Quote Originally Posted by Bruck View Post
Re stripping the mid-ribs on Yenidje - I don't go thru and strip every leaf of my orientals per se, but when I'm putting together a flake blend I'll pull out and discard the ribs that are thick enough to feel. Reason: the thicker ribs tend to mess up the consistency of the flake. Note, this is for the small, delicate oriental leaves. With the big, robust Virginias and Burleys, I always remove the main vein.

OTOH, you don't _need_ to strip them out - the veins are perfectly smokeable, and contain the same basic flavor and slightly less nicotine than the lamina. If they don't bother you, and go through the cutter okay, you can leave them in.
Thanks! That's just the answer I wanted to hear from an experienced source. Really enjoyed smoking some of the flake you sent. Although I probably should have let it sit out longer, it had rich, deep flavor that wouldn't quit and didn't change all the way to the bottom of the bowl. It was also very N rich and I had to put it down mid-bowl and pick it up 30 minutes later. The second light was just as good as the first and it finished without a trace of wetness. Did you treat it with Rum?