yeah uni flake is an amazing smoke. Incredible truely.
@TomStrasbourg Here is a picture of Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake from bulk The Celtic Talisman is a ribbon cut tobacco
(checks out his 1792 flake, facepalms)
Alright. Finally tried smoking actual flake today, out of my Dr. Grabow duke that hasn’t been used before. I ground up some 1792, rubbed it a bit and packed it to the brim. It was hard to get going but there were times that I got it going and had a good smoke.
@basement_shaman Are you storing your bulk flakes in mason jars?
technicaly most pipe tobaccos used to be a flake.
@Slide I use wire bail Jars for easy access and 8oz cobalt blue wide mouth packer Jars for long term storage this hold 2oz easy. bob- I disagree = Most pipe tobacco used to be a leaf ! not a flake ? technically
most are cut from flakes. I thought it wasn’t true when I first heard that, then I checked out the pieces of tobacco and noticed they were not just one leaf. Then again could be wrong but check it out.
It may differ a bunch from one manufacturer to another. A while ago, when Peter Stokkebye was in town doing his traveling presentation he showed a film about how the pipe tobaccos are made. It seemed like only their flakes were pressed and cut, interestingly it was unbelievable how frequently they have to change the blades in their cutting machines, I think just every few minutes or every 20 minutes or so. Sounds like it could be impractical to press and slice too many of them without good reason. I have noticed in at least one of MacBarens blends, some broken flake in the mix, but I wonder if that’s intentional to affect how that leaf burns.
Here are some brief descriptions from the Lane Limited trade brochure. Pipe Tobacco: Standard Cuts Most pipe tobaccos, and the majority of the pipe tobaccos in Lane’s portfolio, are cut following the casing and top flavor process. Here are the most common cuts: Loose Cut: A long, thin ribbon cut.Commonly found in many Captain Black and Lane Bulk blends. Broad Cut: The thickest cut, about twice as wide as a loose cut. Commonly used with air-cured Virginia which is then used to blend with other cuts. Cross Cut: A broad cut that is cut twice, creating small squares. Pipe Tobacco: Pressed Cuts With pressed cuts the tobacco is placed under extreme pressure and varying degrees of heat for an extended period oftime. The tobacco emerges in compressed cakes or rolls. A bit of fermentation also occurs during the process, which gives the tobacco a fuller, rounder taste. Pressed cuts usually contain little or no top flavor. Flake: The tobacco is placed under very high pressure varying degrees of heat. When the tobacco cake emerges, it is sliced into thin flakes, typically about 1-2 inches wide and 0.1 inches thick. You fold or lightly rub the flake to put it in your pipe. Ready Rubbed: Flake that has been created under slightly less pressure. The flake is partially separated so it can be readily smoked or combined with other cuts. Cube Cut: Flake tobacco that has been cut into small cubes. Roll Cake: Flake tobacco that is sliced more thinly than normal. The flakes are then rolled into a tight tube. Finally they are sliced again. The result is a thin medallion. Spun Cut: A time-intensive process where tobacco leaves are hand rolled into thin ropes as much as 60 feet long. The rope is then placed under compression and ultimately sliced into medallions, similar to roll cake. Pipe Tobacco Mixtures “Mixture” is a term often seen on pipe tobacco packages. As the name implies, it is simply a mix of different tobacco types, cuts and flavors.
I smoked some 1792 flake today rubbed out more or less in different parts. It was a pain in the as to get going, but towards the middle I got it going and it was pipe smokers’ heaven. Sweet, rich, with an odd bright almost zesty or tart sorta note to it.