Any recommendations? Many here say tall and narrow. Can you point me at something specific? Preferably around $200 or less!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Ultimate Virginia Flake Pipe?
- Thread starter bcharles123
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Before laying out serious cash for a briar flake pipe, try smoking flakes in a Missouri Meerschaum Eaton and MM Missouri Pride. That should tell you just how narrow you want to go. The bowl height decision may come down to your aesthetic sensibilities.
Stanwell pipes tend to have narrow bowl dimensions. Also, french manufacturers such as Chacom and Sébastien Beo are great bang for your buck with smaller bowls.
I've also heard that wider bottom than the lip, a volcano shaped pipe is really good for flakes. I have a peterson Shackleton explorer that is like this and I smoke flakes in it.
A small pipe with a deeper bowl works for me. Billiards, Canadians, and Dublins. I always find flake, plug and rope burn longer than loose tobacco, so you can get most of an hour out of a pipe that would only go 20/30 minutes with most loose tobacco, though this can be variable.
A standard pipe somewhere around 19x38mm is a fine starting place and should smoke any flake well, all things considered. There isn't one flake pipe to rule them all though. Varying the size and shape of the bowl can alter the flavor of your tobacco to a degree. My flake pipes range from 15-23mm in diameter. In general I find that anything below18mm emphasizes the high notes and brings a bit more sweetness while wider diameters push the mid to lower notes to prominence.
It really depends on the flake. Some, like Union Square are really dynamic and are interesting across a bunch of pipes while others like BBF tend to get flat and muddy in wider bowls (but not always!).
There was a time I was obsessed with the notion of the ideal flake pipe. I've since realized you have to match the flake to the pipe and no the other way round.
It really depends on the flake. Some, like Union Square are really dynamic and are interesting across a bunch of pipes while others like BBF tend to get flat and muddy in wider bowls (but not always!).
There was a time I was obsessed with the notion of the ideal flake pipe. I've since realized you have to match the flake to the pipe and no the other way round.
Good stuff everyone! I will look for a smaller size classic shape in the "Canadian" style or similar. The cob idea is a non brainier and I'll order a few next time around. I always need a few of these anyway!
I'm gonna fire up my Ropp Cherrywood poker right now with some Sixpence. The bowl is rather narrow and conical and the draw is nice and open. I've got an old meer lined Canadian I love to smoke flake in, and of course a bunch of cobs, including two I think of as especially good with flake. These 2 are old estate acquisitions I think are Beuscher's. They've got about a 5/8 diam. bowl and fairly long straight stems. I guess I tend to gravitate toward a longer stem pipe and small bowl for flake. The long stem helps keep me in mind of a straw.
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