A Guide to Smoking Flake
Smoking a flake is probably one of the things a pipe smoker particularly appreciates. The cool burn, the perfect tobacco blend, and the ritualistic preparation combine to create a truly exquisite experience.
Enjoying flake pipe tobacco isn't difficult. While there are many ways to prepare a flake for the pipe, here is what I believe to be the best and most practical method.
- 1. Folding: Take as many flake slices as you want to smoke in a pipe and as will fit in one bowl. This might be half a slice, but for larger pipes, it could certainly be more than one. Fold the slice lengthwise in the middle so that you end up with approximately half slices stacked on top of each other.
- 2. Folding: Hold the folded tobacco at the ends and slowly bend it in the middle to form a U. The tobacco will loosen slightly at the bottom of the bend. You can gently compress the loosened tobacco to make it easier to pack into the pipe.
- 3. Packing: While holding the tobacco at the ends of the U-shape the entire time, pack it into the pipe, perhaps with a slight twisting motion. Occasionally, some tobacco will protrude above the pipe bowl. This can simply be pinched off with your fingers.
- 4. Checking the draw: Now regulate the draw of your pipe as usual by gently pressing down on the bowl.
- 5. Lighting: Now the pipe can be lit evenly.
It may be a little more difficult to light the flake, as it is a compressed tobacco. But once the flake is glowing, the rest is almost effortless.
Enjoy your flake and its multifaceted flavor!