Trouble with Flake Tobaccos

[cwarmouth]

Guys, what the heck do you have to do to keep flake tobaccos lit? I am just getting into flakes. I have three (one that I bought and two were gifts from a member on the forum) and I love the flavors, But I have to rub them out or shred them to get them to stay lit for more than 10 seconds. I have tried folding the flake lengthwise and then the other way and stuffing it into the bowl like I am led to believe other flake smokers do, but I have no luck. What's the secret?

 

[prairiedruid]

Maybe try cube cutting them.

 

[mayfair70]

First, what flakes are you smoking. Err, attempting to smoke??
I cube cut, rub them out, then let them dry for half an hour or so. Char light. Tamp. True light then puff like crazy for a couple seconds and I am good as gold usually. The air in my house is sufficiently dry most of the year to allow tobacco to actually lose moisture, some places in the world are not so fortunate. You may want to check your ambient humidity.

 

[jorchamp]

Do not complicate flakes. Rub them out with TLC. Put them in your pipe. Light up and enjoy. You can put them in your pipe without rubbing them out, but more of a challenge to keep lit. Yet a deeper and more complex taste.

 

[tschiraldi]

I am a devotee of folding and stuffing flakes! The secret? Dry it out properly first, get a good char on top ( I sometimes light it 3 or 4 times until the whole top is charred ash), twist your tamper to spread the ash evenly, then light it for real... drawing the flame "through" the tobacco. I rarely need a re-light until the bottom 1/8 of the bowl, and then I usually don't bother. Just dump and re-load. This method works well for me. Might work for you as well. Give it a try.

 

[cwarmouth]

Wow. Fast replies. What is cube cutting? The flakes I am trying are Newminster Superior Navy Flake, Newminster Superior Round Slices, and Erinmore flake. I live in low humidity too. 20% is high.
tsschiaraldi: what you described is just what I am doing. Although I am obviously doing something wrong. Maybe packing it too tight? Is there a bowl shape that is better for flakes?

 

[tschiraldi]

Is there a bowl shape that is better for flakes?

In my opinion, yes. I find they work best in tall, narrow bowls, but opinions vary.

 

[johnbarleycorn]

Rub em out, let em dry, don’t pack me too tight and enjoy. Oh and don’t worry about number of relights.

 

[perdurabo]

Break them up. I find I get the same flavor whether they are broken up, cubed or folded. Fold and stuff just smokes slow. But that's my opinion.

 

[nevadablue]

I am just learning this too, but so far my best results are dry/rub/dry. Did I say I like dry tobacco?

 

[deathmetal]

I have tried folding the flake lengthwise and then the other way and stuffing it into the bowl like I am led to believe other flake smokers do, but I have no luck.

Fold and twist so that one end splinters a bit. Fish around in the bottom of the tin/jar/pouch and pull out any leaf bits you can find to use as tinder (or Grindr if you're on an Apple machine). Let's see if there are other threads:
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/how-to-smoke-flake-tobacco

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/flake-fold-rolltwist-amp-stuff-method

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/the-stuff-amp-twist-method

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/counter-intuitive-flake-technique

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/flakes

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/flakes-1

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/heres-the-rub-a-foolproof-flake-preparation

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/flake-tobacco-preparing-and-drying

 

[fatbob]

In my experience folding and stuffing is really an exploration of sipping vs puffing. If I just want to puff away I scoop and go with Carter Hall. If I'm in the mood for a long contemplative smoke, I'm folding and stuffing some FVF. Whenever I hear "sipping" I'm thinking of how conscious of the smoke I am when I fold and stuff. It's a great way to focus on the smoke and I find myself sipping more than puffing. Really one of the great escapes of enjoying pipe smoking, at least for me.

 

[pipeman7]

what is the old school british method of smoking flakes?

 

[khouji]

Virginia Tobacco pressed as a broken flake following the tradition of Charles

 

[pipeman7]

I mean fold n stuff or rubbed out. how are gawith flakes actually made to be smoked?

 

[python]

Here is an old article that I wrote about this:
Flake Pipe Tobacco Preparation

 

[Chasing Embers]

What's the secret?

For fold and stuff, they need room to expand. I let flakes dry overnight before doing this, and don't over fill the bowl as the flake needs lots of room to breath. Only tamp when absolutely necessary, and do so with a light touch.

 

[python]

The videos in the old articles no longer work, but you can see them here:
PipesMagazine Videos

 

[nevadablue]

Thanks for the links Bob. :clap:

 

[Chasing Embers]

And SPC's video. Flake Tobacco