Virginia Flake Pipes

[smoker13]

What pipe(s) do you find your favorite smoker for VA flakes? I'm after the shape more than the brand, but if you want to include that as well, that would be equally appreciated.

 

[ZeroContent]

You're going to get a ton of answers. I prefer skinnier bowls from some and larger for others. My main VA/VaPer pipes are dublins and billiard shapes but shape doesn't really matter. It's going to be bowl size and shape. All mine straight sided between .9" and .7" diameter bowls.

 

[monbla256]

My preference is for a nice grp4/5 Pot but then that's the shape I have the most of !! :twisted: I smoke straight Va's flake or ribbon almost exclusively and have found that it really doesn't matter smoking wise as long as it's a good smoking pipe ! But then I'm an old codger smoker with over 40 years of smoking so what would I know !! :twisted: :twisted:

 

[ftrplt]

In my 51+ years with this wonderful hobby, I take tobacco...Load it in pipe...Light it...Smoke it I've never really attached a pipe's shape/size to a particular 'baccy. :no: FWIW :cheers: FTRPLT

 

[tarheel7734]

Hard for me to say. Up till recently all I had were group 5 bent bulldogs. Now I have a group 5 bent billiard I am trying to smoke Va andI Va/per blends out of and smoke English and Balkans out of the dogs.

 

[MisterE]

I prefer narrow bowls, group 3 or smaller.

 

[Brewdude]

I smoke a lot of 'ginny flakes, but don't necessarily gravitate towards one particular shape or size. Rather, I just find whatever pipe works best with that blend.

Right now my flake pipe is a Ser Jacopo Per Aspera Poker/Cherrywood, but that has more to do with how much I enjoy that particular pipe from all aspects. And that one has a rather deep chamber but not too wide (I'm guessing 1.75 deep x .75 wide).

And then again the trusty Wiley Rhody/Dublin with a tapered chamber is one of my best smokers.

So there ya go!



Cheers,

RR

 

[smoker13]

Back when I was smoking regularly, my best flake pipe was a prince from pipeworks Wilke. Also my Nachtwalter bent Dublin. I never really thought about shape to tobacco either until now that I'm going to start up again I'm buying pipes left and right and since VA and VaPer flakes (and ribbons) are my favorites, I started wondering if I perhaps should be blowing my dough on particular shaped pipes.

 

[smoker13]

How many grammatical errors can you spot in that run-on sentence?

 

[KevinM]

My fave Va. flake pipes have bowls with vertical walls that are narrow enough that my forefinger pretty much touches the walls and goes down to a depth of mid-way between the first and second knuckle. My theory is that Vas tend to burn on the hot side, so a tall, narrow, thick-walled bowl tends to deliver more flavor with less heat. That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it, all other things being equal, of course.

 

[RDPipes]

I smoke a lot of 'ginny flakes, but don't necessarily gravitate towards one particular shape or size. Rather, I just find whatever pipe works best with that blend.

Took the words right outta my mouth!

 

[smoker13]

Makes sense to me, Kevin!

 

[Stick]

I'm with FTRPLT...

I fancy some flake and I browse my pipes to make a choice (which is invariably different every time). But that's just me with considerably less experience of piping than most on the BoB.

 

[Richard Burley]

It seems to me that the size and shape of a flake pipe would be dictated by whatever fits the fold and stuff method of smoking flakes and the quantity used. But if you rub, chop, shave, scissor, or dice the flake, then anything within reason would be suitable. My preference would of course be the corn cob, superior for all "straight" types of tobacco, i.e. burleys and virginias. (Don't like 'em that much for latakia blends and aromatics, for some reason.) JMO, of course.

One exception: I do have a relatively small, narrow-bowled Castello billiard that fits some smokers' idea of what a flake pipe should be, and it performs awesomely, if that's a word. One of my favorite pipes. So, who can generalize?

 

[SpeedyPete]

I find smoking flakes in a briar pipe gives the best results

 

[thedeep]

I prefer a straight-sided bowl, 3/4", deep as I can get--stacks work great. Outer shape? Who cares as long as the inner shape is right. I like stacks because it lets me leave an air space below the tobacco.

 

[Zeno Marx]

In my 51+ years with this wonderful hobby, I take tobacco...Load it in pipe...Light it...Smoke it I've never really attached a pipe's shape/size to a particular 'baccy. :no: FWIW :cheers: FTRPLT

Less time smoking, but I pretty much agree. Of course, I have had pipes that had better chemistry with certain types of tobacco, but that sympatico has proven to be random.