Dealing with Wet/Sticky Tobacco

txsasquatch · Apr 22, 2016

I recently bought 8oz of a bulk English blend to try because the description fit what I was looking for and it was on sale. Unfortunately I didn't do enough research in advance. It arrived very wet/sticky. Doing my homework after the fact, I read several comments about this blend being treated with propylene glycol as a humicant and preservative. I'm trying tons of blends nowadays, so I won't be smoking this lot very quickly and had planned to jar a bit up to add to my beginning cellar.
Should I do anything before I jar it for medium term storage? Also, should I try to dry it all out a good bit in general for my current rotational stash? I set some out for a brief drying time (one hour, not exactly brief I know) and it was still not ready to smoke.
Do I just chalk this up as a learning experience and consider the tobacco a waste?
Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

deathmetal · Apr 22, 2016

Should I do anything before I jar it for medium term storage? Also, should I try to dry it all out a good bit in general for my current rotational stash?

General advice: jar it up without doing anything to it, then when you take some out to smoke for the day or week, let that dry out. One option is to store it in an old tin and leave it open for a few hours one day.

jpmcwjr · Apr 23, 2016

What DM says. But what is the blend in question?
Also, you might dry down a bowl or two of the current batch, and see how you like it before committing to cellaring.

txsasquatch · Apr 23, 2016

Thank you both for sharing your advice.
The blend is Sutliff Fox & Hound. Hard to say if I truly like it much yet. My first bowl was a hot steamy disaster because one hour wasn't even close to sufficient drying time. I had my second bowl last night after drying a few pinches for a couple of hours each evening (probably 6-8 hours in total) until it was at an acceptable moisture level. I liked it and am eager to have some more time with it. It didn't amaze me or anything like that, but I think it could be a cheap acceptable blend when I want a pipe and am not craving anything fancy or specific.

newbroom · Apr 23, 2016

My advice is to leave it open to the air....indefinitely. If it's got pg it will be almost impervious.

papipeguy · Apr 23, 2016

You can also microwave it for 8 seconds if you're in a hurry to try it.

xrundog · Apr 23, 2016

During the summer, when it's really humid, I sometimes leave a pile of tobacco on the bench and smoke from it until it's gone. It may never get as dry as I'd like because of the ambient humidity.
I don't know if that blend has PG or not. For storage I'd jar it as is. The moisture will preserve and even mature and intensify the flavor. For smoking, take some out and check it until it's as dry as you like. It may take hours or days. Even it it has PG it will dry out some. I think I left a tub of Carter Hall out for 2 months before I started smoking it.

txsasquatch · Apr 24, 2016

Thanks all. I jarred it up in two half pint masons. One is going into the cellar and the other into rotation. I pulled out about five bowls worth from the rotation to let it dry out. Once it does, I'll put it in a tiny mason jar to smoke for the week or so. I'll just repeat this with the tobacco from the rotation jar. We'll see how the cellared tobacco ends up eventually. Thanks again.

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