Still Struggling With Samuel Gawith Flakes

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

New Cigars




PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

burleyboy

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 30, 2019
862
4,473
Europe
I know, this has been discussed here over and over again, but I have some specific questions to you successful SG flake smokers and thought that this may bring up something new.

First of all, I dried my Gawith Flakes even to bone dry crunchiness and still do not get from them, what I would call a pleasant relaxing smoke. Given the dryness, I tried cube cutting and even cube cutting with the cubes rubbed out, also did I rub them out to total deconstruction of the flake to its single fibers. Not to speak of fold’n’stuff, which resulted in a catastrophe. I generally pack them extra lose and do not fill up to the bowl’s top as I found out, that this gives the most acceptable result.

I mean, I can get the flavours and can get some minutes straight without relighting. But, if I want those flakes to stay lit for more than maybe five minutes, I need to draw stronger and more often than I want, which results in tongue bite and bad flavours. Also do I get way more of a dottle with SG flakes than from “normal” blends. And when I do the cube cut thing, the embers make their way through the tobacco, but leave the areas around the walls unburnt, which permanently requires rearrangement of the tobacco to get an even burn.

Long story short - Is it still my technique, which needs to be optimised, or are those phenomena, which bother me normal and something to deal with even for the experienced smoker?

When I smoke a pipe, I normally read or do something else, that gets my attention partially, so I do not want to focus my thoughts and doings too much on the pipe. Are those tobaccos not for smokes like I prefer them or is there still hope, that I one day might see the light and have a normal, effortless bowl of maybe FVF or St. James?

PS.: I do not have these problems with plugs, as I just shave off the thinnest possible slices of those, which are then rubbed out and dried, but not all the plugs are available as flakes...
 
Last edited:

sisyphus

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 11, 2019
109
325
my opinion is two hours on the counter before smoking. Save the BBF for warm weather. 1792 and FVF should be fine regardless of season. Group 3 billiard and apple shapes are about the right size for these flakes. I think a narrow bore works better than a wide bore. Good luck.
 
Jan 5, 2020
48
144
I find with Gawith flakes I need to be incredibly deliberate in my packing technique. Their ropes, however, I do what you do with plugs - shave thin to a shag and puff away. Let me know if you find out anything else with the flakes though!
 

alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,348
42,247
Alaska
I had issues with them initially, until I started smoking using the breath method. Granted, that was early on, so the problem may have been my cadence in general and not necessarily the breath method, but they all seem to do fine now. They do require some drying time, an hour or two, but I haven't had any real issues with them.

I always break up the flakes as much as possible beforehand and use the three/four pinch method (depending on chamber size).

Just rocked some Bob's Chocolate Flake on Saturday. A divine smoke. One relight.
 
Jun 9, 2018
4,012
12,929
England
I always choose Gawith plugs if they are an option. I don't like the 'beef jerky' texture of FVF and SJF, I also find them far too wet. The plugs always have a better hydration level (in my experience) and you can of course cut them to your own specification.
If you are in the US and want Full Virginia Plug or St. James Plug then perhaps consider trying Synjeco in Switzerland, some of the lads on here buy from them and always speak highly of the service they receive.
 

peregrinus

Lifer
Aug 4, 2019
1,205
3,787
Pacific Northwest
Is it still my technique
I smoke these two regularly, the SG FV and SG SJF. These two tobaccos in particular, for me, always require more relights than most others. I find it almost impossible to over dry these as they seem to rehydrate as you smoke them down. Probably why you’re finding some difficulty smoking all the way down. One thing not mentioned, is for me, a good charring light makes more difference with these than some others.
As far as technique:
I always break up the flakes as much as possible beforehand and use the three/four pinch method (depending on chamber size).
This.
Group 3 billiard and apple shapes
I no longer smoke these two in anything larger than a group 4, a group 3 is a good size to figure these out.
find with Gawith flakes I need to be incredibly deliberate in my packing technique
Agreed
 
Last edited:
Jan 28, 2018
12,955
134,678
67
Sarasota, FL
What's it matter if you have to relight every five minutes or so? There's no rule regarding this. I try to get a hotter than usual light with my SG flakes. I want to stoke that coal well more than usual. Once I get SG flakes going well, they tend to smoke fairly easy with minimal relights. I keep the an tamped down fairly often so to keep the draw solid. I'm often able to smoke SG flakes to a fine ash. I also use relatively small ID bowls. .75".
 

mingc

Lifer
Jun 20, 2019
3,976
11,065
The Big Rock Candy Mountains
Are those tobaccos not for smokes like I prefer them or is there still hope, that I one day might see the light and have a normal, effortless bowl of maybe FVF or St. James?
Yes, no. GH and SG flakes have been pressed under heavy machinery. They are dense, period, and will never burn like shag or ribbon. It's the nature of the beast.
 

badbeard

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 9, 2017
284
585
Kentucky, USA
I struggled a lot with SG flake (actually any really dense flake)until I read a review by Pipestud which included that he put flakes in a food processor and gave them a couple pulses. I tried this with a couple flakes after letting them dry, and man.. what a difference. Chopped up to about the consistency of Carter Hall, they now don't give me any trouble. Gravity load and go.
 

danimalia

Lifer
Sep 2, 2015
4,385
26,440
41
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
I really only have issues with the Gawith VAs. The 1792, Lakeland Dark, GHC darks all seem to dry easier than the VA based flakes. I dry them out more than normal blends, until they get a bit crumbly and I don't feel much or any moisture to the touch. And still, I have plenty of relights... It is just part of the deal for me when it comes to these flakes. Do the frequent relights have a detrimental effect on your enjoyment? Beyond making you think you're doing something wrong?

Personally, I have given up on the idea that the number of relights has much importance. I am sure there are people who can finish a bowl of tobacco (though I doubt these ones!) on a single light, but I'm not one of them, and given my style of smoking, it's not even a goal for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: burleyboy

weezell

Lifer
Oct 12, 2011
13,653
49,163
Personally, I have given up on the idea that the number of relights has much importance. I am sure there are people who can finish a bowl of tobacco (though I doubt these ones!) on a single light, but I'm not one of them, and given my style of smoking, it's not even a goal for me.
YAY!!!! Some one gets it ( I thought it was just me)bdw...
 

bluegrassbrian

Your Mom's Favorite Pipe Smoker
Aug 27, 2016
5,974
51,375
41
Louisville
Be more aggressive with your charring light. Make sure the entire surface is equally burned, from the rim inward. Really get that thing bellowing.
Then tamp it down and wait a few minutes. Sip some water and get relaxed. Take a few deep breaths and find your happy place.
Now touch the flame to the bowl again and get it rolling. You should be set.

If that doesn’t work there’s something wrong with the tobacco. Send it to me for further testing.
 

minimaltom

Lurker
Jan 15, 2020
4
8
Be more aggressive with your charring light. Make sure the entire surface is equally burned, from the rim inward. Really get that thing bellowing.
Then tamp it down and wait a few minutes. Sip some water and get relaxed. Take a few deep breaths and find your happy place.
Now touch the flame to the bowl again and get it rolling. You should be set.

If that doesn’t work there’s something wrong with the tobacco. Send it to me for further testing.
Yes! I have been struggling with smoking a pipe, PERIOD, until i realised that you have to really burn the shit out of it on the charring light and even the true light so you get a good even cherry across the whole of the top of the tobacco. Then after that you puff very gently to make sure the smoke is nice and cool. it is very important that the cherry covers the whole of the top. I was afraid when lighting that if i do it too aggresively the cherry would be too big or deep down which would cause too much heat but i think now it is the complete opposite.
With flake I imagine this is even more the case because it seems to burn slower.
Before I found this out I was trying all sorts of drying and packing and always got rank burnt taste plus wet sour tobacco at the bottom, but I dont think its as important so long as you get that good cherry going
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.