What to me is "Navy Flake" and what caused me to try it, first the history. This form of tobacco is directly attibuted to the sailors of yore. In those days a sailor was lucky to own a change of clothes. Life on the sea was very hard, and joys were few but valued. Rum and tobacco were two of them. To save space the tobacco was moistened with solutions of rum, molasses and spice - then rolled and squeezed into a thin "rope" and coiled into a small compact size that could easily be stored, carried and protected. Later and in like fashion tobacco could be compressed into blocks which could be cut into strips, cubes or lasagna like layers called "flakes".
These were appreciated by mobile sailors and outdoorsmen not only for their convenience but because when "packed" into the pipe burned much more slowly and evenly, and required few less "relights". Modern flakes are much less aromatic than the old get-laid blends that you tolerate on the basis that sex trumps taste, lol. Trust me.
With a history like that and especially noting my love for Charles Tobias' Pussers, it was almost a no-brainer. Second, it hardly hurt that no less than our good da'rum made clear that Navy Flake is one of his favorites. He rightfully poo-poohed the less expensive but amazingly popular 1-Q: a very aromatic tobacco that is reputed to be the largest selling blend in the world. Apparently sex is a worldwide obsession, who knows, lol?
An idiot tries Flake...
As background it's important to know that 1-Q comes in shredded form in a typical ziplock type bag. The challenge of this finer, shredded tobacco is what we'd think is simple, ie to just stuff some in your pipe, light it and have at it, right? Wrong. Turns out "packing" is actually a bit of an art. This is not just the usual fine point obsession that afficianados of anything fall into, but are real and necessary techniques. Pack right = enjoyable smoke. Pack poorly = frustration, poor taste and a horrible experience.
Shredded tobaccos are not easy to pack, but I've learned to do a sorta, kinda, halfway decent pack but which still caused more relights than I'd have liked. Now that I'd spent more serious money for a fine Danish Navy Flake, and I was determined to have what da'rum promoted as one of the finer experiences in pipe smoking.
Now. In accord with its cost, Mac Baren's Navy Flake comes in a classy, vacuum sealed tin. It's so well sealed that it takes a bit of work to break the vacuum. Inside and wrapped in a very high quality gold foil is a block of sliced "flakes" of "Navy" tobacco. Compared to the 1-Q's focus on aromatics (including vanilla) , this Navy Flake presents as what it is - a block of rich tobacco, deep aromas, slightly sour, vegetal and with just a hint of rum. One seems oriented to pleasing the ladies in the room; the other is clearly destined for the smoker. We'll see.
Packing the pipe with flake...
Packing flake is promoted as tricky, but once accomplished is supposed to be easy and to provide a MUCH better experience - if - the proper technique is used. Yes, you can break up the flake into shreds, but like 1-Q it may likewise not pack or smoke nearly as well. OTOH, if you can learn to fold and stuff it in properly you can look forward to a much more enjoyable time.
Of course I'd prefer the folding method, as described thusly by da-rum...
In my research I also learned that the ideal pipe may be on the smaller side, with the interior of the bowl having more-or-less vertical sides. This seemed logical as properly packed folded flakes are dense and will lead to a VERY long smoke in larger pipes. The vertical sides advantage should be obvious, as the folded flake forms a roughly vertical cylinder, a similar shape."Once satisfied take the piece of flake and fold lengthways in half the widthways. Give it a twist in your finger and it should start to come apart in sections but stay whole in others. Just stuff that in your pipe with the bent end down and shaggy end up. This is trial and error to pack strength but be prepared for a couple of failures. No big deal. Tip it out and start again. If it falls apart so much that it is unmanageable as a fold and stuff method then treat it as a ready rubbed. Fold and stuff method can take a little effort to get lit and going but once it is smoking well it usually requires very little maintenance."
So I opened the tin and attempted to peel off a single flake and I failed. The rectangular flake had broken in half. WTF I thought, I'll just try this with the half-piece. I folded it parallel to the long side - twice - then inserted it into the pipe to see whether (ideally) half its length would fit into the pipe. If so this would mean all I'd have to do would be to fold the long cylinder in half and voila! A perfect fit. But when I tested the fit, the cylinder was a bit long. Again maintaining my WTF mood, I proceeded anyway folded my cylinder in half, pressed it into the bowl and yes, it was too long.
My solution: I just stuffed that down in too and good news - turns out a half flake seemed the right amount to fill my pipe. Tested the draw, thought it a bit light, and pressed down a bit more. So what happened?
The result...
It worked. After a couple of initial lights to try to create a decent sized coal, the pipe then stayed lit for much longer than the 1-Q. Yes there were a few relights, but nowhere near as many, and nor nearly as frequent. As for the Navy Flake itself, my impressions are hard to describe. It seemed fuller, more cigar like, but with a pipe like quality of warm and engaging pleasantness. Sue Sea's reaction is illustrative: she hates flavored rums and flavored tobaccos. She found the room effect of the 1-Q tolerable but she had no interest in smoking it. The Navy Flake? Completely the opposite - she found it authentic and engaging.
Like a dangerous rum, too drinkable (think Matusalem).
