Buying Bulk - Very Dry

bphilli75 · Mar 30, 2014

Hello Friends - Recently I bought a couple one oz bags from Pipes and Cigars, just trying new blends. I got Newminster 84 Oriental and MacBaren Golden Extra. They were both crispy dry when they arrived. Have you had similar experiences? Previously I had bought a one oz. bag of Scotty's Butternut Burley, and it is very moist.
I just wonder if I dryness is particular to these blends or if I just got a couple poorly sealed bags.
Peace,

Bill

wnghanglow · Mar 30, 2014

If you call/email pipes and cigars they'll tell you how moist it's supposed to be and are great about offering replacments.

bphilli75 · Mar 30, 2014

Thanks for the info. I just sent them a note.

mso489 · Mar 30, 2014

I've bought bulk from smokingpipes.com, C&D, and others, and have never had a dry tobacco problem. Never bought

bulk from PC. You do have to go ahead and smoke it or put it in a jar that seals. Sorry you had this problem. Sounds

like PC will fix it.

woodsroad · Mar 30, 2014

Just how dry is it? Will it crumble to dust when rubbed? Is there a lot of dust in the bag? If not, then it's OK. No, it's better than OK, it's great. Ask yourself "What am I buying? Tobacco, or water?" $30/lb is a lot to pay for water. And most blends smoke better when they are drier than you would think they should be.
Then again, if it is too dry for your taste, just humidify it a bit, with your own cheap water. If you are on city water (non-well) then use bottled water that is sans chlorine. Spread the tobacco out on a tray, put the tray in a plastic bag, and put a few dampened sponges in the bag. Seal it up and check it every few days.
Remember that the tobacco that you are buying has spent most of it's life in a dry state, and was rehydrated for processing into pipe tobacco.

blendtobac · Mar 30, 2014

Tobaccos without a lot of humectants will dry out a bit more than others, especially during cold weather, when the air is dryer. I've worked with our people to reduce the chance of tobacco drying out, but when you carry over 200 bulk tobaccos, it's never 100%. If the tobacco arrived too dry, let us know and we'll make it right.
Russ

woodsroad · Mar 30, 2014

Rehydrating leaf: Two half- sheet baking trays with a cooling rack in-between them. Damp sponges in-between.

andrew · Mar 31, 2014

I like getting bulk on the dry side for the very reason you're getting alot more for your money, and rehydrating it is extremely easy. I found Newminister to come a bit on the dry side when I got 2 different blends of theirs from cup o joes but I found the amount of extra tobacco I was getting compared to getting moist tobacco that had to be dried before smoking was a bonus if anything.

leacha · Mar 31, 2014

On another forum reports of dry tobaccor from P&C were reported last month. As Russ stated they should take care of you and hopefully they can fix their problems soon.

johnparker · Mar 31, 2014

A very cheap and easy solution to re-hydrating tobacco.
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/humidification/78837/pouch-moistener/#p-118211

Could you drop one of these into a mason jar to rehydrate the tobacco? Sorry, but I forgot how to properly quote a post.

andrew · Apr 1, 2014

As Russ stated they should take care of you and hopefully they can fix their problems soon.

Really makes me sick to hear 'merican's complaining about getting a dry ounce of tobacco they probably paid 3$ for where I'd pay 25$ easily and be glad it was dry so I got more, just saying. The only thing Russ and company is going to do is add moisture to the existing tobacco so really I don't see where the problem is. Will common sense prevail? I highly doubt it.

bphilli75 · Apr 1, 2014

I'm sorry if I ruffled your feathers Andrew. I wasn't complaining, just asking a question, since I have very little experience buying in bulk.
Thanks all for the info, and Russ, thanks for chiming in. P&C has always been great to work with.
Bill

Strike Anywhere · Apr 1, 2014

Butternut Burley is an "American aromatic". Those types of tobacco will always be very moist/sticky because they use casings and/or toppings which usually contain propylene glycol (PG). PG acts as a mold inhibitor and helps keep tobacco "fresh" (read moist). If you've smoked cigars, you're probably familiar with PG because it's the same thing used in those "50/50" solutions the cigar stores sell for your cigar humidifiers.
While I haven't smoked the two blends you've listed, I'm pretty sure they are not "American aromatics" so they will have very little (if any) additional flavorings/casings and quite possibly no PG. As mentioned, these types of tobaccos have more of a tendency to dry out (especially this time of year). That being said, if you feel the tobaccos are too dry to smoke, I'm sure P&C will make it right.

blendtobac · Apr 1, 2014

As long as the tobacco hasn't been dry long enough for the oils to have been lost, rehydrating it gently will bring it back to smokable condition. Since we turn over our bulk tobaccos rather quickly,it wouldn't have been dry long enough not to be able to bounce back, but we'll still take care of the problem for our customers.
Russ

cigrmaster · Apr 1, 2014

Bill, I would get a replacement as you should not be expected to re-hydrate tobacco you just got. I have had to re-hydrate tobacco in the past and every time flavors were lost. I have no doubt that PC will make it right if you ask them to.

bphilli75 · Apr 2, 2014

Here's an update. Again, this is no complaint. It is just a new experience for me, so I am trying to learn. P&C is always great to work with, and I'm not worried about a few bucks on an ounce of tobacco. After reading several posts above, I figured all good. It isn't dusty crumbly, so I'm probably good to go. P&C replied to my email quickly, and of course they were helpful. The thing is, I can't smoke the Westminster at all. I love the flavor and aroma of it, but it burns the fire out of my mouth. Normally, I never really get tongue bite anymore. I thought it was usually, sugary, very moist stuff that bit and scalded. Since this is a non-aro and dry, I wonder if any of you have ideas. I can't smoke it easy or slow enough. It burns my tongue, lips, roof of my mouth, etc. It's the first I've had this happen, and I've heard of other folks whose chemistry just didn't work with some tobaccos. I ended up having to dump the bowl, each of a few tries, after five minutes or so. I'm very sensitive to spicy foods, and have never smoked an oriental forward before, so I'm unsure if this is just a "spicy" character of the tobacco, or if my pH just isn't compatible with this tobacco.
Thanks,

Bill

andrew · Apr 2, 2014

I'd say that you're probably smoking it way to dry. Moisten even tissue paper with good quality water, stick it in a mason jar and it will rehydrate. It's a straight Va blend too and classified as an aromatic on the website. It's probably way too dry, moisten it and it will smooth it out and bring out the flavors.

bphilli75 · Apr 2, 2014

I'll give it a go. Thanks Andrew.

captainbob · Apr 2, 2014

I just received a one-pound bag of my Capt. Bob's Blend from smokingpipes.com. Obviously, I can make this blend in my kitchen. However, I wanted to see if the quality, consistency and moisture is being followed true to form. Well, I can attest that it is and I have no belief that they even know that I created the blend. At this point, I can recommend smokingpipes.com based on my very critical observation. I can also attest that I have not had any problems concerning my Capt. Bob's Blend when ordering from pipesandcigars.com, either. It is very important that you let your supplier know if you are not pleased with their offering!!!

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Buying Bulk - Very Dry

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