How To Fold and Stuff Flakes: Don't Bother (Yet)

[Mister Moo]

I am the Flake Whisperer.

Flake tobacco is fantastic. I hardly smoke anything else and it has been that way for years. I mean to say, I LOVE me some flake pipe tobacco. If you are stuck in the uber-simple ribbon- or shag rut you need to see what the cat daddy of pipe tobaccos has to over. But, I have to be honest here - there's a catch.

Seems like folks think you can just take a flake and roll it up (or fold it), jam it in a pipe and be flake-smoking in one minute. I my experience, this is pretty much myth. Here's the deal. There are more kinds of flakes than Carter has pills. There are wet ones, dry ones, thick ones, thin ones, floppy ones, crumbly ones, leathery ones, ultra-compressed ones and practically everything in between. Let me add that, unlike ribbon or shag, flakes will often warm up and expand slowly (unlike most ribbons that just go "POOF" when the match hits the rim).

Here's my take on fold and stuff. If you're just getting acquainted with flakes (square, rectangular, thick, thin or round), do exactly that - get acquainted with one type of flake. Maximize lighting and burning potential by busting or shredding the flake to pieces. This creates more surface area and promotes easier combustion. Gently moosh, don't mash, the mess evenly in a pipe and fire it up topsides good and hard. Like most tobacco it will quickly go out. Here's the trick when you tamp and relight - tamp ever so gently because what's in the bowl hasn't gotten near hot enough yet to expand. If you mash it down it will compact and, as it heats up, compact some more and plug up the pipe. No pipe tool pick will save you from this, by the way. Keep lighting and keep tamping very gently until you find the sweet burning spot. Thereafter, you may find it's a perfect sweet smoke and you'll stick with mooshing a rubbed out mess in your pipe. Or you may gradually learn the burning and expansion characteristics have some leeway and you can improve step by step toward less shredding and more tamping.

Really leathery well compressed flakes (like SG Full Virginia Flake or 1792) can wear you out unless you rub them out or unless they are quite dry. How dry is dry on the Three-Point Moo Scale?

1. Really dry. Bend a flake in half and it snaps cleanly. This is not a bad thing for some flakes.
2. About right for most flakes. Bend a flake in half and about 50% of it fractures - half breaks and half holds together.
3. Wet enough to wear you out. Bend a flake in half and nothing breaks. In fact, you might be able to tie it in a knot.

Until you're experienced with a flake take the time to go partial bowl of something well rubbed out. Light it hard and tamp it like a butterfly kiss.

Fold and stuff for rookies? Sure. Try MacBaren's Navy Flake after it airs out for a few minutes.

A range of tasty, easy to manage gear for the new-to-flake?

1. MacBaren's Navy Flake (predominant burley - very nice)
2. Erinmore Flake (mildly aromatic - tasty as heck, known as the Juicy Fruit of pipe tobacco)
3. Samuel Gawith Navy Flake ( hint of latakia - very nice)
4. Dunhill Flakes (aka GAF - sweeet to grassy to piquant straight virginia)
5. MacBaren's Stockton (a cute little curly-cut flake, virginia and cavendish - rich but not too strong)

So many more but each needs a little patient exploration to find the limits. When you crack the code and expand your horizons (and flakes) I guarantee the effort will have been worthwhile.

[Shemp Jizzle]

How dare you not add the Glorious OGS??? (Orlik Golden Sliced)

A must try Flake

[Emperor Zurg]

I've recently discovered the wonders of folded and stuffed flakes thanks to @commonsenseman 's thread on the subject and @freestoke 's supplementary comments (basically light the hell out of it). Now I find I like some tobaccos folded and stuffed and others rubbed out. I.E. I like 1792 folded and stuffed but Old Dark Fired is much better fully rubbed out IMO. Don't much care for Erinmore either way. Didn't care much for Glengarry folded and stuffed because I couldn't get it to burn but cube cut, it was sublime. I'll be watching this thread for more educational tidbits I can add to my flake technique arsenal.

[Mister Moo]

...(Orlik Golden Sliced)

A must try Flake

Yes, a must try and not hard to smoke either. Thing with me and OGS is, before I get halfway through a tin it always gets boring. I used to mix the second half with varying percentages of Carter Hall or, more often, bulk McClelland 5100 red cake virginia (always a good blender) but finally decided to pursue other flake avenues.

While not my fave I 100% respect your pick of a great product and, particularly, good for new flakists. 100g tin. Better like it. Shoot - everyone does except me.

[Mister Moo]

I've recently discovered the wonders of folded and stuffed flakes thanks to @commonsenseman 's thread on the subject...

What I forget lately is the stuff of legend. Yes, excellent post. He is two years down the road whereupon skills change dramatically; here above is purely for the rookie.

[NeverBend]

@Mistermoo,

Dan, excellent post.

Your point about the expansion of the tobacco, while smoking, should be highlighted. Anticipated the draw beyond the pack. I do smoke moist so I err on the side of loose. Long ago I put a lot of thought into packing flakes but by now I tend to be automatic. I never dry or cut the flakes so I adjust based on the moisture, component leaf, manufacturer and how it's cut but Dan's comments made me pause to reflect on the particulars.

I use whole or partially broken flakes at the bottom of the bowl to prevent particles from entering the stem. Light pressure and a draw check that should be easy with only a minimal of resistance. I'll drip in all the small pieces and press them with a similarly light touch and draw and I finish with more complete flakes with more pressure and some resistance in the draw. I smoke a lot of Gawith Hoggarth flakes (duh) that are long so I feed and press them into place and break off the unused portion for the next smoke. I never pack a flake past the rim. Larger pieces at the top of the bowl reduce the flying embers (hate them) and slow the burn but it will take a little more diligence to light. I use stick (or paper) matches because I can control the light better and they burn cooler than butane (helpful with a stubborn flake).
I'd add Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake as a good beginner flake.

Didn't care much for Glengarry folded and stuffed because I couldn't get it to burn but cube cut, it was sublime. I'll be watching this thread for more educational tidbits I can add to my flake technique arsenal.

Nothing wrong with cubing the flake, especially a thick and coarse one like Glengarry. If it was sublime, you did something right.

[Cool Breeze]

I haven't met many flakes I didn't like.

I prefer my Virginias and Vapers in flake form. Had some St. James Flake today.
I generally rub them out but there are a few I'll fold and stuff.

[mooster]

A lot of my favorites are flakes, but I never fold and stuff. Just because you can do something doesn't mean it's a good idea...

[c.ortiz108]

Not to throw a monkey wrench in the works, but what about coins? I just got some Flake Medallions and they have that core of black cavendish. Not quite sure what to do with it..... rub out like flake? Are the different tobaccos in the coin supposed to be integrated while smoking, or left separate so you get some changes?

[NeverBend]

Not to throw a monkey wrench in the works, but what about coins? I just got some Flake Medallions and they have that core of black cavendish. Not quite sure what to do with it..... rub out like flake? Are the different tobaccos in the coin supposed to be integrated while smoking, or left separate so you get some changes?

Chico, treat the coins like round flakes and you can fully rub them out or not as works best for you.

A lot of my favorites are flakes, but I never fold and stuff. Just because you can do something doesn't mean it's a good idea...

Mark, to each his own. I smoke broken pieces at the end of the tin and like it less, burns faster, with more edge and less nuance.

When it comes to any pressed tobacco, whatever way you pack that smokes best is a good method but my preference is to break it out as little as possible.