Size of cubes when cube-cutting flake? Pics?

[kaboom]

Hello everyone!
I have had a few experiences with flakes and most if not all of them were rather miserable. the one that was the least miserable out of all of those involed cube-cutting prep, but it wasn't satisfactory either, proving really difficult to keep lit without burning a hole in my tongue. The flake was Capstan Blue, and the cubes were small.
Now, my doubt comes from the following: All the cube-cutting tutorials seem to suggest cutting squares approximately 3/16th of an inch in side, which seems quite a bit bigger that the blends that already come cube-cut such as stokkebye's.
How big do you cut your cubes? Any pictures to illustrate the point? I assume that the bigger the cubes the slower the tobacco will burn and the harder to keep it lit, but the cooler the smoke. Is this so? Any other insight on how the size of the cubes affect the combustion?
Help a newb! Karma will send you all several pounds of 1940's Balkan Sobranie, 1960's Nightcap and a couple of Ardor pipes...

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I sometimes cut mine at 2mm and sometimes more. It doesn't seem to matter in my experience. However, it sounds like the Capstan could use a little drying time. The dryer it is, the less it will bite you. I prefer mine crunchy, but you might play around with how dry you prefer it. Maybe try ten seconds in the microwave after you cube cut it. I've found the microwave to really wake up the flavors also.

 

[oldreddog]

Hi Kaboom, with a flake like capstan blue you might be better to use a fold and stuff method.
I have recently gone from cubing flakes to folding them and found it much better for keeping virigina flakes cool and avoiding tongue bite. You can find good videos on youtube.
As for cube-cutting I do this with plugs and cut to about half a mm, which I think is around the same as 3/16th of an inch.
Hope that is some help

 

[kaboom]

thanks for the answers!
The Capstan had quite a lot of time to dry out (several days in fact, but living close to the sea means that even after that long a drying time they are significantly dryer than the come out of the tin, but not quite crunchy) and i have tried fold'n'stuff in the past, without success...
Also, i forgot to mention in the original post, once its cubed i gravity feed it into the bowl and give it the SLIGHTEST tamp. This is correct, right?
I'll try the micro-nuke technique, and i'll give folding-stuffing another shot too... Thank God youtube's free, or I would have gone broke months ago from watching tutorial after tutorial!

 

[yazamitaz]

There are a couple of other things to try as it seems that you have the size of the cubes and the dryness correct. I sometimes rub out a little bit of the tobacco to give the cubes a bed to lay on. I once realized a cube blocked up the draw hole and I wasn't getting anything out of the pipe.
Another option instead of fold and stuff is the Z stuff method. I posted this back in the summer and I have been using this method with great success: Z fold method
Let us know if any of these suggestions help you out.
Dan ::

 

[hawke]

Folding the flake will make it burn cooler. For me its because Im smoking more loose embers than I am a hot core coal. The taste is more apparent this way. As the bowl gets to the last 3rd I will tamp it down which produces a coal at this point. This is where the biggest danger of tongue bite occurs for me. The last bit is quite moist from the previous combustion and the bowl is at it warmest. Its different with dif tobaccos and also depends on how much we dry it out before packing.
Cube cutting is similar for me except the coal and heat develops quicker. I have to set it down before finishing to let the bowl cool. I think the dryer the tobacco is often means a hotter smoke. Heat and moisture are the enemies to my tongue. One last note is maybe our tongue does become a little tougher over time. I started in Jan '14 and rarely get tongue bite anymore except maybe late in the day.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I've found that the flavor and experience to not be significant in folding or cubing. There is still density to the leaf as it burns, which slows it down and brings out the flavors. Yep, leave it loose and just tamp lightly. Same with folding and stuffing. It'll be a little loose in the bowl, but as the flake ignites the leaf spreads out to fix the draw.
Good suggestion on rubbing some out for the bottom. I also like to put the tiny bits all on top for kindling. But, you might try rubbing out a tiny bit for the top also.
Also, try the most narrow bowl you have. The diameter for the chamber will really focus the flavors. My flake pipes all have .6-.7" diameters. But, YMMV.

 

[billypm]

It sounds like you may be somewhat neglecting the charring light procedure. Your baccy sounds like it's cut and dried properly, similarly to the way I do mine. But for me it takes more than one charring light to really get things going. Cubes are just harder to catch fire than ribbons. Take your time, and draw easily-- but char the tobacco, tamp, and then do it again and maybe even again. Once the surface of the baccy is flat, well charred, and evenly lit you'll have a better time KEEPING it lit. I also find a 5 minute rest (both for my tongue and the tobacco) after charring is helpful. Good luck. It's worth it!!!

 

[yazamitaz]

Like cosmic said you also want some kindling on top to get the cubes going. Rub a bit out a light that with your charring light, it might help

 

[morton]

+1 Yaz
I've tried just about all the methods of flake prep and find that I agree with yazamitaz about the "z" fold method. I also like some kindling on top and at least one good char and tamp to get a good flat "coal" to light. I haven't opened any of my tins of Capstan yet so I don't know how damp it is but drying or microwaving other flakes seems to help me stay away from tongue bite, as well as smoking in slow cadence. Good luck and don't give up! When it goes perfectly, its an amazing smoke!