Drying Tobacco In Bowl? Noob Question

[jpmcwjr]

The ideal moisture level isn't the same for everyone. And not all blenders seal and ship at the same level. Stonehaven and Margate come out way to moist for my druthers, for example, and by consensus of many/most aros are too wet to smoke well. I recall reading a thread about one blend of GL Pease being too dry for the complainer's taste; I am sure there are others. I like my tobacco about the 75% RH level. You?
(I can't recall if it's you or another chap who doesn't smoke the last third or so of a bowl as it gets too damp... .(?)- which to me implies too moist a start)

 

[iajaffe]

I like my tobacco fairly dry. I'll spread the whole tin out on a plate to dry and then put it back in the tin. It smokes well for me that way. I can always rehydrate if needed.

 

[shutterbugg]

I like my tobacco about the 75% RH level. You?
(I can't recall if it's you or another chap who doesn't smoke the last third or so of a bowl as it gets too damp... .(?)- which to me implies too moist a start)

No idea in hell what RH level I like. Whatever Dunhill sets theirs at I guess. I dump the last third (probably more like a quarter to an eighth actually) because it tastes like crap due to catching all the tars from the first two thirds. It's like a filter. It's not wet dottle, just bad-tasting to me. You wouldn't find a respectable smoker of good cigars who grabs up a roach clip and smokes it down till his moustache catches fire, but somehow the internet has created the false myth that "real" pipe smokers smoke down to the heel.
I knew lifelong pipesmokers since I was a kid and none of them ever smoked to the bottom of the bowl. I did know a few cheapskates who refilled their pipes without knocking out the dregs of the prior smoke though.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Very few can give specifics, but getting actual numbers is useful to me. YMMV.
I usually find good taste to the bottom, and I like the fact that the whole pipe is dry when I am finished with a bowl. Your mileage obviously varies.

 

[jpmcwjr]

You wouldn't find a respectable smoker of good cigars who grabs up a roach clip and smokes it down till his moustache catches fire, but somehow the internet has created the false myth that "real" pipe smokers smoke down to the heel.

Oddly enough, there were a handful of cigar smokers on my recent trip, and the one who smokes only Monte Cristo #2s puts his stogie in the bowl of a pipe to smoke it down to the last drop. Maybe he was an ignoramus, maybe a genius. I am only reporting!

 

[shutterbugg]

Given the cost of a Monte Cristo these days I can't say I blame the guy. Desperate times call for desperate measures

 

[jpmcwjr]

Given the cost of a Monte Cristo these days I can't say I blame the guy. Desperate times call for desperate measures

Indeed!
How about trying an experiment? Dry down your favorite much more than you think is right. (But short of crispy critters). Smoke as normal. When you get down to where you might dump the dottle, stop for five minutes or more. Then relight and enjoy. (or try to!).
If poor taste, just exhale mildly through the pipe to slowly burn down the balance. Then, at least, your pipe will be dry and perhaps a tad more seasoned in the region you don't normally inhabit.

 

[mso489]

Sometimes I'll pack a pipe bowl and let it sit, sometimes overnight. I also have a pottery bowl, turned on a wheel and baked in a kiln, I use to let several bowls of rubbed out flake or plug dry, overnight or sometimes for a day or more. Usually drying only improves the even burn and flavor. I think nicotine is a natural bug repellant produced by plants for that purpose.

 

[davedan]

Sometimes I'll pack a pipe bowl and let it sit, sometimes overnight. I also have a pottery bowl, turned on a wheel and baked in a kiln, I use to let several bowls of rubbed out flake or plug dry, overnight or sometimes for a day or more. Usually drying only improves the even burn and flavor. I think nicotine is a natural bug repellant produced by plants for that purpose.

mso489 - thanks for keep on sharing your wisdom sir! One of the most helpful pipers on this forum!