Ahh finally got flake tobacco right!

[bbqpiper]

I have found that flake tobacco smokes longer than ribbon however it took me a looong time to get it down right. I still prefer to rub out a flake well before smoking and let sit a bit if they are overly moist.

 

[Peter - CCB]

Some great replies here. I love flake. It’s my favorite cut. Great for moisture, rub or fold… fit more tobacco into jars. Without realizing it, I’d say most of my open jars 40-60 or so are flake tobacco. I find the English blends less often do flake. It’s loose cake, plug but mostly shag and ribbon. It just has so many advantages for me. I’d like to compare the same blend which I haven’t. Maybe Plum Pudding flake vs. the loose cake. It would be fun to try.

 

[Peter - CCB]

But most flakes taste better folded and stuffed.

F&S eluded me for years, too. It was very frustrating. Now that it works well for me, I'll share what I do:

• Take one or two flakes, depending on the size of the flake and the size of the bowl.
  (If the vertical strands are too spread apart in the bowl, it will not burn well, and if they are too packed together, it likewise will not burn well.)
• Fold lengthwise, once.
• Now fold width-wise, once.
• Now hold each end in two hands, and twist back and forth, to break it up into individual strands, if possible. (You will lose some during this process. You'll add it back in a second.)
• Tear off any strands that now stick up far past the rest, whether on the top or bottom, so that it's roughly even on both ends.
• Now add vertical strands of tobacco to your little bundle, padding it out until the bundle is the right width for the bowl. (Again, neither too loose nor too tight. You will get a feel for it over time.)
• Now stuff the bent end in first, orienting it so that the "loop" (what's left of it, after that twisting) faces your draft hole.
• If the bundle is sticking up above the rim, don't just pack it down. Pull the bundle back out and tear the top off until the length will fill only about 3/4 of the bowl. Put it back in.
• Now try to "fray" the top ends of the tobacco. There will still be sections that are stuck together, and you want to use your finger to make them separate a little at the top, so that they burn more easily.
• Finally, sprinkle little ribbons of the tobacco on top, as they will take to the flame more easily, and then pass it on to the folded flake. You will have plenty of these shreds to work with, after the afore-mentioned method. This is why you leave the folded bundle a bit short -- so that you can put a thin layer of loose tobacco on top.

Because I explained in detail, it may strike you as more complex than just rubbing it out. But it isn't. This takes just seconds. I just put it into slow motion for those as frustrated as I used to be.

Very nice reply!

 

[Gregg1980]

There really is a fine line between perfect and non perfect it appears. I just had a bowl with the flaked tobacco now and I clearly just dried out the flake a touch too much because the smoke lacked the flavour of the nirvana smoke i mentioned. All part of the learning curve i guess!

 

[Chasing Embers]

Do people generally feel that flaked tobacco is superior?

It's just one more step in tobacco processing after being pressed into plugs. Honestly I prefer cube and rough cut tobacco. No loading technique needed other than dropping them into the chamber and lighting them.

 

[luigi]

I often hear flakes are not meant to be smoked not rubbed out but I agree it tastes different when consumed in bigger pieces.
A compromise between cube cut and fold 'n stuff is "square cut". Small sqaures, small enough to fit the bowl width and big enough not to leave too much space is my preferred way to smoke flakes.