Tried flake tobacco for the first time. Epic Fail.

[bwithers55]

Drying time is important. -bw

 

[hierophant]

Thanks for all the great info guys, should have asked before I bought...ah well no big deal. I think with the Gawith's that I have I'll dry the whole tin and give the cube cut method a try. Seems a bit time consuming, but what else am I doing?
Did a bit more reading and YouTubing and the consensus does seem to be that SG should probably not be the first flake a noob tries. Heading to the tobacconist's lunch and will see if they have any of the other brands that you all recommended.

 

[lochinvar]

Do not give up on SG's Navy Flake it is well worth the effort. The first time I tried Navy, it was almost unlightable, much more moist than FVF. I shut the tin and forgot about it for about a month, and the moisture content was perfect; still leathery and moist, not dry or brittle to the touch, and took easily to the match, with no relights. I would say a day with the lid off would do the trick, depending on where you live.
I'm not sure about the stove/microwave. I always worry when drying tobacco about moving past moisture loss stage, and into the oil loss stage. But I could just be a big chicken.

 

[mountainman]

My first flake was SG FVF. It was extremely well hyped and hard to get. I finally landed a tin and was very excited to try it. I opened the tin and layer out a flake to dry for an hour, which I thought was more than enough. I folded and stuffed that flake into a Savinelli 626 shape that always smoked great. Went out to the porch and lit up. Over the next hour I proceeded to scorch my tongue and relight that pipe about 40 times, and I was only half way through the bowl. Epic fail to say the least. I did however learn a few things. Now I smoke flakes 90% of the time! SG flakes make up very little of that rotation, as there are many that are ready right from the tin and taste just as good. I hear a lot that cube cutting slows the burn rate and "concentrates" flavor, but it doesn't for me. I rub flakes out, which to me increases the flavor and burns smoother. You just have to find out what works for you.
Oh, and I went back to that tin of FVF about a year later it was sitting in a cabinet unsealed and I thought it would be dust. Nope. It was finally in a smokable state and actually quite good! Just needed to dry out a little. 8O

 

[cfreud]

Plates? I use a folded piece of paper. I'm recycling.

 

[phil67]

I got tired of using paper towels. Felt they were too porous and added a little taste from the previous blend.

If you can pick up and discern the taste from a previous tobacco in a pipe that was simply laid out on a paper towel you have one hell of a sensitive palate! :wink:

 

[J. Mayo]

My first flake was SG FVF. It was extremely well hyped and hard to get. I finally landed a tin and was very excited to try it. I opened the tin and layer out a flake to dry for an hour, which I thought was more than enough. I folded and stuffed that flake into a Savinelli 626 shape that always smoked great. Went out to the porch and lit up. Over the next hour I proceeded to scorch my tongue and relight that pipe about 40 times, and I was only half way through the bowl. Epic fail to say the least.

My exact same first experience with a flake. SG FVF gave me a run for my money. I still have yet to revisit it because my first experience was so bad. I have about 4 tins in the cellar that have been there for about a year (I too heard it was hard to get so I stocked up after all the rave reviews I'd read). I've all but perfected fold and stuff, cube cut, and rubbing out with Solani ABF and Orlik GS. Maybe it's time I give the FVF another try. Either way don't be discouraged. Like the others have said and as I'm sure you've realized (just like I did), flakes aren't the best for beginners. I found when learning Solani and Orlik that the easiest method to start with was rubbing out and drying before packing. Like igloo said, I found that packing, charring, and then leaving a bowl for several hours to a day before lighting up can really help. I'd suggest giving Solani's 656 ABF a try. It's one of my favorites and seemed to be much more forgiving that SG. You'll get it down with time. Good Luck!

 

[judcole]

I fold and stuff all flakes. I don't dry 'em. I will rub out a little bit of tobacco for the top of the bowl, make sure there is a really good char light,and tamping. It's gonna take a bit,but it's worth it.

The guys are right, in that SG flakes can be rough for new flake smokers. I have Balkan Flake and aged Best Brown in the rotation right now,and they are worth any extra effort.

 

[darwin]

El cheapo paper plates have several advantages. They'll help pull more moisture out of a wet flake as it's drying than will a ceramic plate. They can't be harmed in a microwave. You don't care if they get ugly looking, cut up, or spilled on. When you rub a flake out or discover that when you unload some ribbon/shag from a tin for a smoke and have too much to fit in the pipe it is very easy to bend the plate into a U shape and funnel the leftovers back into a tin. When it gets too fugly to use anymore just pitch it in the trash. Total cost: about 2 cents.

 

[redstar]

Folding and stuffing Dunhill VF or Orlik GS is always quite easy - the flakes are usually ready to go in terms of moisture, as well as a uniform size.
I absolutely love FVF, but it is moist - I usually leave a flake from a fresh tin out overnight or blast it for fifteen seconds in the microwave.
What does often annoy me with FVF is the inconsistent cut off the flakes - it varies enormously from tin to tin and even within the same tin - I'm guessing if you get a set of well cut flakes you have a tin that was cut before lunchtime, with the others having been chopped after whoever operates the machine gets back from a few pints over a sandwich down the Dog and a Duck up the road from the factory!
For this reason, though folding and stuffing is my preferred method, I usually find myself smoking the flakes that are foldable first and rubbing out the remainder to avoid overfilling my pipe.

 

[saltedplug]

I've always been in love with flake and for several years tried smoking it as is, although in pieces. Escudo was the only blend for which this worked. I felt that the more intact and larger pieces of flake, the better it would be, that is, slowly. But relights drove me crazy. Now I rub them out completely.

 

[shutterbugg]

I smoke DNR (coins) and Erik Stokkebye 1931 (flake). I don't dry them, I don't rub them, I don't recite incantations over them. Just fold and stick into the pipe. No problem getting or keeping it lit, in fact less trouble than ribbon cuts and it (flake) burns slower and lasts longer with less tamping. The secret? Pack it a lot looser than you think you should. If you feel any resistance on the draw, it's too tight. Flakes expand when lit, and if it's packed like a cut tobacco, when it expands it chokes the air off and goes out a lot.

 

[zack24]

My favorite method is to take a flake,put it on top of the tin when I'm sitting at the beach. After an hour in the sun, it's perfect! Cube cut it and fire it up....

 

[zekest]

I view flakes as I do unsliced bread.
It's like going to the store and having the manager tell you that they no longer sell sliced bread because "our customers are demanding unsliced bread!"
Yea, right...

 

[hawke]

I like to leave it in flake form until ready to smoke. Then rubbed out most of the time and allowed to dry.. thoroughly. If Im in a impatient mood I'll put it under a lamp for 10 min or so, depending on how wet it is. It will dry out too much if you dont watch using this method. There's a balance between dry enough to smoke smooth but not too dry as flavor is lost. Too wet and tongue bite occurs for me.
I just ordered a hydrometer to build me a small box to be able to find that zone I find pleasing to me. Anyone else here found that humidity zone they like in such a manner?

 

[darwin]

I assume you meant hygrometer and not hydrometer which only measures the specific gravity of liquids. I'm not sure how you'd use a hygrometer though. I hope that what you ordered is a contact moisture meter similar to this one:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/General-Tools-Digital-Moisture-Meter-with-LCD-Display-MMD4E/100651808