Rub Out the Flakes?

[Mister Moo]

There are many textures of flake tobacco; some rub out easily into ribbon-ish pieces (MacBarens Navy Flake, a flat, thin-cut fragile flake, for example) and some are more self-adhesive and hold together better (Escudo, a round flake, for example). The two names mentioned above are virginia tobaks.

Stonehaven, a burley-content flake comes in very long, flat pieces. It is almost leathery in appearance. Like the others mentioned, Stonehaven can be folded and stuffed or rubbed out more-or-less for a good smoke.

Another flake cut tobacco is generically referred to as crumble-cake (like the trademarked "Krumble Kake". It is similar in texture and flavor to the very popular Penzance.) These products will break into crumb-like pieces with the slightest effort. KK and Pes are both intense latakia based smokes. I think you love it or you hate it.

Every smoker has his own preference on how to smoke a flake. With time and experience you may decide that some flakes taste better rubbed out and other taste better folded, screwed and stuffed into a bowl. Like most tobacco you fill a pipe with, flakes expand as they are heated. Be careful not to to fill a pipe tightly, especially with a flake. If you do, it'll swell up and plug the bowl in a few minutes. Similarly, avoid tamping a flake down to the point you feel much draw resistance or a plugged pipe will not be far behind.

As a novice I found flake tobacco a little discouraging but, over time, grew to enjoy it.

MacBarens has a good page on flake "how-to" that you benefit from reading. http://www.mac-baren.com/TopMenu/Exp...ll-a-pipe.aspx

And last but not least, which flake did you buy?