Fold and stuff flakes

[chuckw]

Well, I finally tried it. I decided I wanted to smoke some UF this morning. I started to rub out a flake to my normal ribbon texture when I thought, "What the heck, I'll give it a whirl and see what all the fuss is about." I folded it then twisted it just small enough to fit rather tightly into my Peterson's 221 Supreme leaving an air pocket at the bottom.

University Flake has been a favorite since I first tried it but it has now been elevated to numero uno.

 

[sapo59]

I like to use the fold and stuff method. I like the quickness of it and the quality it gives to a pipe being smoked outdoors.

 

[flugplatz]

I'm still practicing this method. Somehow I end up with too much tobacco and it doesn't leave the air space underneath. That's why I so enjoy this hobby!

 

[surfmac211]

I love the fold and stuff method. I think it smokes better and gives more flavor of the tobacco.

 

[cortezattic]

MacBaren's recommends folding flakes for best taste. A point to remember is that tobacco expands when burning, which restricts the draw. So it's better to fill the pipe somewhat looser. The relevant page at MacBaren's website is down right now, but here's a snapshot of it from the Google archive.

 

[cortezattic]

MacBaren's flake page is back online. Also check out a more immediate resource: Bob's flakey videos. LOL

 

[jonesing]

Happy accidents happen to newbies.
I just figured out that a full Golden Sliced flake folded and then rolled the long way perfect packs the bowl of a Cob Country Gentleman. It breaks into long strands sort of. Almost like filling the bowl with tooth picks if that makes sense. Push it down, sprinkle the stray crumbs on top and.... hey cool. Smoking perfect and one relight in 20 mins or so.

 

[shannonh]

Concurring with cortezattic, you must pack it loosely. If you have to jam it, it won't smoke well. I smoke most of my flakes this way. Another bit of wisdom gained through hard experience, don't use a tapered bowl for this technique. The bottom of the plug will be constricted and you'll kill your draw and airspace. IE: I have a Hans Christian Anderson that I cannot pack this way, but then again, I have a canadian sitter that loves this treatment. The bowl on the sitter is straight sided and slightly rounded at the bottom.

 

[davet]

Nothing to add, just resurrected an old thread as this seems to be the thing to do. Resurrected, did anyone catch that ? :mrgreen:

 

[toobfreak]

davet, I always tell people the key is to make sure the stuff is really dry!~ The other thing is people always stuff the fold in first; you want the open end down and the fold on top where you light it. That is what always seems to work best for me.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

I never got fold and stuff to work very well regardless of how it was put into the bowl. The fold at the bottom would always affect the air flow (pocket or no pocket), and the fold at the top wouldn't give the flame anything to grab onto. I tear and stuff instead. I tear the flake in half, roll it in my fingers a bit, stuff it, cut or tear excess if needed, and then sprinkle the shake on top. I do have one pipe that can take a whole flake. I roll a flake and a half a little with my fingers, put it in the bowl, pull up a little and tear off the top, rub that excess out and sprinkle it on top the bowl.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

The thing that drives me crazy about fold and stuff is that, even if I add a little crumbly tobacco to the top as kindling, it still doesn't burn evenly. I think that this is why the fold and stuff is more flavorful, because more unburned tobacco surrounding the small minuscule cherry, is heated releasing more flavor, but the cherry never consumes about 85% of the tobacco., You can't tamp it, because only a shard of tobacco ever burned, and you can push down the sides and stir it up, but then you've defeated the whole gruffin' scruffin' point of folding and stuffing. By the time I've crunched up the tobacco, I could have cube cut the whole damned thing and had a more relaxing smoke of it. Besides, it then distracts me that I've had to do this, and getting back in "pipe-smoking-brain-mode" is more difficult. And, gawd-forbid I was trying to do something like work or read while smoking. And, driving... phhht, forgetaboutit.
Nah, I'll let other people fold and stuff. I just cube cut every tin I get of flakes as soon as I open them. I think flakes are a neat experience, in that it's neat to see how the tobacco is pressed and cut, and neat to see the different leaves, but I could really care less now that the newness has gone. Yeh, yeh, yeh, flake. cut it and pack it. One more thing I have to do before I smoke.

 

[mso489]

I'm glad it works for many. I'm sure I could perfect the technique enough to have it be an option. But my trial run, or two, haven't been rewarding. I rub it out.

 

[hugodrax]

I smoke unrubbed flake only when in high winds. Otherwise, I seem to be reaching for the lighter more frequently and I'm desperately trying to conserve fossil fuels for future generations.

 

[bentbob]

I fold and stuff flake most of the time. It's the slow burn and full flavour I like with that method. A flake such as Peterson's Irish Flake, Germain's Rich Dark Flake etc will smoulder for nearly three hours in a Peterson 312 (my ideal flake pipe).

 

[jpmcwjr]

Ah! A seven year old Zombie! And done on purpose- congrats; I think it's the longest undead thread I've seen!
As for fold and stuff, in my few forays into that, it needs to be very dry indeed.

 

[aquadoc]

I keep trying. The flakes, after drying, keep crumbling or shattering. Dunno.

 

[theloniousmonkfish]

Cube/rip, rub, dry, pack loose and smoke slow. I enjoy smoking, the tamping/stirring/babying is preferred kept to a minimum. For me a 30 minute bowl shouldn't have more than 2-5 minutes of fiddling through the whole smoke.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Bentbob:This would kill me

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Toobfreak has changed his avatar, cant wait what would be next in the line, Lol,