Don't Overlook Drying Time

[Old_Newby]

For beginners I wanted to share to not overlook the importance of drying time. Especially for Virginias.
I have been smoking for 3+ years and always pulled the tobacco out of tin and loaded it. I have selected a lot of my favorites this way. Recently I started pulling out a few bowls first thing in the morning and wrapping it in a paper towel like Denzel Washington did his tea bags in the movie Equalizer. Then by the time i get my coffee and load my pipe it’s dry. Take it from this beginner that its make a difference. Tasting tobacco notes is already a delicate and nuanced endeavor and maximizing the notes is important. It’s not a lot but i get about 1/4 more flavor profile and it burns cooler making it more enjoyable.

 

[BingBong]

Calling @JimInks - this is not always true for every tobacco. Sometimes, flavour is lost as flake dries. The trick is knowing which ones to leave moist.

 

[Old_Newby]

Duly noted. Makes sense. Do you feel it’s more Virginia related or did i just hit a blend that was a little moist in the tin? Either way folks play around with drying time because I just discover the Virginia I am smoking got better with some drying.

 

[dottlejockey]

Yep, i actually rarely do this anymore. But then again, i'm mostly smoking from jars i've been opening and closing for years.

 

[lukasstrifeson]

There are so many minute factors that come into play with drying times, it's really near impossible to make any sweeping generalizations.

Sure, you can argue some aromatic blends with a more superficial topping can dissipate if you dry it for too long, but the general rule, especially for beginners as OP specifies, the dryer your tobacco the easier it will be to pack and smoke properly.

 

[sablebrush52]

Calling @JimInks - this is not always true for every tobacco. Sometimes, flavour is lost as flake dries. The trick is knowing which ones to leave moist.

I have never found that to be true. Never. I test every tobacco to find its sweet spot, and always experience a reveal of flavors with a reduction in moisture. That said, with aromatic blends I look to make the topping more of a reduction than a thin broth.
How much of a dry down varies from blend to blend, again based on experimentation. Some people prefer their flavors less pronounced. I’m not one of them.

 

[didimauw]

For beginners I wanted to share to not overlook the importance of drying time. Especially for Virginias.
I have been smoking for 3+ years and always pulled the tobacco out of tin and loaded it. I have selected a lot of my favorites this way. Recently I started pulling out a few bowls first thing in the morning and wrapping it in a paper towel like Denzel Washington did his tea bags in the movie Equalizer. Then by the time i get my coffee and load my pipe it’s dry. Take it from this beginner that its make a difference. Tasting tobacco notes is already a delicate and nuanced endeavor and maximizing the notes is important. It’s not a lot but i get about 1/4 more flavor profile and it burns cooler making it more enjoyable.

That's really funny. I've been camping for almost a month now, and it's done nothing but rain. So much humidity. Barely able to smoke my pipes. My solution was to stick paper towel in my pouch for a day. It helped a little, but i was just impatient.

Otherwise in a tent there's no escaping the humidity. Almost renders my briar unsmokeable.

 

[ClassicKehler]

Sou

For beginners I wanted to share to not overlook the importance of drying time. Especially for Virginias.
I have been smoking for 3+ years and always pulled the tobacco out of tin and loaded it. I have selected a lot of my favorites this way. Recently I started pulling out a few bowls first thing in the morning and wrapping it in a paper towel like Denzel Washington did his tea bags in the movie Equalizer. Then by the time i get my coffee and load my pipe it’s dry. Take it from this beginner that its make a difference. Tasting tobacco notes is already a delicate and nuanced endeavor and maximizing the notes is important. It’s not a lot but i get about 1/4 more flavor profile and it burns cooler making it more enjoyable.

Sounds like you found a way to make your smoking experience more enjoyable. In that case it doesn't matter what any of us think of it. But I agree with you. I find the same thing works for me.

 

[kcghost]

I never enjoy drying out tobacco and I would say I don't smoke aromatics. Generally, I don't dry out tobacco but if you do, I'm certainly fine with that.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I like to dry out fresh tobacco. Most of my stuff in jars seems to have dried itself to the right smoking condition, or something.