How Dry? A Good Place To Start

[anotherbob]

If you want to see what is the proper amount of drying a pipe tobacco should get, just buy a tin of Daughter And Ryans VIPS TAPS. It's a VaPer that is pretty incredible honestly. Though it comes right out of the tin and smoking dryness. It's not dust like people sometimes say, it's still got a little moisture keeping the leaf pliable but it's not wet.

 

[bullet08]

I don't know. It seems like most blends have their optimum dryness. Then if the weather sucks, usual dryness doesn't work. Of course, you can adjust your technique to compensate for the weather or run the cleaner. But I don't want to think too much.

 

[anotherbob]

I don't know. It seems like most blends have their optimum dryness. Then if the weather sucks, usual dryness doesn't work. Of course, you can adjust your technique to compensate for the weather or run the cleaner. But I don't want to think too much.

of course but it might help a beginner to have at least one ah ha moment with one blend even if it's just to realize they don't have to be afeared of over drying.

 

[anotherbob]

Oh and a neat thing is I wonder how much where a blend is made dictates tin moisture. Like Daughter and Ryan is made in the south where it's humid so super dry. Lots of stuff is made in climates not so humid. Just a little thing I thought about.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

There's a reasonably wide range of moisture level that will work if you pack the tobacco appropriately. Basically, the wetter it is, the looser you pack it. Adjust with tamping.

 

[Casual]

Like Daughter and Ryan is made in the south where it's humid so super dry.

Interesting theory, but why would humid air lead to less humidity in the package?

 

[anotherbob]

Interesting theory, but why would humid air lead to less humidity in the package?

because it's harder to get the product to that dryness by leaving it out. So when testing it that suddenly becomes a bigger plus. Or in other words it's perfect for the enviroment it's made in.

 

[alaskanpiper]

I’d say for the beginner just dry it completely and work backwards from there. For me blends range from 1 hour to 8 hours of drying time needed depending on the blend, and everyone’s preference will be different. Since blends vary so much in moisture out of the tin, the only purely consistent baseline to start from is all the way dry!

Once you find out how dry you like it through that process you sort of develop an instinctive knack for estimating how long any blend will take to get to your preferred level of moisture.

 

[jaytex1969]

I just learned last night that, apparently, 7 months of dry time on a partial tin of St. James Flake is just right...

 

[anotherbob]

I’d say for the beginner just dry it completely and work backwards from there. For me blends range from 1 hour to 8 hours of drying time needed depending on the blend, and everyone’s preference will be different. Since blends vary so much in moisture out of the tin, the only purely consistent baseline to start from is all the way dry!

Once you find out how dry you like it through that process you sort of develop an instinctive knack for estimating how long any blend will take to get to your preferred level of moisture.

I went the other way starting too wet and enjoying it more as it dries until it gets too dry. And yeah it's funny how much just becomes knack after a while. I don't think about cadence much or packing but haven't had many issues for years and all just because it feels right.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Instead of faffing around with guesses as to what the tobacco in the tin starts at, what the ambient humidity is in your environment, and what you should dry it to, a few five dollar hygrometers makes it easy to get tobacco to the right moisture level.

 

[philipa4]

I prefer my tobacco on the dry side. I get more flavor that way.

 

[anotherbob]

Instead of faffing around with guesses as to what the tobacco in the tin starts at, what the ambient humidity is in your environment, and what you should dry it to, a few five dollar hygrometers makes it easy to get tobacco to the right moisture level.

or you could just feel the tobacco with your fingers.

 

[archerdarkpint]

Dry as dry. My preference has evolved, but it was not without a lot of trial and error. Spent several long years until I was satisfied or at least adjusted to my method and means of attaining enjoyment. As an example, I may pack a pipe with tobacco that I feel is dry "enough" and I'll leave it on my desk waiting to go, but it may be days before I get to it. While some may see dust dry as overly so, I've found that limited moisture is best for me and through the natural combustion process, ambient humidity and reverse breathing, moisture is semi-restored and there's little impact on flavor, if at all.

 

[luigi]

When I open a tin I place all the tobacco on a sunny place and cover it with paper. Within few hours, sometimes even a day it's completely dry and works best for me. Fire cured blends (english mixtures, kentucky) and aromatics will loose some flavour so better smoke them fresh. All the other blends taste and burn better when dried out completely.

 

[bigbeard]

I'm still pretty inexperienced but here's what I've noticed:

• The tin of old stock DNR is perfect out of the tin
• Same for Solani 633
• Same for Amphora Rich

I don't know if it's my climate (Southern Ontario) or my technique.

I've debated using a hygrometer to measure the optimal humidity and trying to reduce my other tobaccos to that.

I'm smoking MacBaren Vanilla Cream as I type. Used to bite like a piranha and needed dry time. I put the whole jar on a plate for 2 hours spread out before putting it back in. Now it comes right from the jar to my pipe with only a hint of bite.

 

[cigrmaster]

I smoke flakes almost exclusively and prefer them with some moisture. I find a blend such as Capstan Blue Flake to be at the perfect humidity when I open the tin. The flake folds and stuffs perfectly and smokes cook and dry every time. Once I stuff the flake I test the draw, I am looking for some resistance before I light it up. If it is too dry the flake smokes hot and I lose flavor.

Once I am used to a certain humidity I keep going for that same humidity every time. Learning the proper humidity level takes practice and time but once I get it, I consistently get a great smoke every time.

 

[jpmcwjr]

It'd be so helpful to others that, when you get a blend just right for smoking you could relay information that could be readily emulated.

I don't mean you, Harris, but anyone trying to describe how dry/damp a blend is before loading.

 

[fishingandpipes]

Generally speaking, drying, unless the tobacco is ridiculously wet, is somewhat over-rated and I find something less experienced smokers tend to focus on due to its spread on forums as some kind of conventional wisdom. One must keep in mind that, along with the concept of cellaring, this is a relatively new phenomenon in the pipe smoking world.

But ultimately, there is no real answer - the right smoke is the one you like. So I suppose, experiment with it!

 

[lawdawg]

As seems to be the case with other aspects of pipe smoking, there seems to be certain trends one way or the other at any given time. I've noticed (at least what I perceive as) a trend over the past couple years to drying your tobacco to the point of being crispy or near crispy. I've experimented with this and have found that I like most blends dried past the point where the tobacco will no longer stick together when pinched, to where if you pinch the tobacco you won't be able to feel any coolness or moisture. at this point the tobacco is pretty dry, but still pliant and not yet crispy. Basically, the ideal point for me (for most blends) is a step or two short of being crispy.

It varies by blend and style of course. Virginia is the most forgiving of overdrying, whereas latakia blends just get harsh when overdried. I don't even attempt to dry aromatics - I just pack em loose and smoke em slow.