Dry tobacco

[pipesolitude]

Hi!

I am returning to a tin of Dunhill's Royal Yacht that I was too lazy to put in a sealed jar. So it has just been sitting in the tin for 5 months now. The tobacco is now a bit dry and I find the taste acrid and harsch, not very good. I remember that I did not like it when I first smoked it, hence I put it away. But I can not tell if the harsch and acrid taste now has gotten worse because of dryness.
So the topic I would like to adress is: How does dryness effect the taste? Can the taste be restored by moistening the tobacco?
I presume that different types of tobaccos might react differently. But my intuition is that virginia based tobaccos might be less vulnerable to dryness than orientals and latakia. What are your experiences?
Glad for your insights on this topic.

 

[mackeson]

I've never been satisfied with the results after re-hydrating tobacco, but many here have reported great results. It's probably at least worth the very small effort to see if it works for you. Try a wet paper towel on some foil on top of the tobacco in a sealed jar, or one of the other methods folks have written about on these forums, and let us know what you think.

I personally just end up dumping dry stuff into my "leftovers" jar.

 

[cortezattic]

Hi, and welcome to the forums.
I like my tobacco a little on the dry side. I think too much humidity can "blanch" the flavor of many blends.

Besides, the steam generated by burning moist tobacco can scald the tongue if you're not careful.

You may be interested in an article by G.L. Pease on the subject: Dust in the Wind - A Primer on Tobacco Moisture

 

[balkisobrains]

The Daughters & Ryan tobaccos that I have tried come dry as a bone for the most part. Too dry to smoke enjoyably right out of the tub for me. Lightly hydrating it until the leaves become pliant, and then letting it sit in a sealed mason jar over the next few days while opening the jar once a day for a few minutes to 1) exchange the air and to 2) eventually get it back to nearly as dry as it was, seems to work best for me in terms of getting the best smoke and flavor out of it. I would try that. ::

 

[jpmcwjr]

If you didn't like it moist, you won't like it dry. Maybe in the middle will be better, but it looks like a write off to me.

 

[deathmetal]

Let's see, that's a Virginia, and not aged enough for the sugars to decrease, so it will burn hot. I would either rehydrate, maybe just by sprinkling some whisky on top, or put it in a smaller bowl and smoke as slowly as possible.

 

[shutterbugg]

If you didn't like it moist, you won't like it dry. Maybe in the middle will be better, but it looks like a write off to me.

Yeah that's what I was thinking too. Drying RY tones down the topping and leaves it tasting like strong, harsh cigarette tobacco. So if you don't like it out of the tin and you don't like it dry, you probably just don't like it.
What I suggest is mixing the dry RY with some aro or other blend you like the taste of but find too mild in the nic department. It makes a great spiker.

 

[thomasw]

What I suggest is mixing the dry RY with some aro or other blend you like the taste of but find too mild in the nic department. It makes a great spiker

Yes, this is a solid idea.
Another idea would be to spike the RY itself; if you like SG's brown no.4 or black xx or another like jkplug, use it to blend in the RY. I find it makes for a delicious, rich smoke. I like nicotine, but i love it balanced with subtle flavours -- and RY's plum/fig subtleties can take time to appreciate, and even so it is just not for all palates. so don't be wary of spiking the RY itself to fit your palate, while enjoying the clarity of the nicotine

 

[pipesolitude]

Thanks for replies!
I will try re-hydrating some of it and see if it gets better. I will also take the advice and experiment with using it as a blending tobacco, that sounds like a good idea for RY. Actually, the only Dunhill tobacco I've really enjoyed so far is Durbar, but sadly they stopped producing it.

 

[tmb152]

I remember that I did not like it when I first smoked it, hence I put it away.

Solitude, you've said it all, I never liked Royal Yacht even when it was fresh. You can try rehydrating it gently, but likely some of the essential oils have been lost or changed or the drying changed the topping. My advice is to either throw it out or maybe try what I sometimes do--- work it in with some other tobaccos that can counter it so that each offsets some quality of the other.
Regards,

 

[cortezattic]

You can try rehydrating it gently, but likely some of the essential oils have been lost or changed...

Good observation, tmb. I think this is the reason that many severely dried blends are beyond rescue.

It's more than just water loss.

 

[shutterbugg]

Actually, the only Dunhill tobacco I've really enjoyed so far is Durbar, but sadly they stopped producing it.

Since when? They only reintroduced it maybe a year or so ago. Smokingpipes.com has it in stock.

 

[pipesolitude]

Since when? They only reintroduced it maybe a year or so ago. Smokingpipes.com has it in stock.

Yes, you are right, my mistake, the re-releas is still in production. I was misinformed because I had only looked at the old Durbar page on tobaccoreviews.com. But now I saw that there is actually a different page for the re-release. Good news for me - Dunbar is still out there!