I want to try a Flake

Brothers of Briar

Help Support Brothers of Briar:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
scotties22

scotties22

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 10, 2012
Messages
904
Reaction score
0
What is the best one for a beginner to start with? I'm looking for something on the lighter side of things......all I smoke are aro's at the moment.
 
Your'e gonna get a million replies on this one girl !!:lol:  Since you are at this time an "Aro smoker"  my recommendation would be to try some of McClelland's Fragrant Matured 2000. It is a nice sweet tasting, nice room note easy smoking broken flake. It does have McC's trademark "ketchup" tin note, but NO ketchup taste, though it's sold as a bulk blend only, which is nice as you can get as much as you want to try. :lol:  Rub it out well, let dry for at least 15 minutes ( I rub mine out on a small saucer, just a bowls worth at at time, and put it under a desk lamp for about 15 minutes) then load it up not to tightly, and put a match or two to it and sit back and enjoy !! It's a nice, soft, sweet intro to the world of Va Flakes IMHO. Remember to sip it as it is a Va ( mainly Red Virginias) mixture and it can bite if you get real aggressive with it  :twisted:
 
A lot are Va or VaPer.  There are some that are top dressed with aromatics.  Va are a nice next step as the are mild/sweet for the most part.  The negative is they tend to be a bit hot and are a contemplative smoke.   One highly viewed is the Dunhill flake.  That wouldn't be a bad place to start.  

There are a couple of ways for you to try it.  One is to rub it out.  I do that in my palm.  I fold it into thirds and then rub a bit.  Don't overdo it as that can add a bit of heat.  Sophisticated smokers (ahem) fold and stuff.  I fold in half and then form a bundle which I squeeze a bit.  The objective looks like match sticks.  Then the bundle is inserted into the bowl. There are some that cut it up into chunks but I always thought that too much work and I'm lazy.  

The VaPer side has Perique and that adds a spicy/peppery note.  PS Luxury Navy Flake is my everyday goto.  But, frankly I'd start with a Va and then try a VaPer later on.

P.S. There is another thread on this topic active. You can see where Monbla is coming from about responses. ;)
 
Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake -- Very user friendly
 
Hahahahaaaa....I have been following that thread. I am a blonde though, so I get a pass on not catching on quickly
 
Yep, there's a lot of Flakes around here it's just who to choose. I mean which to choose.:lol!: 
 
scotties22":x6sugb22 said:
What is the best one for a beginner to start with?  I'm looking for something on the lighter side of things......all I smoke are aro's at the moment.
Click to expand...
Presuming you mean a straight Virginia flake....Dunhill Flake, Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake, and/or McCrainies Red Flake. FWIW:cheers: FTRPLT
 
OGS (Orlik Golden Sliced) is also a really nice lightish flake to start with. It has a bit of perique, but it's pretty much muted to my tastes.

Very user friendly too. Comes at just the right moisture content right out of the tin. Naturally sweet in the VA way.

One of my faves.


Cheers,

RR
 
Brewdude":ccc518sg said:
OGS (Orlik Golden Sliced) is also a really nice lightish flake to start with. It has a bit of perique, but it's pretty much muted to my tastes.
Click to expand...
I will second this.

I am not the big flake expert, but I have a few I like a lot, and I smoke a bowl of flake tobacco almost every day. If a friend who smoked light blends or aros were at the house and said he or she wanted to try a first bowl of flake tobacco, I would reach for OGS. From what I smoke, this would be the best suited. If I were out of OGS, it would be PS Luxury Navy Flake.
 
Another option of a lighter flake is SG's Best Brown Flake. I find it rather mellow compared to something like Full VA Flake.
 
university flake! it's an aro. LNF bites me like a rabid monkey. also firedance flake, SG navy flake, MacBaren navy flake, 4th generation 1933. there are a good amount of sort of aro flakes by the gawith houses.
 
The first flake tobacco I tried when I was first starting out was MacBaren Navy Flake. It's got a good nutty / sweet flavor, mild-medium strength and a very pleasant room aroma.

The trick with flakes though is finding the right packing style for the way you smoke. You might be able to just fold the tobacco into the bowl and smoke it slow. Or you might find rubbing out the flake suits you better. Cutting into small cubes is another option.

Good luck on your search.
 
My favorites are McClelland Christmas Cheer and McCranies Red Flake. Preferably you want a tin with 5 to 10 years age on it, and these can be had easily on ebay.

If you want something straight out of the tin with little age, MacBaren Navy Flake is another of my favorites. It dries and rubs out very easily for someone new to flake tobaccos.
 
Just my $.02...Puff Daddy introduced me to an incredible flake that is real user friendly, great flavor and smooth - McBaren Stockton. It is a straight VA. I too would recommend PS Luxury Navy Flake for a try at a VaPer.
 
While I see that SG Navy Flake was suggested, I don't know if the touch of Latakia in it would appeal to an aro smoker. Gawith Hoggarth's rum flake doesn't have the Latakia, and is a bit sweeter. You might also want to consider Erinmore Flake (more fruit-driven) or that lightest of Lakelands, Glengarry Flake
 
scotties22":grkk97uo said:
Hahahahaaaa....I have been following that thread. I am a blonde though, so I get a pass on not catching on quickly
Click to expand...
You only get a pass on that if you're a bottle blonde, aint nothing short in the ol'brain department about natural blondes, same goes for bottle blondes actually but the stereotype stems from 'some' bottle blondes, around these parts they do any way.

Brewdude":grkk97uo said:
OGS (Orlik Golden Sliced) is also a really nice lightish flake to start with. It has a bit of perique, but it's pretty much muted to my tastes.

Very user friendly too. Comes at just the right moisture content right out of the tin. Naturally sweet in the VA way.

One of my faves.


Cheers,

RR
Click to expand...
Excellent suggestion, a very easy going flake that one, don't what ever you do go with FVF just yet if you're not ready for a kick in the head from Lady-N, FVF is a stouter flake to be honest.
 
Kirk Fitzgerald":n06h6hxl said:
scotties22":n06h6hxl said:
Hahahahaaaa....I have been following that thread. I am a blonde though, so I get a pass on not catching on quickly
Click to expand...
You only get a pass on that if you're a bottle blonde, aint nothing short in the ol'brain department about natural blondes, same goes for bottle blondes actually but the stereotype stems from 'some' bottle blondes, around these parts they do any way.
Click to expand...
Well damn it....I have used that excuse my whole life :lol!: I am a natural blonde alright.

Thanks for all the suggestions boys. My husband is putting together an order from Cigars.com and I am going to piggy back a little tad onto his order. Think I will get a few things to try with the plans of putting the rest of the tins away for a while. I am starting my cellar in the linen closet in the basement. My husband has about a billion cigars....why can't I have a billion pounds of pipe tobacco????? :lol!: 
 
Brewdude":6fjhos49 said:
OGS (Orlik Golden Sliced) is also a really nice lightish flake to start with. It has a bit of perique, but it's pretty much muted to my tastes.

Very user friendly too. Comes at just the right moisture content right out of the tin. Naturally sweet in the VA way.

One of my faves.


Cheers,

RR
Click to expand...

This is the way to go...for my money, it's the most user-friendly flake for folks who haven't smoked flakes before. It's very light and mild...it's not an aromatic, but the natural grassy sweetness might make up for that. It's also super, super affordable.
 
Top