until it looks like crumble cake on the plate .Load your pipe in the manner of your choosing and pre light it .Set pipe on table and forget about it .Remember the pipe and smoke .Works every time .

phil67 · Jul 31, 2014

Ever hear of paper plates? They work just fine and the only thing I use. As a matter of fact, I've been using the same one now for over four months. Also, the nice thing about them is that if you still have a few shreds of tobacco that you don't use you simply gently fold/bend the plate and dribble it back into your tin/ Mason jar. Ya can't easily do that with a porcelain plate! :wink:

mso489 · Jul 31, 2014

I usually dry moist tobacco in a ceramic bowl, spread it out a little, leave it overnight. If I have already packed the pipe and then

realize the problem, I just leave it packed and put it upright in a shallow dish. I started flake with Cup O Joes #5 and Orlik Golden

Sliced, and neither gave me any problem, so those may be forgiving blends.

wilson · Jul 31, 2014

Don't be too discouraged -- flakes are more challenging than ribbon cut tobacco. I don't smoke a lot of flake tobacco, so I don't have as much expert advice as some of the others here. Even though I've been smoking a pipe on and off for 35 years I still struggle some with flakes: almost like learning to smoke a pipe all over again.
As noted, flakes are dense and some are too moist. Try rubbing out the flake, then letting it dry for 30 min instead of letting it dry and then rubbing. The increased surface area will give you more drying in the same amount of time. I'm not a fan of cube cutting -- just not patient enough to sit there slicing and dicing. But, if you are going to cube cut, you might cut first, then let it dry a bit.
Lately, I've been folding and stuffing and that has been working well for me. But, my first attempts at flake were pretty poor. I wish I could tell you what is different -- probably a combination of practice and some drying of the tobacco over time. Hang in there, you'll get it.

redbeard · Jul 31, 2014

I use this and love it! This is a fairly old pic but it seems to be the only one I have ATM. Found it at a goodwill for a couple bucks. Not too shabby if I may say so myself. I got tired of using paper towels. Felt they were too porous and added a little taste from the previous blend.

Tried flake tobacco for the first time. Epic Fail.

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