Drying Your Tobacco

[boilerman19]

Title edited for caps. See Rule 9. And in which state is "Denied"?

I'm relative new to pipe smoking. Only a year and a half in. My biggest question is how to properly dry your tobacco? I know every tobacco may be a little different, seeing as every manufacturer may have different moisture. But when you get your new tobacco, what does everyone do?

I have had people tell me they take it out of the tin and leave it out for a day or two. To putting it in the microwave for 30 sec or so to dry it out. Lol i have tried that and it works really well actually.

So what is everyone else technics? How long? How dry? How much? Is there a too much?

 

[Buffalo]

When it comes to tinned tobacco, just about every blend is going to be different. Some manufacturers are notoriously wet, like Samuel Gawith. Others are on the drier side. Really the only hard and fast rule is to drying is your palate. I've always used mine to determine if and for how long a blend needs to dry. If you feel like the blend is starting to bite, best to stop, let that bowl cool and dry some before finishing the pipe and then making a mental note to let it dry before you have another bowl. I start at 15 minutes and go from there on those blends. Other blends you can tell as soon as you pop the seal that it is going to need longer dry times. FVF is one of my regular rotation smokes, and although I usually buy it in the bulk boxes, when I do go after an aged tin, I know when I pop the seal that I need to leave the lid on loosely overnight to help the excess moisture evaporate.

 

[PA Piper Mike]

You'll most likely get 20 replies with 20 different takes...lol

For me, I like mine where you can squeeze it and it bounces back slowly. You don't want to hear any crunching. If it's too wet you will find yourself relighting a boat load of times to keep it lit. And when it's too wet, there's a good chance you'll get tongue bite. If you are dealing with an aromatic, they may come wetter than say an English or VaPer, so you may want to air those out for longer.

I usually don't dry out an entire tin, mostly because I'd rather accidentally dry out 1 bowl instead of the entire tin. With some blends that come saturated in PG (propylene glycol) I'll usually pour it all out on a sheet pan and let it dry for about a day, then jar it and when I want to smoke a bowl, dry out the portion for that session (15 mins - 1 hr depending). I have a leather catchall that I use to dry out the tobacco I plan to smoke (if it needs drying out). Most of the time, depending on the blend, it can be anywhere from 10 mins to an hour.

I've never microwaved mine, but I have heard of people doing that. Not sure how that turns out.

 

[Shortwave]

I'm impatient. I smoke whatever is new as soon as I get it, then I'll know what NOT to do next time!

 

[bullet08]

Im relative new to pipe smoking. Only a year and a half in. My biggest question is how to properly dry your tobacco? I know every tobacco may be a little different, seeing as every manufacturer may have different moisture. But when you get your new tobacco, what does everyone do?

I have had people tell me they take it out of the tin and leave it out for a day or two. To putting it in the microwave for 30 sec or so to dry it out. Lol i have tried that and it works really well actually.

So what is everyone else technics? How long? How dry? How much? Is there a too much?

Like you said, everyone's different. I check for the moisture by taking a pinch full of tobacco between thumb and index finger. Give is a pinch and check how wet it is. From there, chech every 5-10 min until it's no longer moist to touch. After doing it for years, I can sort of hit it close to where I want it. But still double check on occasions. Flakes are biggest issue when doing this since I really can't feel the moisture between the layers of leaves. So, I usually just leave it out for 3-5 hours.

 

[ThermionicScott]

A tin usually lasts me a month or more, so I don't do anything that would dry it all out too fast. Once I crack a new tin it goes straight into a jar.

I do like to pack a pipe the night before, especially with Virginias. As I approach the end of a tin/jar, though, I'm more likely to just load the pipe immediately before smoking.

 

[didimauw]

Air it out for a few hours, then obliterate it to little pieces.

 

[boilerman19]

You'll most likely get 20 replies with 20 different takes...lol

For me, I like mine where you can squeeze it and it bounces back slowly. You don't want to hear any crunching. If it's too wet you will find yourself relighting a boat load of times to keep it lit. And when it's too wet, there's a good chance you'll get tongue bite. If you are dealing with an aromatic, they may come wetter than say an English or VaPer, so you may want to air those out for longer.

I usually don't dry out an entire tin, mostly because I'd rather accidentally dry out 1 bowl instead of the entire tin. With some blends that come saturated in PG (propylene glycol) I'll usually pour it all out on a sheet pan and let it dry for about a day, then jar it and when I want to smoke a bowl, dry out the portion for that session (15 mins - 1 hr depending). I have a leather catchall that I use to dry out the tobacco I plan to smoke (if it needs drying out). Most of the time, depending on the blend, it can be anywhere from 10 mins to an hour.

I've never microwaved mine, but I have heard of people doing that. Not sure how that turns out.

Im hoping so lol. Because im doing this on my own i like to here all takes. I cant always think of different ways even though they are right in front of my face. So variety is great.

 

[cigrmaster]

The only tins of tobacco I need to dry out before smoking are ones from Samuel Gawith. The three I have the most of are Best Brown Flake, Full Virginia Flake and St James Flake. They all need 2-3 hours to dry to a point I am comfortable smoking them. Over the years I have bought aged tins of Samuel Gawith Golden Glow and not a one has needed extra drying, I don't get it but I am not complaining.

I have found that all of my other tins which are all flakes flakes never need drying. I prefer my flakes to have a bit of moisture as they smoke slower, cooler and with more flavor. Your mileage may vary.

 

[jaytex1969]

Aromatics may lose some "flavor" or character if dried too much.

Or, so I hear. I don't do too many aromatics.

With non-aromatics, I find they can be dried extensively and I usually prefer to do so.

When you get a new blend, try it as it comes. Then dry a portion a lot. Like crispy dry.

Compare the two and see how you like it.

I usually dry a load of a new non-aro for a day. Then, I'll dry each following load for less time until I find what seems best for me.

If you liked the fresh load more than the dried one, you can go the other way, drying each new load just a bit longer until you find your personal preference.

Let us know your findings. Many of us find this interesting.

 

[boilerman19]

I'm impatient. I smoke whatever is new as soon as I get it, then I'll know what NOT to do next time!

this is me to a T. It is also how i found the microwave tech. My impatient come more from life then myself alone. I dont always have time to sit and chill.

 

[fireground_piper]

My non-aromatics I’ll put under a heat lamp anywhere from 15-30 minutes. It will start to get crispy and audibly make a shaking sound when stirring it around. That’s when I know it’s ready.

For aromatics, I’ll just give it a little air time to take the initial moisture edge off and pack light.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I prefer it very dry most of the time, but some blends come out of the pouch or tin almost ready to go or ready to go and some take some time and it varies. I was banned from the microwave and have some tobacco sitting out that’s been there for a couple of days, and some since 5 am, but since I decided I “must” try this KBV Fallen Cherry right now, haha, 12 seconds in the microwave on a napkin and it’s just right (and my wife just had to warm up her mocha a minute ago and …… busted!).

You’ll have fun figuring it out, relights aren’t a crime in my locale, and lots of good info on here!

 

[brian64]

I too prefer it very dry before smoking. I just spread some out on a paper towel for anywhere from a couple of hours to several hours depending on the blend. But I usually will not dry out more than a few bowls chambers worth at a time because I tend to notice some flavor loss if I let it sit that way too long...especially with Latakia blends. After filling a bowl chamber I put the remainder in a separate jar for use that day.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I open most tins for 3 days to a week before smoking it. This allows the tobacco to breathe and dry out a bit. I mostly smoke flake, ideal dryness is where it's just about ready to crack when folded. Or is just to the point of cracking. This level of dryness burns the best and allows the flavors to come through. It also minimizes the amount the tobacco expands when heated and the moisture that forms in the pipe from condensation. I've found no reason to smoke the tobacco with any more moisture than that.

When pressed for time, I've used the microwave. However, that seems to take a bit away from the tobacco flavor, at least to me. At any given time, I will have around 6 tins open that are in the queue and drying. Once you get over the "has to be moist" mind block, you can error a bit on the dry side and you'll see this maximizes your smoking pleasure.

 

[The Amish Tyrant]

I prefer it very dry most of the time, but some blends come out of the pouch or tin almost ready to go or ready to go and some take some time and it varies. I was banned from the microwave and have some tobacco sitting out that’s been there for a couple of days, and some since 5 am, but since I decided I “must” try this KBV Fallen Cherry right now, haha, 12 seconds in the microwave on a napkin and it’s just right (and my wife just had to warm up her mocha a minute ago and …… busted!).

You’ll have fun figuring it out, relights aren’t a crime in my locale, and lots of good info on here!

I was fraternity brothers with a guy who was banned from using a microwave for different reasons. He now works for NASA (seriously).

So I guess you're in good company.

 

[boilerman19]

I prefer it very dry most of the time, but some blends come out of the pouch or tin almost ready to go or ready to go and some take some time and it varies. I was banned from the microwave and have some tobacco sitting out that’s been there for a couple of days, and some since 5 am, but since I decided I “must” try this KBV Fallen Cherry right now, haha, 12 seconds in the microwave on a napkin and it’s just right (and my wife just had to warm up her mocha a minute ago and …… busted!).

You’ll have fun figuring it out, relights aren’t a crime in my locale, and lots of good info on here!

Lol the first time i used the microwave i got a " what the hell is that smell " from the wife. She is not a smoking fan lol. I played it off with a " hmm, not sure. Did the dog fart? " she caught me the second time lol.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Here is the most accurate way, but no one has spoken up and says he does it too: Actually measuring the moisture of the tobacco.

It requires an outlay of 10-20 bucks plus Mason jars.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Here is the most accurate way, but no one has spoken up and says he does it too: Actually measuring the moisture of the tobacco.

It requires an outlay of 10-20 bucks plus Mason jars.

Do you measure the moisture and have a preferred range for you? Probably knew this from other threads but have forgotten.

 

[edger]

With flakes, I like to load a pipe or two and leave them for a day or so to dry in the chamber. Drying them outside the pipe just creates dust when you crumble and pack. If I'm drying a quantity, I prefer faintly leathery to crispy, but it does vary with the blend.