How to Re-Hydrate Pipe Tobacco

[Buckler]

Great point! Good to know things in the pipe world can be a little OCD too. Deff found this in other hobby groups! Although im not too sure where the mold came from. Maybe the grubby finger I used to mix it round with... :P
Jars weren't the best quality either. Have proper ball jars now.

 

[mingc]

Great point! Good to know things in the pipe world can be a little OCD too. Deff found this in other hobby groups! Although im not too sure where the mold came from. Maybe the grubby finger I used to mix it round with... :P
Jars weren't the best quality either. Have proper ball jars now.

Mold spores are everywhere. They're already in your blend. Keep your tobacco on the dry side and in a cool place. Too wet and hot will get you mold guaranteed.

 

[Buckler]

Mold spores are everywhere. They're already in your blend. Keep your tobacco on the dry side and in a cool place. Too wet and hot will get you mold guaranteed.

That makes sense. I think maybe I put droplets in rather then spray. So these super wet patches are where the mood grew perhaps.
Cheers.

 

[hauntedmyst]

When I do it, I get a tupperware bowl, but not a bowl, in like something you'd bake lasanga in but tupperware. I lay it all out inside spread around and put one or two spritzes on it then flip the tobacco and do it again. It's shocking how little water is needed. I use purified water every time. When I'm done, I put the top on and let it sit a day or two.

 

[Buckler]

When I do it, I get a tupperware bowl, but not a bowl, in like something you'd bake lasanga in but tupperware. I lay it all out inside spread around and put one or two spritzes on it then flip the tobacco and do it again. It's shocking how little water is needed. I use purified water every time. When I'm done, I put the top on and let it sit a day or two.

That sounds like a great method too!!
I do have some red virginia that could probably do with re hydrating. It’s super dry but smokes and tastes fine to me. Maybe I’ll re hydrate a little just as an experiment…

 

[beargreasediet]

Any specific tips for the flake? Got a few oz of a Penzance that got a little too crumbly in the mason jar. Been a couple weeks with a large boveda pack but it’s still on the dry side. Would sure like to smoke it yesterday, maybe I just need more patience.

 

[hauntedmyst]

Any specific tips for the flake? Got a few oz of a Penzance that got a little too crumbly in the mason jar. Been a couple weeks with a large boveda pack but it’s still on the dry side. Would sure like to smoke it yesterday, maybe I just need more patience.

Nothing really different other than if you can get them out of the jar in flake form, then lay them out flat in the tupperware and resist the urge to think "Maybe just one more spray!" Do the one side, let them rest overnight covered, then flip them and do thee other side.

If it really is just a little too dry, just soak a couple of those terracotta disks soaked in distilled water in the jar and leave it alone for a week or so. Should be good as new.

 

[hauntedmyst]

Separately, I should add that if you have dry flakes and you want to try flavoring them, now is the time to do it. Just spray them with your flavoring, or more likely, your favorite rum or whiskey, just like you would if you were rehydrating it. No need to do both rehydrating and flavoring. Also, if you want a cream flavoring, these ridiculous Whipped Cream schnapps do a fabulous job and for $2 for a little bottle, you can't go wrong. If you drink it, we'll have to take away your man card but it's ok to use it as a tobacco flavoring!

​

 

[mingc]

Any specific tips for the flake? Got a few oz of a Penzance that got a little too crumbly in the mason jar. Been a couple weeks with a large boveda pack but it’s still on the dry side. Would sure like to smoke it yesterday, maybe I just need more patience.

You're in the wet side of the Pacific NW I gather, just like me. Unless you live in a super tightly climate controlled house with the temperature and humidity dialed way down, it's hard to get any tobacco super dry, especially in our current weather. Have you tried smoking any? You might be surprised. In my drafty old house or my modern office building, I'd just leave the top of the jar off and the ambient humidity would be about just right for me.

 

[woodsroad]

Most pipe tobacco blends are treated by the manufacturer with an anti-fungal chemical, like calcium proprionate. If a blend molds, it probably means that they screwed up at the processing plant and didn't apply enough or apply evenly.

 

[Swiss Army Knife]

Just got some bulk 507-S that came dry as a bone, so guess I'll be venturing into rehydrating for the first time. Think I'll give the paper towel over a glass bowl method a shot.

 

[jcinpa]

I prefer not to wet the tobacco directly, using any method, spraying, sprinkling, whatever. I may be too fastidious, but I do worry about what can happen to wet tobacco, not that I've ever had any issue with it. But I get a little square of aluminum foil and make it into a slightly bowled shape. then I crunch up a coffee filter (the one in the pic happens to be brown), soak it well with distilled water, squeeze the bulk of it out, then drop the wet ball on the foil and let it sit for 2-3 days. Repeat if necessary, but I've never had tobacco that far gone.

This is in a wire bail ceramic container. Seal isn't the best, but rehydrating it every now and then is easy.

 

[Hovannes]

I have a partial baggie of PS Cube Cut that became Crispy.
I old schooled it with an apple peel and a few days later it's a done deal.

 

[JSPiper71]

Why can’t you buy a small cigar humidor for this purpose and set it to the correct humidity level?

 

[Scottishgaucho]

Being tight-fisted I just use a square plastic container with some paper towel soaked in mineral water at one end and the baccy at the other. Close the lid and slightly tilt the whole thing to make sure no excess water can run into the baccy. I check the moisture level every day until it suits. Never had a problem.

 

[jeffya2]

Many interesting & inventive ways here
I bought 12 of there Chinese Tobacco humidifiers. They work fabulous
I paid $12 USD @ Xmas & they can be found cheaper than this often

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[jeffya2]

BTW they are all wide enough for your hand but can be bought in 4 different heights

 

[Tabacco]

This is what I have been using for the past seven-eight months and it work's very well. I use this system for re-hydrating dry tobacco as well as (and mostly) for keeping "fresh" the tins I have opened and I am currently smoking. I wish I had thought about it earlier, I would have saved a lot of half full tobacco tins that I had ended up trowing away.
It consists in a small cigar humidor that I had dismissed, a Cigar Oasis humidifier, and a bluetooth hygrometer. With the bluetooth hygrometer I do not have to open the humidor to check the humidity, I can do it directly with my phone, but it also keeps the records of temperature and humidity for 30 days.
If I have to rehydrate I start low, usually at about 65% and then I progressively increase the humidity to the right level, which for the tobaccos I generally smoke is within 76%-79%. For comparison cigars typically need 67%-70%.
I rarely smoke anything with Latakia or heavily flavored tobacco, if I did I would use a dedicated humidor.
By the way, the humidor may help but I don't think it is absolutely necessary, a box with a good seal should work as well if something like the Oasis is used, instead of passive humidifying elements.

The Oasis is good at controlling the humidity is such a small humidor. Here are a couple of charts that I took when I was still experimenting:

This one is of this evening after I took some tobacco to smoke:

 

[hyperstar]

In my experience. Rehydrate tobacco with distilled water makes the taste of tobacco fades.

I would spray some scotch whisky or brandy on them.

Brandy usually bring them alive. While whisky can either mess up the flavor or makes them even better! Just like opening a blind box.

 

[AJL67]

Picked up some best brown in a 250g box from 2018 and as you can see it’s uhhhh a little dry. Need to pick up some distilled water and see what we can do. I will say it’s pretty crispy and has zero smell. Le sigh.