Navy Flake

[Johnny_Z]

Who makes a tasty NF? I'm feeling squirrely and want to try some.

[Commander Quan]

peter stokkebye

[Cisco Kid]

Reiner, Solani, MacBaren, Fribourg & Treyer, McConnell, Orlik, and Wessex all have great VA flakes. Try the MacBaren first, it may be all you need.

[Greyfox]

Ditto Stokkebye and MacBaren

[jwhite]

Samuel Gawith is a staple of mine. By the by all of those listed are pretty different from one another.

[mtsgsd]

i'm smoking my second flake of MacBaren's Navy Flake right now. Very cool smoke, and very mild. I'm just folding it so far instead of rubbing it (first time flake smoker). Already makes me want to smoke flakes exclusively. :)

[Commander Quan]

I forgot about MacBaren's version. That's a good one too.

[hicksdm]

Macbaren's is about the only Navy Flake I still smoke. Nice burley base and very tasty.

[Dr. Francois]

Do you all find a difference in the bulk Navy Flakes compared to the tinned ones? My online pipe retailer has both, but I'm not sure which would offer the highest quality.

[jwhite]

If they are by the same blender no the only difference is the packaging. The bulk tends to be a little less moist but thats still too moist for immediate use for me. Bulk is how I order many of my favorites.

[Dr. Francois]

Thanks! Follow-up questions:

--Do any companies produce a bad Navy Flake? Any to avoid at all costs?

--Which Navy Flake would be best for someone coming off a "training wheels" tobacco like Lane 1Q?

[jwhite]

Can't think of any bad examples but they are all different, I suspect the term 'Navy Flake' to be arbitrary. Some are more to my taste than others, however. MacBaren's is a good place to start, not too strong, easy to rub out if you like, lights well and stays lit. My favorite is SG's version, if you can find it. It's a VA with a touch of latikia and topped with rum, not rum flavor. It is a rich full smoke.

[scottish steve]

McB's Navy is mild, with a nice sweetness about it. I recommend it. Be careful not to draw too strongly, so as not to experience the famous McBaren bite. After that, you've got to try the world-classic, Dunhill Navy Rolls and Escudo Navy Rolls- xly high quality and more or less the same, but you'll spend a happy week or two trying to decide between them!

[kg0mz]

I'm smoking some Stokkebye Luxury NF I canned a couple or three years back, and it is divine. Aged LNF is better than tinned Escudo, IMHO.