Packing Flake

[beetlejazz]

Lately my favorite method has been cubing flakes when I have the time. I cut them crosswise the grain 1/8 to 1/4 inch strips which will break up into little cubes. I just gravity fill and go. No pressure necessary. It really seems loose at first, but when you light it, it expands nicely and fills out the bowl.

Holy moly! :shock: I just tried this (with SG Balkan flake) and had probably the most pleasant, effortless smoke ever so far. Lovely thick, smooth mouthfuls of smoke. Felt a bit sorry to break the flake first ("Am I missing some essential part of flakeliness of a flake here?") but damn I can't WAIT to try this on the Irish Flake one the spoils of my recent TAD-attack arrive.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Holy moly! :shock: I just tried this (with SG Balkan flake) and had probably the most pleasant, effortless smoke ever so far. Lovely thick, smooth mouthfuls of smoke. Felt a bit sorry to break the flake first ("Am I missing some essential part of flakeliness of a flake here?") but damn I can't WAIT to try this on the Irish Flake one the spoils of my recent TAD-attack arrive.

Irish Flake is soooooo gooooood.... I'm gonna "cube" that one, too... watch out for the nic-hit. :drunken: :drunken: :drunken:

8)

 

[Anonymous]

partially (usually mostly) rubbed out tobacco.

= "Broken Flake."

People like to shorten things though.

:face:

:cat: :cat: :cat: :cat: :cat: :cat: :cat:

 

[cds43]

I have always folded and stuffed my flakes but I am going to try the cube method next and see how it goes. Hard to believe I can just gravity fill with no problems.

 

[i.keenum]

I always find that with really fine tobacco I'll occasionally have the problem of the draft hole being blocked. Does this happen often when you cube cut? I've never tried it. Just seems when I'm finishing off a tin and smoking all the last bits and pieces, in half way through the smoke the perfect size chunk will lodge right in the hole.

 

[Slide]

I always find that with really fine tobacco I'll occasionally have the problem of the draft hole being blocked. Does this happen often when you cube cut? I've never tried it. Just seems when I'm finishing off a tin and smoking all the last bits and pieces, in half way through the smoke the perfect size chunk will lodge right in the hole.

I haven't had a problem with cube cut blocking the draft hole. I don't cube them small enough for it to be a problem. I cube them to about 1/8" to 3/16" or so.

I really like how cube cut smokes. It's easy and I find I have less relights. Seems to smoke a little cooler for me as well.
When I'm bored I will sit down and cube cut an ounce or two at a time and put them in a 4 oz mason jar. So I don't feel it is a big time issue for each smoke.

 

[monbla256]

Since I now smoke only three Flake Va's , Blackwoods Flake and Fragrant Matured #2000 and Dunhill Flake I just rub them out completely and dry 'em out a bit before loading and lighting up. The first two are really broken flakes so cutting and cubbing or fold 'n stuff doesn't present itself as an option and the Dunhill works well for me this way as well. I just take a few "pinches" of them ( one or two solid flakes for the Dunhill) rub/crumble 'em up into a small saucer I use for this and let 'em dry a bit under the desk lamp on my desk. Usually 10 to 15 minutes under the lamp dries 'em out to what I like and whill they are drying, I usually "crumble/rub" 'em a bit more to where I am packing a ribbon sort of cut. Packed loose at the bottom, and a bit firmer on top, I get nice even burn, no bite and usually a consistent burn thru the bowl. I don't smoke uncut plugs so don't have to deall with that hastle ( I have and none I've smoked were what I wanted to continue to smoke) . This has worked for me for many years now so I'll probably continue on my merry way this way

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Ian, going for a cube-cut on the flakes (even plugs) is more for flavor than burn quality or performance for me. Although the two might be slightly intertwined, come to think of it, which is why there is a flavor change...

...in any case, on my end, the draw is nearly identical and I don't notice a difference in condensation or heat between rubbing out or cube cutting, cubing just exposes more sides of each tobacco cube a bit more. Consistency in taste, if that's what one is after, can be had with some cube cutting, but often the dynamics and certain subtle flavors can't stand up and say "hello" quite as easily (and in those cases (or act like small flavor surprises), so I'll rub out a flake to a "chunky ribbon").

Cubes have never given me obstruction problems. The times I do have any kind of obstruction problems, I lightly cover the top of the chamber with my finger/thumb, puff strongly out through the stem, and back in again, and it dislodges any errant bits (which if left in there, can cause some awful moisture problems due to disruption of the airway during a smoke). A pipe cleaner to sweep/push out any offending bits works okay, too.

8)

 

[MisterE]

I always find that with really fine tobacco I'll occasionally have the problem of the draft hole being blocked. Does this happen often when you cube cut? I've never tried it. Just seems when I'm finishing off a tin and smoking all the last bits and pieces, in half way through the smoke the perfect size chunk will lodge right in the hole.

If you are sucking a lot of cubes through the stem you might make a little "pillow" for the bottom of the bowl. Leave a 3/4 inch of the flake in tact after cutting the strips off, then ball that up and drop it in the bowl. If the 'bac is still fairly moist it´ll expand a bit and you can just pour the cubes on top of it. It acts like a little screen/filter. I do this sometimes. Getting the airways clogged seems more problematic for me when the 'bac is dry. When it's moist it seems to hold together better.

I'm smoking some SG Navy Flake right now that I cubed up and it's not giving me any problems. It's at the factory moisture level.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Yak told me about something similar to that, making a "brillo pad" or something of that nature at the bottom of the bowl. I hadn't thought of that for cubing flake; I don't have problems getting mouthfuls of tobacco cubes. Now, if I were to cube flake into a cob with its wider draft hole, this might be worth applying. I've been too reserved to dump cube-cut into a cob--hadn't put the two together. Until now.

8)