How Long to Dry Tobacco Before Packing the Bowl?

[bullet08]

i couldn't find the answer. yesterday, i try leaving the tobacco out for 30 min before packing and smoking. smoke was little light, but i could pick out different taste. today, different blend. left it out for 25min, fully rubbed and left out 5min more. it was little harsher than i remember from few days ago when i didn't dry it.
how do you determine how long to dry the tobacco before packing it? i read something about pinching the tobacco. if the tobacco crumbles and break apart, that's too dry. but i don't that's gonna happen.

 

[jpmcwjr]

What tobacco? Where do you live? Central heating? Room temp? All these things make a difference. So if Joe says 50 minutes, that's fine for Joe with his specific tobacco in his locale, to his taste. Sorry can't be more specific without particulars, and then it's only my estimate.
If the tobacco stays clumped it's way too wet; if it actually crumbles to dust, too dry. Big range, though! It should have a slight give to it when pinched and not produce tiny bits.

 

[eggrollpiper]

Jpmcwjr + 1 + I think the ambient humidity is the biggest variable. If it's really humid You will be moistening it leaving out. I leave mine out anywhere from a few minutes to days depending.

Also you can try nuking a bowlsworth for roughly 7 seconds on a paper towel..

 

[sablebrush52]

There's no set time. With the blends that I like to smoke, I'm looking for the tobacco to be just a little shy of bone dry. For me, that means that it's dry to the touch when squeezed, no sensation of moisture to my touch, but still pliant, not brittle. Edges may be a little bit crispy, but not the whole ribbon or flake.
The other parts of this are packing and cadence. If your tobacco is smoking harsh, it may be that you're smoking it too fast. I puff to get the tobacco going when lighting and then I slowly sip, like sipping scotch. I want to slowly simmer the tobacco around the glowing cherry to bring out its flavors. Smoke too fast and you're likely to get an "ashy" taste.
I don't worry about the tobacco going out. If it does, I just relight. No big deal.
I tend to pack loosely so that the draw is open when smoking a bowl.

 

[aldecaker]

On the good news front, there's this: A few times I have had tins open for quite a long time, and the tobacco got pretty darn crispy. When smoked, it's never been nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

 

[mikethompson]

As long as its not turning to dust you should be good.
The triumvirate of a good pipe experience is packing, drying, and cadence. Your optimal smoke is a custom combination of those three things.
Sound like there is no one answer? There isn't unfortunately.

 

[woodsroad]

The question of “how long to dry?” has been asked here many times. This was the most concise set of answers yet. Very well done, sirs.

 

[npod]

^^^Rubbish^^^

We all know the real answer is 7 minutes.

 

[olkofri]

7 minutes in dog time?

 

[sablebrush52]

The correct answer is 42. The correct answer is always 42.

 

[rmpeeps]

The Bard!!

 

[weedsnager]

Buy some carter hall or Prince Albert and use that as a gauge as to how dry your other tobacco should be before you set it on fire.

I’ve got a tin of Molte Dolce open that’s still wet enough that it would stick to the wall if I grabbed a golf ball size amount and threw it....

All tobacco is different.

 

[sablebrush52]

I’ve got a tin of Molte Dolce open that’s still wet enough that it would stick to the wall if I grabbed a golf ball size amount and threw it....

Finally, a proper use for Molto Dolcé!

 

[workman]

When I pop a tin I always leave it with the lid off for several days before I dig in. Even then the tobacco might need additional drying. I have never had tobacco get too dry. So if you don't live in the desert, just dry it way longer than you think you should. 30 minutes? Try leaving it overnight, see what happens.

 

[economistandfisherman]

I never leave mine out to dry...it's all in the prelighting in my opinion; as long as you give it a good deep draw during the prelight stage, you'll be fine. One of the risks you run by letting it dry out is over drying. I'm a big time cigar smoker too and I've learned that moderate levels of moisture is not necessarily a bad thing. To me, the pipe world is a lot like the wine world, a lot of people out there that think they know what's right for everyone else, when many times it's the $7 bottle of wine that tastes the best; in other words, don't dry out your tobacco just because someone else says you should...do what you think tastes best, and to me, that means not air drying it.

 

[jeff540]

I started smoking a pipe 22 years ago. I never dried before this summer, reading these forums. The act of drying for 20-minutes to a few hours before packing has significantly improved my enjoyment of several otherwise bland blends and greatly reduced tongue bite.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I've had the lid off of a tin of FVF for two months now. The curtains are damp, the carpet is soggy, and my dog is developing a cough. I think in two more months, it'll be ready to smoke, but I'll have to hazmat the room. ::

 

[npod]

The correct answer is 42. The correct answer is always 42.

Jesse, I think you are the only one that got that. 42/6=7. :D the real mystery/riddle is why 6?

 

[mso489]

'Til you get around to it.

 

[bnichols23]

why 6

Because 42 being the answer, it's what you get when you multiply 6 times 9. And naturally that there's something basically wrong with the universe.