A Revelation?

[Rail Man]

Over the past few months I've been having some problems with pipe smoking in that nearly everything I smoked was hot and bitey. I thought maybe it was because it was packed too tight or too wet. I think I may have been wrong. Tonight I loaded up a bowl of LGF without drying it as I had been, mostly out of sheer laziness and impatience. It's quite a bit wetter than I have been smoking, but not nearly as moist as it was out of the tin and it's been one of the smoothest, coolest, and surprisingly driest smoke I've had in a long time and I've come to the conclusion perhaps I've gotten to drying it out too much.

It used to be, when I started seriously, I would smoke whatever it was I had right out of the tin regardless of moisture which resulted in, of course, usually hot, bitey, wet smokes, so I did some research and found a lot of people dried their baccy until it was crunchy (but not letting it turn to powder). I thought I had solved the problem, but I think I just let it get out of hand thinking it was always too wet. Perhaps I went too far.

So anyway, I'm quite excited I stumbled onto this, oddly in a mood of laziness. I've got a lot of information off this board as well as the old Knox one, but there's a few things that can't be gained strictly through typed words alone, and one of those is moisture content. There's no way to reach in and feel how wet or dry the other guy's pipeweed.

There's certainly quite a bit more experimentation to continue on my end....

 

[Ol'Dawg]

There's no way to reach in and feel how wet or dry the other guy's pipeweed.

Lew,

That reminds me of the old saying..."You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but not your friends nose."

As for how far to dry your tobacco, I always compared it to burning leaves. After much experimentation, I rarely dry any tobacco out now so my tobacco is probably more moist than others. It takes a little longer to get it going, but suits my smoking style just fine.

Jim

 

[puros_bran]

Lew a good way to figure out how wet/dry guys keep their baccy is by Participating in Secret Santa, Box Pass's, and Sample Exchanges.

Except in extreme cases where the tobacco is just to wet to hold flame I have adopted a TJ type plan. That is I smoke it at whatever moisture it is. If its to wet or to dry I slow waaaaaaay down.

 

[pipetongue1]

Even' Lew, We must also consider the air-way size to the button, all of my pipes that needed it, have been "opened-up" to 5/32, lessening the chance of smoking "wet", Ken.
Pacem en Puffing! :tongue: :king:

 

[Rail Man]

The tj plan, I like that.

There's certainly a few pipes I have where the airway could be opened up some, the problem is it looks like the narrowness is in the stem and not the briar itself.

Thanks for the tips on moisture! The experimentation continues with some moister than I would usually smoke Christmas Cheer, seems to be going well :cheers:

 

[DRIFTER]

It's quite a bit wetter than I have been smoking, but not nearly as moist as it was out of the tin and it's been one of the smoothest, coolest, and surprisingly driest smoke I've had in a long time and I've come to the conclusion perhaps I've gotten to drying it out too much.

Congratulations Lew! Nothing like one of those "eureka" moments! :cheers:

I tend to dry my tobaks out a bit as well, and each one is different as to when it is just right.

 

[Justpipes]

Lew, I am glad that you found the right combination. I believe it all depends on the smoking habits of the individual. I like my tobacco probably with less moisture than the average smoker that I have seen but it works for me. I just hate fighting the moisture. If I dry it out too much I can always spritz it with a little distilled water. I use to smoke C&D Yaller Dawg all the time and bought it in bulk directly from C&D. It was very dry when I received it and had to be spritzed with distilled water and if stored for long periods of time would dry out easily. Craig Tarler turned me on to rehydrating tobacco.

 

[thomas james]

I'm tj and I use the tj method. Open a tin and start smoking the sucker. I do not dry ANYTHING. What I do is to strive to eventually learn what each tobacco likes in terms of rubbing it out, loading it, tamping it and puff'n it and all that nonsense. Listen to what each blend tells you as opposed to "fitting" them all into one algorithm, or worse, an Al Gore Rhythm.

Remember, tobacco is like wimin. No two will agree with each other and neither will agree with you. Shut up and listen.

 

[Justpipes]

or worse, an Al Gore Rhythm.

The last thing that we need is an Al Gore rhythm. Thank the Lord he is not running for prez this go round! :lol: :lol: :lol: