re-hydrating tobacco

[hierophant]

So I bought a tin of Dunhill Flake a while back, opened it, smoked some of it, then let it sit while I moved on to try some other blends. Now I've come back to it to find that I've let it completely dry out...when I rub out a flake I get twigs instead of ribbons.
My thought was to place a barely damp piece of paper towel in the tin with the tobacco for maybe a few days. Would that work do you think or is another better/proper method?

 

[bulldogbriar89]

First you pre-heat a steam iron to the hottest setting, then place a newspaper on a heat-proof surface I do it right on the ironing board, spread your tobacco out on the newspaper, then use a bottle with a spray nozzle to spray the tobacco with water once or twice and finally hold the iron above the tobacco and steam for 10 seconds. I know a few other ways but they take allot longer this is the best way if you want to do it fast.

 

[woodsroad]

Search the forums here for solutions. This is a frequent topic...as recent as yesterday.

 

[crusher47]

Use distilled water only. Make sure none of the tobacco touches the sponge/paper with the water on it. Tried that with some leftovers in a small plastic baggy and it worked fine.

 

[mcitinner1]

The home page here has an article on the subject. 8)

 

[jitterbugdude]

"Take your dried out tobacco and lay it out on a paper towel and spritz it with the spritzer and let it sit for awhile"
I agree! This is probably the best and quickest method for dehydrating tobacco. I never understood the need for sponges, paper towels etc. Just use a spray bottle and you can smoke your tobacco in just a few hours. There is a learning curve for sure. Too much water and your tobacco will mold. Unless you are a complete idiot you might over spray your tobacco one time, after that you will probably have learned how much to apply.
I think this paper towel, sponge, potato thing came about because it adds to the ambiance of pipe smoking? It's a little more romantic/special to use the towel method instead of just spritzing some water.