Getting ready to try some Luxury Navy Flake. I see that in can be rubbed out, folded, or rolled and stuffed.
Which method do you recommend?
Thanks
Which method do you recommend?
Thanks
Flake Preparation Method
- Thread starter srgjazz
- Start date
I have yet to master fold and stuffing. I rub mine out, let dry a bit and smoke. Owen has mastered the fold and stuff and feels it tastes way better that way.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I haven't tried that flake, so I don't know it's characteristics, but I tend to go one of three ways with flake:
Thin Flakes:
For such as Condor Long Cut, I will fold and stuff, but I will also fish out some broken bits, rub them out, and put them on the top as "kindling" to get the bowl started.
Thicker Flakes:
The Sam Gawith flakes I have tried, have been a much thicker cut than the Condor. I can't get a decent smoke from it by folding and stuffing. I find it too dense for that.
If I'm inside with table space, or a tray on my lap, I'll "cube cut" it. That's cutting across the grain so it breaks into little cuboids of tobacco. I'll load them by gravity only, don't "pack" it, and put some fubbed out stuff on top again to help it catch.
If I'm out somewhere, and don't have a worktop of sorts for the cube cutting, I'll just rub the whole flake out and lightly pack.
Thin Flakes:
For such as Condor Long Cut, I will fold and stuff, but I will also fish out some broken bits, rub them out, and put them on the top as "kindling" to get the bowl started.
Thicker Flakes:
The Sam Gawith flakes I have tried, have been a much thicker cut than the Condor. I can't get a decent smoke from it by folding and stuffing. I find it too dense for that.
If I'm inside with table space, or a tray on my lap, I'll "cube cut" it. That's cutting across the grain so it breaks into little cuboids of tobacco. I'll load them by gravity only, don't "pack" it, and put some fubbed out stuff on top again to help it catch.
If I'm out somewhere, and don't have a worktop of sorts for the cube cutting, I'll just rub the whole flake out and lightly pack.
Assuming all things being equal, is there a flavor difference between the different packing methods in your opinion?
There is a feel to it for certain. I mean that you begin to know the level of moistness. Rubbed out is perhaps the most reliable. For me small amounts rolled works fine.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Not so much flavour, as a cooler and slower smoke from the larger pieces than rubbed out. That in itself changes the flavour, but it's the cooler and slower elements that i'm chasing, rather than just flavour.
Also, when I have managed to get thicker folded and stuffed flake to burn, it just burnt down the centre, leaving a reduced flavour tobacco lining the walls. So the first third of the smoke when it's tunnelling down the centre is full of flavour, then once the sides have been picked at, folded over, and relit, the other two thirds of the smoke range from bland to grim.
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You might also like cube cutting it. Not my preferred method (I run it out and dry it) but variety is the spice of life. Enjoy.
I was going to join srgjazz but I found a jar of Escudo I put away in 2018. Had I known I would have bought more.
That is why I tend to buy multiple tins. Hedging the bet that no matter the blend it will be great after some aging.
And Escudo peaks at 20 years 
As to LNF when I started out pipe smoking I had best smokes by rubbing it out. The jar I'm currently working on is all broken up at the bottom so I just pull from that. I can accordian fold it and get decent success with that. I can't roll that well. It usually breaks apart .
SG Flakes I tend to break up. Stonehaven I can roll up. Been too long since I've smoked Marlin Flake. Old Dark Fired I tend to rub out as well. Short flakes don't roll as well in my experiences.
As to LNF when I started out pipe smoking I had best smokes by rubbing it out. The jar I'm currently working on is all broken up at the bottom so I just pull from that. I can accordian fold it and get decent success with that. I can't roll that well. It usually breaks apart .
SG Flakes I tend to break up. Stonehaven I can roll up. Been too long since I've smoked Marlin Flake. Old Dark Fired I tend to rub out as well. Short flakes don't roll as well in my experiences.
And Escudo peaks at 20 years
As to LNF when I started out pipe smoking I had best smokes by rubbing it out. The jar I'm currently working on is all broken up at the bottom so I just pull from that. I can accordian fold it and get decent success with that. I can't roll that well. It usually breaks apart .
SG Flakes I tend to break up. Stonehaven I can roll up. Been too long since I've smoked Marlin Flake. Old Dark Fired I tend to rub out as well. Short flakes don't roll as well in my experiences.
I've one unopened tin. Am I going to wait 18 years. . . no . . . but then again I might not find it for a few years.
Eh, buy a sleeve of ten. You'll thank yourself later.
- Thread starter
- #14
I did a modified roll and stuff and it worked fine. Unfortunately I did not not care for the LNF all Too sweet and not nearly enough body for me. Luckily I had it in a Cob so I dumped it an filled my Bones Stubby Anse with Arango and entered Nirvana directly.
It is a lighter blend. Lots of lighter Virginia's and a touch of perique. Don't rule it out. But if you love the Balkan Supreme stick with that. There are English style flakes.
A flake medallion like Escudo or Luxury Bullelseye Flake should have more body.
Depends on my mood. Rub out and stuff is easier to light and maintain, but it’s fun to fold and stuff every once in awhile. If you’re looking for a Flake with more body, try Peterson Irish Flake.
Most of my flakes are MacBaren, which seem to be at the perfect moisture level right out of the tin. Stuff like Samuel Gawith FVF needs some drying time. Basically I fold the flake in half lengthwise, then fold the ends together to make a U shape. The closed part of the U is inserted to the bottom of the bowl. I think it is easier to light the ends than the solid bottom of the U, if that makes sense. I think part of the flavor difference is as someone else said- it smokes slower and cooler. This really makes the flavors pop out.
When first inserted in the bow it will be loose. That is cool- the tobacco will expand quite a bit once lit. It takes a little practice to get the feel of it (luckily for me, MacB flakes are the same size), but it isn’t any magic to figure out. Just realize that the first 5 or 6 times may be off. Once you got it, you got it It also cuts down on prep time.
Exaggerated fold using a piece of paper. First is flake. Second is flake folded in half lengthwise. Last picture shows it ready to stuff.
Ah, so it’s pretty loose in the bowl. Much loose than I have been trying.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Just realised that I never mentioned bowl sizes.
Flakes that I smoke rolled and stuffed, tend to be used in narrower bowls, to avoid/minimise the unburnt tobacco against the wall I mentioned before. I load the cube cut flakes into a medium bowl, as the pieces fall into mesh better. Rubbed out flakes I'll happily load in any bowl size, but most often I'll use a medium sized bowl.
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