Do You Dry Your Tobacco Before Smoking? Why or Why Not?

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Sobrbiker

Lifer
Jan 7, 2023
4,241
55,543
Casa Grande, AZ
I’m fairly new to this (<2yrs smoking like I mean it), and I’ve yet to open a tin and smoke it through exclusively. That means everything most everything gets jarred.
If I know the blend enough (and have now learned better what kind of moisture will burn as I like it), I will do my moisture adjustment between the tin and the jar. As many mentioned I am too impatient (and sometimes too indecisive) to “put out” a smoke’s worth to dry.
Bulk blends I buy usually go “as received” into larger jars, and are then used to fill a smaller jar for use and are adjusted as needed/desired then. Blends I know will benefit from some time are set back of course, but I don’t by anything that needs years in my hands before I will like them.

What I found more interesting was the information about how bulk leaves are often dried to the point of crispy and rehydrated them for handling/processing. This puts an interesting angle on the “but if it gets dry it’ll never taste the same” camp, yet GLP also makes a case for that that statement as well after explaining the former.
 

Sigmund

Lifer
Sep 17, 2023
3,179
30,800
France
Ive been using my tobacco pretty directly from the jars. Its not super wet to begin with and opening and closing dries it more.

Lately I have been smoking some of my older non filter pipes. I learned really fast that its easy to scorch yourself when you go from 9mm AC filters to no filter. The steam is a killer so I have been drying more when I use those pipes.
 
I'm with the smoke it as it is group here. Drying tobacco is something i did years ago with certain blends, but after learning how to make adjustments in the actual smoking of the pipe itself, it has become a moot point. That being said, i don't buy PG'd blends, i rarely smoke aros and due to the large assortment of open/jarred items, they tend to naturally dry slightly as the jar is opened and closed over time and my smoking style/cadence adjusts naturally to whatever moisture level is giving me in terms of heat in the pipe.

The most recent example i can think of is popping a new tin of 1792. I noted that it was wetter than anything i've smoked for a while and i simply slowed down a bit with it and had no issues.
 
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kcghost

Lifer
May 6, 2011
15,138
25,717
77
Olathe, Kansas
Well, I don't smoke aromatics, so I don't have to deal with things that are dripping moisture. I know most aromatics aren't that wet, but a few are. Greg's point on how to put moisture I believe to right on point. Having said that I never jar my tobaccos and when get ready to smoke them I open the tin up and fill the bowl and lit her up. Do that for two or three weeks and the tin is consumed. This system works for me.