How much do you rub out your flake

[gboyet93]

I have noticed that the finer I rub out my flake, the better its smokes. I have found that if I rub my flake out to a consistency similar to the cut of Prince Albert, that I get a much better burn than if I do not rub it out as much, and leave it in larger chunks. So the question is, how fine do you rub your out your flake?

[Mad Hatter]

Varying degrees from cube cut to crumbled depending on blend and maker.

[Requiem]

Also depending on the pipe (narrow or large bowls) and on where it's smoked (outdoors or indoors and wind strenght).

[Mister Moo]

Also depending on how dry the flake is...

[MarkC]

My first flake experience was just last month, so I have no idea what the proper technique is. I just rolled the flake up the long way and snipped it with scissors into small pieces. Any attempt at rubbing it out just resulted in long strings that had to be snipped anyway, so I skipped that part.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by MarkC

... I have no idea what the proper technique is. I just rolled the flake up the long way and snipped it with scissors...

Different takes for different flakes.

Mac Baren - How to fill a pipe

How to Enjoy Flake Tobacco

Flake Tobacco

YouTube - How to fill flake tobacco into pipe for smoking

Smoking Pipe

How To Fill A Pipe With Flake Tobacco - Video

Pipe Lore: The trick to smoking flakes

Try to keep your stomach hairs out of the bowl is my only advice.

[louistogie]

Good info, thanks!

[Mad Hatter]

Originally Posted by MarkC

My first flake experience was just last month, so I have no idea what the proper technique is. I just rolled the flake up the long way and snipped it with scissors into small pieces. Any attempt at rubbing it out just resulted in long strings that had to be snipped anyway, so I skipped that part.

If my fingers stick to it I cube-cut. If it crumbles easily I crumble it. If it rubbed out into little splinters I fold and stuff and if its a roll cake I just tear it up.

[MarkC]

Thanks for the links, Mister Moo! I'd love to work on my technique right now, but unfortunately, that tin of FVF went so fast I'm not sure what happened. Could it be that I actually like straight Virginias? This obviously needs more research, which I will commence with my next tobacco order!

[RJpuffs]

Well it depends on the blend and its unique characteristics (and quirks).

SG flakes are soggy and springy, they get rubbed out a bit more to help dry 'em.

Reiner's LGF/71 I prefer to fold 'n stuff - but sometimes I screw up the fold and end up having to rub it out. In that case, a coarse rub to preserve some of the original "flakiness".

Veermaster is one I prefer to rub out much finer, I find it tastes better this way.

Escudo just disentigrates into a perfect fine-rub-out. I can't fold 'n stuff this one no matter how much I tried, the coin shape makes it impossible to get a level lighting surface.

[AcworthAl]

I have tried it both ways (twist and shove) and rubb out. It seems to have more to do with the bowl of the pipe than the tobacco, but what do I know.

[Dedalus]

since I'm still learning I experiment all different kinds of flake loading. Rubbing out seems to produce the easiest smoke, but twist and shove creates a nice slow, mellow burn...though requires more attention I find...but I still suck at this after 9 months of flakes.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Dedalus

...but I still suck at this after 9 months of flakes.

So many flakes, so many pipe shapes and sizes, moisture levels are all over the board... weird burns and weird handling instructions compared to nice easy ribbon tobak. How does a pipe smoker ever figure our flakes? It took me a couple of years of by-guess and by-golly and, now, I mostly prefer flake tobacco of one kind or another.

When someone says, "I just fold it and stuff it in the bowl" you might find, like other filling methods, it isn't as simple as it seems if you're expecting a quick light, even burn and ash to the bottom.

For new pipe smokers my general flake-take is this:

1. Get a few ounces of one certain flake and stick with it until you figure it out. One of the great products in my view (it comes in bulk, by the way) is Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake. There are many others that are great introductions to flakes quality and technique but LBF is readily available, consistent, not a hot smoker and easy to handle.

2. Smoke some half-bowls fill until you figure out expansion. Some flakes will swell up quite a bit a few minutes after lighting and most require gentle tamps to prevent plugging up the works. Been there. Done that. If you plug up a bowl with a flake best you just empty it and start again. A lot of pointy-pipe-tool airhole-drilling into flake-plugs just isn't going to further your education at the get go.

3. Consider flakes can be:

quite moist (they bend 90* but don't really break - they're chewy like);
less moist (they bend and then tend to break somewhat); and
dry-ish (when folded the bend tends to break cleanly).

More moist can mean more swelling in the bowl along with the usual dribbles, gurgles and tendency to a hot smoke. Take care with moist flakes as they may bite and/or plug up your pipe. Less moist is mostly good. Dry-ish makes for easy rubbing and, sometimes, a tastier smoke. Try a flake at diffferent moisture levels to see where flavor and ease of smoking is best for you.

4. Most flakes can be reduced (rubbed out) to shreds before filling. The texture, after rubbing out, is stringy or shag-like and fine to smoke. Some flakes (like Krumble Kake/Penzance) tend to crumble rather than shred. If suitably suitably dry most flakes can be folded and stuffed or screwed in a bowl.

5. When you just can't get a stuffed/screwed flake to light there is a lot to be said for sprinkling some if it, finely crumbled, atop the bowl and trying a relight. This method often get a flake burning easily AND evenly.

Knowing how to smoke flake tobak is one of those things you need to experience - there's teriffic stuff out there in Flakeville. Go slow, learn the nuances and don't mess yourself up by having a bunch of different flakes all going at the same time.

[commonsenseman]

Great advice Moo!

[MarkC]

You know that feeling when you're on an early learning curve, and you're learning a lot and suddenly the ground goes out from under you and you're not sure what the heck's going on anymore? Well, that's me with flakes right now. When you people are talking flakes, I'm thinking something like Full Virginia Flake. But I see Union Square called a flake, and I can't even pull a so-called flake out of the tin without it pulling apart. Same with Black Woods Flake. So what exactly is a flake?

(Talk about loaded questions...)