Re-Hydrating Pipe Tobacco

[python]

In this article, I talk about ways to re-hydrate pipe tobacco that has become too dried out.
Re-Hydrating Pipe Tobacco

 

[admin]

That was a great article that I can definitely put to use.
I heard that C&D doesn't like to moisten their tobacco. I think one of the representatives at the Chicago show told me that, and their tobacco does seem to be dryer than others.
What is your experience with that?

 

[python]

Kevin Said: I heard that C&D doesn't like to moisten their tobacco. I think one of the representatives at the Chicago show told me that, and their tobacco does seem to be dryer than others.
What is your experience with that?

Yes, C&D use only distilled water for moisture in their tobaccos. And they don't use too much of it either. They only use enough to moisten the tobacco to cut down on any chances of mold.
The C&D tobacco that I have is definitely not as moist as some other tobaccos that I have got. That is one of the things that I like about C&D blends, they are ready to smoke immediately with no drying time needed. I prefer my tobacco a little on the dry side, so it suits me just fine. It is like cooking, you can always add more but you can't take it out.
I would rather have to add moisture to a dry blend than have to throw out a blend that was too wet that molded because of the excessive moisture.

 

[chuckw]

Some time ago, I was given about 4 lbs of bulk Dunhill 965 that was blended before Murray's started blending it for them. It was crispy dry. I rehydrated it using wet towels to cover a stainless steel bowl. It took a week to get the job done and the experiment taught me that latakia does not age well. It had gone completely flat.

 

[python]

Chuckw Said: ...the experiment taught me that latakia does not age well. It had gone completely flat.

Yes, Latakia doesn't age too well unless it is put in an airtight container immediately when you get it. Even then, once you open the container after aging, you need to smoke it fairly quickly before it goes flat and loses a lot of the flavor.

 

[chuckw]

Yessir, you are 100% right. I smoke McCelland's 5110 alot and celler it in quart jars as soon as it arrives. I compact it as much as my 240lbs will allow without breaking the jar and store it in a Coolman cooler in an inside closet to keep the temp as even as I can and light away from it.

I celler my ropes much the same way except the jars are gravity filled to allow some air in with them.

 

[patriotfirst]

I am in a desert environment and purchased a sampler pack of tins. What should I do to preserve the tobacco in such a dry climate? From what little I have read, pipe tobacco and cigars seem to utilize different approaches. I don't want to over moisten, but at the same time I don't have access to distilled water either.

 

[cortezattic]

In another thread I wrote:

What I did seemed to work perfectly. I got one of my wife's Tupperware salad bowls -- shallow with a large diameter. I placed a cup of boiling water in the center and spread the tobacco around the cup. I covered the bowl to create a steam bath. A half-hour later [ymmv] I tossed the warm tobacco to evenly distribute the moisture, and put it up in jars. I didn't go over-board on the moisturization for fear of encouraging mold.

I think steam is an adequate substitute for, if not identical to, distilled water. I think this method is superior to either spritzing or the wet towel methods.

 

[ludlow]

one trick i use for long term storage of tobacco is to press it in a 12ton press. and then place in a vacuum sealed bag. i've opened 10 years late and just rub it out and its like brand new. and by pressing it (5lbs at a time) you really save space.