A Little Rub Changes Everything

[teamkazam]

I have only been smoking a pipe for a year but have over 30 pipes (mostly Peterson and Savinelli) and as many choices of tobacco (mostly purchased with help from this forum.) I think I might be obsessive compulsive! Lol. I smoke everything type of blend imaginable and readily mix blends depending on my mood. If this is a silly question - I won't be offended if you set me straight. ). Two of my top 5 blends are flake (Solani Aged Burley and SG Full Virginia Flake.). I got lazy and rubbed a tin of each and placed each in discreet mason jars. Something happened after they sat for a month in their jars. The flavor profile changed dramatically - for the better! They seemed to burn better, stay lit better and had a higher nic hit. The flavors seemed more complex and felt somehow better presented. Is this just me or did something happen? If you rub a flake out and it mixes with oxygen does something happen? Surly a month can't make that much difference.., can it?

 

[weezell]

A little rub changes everything...That's what SHE said!(sorry,had to) :rofl:

 

[jeffboyrd]

Well said Roth.

 

[05venturer]

weezell be me to it

 

[teamkazam]

Good points and well taken. )

 

[ohin3]

@ teamkazam: I think that is a brilliant idea. Never thought to rub a whole tin out and let it age like that. I can't speak for the Solani Aged Burley, but I don't doubt that even one month old fully rubbed FVF is drastically different from it's original tinned state. I have to try this with a few flakes. Never stop getting ideas in this hobby do you?

 

[sparroa]

kazam,
A month can make a world of difference - especially if you left the tobacco in the (opened) original tin.
I would speculate that the tobacco lights easier and burns better because it is drier, and I would speculate that you notice a greater nicotine hit because you are smoking faster and more efficiently with fewer relights and less overall fiddling with your pipe...
The flavour, of course, will be drastically altered when you smoke the tobacco at a different moisture level. Drier tobacco can be a blessing or a curse - this is very blend specific. Anything that is packaged overly moist or full of PG, however, will probably benefit from the treatment you prescribed.
I would caution against this, though, if you are a slow smoker. By rubbing out the tobacco and exposing it to oxygen in such a way, you've ramped up the degradation process IMO. (Whereas if you jarred the tobacco, it would age in a more controlled and arguably "positive" manner)
There is a sweet spot where a blend sings like no other - it takes a lot of experimentation to find it.
I have thought of rubbing out an entire tin but I would personally only do it for an overly damp tobacco such as fresh FVF or Dark Star for the reasons mentioned above.
+1 to roth for keeping flakes intact for long term aging.
Do whatever suits you best for your "smoking stock" but anything you plan to keep for the long term is better off retaining its intended level of moisture for as long as possible. Rubbing out and airing out the tobacco would be a negative in that scenario as far as I am concerned.

 

[teamkazam]

I jarred them after I rubbed them out. They were a bit more dry now that I think about it... But not much. I like what you said about long term storage/aging too. )