How Long Do You Dry Out Your Tobacco?

[pipenscotch]

So after a bad experience with Frog Morton, I've decided to let my next smoke of the tobacco dry out around 24h. It seemed unusually moist straight out of the tin, so hopefully some drying time will make my next experience with the Frog a little better .
When I smoke my 1Q, I usually let a bowl's worth of tobacco dry out for around hour and a half, two hours until I smoke it. Do you guys have a set time that you usually like to dry out your tobacco's, or do you gauge the drying out time based on the moistness of the tobacco itself?
pipenscotch
Title Corrected Rule #9 Thanks, Zack

 

[lankfordjl]

I experiment. Depends on the tobacco and the room conditions. I like dry my tobacco in the bowl; I usually pack my pipe in the morning to smoke in the evening or in the evening for the next morning. I don't smoke as much as some of the others.

 

[ohin3]

I also set out my evening bowl in the morning to let it dry till magic time. I usually only smoke a bowl or 2 at the most in the run of a day.

 

[judcole]

I don't. I don't smoke anything that really needs it.

 

[pstlpkr]

I smoke mostly Aromatics, and don't usually dry it at all.

I never dry 1Q. For me it smokes fine right out of the jar.

However; I do have a couple of blends that I like to dry until it's dry as a bone.
Like Lankfordjl said: Experiment.

 

[mrenglish]

I prefer the tobacco on the dry side so will let it sit out until it is right for whatever I am getting ready to smoke. I also DGT a lot so I don't have to fuss with drying in the afternoon when I get up. If I am in a rush, I have a desk lamp that gets pretty hot, so I will set my tobacco under that until it feels right.

 

[crpntr1]

For fvf I use a desk lamp for about 20 minutes, fmott, 1Q, and most of the others I may or may not dry at all...apparently last time I smoked luxury twist flake, it was too moist. I just decided it would be my evening smoke but it didn't have a lid on the jar...its a little crunchy, so now its rehydrating

 

[tiltjlp]

Every tobacco will need it's own amount of drying time. But I solve the problem by packing all my pipes after I clean them, so that thry're really whenever I get around to smoking the pipe. Since I belive dry is better than moist, the lenght of time doesn't really matter to me.

 

[spartan]

Everyone has their preference.
How do you like your steak cooked?
"I want to be able to eat it."
"Uh.......... what?"
Every tobacco you get you will have to try different moisture levels. Some tobaccos are shit dry. Some are crap moist. Everyone will have a different singing point to you. Others will dry the crap out of EVERYTHING. You really have to find what works for you.
If a tobacco exibits a flavor while it's dry that you don't much like it may tone itself down with a little moisture under its belt.
I will sometimes (if I'm curious enough) get a tobacco very very very moist through re-humidification by my sponge in jar method, and then I will try it out at various dry times. Find your sweet spot.
That said:
If burley is the main tobacco I will dry it out for a few hours before I pack a bowl.
Aromatics I might dry out while I sleep or take a nap. 5+ hours. ( I typed map first lol... Dry out your MAPS. I've had a few beers... forgive me.)
Latakia blends will be smoked at all different levels.
Oriental blends will be smoked at all different levels.
VA forward blends must be moist for me. Otherwise they will bite me like a son of a gun. Depending on the blend.
Not much experience with perique. So I need to smoke more of this stuff to form an opinion on what I like.
And even after you find your groove you MUST exit your comfort zone every once in a while. Finding great smokes is a life-long journey.

 

[dsturg369]

I smoke all my tobaccos on the dryer side of dry. Not "crunchy" but very dry.

 

[mluyckx]

What Lawrence said....
Sam Gawith flakes are very moist and benefit IMHO from drying time. Usually overnight. My Aro's, 1-Q, Autum Evening, Mark Twain, Vanilla Cream, straight out of the jar or tin.
Good luck.

 

[jmsutton]

I find that anything with Latakia smokes better if I break the seal on the tin and leave it sitting for a few days with the lid on it. I love Frog Morton Cellar, and I think that it smokes best when I break the seal, fluff it up a bit in the jar (shake it around or just toss it around with your fingers), and let it sit for 5-7 days (depending how long I can stand having it and not smoking it).

 

[alexander87]

Just came across this rather old thread. I'm a new smoker and was very afraid of over drying my tobacco. Starting to see that at least in the summer months that's very hard to do. I had no idea how dry pipe tobacco really needs to be.

 

[jpmcwjr]

A great deal depends on where you live, what the relative humidity is, and how wet the stuff is when you start. When Joe in Phoenix says he dries xyz brand for a half hour, that does Mike in the Carolinas no good at all, for example, when he's trying to true up his tin of xyzzy.
If the heel of the chamber is fairly dry at the end of the smoke, if you have no gurgle, you're pretty right on.

 

[sablebrush52]

Most of the blends I smoke offer me the most flavor when smoked quite dry. Dry to the touch when squeezed, but still pliant, just shy of bone dry. Some aromatics do better with a touch more moisture, but not much more. I find that most Hearth & Home blends are at the proper smoking moisture right out of the tin, as are most GL Pease blends. British imports are another matter and many need literally hours of drying time before they are fit to be smoked.

 

[ray47]

When I did dry tobacco, I found an hour to be just right. The blends I smoke now come mostly dry and ready for smoking.

 

[warren]

alexander87: My tobaccos dry out a bit each time I open the tin. I think drying time is dependent on whether you enjoy it dry, damp, moist, dusty. Whenever you get the satisfaction you're seeking, that's the level you should try for with that particular blend. Overly wet anything will smoke hot of course. I'm one of those who believes tobaccos are pretty much right when I crack the tin the first time. Not that I haven't found a blend, or two, which is just too damned damp for my taste.
It's a personal preference as you see from reading the above. There is no rule of thumb which covers all blends.

 

[saltedplug]

Warren says it, that moisture is a preference. I believe Pease releases his tobaccos ~13%, which is more moist than many others. Too moist it won't burn, while too dry it will burn too moist.

 

[mawnansmiff]

My preference mirrors Jesse's method, just shy of bone dry. It must be remembered, particularly with flakes, that though the outer feels dry, the inner still holds moisture so just so long as your tobacco is still pliable then it should be ok.
On the other hand if it crumbles into dust when pinched then it will need to be revitalised with added moisture.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

I'm with Jesse and Jay here.

90% of my daily smokes are Virginia blends/flakes from Mcclelland or Gawith (with a couple Esoteric exceptions).