Well I just started getting into flake tobacco and have a very stupid question. I already learned how to shred it down so it's not in the jerky like state when I got it, but when I load it into my pipe the stuff will not stay lite it smoke good for a minute or so and then goes out; is the tobacco not dry enough or am I doing something else wrong. Sorry if I was not very specific.
Question about Flake
- Thread starter rmason
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Either the tobacco is not dry enough or the packing is not proper. Too tight might cause the pipe to go off very fast because of the lack of oxygen. Too lose might be a problem too but it is not very common with flakes. Try to cube cut it and dry it out a bit.
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9 times out of 10 it's a moister issue. I dry my flakes damn near to the point of dust before I load up my pipe. Since doing this I haven't had an issue with staying lit 
Sam, if you dry them too much you will lose some flavor. If you do the pinch test and they do not clump up, they are fine. I think cube cutting flakes is the most consistent for burn/flavor/coolest smoking prep there is. Yes if you rub the crap out of them, they will burn fine, but then they won't smoke as cool and thereby you will lose flavor. I have tried all the methods over the years and find for me cube cutting works best.
I smoke Orlik quite often. I let a flake dry for about an hour and then cube cut it. If you're not familiar with cube cutting you can search it on youtube.
Bob Tate has a PipesMagazine article with videos that cover many of the popular methods of flake preparation.
Cube cutting is definitely the easy method that works the most consistent, I do love the fold and stuff method the most, but it can't be used with all flakes, just those with the right consistency for it (doesn't fall apart too easy). I find Orlik Golden Sliced and PS Luxery Bullseye Flakes fold and stuff very well. I always recommend drying a small jar of it at one time, flake tobaccos seem to come the most wet and require the most drying time (harder to dry a flake).
Someone had just posted a video on folding a flake perpendicular to the grain with a Z-bend,
and then rolling it with the grain and stuffing it into the bowl. I searched but couldn't locate the post.
and then rolling it with the grain and stuffing it into the bowl. I searched but couldn't locate the post.
I typically have to light my flakes 3 or 4 times before it really catches. I don't dry and I my prep is usually a semi-shred. I look at it as a trade-off for convenience.
Cigrmaster, I'm not sure I agree that one loses flavor with my method. Or better yet, it might be important to acknowledge that I am referring to Virginia based flakes. That indeed may be the defining line between our points of disagreement. For me, I have never had a Virginia flake that was too dry; that is to say, I have never had a Virginia based flake that was dried to the point of "flavorlessness."
As with all things pipe related, the preferences of the smoker is fundamentally individual. I apologize if my suggestion came off as something more than a single point of view. In fact, I will take your advice and try drying my next flake to a "springy" consistency and see how it works for me. Will let you know...
As with all things pipe related, the preferences of the smoker is fundamentally individual. I apologize if my suggestion came off as something more than a single point of view. In fact, I will take your advice and try drying my next flake to a "springy" consistency and see how it works for me. Will let you know...
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