Drying tobacco

Brothers of Briar

Help Support Brothers of Briar:

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

jgmitchell

Member
Joined
Oct 27, 2011
Messages
22
Reaction score
0
How long should you dry tobacco for? Do you open a tin and leave the lid off for a couple of days? Do you simple pull out a pipe's worth and let it set for a while?

I know it depends on the blend, but I'm just curious what others typically do.
 
It all depends...
The tin of Pembroke that I've been working was fairly dry upon opening, and required no additional drying time.
My current tin of Squadron Leader was very moist, and I left it out to dry for a day or two. Afterward, I gave it 30 minutes before each smoke to dry a little more.
A year old, opened tin of MacBaren Navy Flake is now perfect!
 
...or, it depends on where you are. In Nevada, it's drier than a nun's habit, and I have to protect tobacco somthin' fierce. Most of my tobacco can get dangerously dry in a matter of a day or two if I forget to close the lid/bag. The humidor I acquired has been a big help, but I usually put all of my open tins in plastic bags. As I use a tobacco, I tend to go for ziploc bags and portion them out, and the little bit of air opening and closing the bag does me just fine.

If I ever travel to a wetter climate, I'm going to have to really adjust my methods. :lol:
 
With a few exceptions, I don't dry mine at all! :D
 
The Big Easy Pipe Accessories P903 Pipe Black Ceramic Ashtray W/Knocker,
$28.79
The Big Easy Pipe Accessories P903 Pipe Black Ceramic Ashtray W/Knocker, Cigar Warehouse
Forum Novelties 61649 Gentleman's Pipe, As Shown, ST
$10.95
Forum Novelties 61649 Gentleman's Pipe, As Shown, ST Click 'N Save
Smoking Tobacco Pipe Gold-tone Cufflinks Money Clip Engraved Gift Set
$129.40
Smoking Tobacco Pipe Gold-tone Cufflinks Money Clip Engraved Gift Set Select Gifts (UK)
Forum Novelties Men's Detective Sherlock Costume Pipe, One Size
$6.00
Forum Novelties Men's Detective Sherlock Costume Pipe, One Size Amazon.com
Loftus International Detective Sherlock Hat & Pipe 2pc Accessory Kit Grey One Size Novelty Item
$9.99
Loftus International Detective Sherlock Hat & Pipe 2pc Accessory Kit Grey One Size Novelty Item Zack's Edu Castle
Pipe-Mic II Pipe-Mic II
$225.00
Pipe-Mic II Pipe-Mic II Benchmark Tool & Supply
Industrial Pipe Wooden Shelves Restore by Pipe DÉCOR Premium Douglas Fir Wood Shelving 36 Inch Length Set of 2 Boards and 6 Straight Brackets Autumn Brown Finish
$84.51 ($42.26 / Count)
Industrial Pipe Wooden Shelves Restore by Pipe DÉCOR Premium Douglas Fir Wood Shelving 36 Inch Length Set of 2 Boards and 6 Straight Brackets Autumn Brown Finish Jackson Supplies LLC
Kangaroo Fake Cigar Pipes for Smoking, Pipe for Sherlock Holmes accessory, Prop Cigar & Bubble Pipe for Popeye Costume, Detective Accessories for Halloween Cosplay, Costume Accessory, Tobacco Prop
$7.99
Kangaroo Fake Cigar Pipes for Smoking, Pipe for Sherlock Holmes accessory, Prop Cigar & Bubble Pipe for Popeye Costume, Detective Accessories for Halloween Cosplay, Costume Accessory, Tobacco Prop KangarooManufacturing
Malisseladi Tobacco Jar Food Storage Tin Can Container Stainless Steel Airtight Lid for Home Kitchen Snack
$9.99
Malisseladi Tobacco Jar Food Storage Tin Can Container Stainless Steel Airtight Lid for Home Kitchen Snack LINGANG
Smoking Tobacco Pipe Gole-tone Cufflinks Tie Clip Box Set Engraved Optional
$127.00
Smoking Tobacco Pipe Gole-tone Cufflinks Tie Clip Box Set Engraved Optional Select Gifts (UK)
Buttner Style Pipe Reamer
$9.95
Buttner Style Pipe Reamer EA Carey
Audrey Style Vintage Extendable Cigarette Holder in Black - Long Extendable Cigarette Holder for Women 1920s Costume Cosplay
-39%
$2.79 $4.59
Audrey Style Vintage Extendable Cigarette Holder in Black - Long Extendable Cigarette Holder for Women 1920s Costume Cosplay HuaQianShu
All a matter of experience for me. After a while one gets a sense of the moisture content by feel. Flakes are the easiest IMO, the rest by varying degrees. And of course there is the caveat that whatever is best for you comes into play.

I live in the Pac NW so the climate is not like the dryer SW states. Low humidity is not an issue for me, even during the winter months when I have the central heating on.

That said, I do dry down some flaked 'baccy such as Stonehaven and any of the SG or G&H lines for a couple hrs before lighting up as these tend to come quite moist. Some of the more recently purchased Stonehaven flakes had to be dried for several days before they were fit to burn.

Normally, tins from all and sundry (except for the above mentioned) burn just fine from the get-go. For me anyhow.

Only major problem I ever had was with a tin of MacBaren Roll Cake I tried to smoke without success about 13 yrs ago. It was so overly humidified with tons of (what thought to be) PG that even after months the tin being open, it was still a sticky mess!


:x




Cheers,

RR
 
I like my tobacco dry, so I pre-load my pipes for the day, and set them aside. Experience has shown me which blends need the most drying, so those will get smoked last. The only blends I don't need to dry at least some are my own, which I blended dry on purpose.
 
On some of the more moist types I'll load, char, tamp and get back to it later or even load it and smoke it the next day.

I am certainly seeing the benefit of drying tobacco and in doing so I am getting a better smoke.
 
About two years ago I purchased a 2 oz can of Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture - it was a can probably from the late 1970's. It cost me an arm and a leg so I was waiting for a special occasion to open it. Recently I was looking at the bottom of tin when I noticed that a small rust area had a pin-hole size perforation. I shook the tin and it sounded as if the contents had completely dried out. I am not sure how long the contents had dried out. I am concerned that the tobacco is no longer good. I still have not opened the can (pull tab to open). If the contents have dried out (let's say ten years for example), is the tobacco any good? Or should it go to the trash can? I guess I could sample the tobacco myself, but, since I have never smoked Balkan Sobranie before, I have nothing to compare it to. Any comments would be well appreciated.
 
Rust on the can with a pinhole would worry me,,, I'd transfer it to a jar,,,if it's too dry just rehydrate,,,
 
mark":xfqho4py said:
Rust on the can with a pinhole would worry me,,, I'd transfer it to a jar,,,if it's too dry just rehydrate,,,
Click to expand...
Yes, transfer it to a jar, but I'd suggest smoking a bowl or two as it is, rather than automatically rehydrating it. You just might enjoy it drier than moister, since I feel most blends come much too moist.
 
I prefer not to dry tobacco, but with two factors in mind - moist, particularly aromatics and the fact that I live in the humidity state, Florida - that isn't always possible. I don't know if this will be of use to anyone, but I use unbleached coffee filter paper to hold the tobacco in and either air dry for a number of minutes, or sit it in the sunlight. If this isn't possible, I fold the filter paper in half, then folding over the opposite ends of this semi-circle, rest the bundle on top of my lampshade, between two wire frames, or "spokes" of the shade. This can take from 20-30 seconds to a minute, flipping it once, until desired dryness is achieved.
 
There's more than one variable in play here.

Good tobacco (not just "I like Big Macs, so McDonalds is a Good place to eat") is like wine.

First, it wants to age enough (a flexible concept that attentive experience starts dialing-in as you go along).

Then, it wants to "breathe" for a while to settle down. Just-opened tobacco can taste maddeningly all-over-the-place at first, from one day to the next. But a week or two in the jar, and it's consistent from then on.

People, IMO, dry tobacco because they lack either the patience or the "touch" in packing to smoke it at tin-moisture levels (which, while they can be just totally wrong, period, are generally about right) for maximum flavor intensity.

The reason why Good (see above) tobacco's tinned at around 10-13% RH is because it needs that moisture to age properly -- i.e., to ripen the optimum taste it can deliver. Drying it before smoking it is deliberately evaporating-away much of the great taste components that make it what it can be at its best.

Drier tobacco is easier to light, and easier to manage. The waits necessary between re-lights (while the humidity that the smoldering above it generates in the tobacco below it) are shorter. It's probably more forgiving of miscalculations in packing.

Granted, with McDucks/Booger King-level tobacs, it probably doesn't matter. But with stuff that could be better, it's a sad waste.

IMO.

:face:
CURMUDGEON
 
jgmitchell":vw6ur5wb said:
How long should you dry tobacco for? Do you open a tin and leave the lid off for a couple of days? Do you simple pull out a pipe's worth and let it set for a while?

I know it depends on the blend, but I'm just curious what others typically do.
Click to expand...
Contrary to what has been said, there realy is no one way to smoke 'bac. It REALLY IS an individual thing based on ones experience with a blend/mixture and what one want's to get out of it. Try each blend/mixture in diferent ways to see what works best for your wants in flavor etc from it. As an example, for the flake Va's that I prefer, I've found I like to rub 'em out and give most some dry time anywhere from 10 min to an hour. For other folks, these same 'bacs might be folded and stuffed straight from the tin and smoked. NO ONE way is the correct no matter what anyone says. It's ALL a subjective opinion :twisted:
 
I jar most of my tobacco upon arrival then transfer it to the smaller jars (what i'm smoking for the next 2 weeks). I like that it comes a little moist as that way you don't have to rehydrate just set a bowl or two amount on a piece of edge folded paper in front of the computor fan untill desired moisture level is achieved for that particular tobacco. Zip lock bag it till you need it. Label bags as required.
 
The old farts know ! :twisted:

You're losing more than just moisture (water) when you let it dry any more than it does in the working jar.

:face:
RESIDENT CURMUDGEON SINCE 2007
 

Latest posts

Top