Starting flakes

[judcole]

I'm a fold and stuff guy. I use smaller bowls (as a rule) for flakes - Dunhill Group 3 - and that still gives me an hour's smoke, or darned close to it. 1-2 flakes does it - and I rub out a bit for the top. Enjoy!

 

[bigpond]

OP- flakes are as variable as pipes, so giving you a prescription for the right number of flakes is a fools errand. Rather, we can provide a rough idea of what we've found to work.
In my case, I look for the folded flake packet to be wide enough to keep it's position in the bowl but loose enough to be pulled out without trouble, sort of like it's feet can't touch the ground but it's fat enough not to fall down the well. Flakes expand quite a bit when smoked.
What you're looking for is airflow. If the draw feels constricted with a fold and stuff, the pipe usually will not burn well. You want just a touch of resistance.
You'll also want to be sure the tobacco is dry enough. When in doubt dry it out.

 

[fitzy]

Fold and stuff never seems to work well for me so I usually cube cut it with a little rubbed out kindling on top to get it started.

 

[perdurabo]

Cube Cut. Fold and stuff is so passé.

 

[mawnansmiff]

I have tried many times to fold and stuff flakes but have never mastered the technique so I generally just rub out. I have watched Youtube videos aplenty and followed the instructions to the letter but correct folding and stuffing still eludes me.
I have recently taken to occasionally cube cutting my flakes with some success but usually I just rub them out as you pretty much can't go wrong doing that.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[mso489]

I like to rub flake out. Flake (and plug, coin and rope) are more ways of retaining the flavor until smoked. I use only matches, so lighting is made easier by rubbed out blends. Among about a dozen flake blends I've tried or have on hand, recently I've enjoyed Mac Barens Latakia Flake, which is much more than Lat, and has a nice strong flavor without being bullying . This was a gift, so price was not a factor.

 

[hextor]

I use small bowls for my flakes, I find that when i use a big bowl, the flavors are not that present, but with the small bowls i tent to get the most flavor, also fold and stuff, but its more like fold and then roll it into a ball and stuff and then i use the lose flakes to top of my bowl.

 

[skraps]

Cube Cut or rub them out. Fold and stuff has never been successful for me.
To be honest, there are not many flake tobaccos that I smoke on a regular basis. Maybe I'm just lazy, but I find the process to be a real pain in the arse sometimes.

 

[sjfine]

I'm gonna chime in. I fold, rub a bit, and stuff. It always works for me.
I hardly smoke ready-rubbed. That's passe.

 

[kane]

Fold in a Z, upright in the bowl, yes? That would be a good guide for how long the flake would be?

Do you dry and fold, or fold and dry?

(Starch or no starch? JK!)

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Ha ha,

I've always loved the concept. Fold into square, shove in round hole. Flakes were obviously started by engineers.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

I sometimes fold and stuff flake in my pipes with smaller sized bowls, which is most of my pipes. I roll it in my fingers to loosen it a little, fold and stuff it loosely into the bowl, and then cut the top. I rub out what I cut off, sprinkle that tobacco on top, and try to get it to fill the voids a little. I pack it loosely because I find that it expands quite a bit once it gets going and needs some air to breath. One to one and a half flakes does the trick for me.
It takes a little more to get going than when rubbed out or cubed cut, but once it gets rolling you don't need to do much and the flavor really is more concentrated. Stuffed flake has always burned through it's center for me, leaving the tobacco towards the walls of the bowl practically untouched. I usually get a good 15 minutes in before the pipe goes out. I use my pick to break the charred tobacco off and away from the inside walls of the bowl so that it falls into the center of the bowl, give it a light tamp, and then relight. A few tamps, maybe a little more picking, and a couple relights later I'm done.
The flavor is great through that first 15 minutes or so. It can get muddled a little in the middle, but the flavor really picks back up for a good 15 minutes or so before the end. A bowl of flake usually lasts me about 40 to 45 minutes, give or flake a few minutes. ::