High humidity

chalky · Aug 13, 2015

I am relatively new to pipe smoking, but am really starting to look forward to each bowl. The biggest lesson for me so far has been to make sure I have enough time to enjoy the experience. Smoking a pipe is altogether different than smoking a cigarette (yes, I have come over from the dark side). Learning the characteristics of a pipe, and exploring the flavours of each new tobacco is very satisfying.
However, as a novice I do get frustrated sometimes as my pipe often fails to stay lit. I suspect a major reason is the very high humidity where I live (Asia). For most of the year it will be in the range of a very sticky 75%-100%. Can anyone give me any tips on how I might store my tobacco, or what I can do to counter the effects of such high humidity ?
Many thanks.

aldecaker · Aug 13, 2015

I've never had to deal with humidity that high, at least not for a sustained period of time. I would consider buying some small desiccant packs like you find in packages of beef jerky. It may help dry your tobacco to a smokeable level when drying it in open air does not work. By the way, relights are not a sin, totally common, and in fact the only way to accomplish smoking some tobaccos.

petes03 · Aug 13, 2015

Relights are just part of it.

Some blends smoke with fewer, but rarely do any smoke without a relight.

Some things you can do to help though are things like paying close attention to your packing and tamping methods, and making sure you get a good char light.

After a while you won't really pay much attention to how many relights you have per bowl.

tarak · Aug 13, 2015

That's crazy humidity. Pipes tend not to love that. You'll way to dry your tobacco quite a bit before you smoke. That's will likely help. Relights will get better over time as you learn the art of packing, lighting, tamping, etc.

jpmcwjr · Aug 13, 2015

I've experimented with a short time in the microwave. Never do I try more than two bowls' worth at a time. If I overdo it, I add some moist tobacco, mix it, pack it and it's good to go. HTH!

cortezattic · Aug 14, 2015

Welcome to the forums!

A hair blow dryer works well -- provided you can find one with a low velocity setting.

I use this low velocity craft blow dryer.

acutabovebriar · Aug 14, 2015

Where i live RH is 65% - 95% and i find that my VA and VA/ PER blends smoke well after 6 or 7 seconds in the microwave and then letting them rest for 10 minutes or so. If you try it you might find that it works for you too.

chalky · Aug 14, 2015

I'll try the microwave tonight - but it will have to be when erindoors isn't looking. I appreciate all the advice.

robwoodall · Aug 14, 2015

chalky,
I live in a hot, wet climate. Alabama, in the U.S. may not be as hot and wet as your part of Asia, but we do tend toward steamy, swampy weather.
Excessive dampness has been an ongoing problem for me, but I've found that my tobacco will air dry indoors on even the dampest day.
I sit it out on a paper towel a couple hours before I smoke, in the summer time. That requires a little planning ahead, and I've used the microwave in "emergencies," but I feel like air drying gives me more control.
Experiment with different drying times, and see what works.

chalky · Aug 17, 2015

I tried using the microwave but that seemed to affect not only the taste, but also the way the tobacco behaved. It burned hotter than usual. So I have tried putting some dessicant inside the jar/tin/pouch together with the tobacco. This really helps, the tobacco dried out a lot and it burns much easier than before without affecting the flavour. I am a bit concerned that the dessicant will have a negative affect on the tobacco if I leave it for too long, but it's definitely been a good fix so far.

aldecaker · Aug 17, 2015

Glad it worked out for you. All you have to do is remove the dessicant packs when the tobacco is at the dryness you desire. With your level of ambient humidity, the tobacco should keep just fine from there. By the way, most dessicant packs can be re-used many times by drying them at a low heat in a toaster oven.

jkrug · Aug 17, 2015

Good to hear you seemed to find a way to resolve your humidity issues. Happy (drier) puffing to you. : puffy

:

jpmcwjr · Aug 17, 2015

If upon microwaving, it burns too hot, you may have over dried it. I've microwaved every day now since I first posted, and have experienced that, but I am learning!
(There should be no taste effect other than it burning differently from dryness)

darthvaper · Aug 18, 2015

Hi everyone! I'm new here as well, and also a new pipe smoker. I came over from smoking cigars for quite some time. I live in South Florida, and the humidity here is also around 80-90% on a daily basis with very high heat. I always smoke outside because I live in a non-smoking home. However, I notice that I find it impossible to keep my pipe lit at times too. I've decanted my tobacco which helped a bit, but I find myself having to relight 5, 6, 7, sometimes even 8 times. At which point the tobacco then tastes like ash and becomes unenjoyable.
I recently started smoking out of a BC Rocbrune 1027 rhodesian, but, I find the tobaccos get very moist at the bottom and I can never smoke to the bottom of the bowl, no matter how hard I try.
Any tips?

rottingcorpse · Aug 18, 2015

I've heard people say bad things about microwaving for drying out, but it works quite well for me, no loss or added flavor. 10-15 second intervals. Let it cool before packing as well.
The moist tobacco at the bottom of the bowl is called dottle. I don't smoke it, because it taste bitter and is always very steamy. Pipe tobacco is relatively cheap, so just toss it out or invest in a high quality meerschaum. I never got dottle with my IMP meerschaum, and I smoked mostly gooey BCA out of it.
You might also want to try packing looser than you are now.

darthvaper · Aug 19, 2015

@rottingcorpse I've tried a few different packing methods, and watched countless videos on the subject, to my knowledge I don't think I'm packing too tight. Draw always feels fine when I test after packing and sometimes I just do the gravity fill method. Other times I do the 3 pinch method where you press down harder after each pack. I'm never pressing hard enough and I always check if the tobacco is still springy in the bowl. I really feel the humidity down here is a big issue. Is it normal to rarely be able to smoke to the bottom of the bowl? I think I've successfully done it, once, maybe twice.....

rottingcorpse · Aug 19, 2015

Hmm... It's probably just a problem with the humidity of your tobacco then. Microwaving has worked for me in the past. If your microwave has an odor, put some baking soda in there with a glass of water. When you need to tamp your tobacco down while you're smoking, do so very lightly.
For me, when I'm smoking my briars or cobs, I'm never able to smoke to the very bottom of the bowl. I probably could if I tried, but it's too bitter and steamy, so there's no point in my opinion unless you like really bitter tobacco and tongue bite. I was able to smoke to the bottom of the bowl with my IMP meerschaum with little effort (RIP, I dropped it).
Another tip that comes from personal experience, is get a pipe with a wider bowl. I personally have an easier time keeping a big bowl lit than a narrow bowl.

gottaride · Aug 28, 2015

I have also found when the humidity is too high, pipe smoking (and cigar smoking for that matter) are simply a less pleasent experience. I've yet to find an answer. Drying the tobacco is a less than satisfactory experience. Fortunately, I live in a geographic locale where I can wait out the weather. No cure to be offered, just thought I'd commiserate.

jpmcwjr · Aug 28, 2015

Darth- Have you been able to try microwaving? It really works well for me. FWIW, if it's springy in the bowl, it's too moist for my druthers.
Good luck!

rcstan · Aug 29, 2015

I've found a good solution to my ongoing humidity problem. I live in coastal NC, a few miles from the water, outdoor smoking only except at work ( SPC ). Minimal use of air conditioner ( sensitive to freon ) and keeping things "au naturel" as much as possible. An open tin inside the house usually gets moister if left open on the counter, so I keep my daily ration of baccy in the fridge!

High humidity

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