Dunhill Flake? Flake!?!?!

[ezypikns]

So I bought a tin of Dunhill Flake. I had heard very good things about it. This was my first try with a Flake Tobacco.

I was surprised on opening the tin that instead of anything resembling a "flake", I was presented with thin sheets of very nice tobacco.

I simply took enouch tobacco to fill my pipe and shredded it and pulled it until it would fit into the bowl. I was very pleased with the flavor and overall experience with it.

Am I the only Ignoramus who has ever been mildly surprised at their first encounter with flake tobacco? Of course, in my total ignorance I'm assuming that all flake tobacco comes in this form.

Educate me....further, please.

 

[scrapyardape]

To be perfectly honest, until I began lurking on these boards a couple months ago, I honestly thought flake tobacco was.. well.. something akin to corn flakes; little crispy flakes of tobacco.

 

[bentmike]

I think maybe I had seen a picture or two on the web before I got my first tin so I knew what to expect. But I've loved flakes ever since opening that tin for the first time. One of my favorite things to do is pop the lid and just inhale the wonderful smell.
The Dunhill version is good stuff. I recently opened my first tin. Won't be my last. ::
Some companies will supply the flakes in nice uniform sheets like you've seen in your Dunhill tin. Others like Samuel Gawith for example the flakes will be uneven and more haphazard looking but this does not affect the quality at all. It just reflects the more traditional processing and packaging methods of that very old company.

 

[northernneil]

I love my flakes!!! Especially Dunhill Flake!!!

Glad you enjoyed your first flake experience, it adds a whole new dimension to pipe smoking.

 

[billypm]

Yup, those sheets of baccy you saw are called flakes, and we pipers smoke a LOT of them. You think that's wacky... buy a plug sometime. It's a big old hunk of layered pressed leaf that has to be sliced just to get it to the flake stage, after which the rub, fold, or cube options are still in effect.

 

[judcole]

Welcome to the forums,and, yes, that's what flakes are.

 

[cortezattic]

In the left column of this page is a link to a feature article/video called Flake Pipe Tobacco Preparation.
I also like to fold a flake and then crush it and scuff it up a bit before stuffing it -- sort of a hybrid technique.
If you liked Dunhill Flake, you are sure to relish Capstan Gold. But heck, there are dozens of good Va flakes and variants out there.

 

[dragonslayer]

Welcome to the forums! Flake is the best cut of tobacco out there IMO and many others. BUT don't rip those beautiful flakes up! Cube it, there's tons of information on how to do it listed above. Go Sam! Try that and you'll never destroy a perfect flake again :puffpipe:
Craig

 

[cigrmaster]

You have now entered the world of the pipe cognoscenti we are the gourmands of the pipe world, flakes are the be all end all for pipe smokers the world over. You are now in a very elite club whose membership only requires your good taste.
I bet you had no idea you would be regaled with so much bullshit. lol
Glad to hear you enjoyed your first foray into a flake tobacco, I enjoy them immensely.

 

[carcosa]

I like to fold em.

 

[kashmir]

Flakes are where it's at flavor-wise. Enjoy, and welcome to the forums.

 

[msandoval858]

Flakes are like the fine art pieces of tobacco making! Nothing is cooler than popping open a new tin and seeing those beautifully cut uniform flakes inside and along with that rich VA aroma. I just opened up a new tin of Irish Flake last night and relived the magic :D

 

[urtpiz]

I have yet to try a flake version, as I've got about 8 more tobaccos left to try, but this thread has me wanting to try some. Anyone care to list a few brands for a first timer?

 

[urtpiz]

Thanks Roth! I'll place the order.

 

[dryseason91]

Forgive me this heresy but does anyone find Dunhill Flake a bit...I don't know...sickly? I've worked through most of a tin and I still can't make up my mind about it. I definitely find it tough going to smoke a whole flake down to the end: you get a clash of tart acidic notes from the lemon Vas and a deeper, somewhat cloying maltiness from the darker leaves that I'm not sure harmonise particularly well. Furthermore, the James Fox website claims that there's a spicy topping in there, which only adds to my confusion. (It might just be that straight Va flakes aren't to my taste. I don't mean to impugn the actual quality of the tobaccos, which is obviously high.)

 

[allan]

You have now entered the world of the pipe cognoscenti we are the gourmands of the pipe world, flakes are the be all end all for pipe smokers the world over. You are now in a very elite club whose membership only requires your good taste.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Lol
Welcome to the forum, Ezypikins
Have you been smoking a pipe for a while or is this whole thing new for you?

 

[ezypikns]

Allan,
I was a casual (less than a pack a day) cigarette smoker in my younger days......gave that up after a few years only to return to it in my mid forties.....gave them up again for about ten years. I had a mild flirtation with a pipe when I was younger, but it didn't suit me somehow. Now that I'm old, I lke to take take my time with things. I've learned that hurrying is usually counter-productive. I really don't believe a pipe can be smoked in haste.

 

[yazamitaz]

Welcome to the forums Ezy.
I am also a new pipe smoker and have just ventured into the world of flakes. Many on this site will be able to provide MUCH more guidance on flakes than I can, so just ask and follow what is provided. The wealth of knowledge I have received here has reduced my learning curve immensely.
Happy smoking.
Dan ::

 

[cortezattic]

@dryseason91, Dunhill Flake is not one of my favorites either. The guys here who recommended it tend to smoke

aged tobacco, and that may make a difference. Nonetheless, I have to agree that it's a good starting point from which

to venture deeper into the genre.

 

[bentmike]

I had a mild flirtation with a pipe when I was younger, but it didn't suit me somehow. Now that I'm old, I lke to take take my time with things. I've learned that hurrying is usually counter-productive. I really don't believe a pipe can be smoked in haste.

That is it in a nutshell ezypikns. I was the same. I got my first pipe at the tender age of 20 years old. I knew it was a good thing but just didn't keep with it finding the easier fix in the cigarette and smokeless. Every few years I would revisit my pipes and pick up some new blend from the tobacconist but not until I reached my forties that I really learned how to slow down and appreciate the pipe. I've long since given up every other form of tobacco and only enjoy the pipe. It is the way to go.