Naive Question about Drying Tobacco

[beef]

Being new to pipe smoking, I am wondering if people can help me understand the importance of drying tobacco to the right degree. I know that the right degree is a partly subjective matter, but if the tobacco is too moist, it will be difficult to light/keep lit. But there is the range where it isn't obviously too moist to being crispy yet not distintegrating. My naive question is why does it matter within this range how much moisture the tobacco has? From what I know, the purpose of the charing light is to remove moisture from the tobacco such that it will stay lit. So, if the charing light gets the tobacco to the right moisture level (eventually there is no moisture at all as it burns), why does it matter how moist the tobacco is within this range?

I have read in the forums , according to some, that if the tobacco is too dry, you lose flavour. (From my experience, this seems to be true.) But wouldn't the charing light result in a loss of flavour if this point is true? If flavour is not actually lost, then a dryer tobacco seems preferable since it should result in less relights.

I have found that I like to pack my pipe and then let it dry out a bit more in the bowl. But this is just because I have found it to be easier to pack with a moister tobacco. Do others have any advice/comments on this?
Thanks for your help.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I let my tobacco go bone dry before packing and haven't done a charring light for a long time.

 

[verporchting]

It’s a very subjective thing between too dry and not dry enough. Different pipes, tobacco blends and personal preferences play a big role, as does technique.

Basically just do what works for you. If you’re constantly struggling to keep it lit or scorching your mouth it’s too wet. If it incinerates immediately and tastes like otherwise flavorless cigarette ashes it’s too dry.

 

[Chasing Embers]

If you’re constantly struggling to keep it lit or scorching your mouth it’s too wet.

Or packed too tightly.

 

[STP]

I agree w/above... it’s personal preference based many variables. As an example I like my tobacco on the dryer side, but find that aromatics are less favorable if too dry, and if too wet, then it requires more lights.

 

[jpmcwjr]

The key word is "too", be it dry or wet.
I dry everything well in advance of smoking, then jar it. (or dry it in the jar, lid open. I use tiny hygrometers, which takes most of the guesswork out.)

Drying in the chamber for me is a no-no. It dries from the top down, and you want the bottom half to be no wetter than the top.

I also don't do a charring light- unless my "true light" doesn't take!

HTH.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I agree w/above... it’s personal preference based many variables. As an example I like my tobacco on the dryer side, but find that aromatics are less favorable if too dry, and if too wet, then it requires more lights.

in my experience, the very same ruling as with Aromatics might ? be applicable to Lakeland and some other traditional British OTC blends, It all depends on how one would like them, but yes, generally speaking, whatever blend, the dryer it is the fewer are chances to get tongue burn

 

[kcghost]

If you have an aromatic this can be a real problem. Some of them can be called a "glop" of stuff. Fortunately most aren't that wet.

 

[stevecourtright]

Honestly, I adapt to the tobacco.

I can smoke tobacco right out of a newly opened tin, where it's moist and maybe needs an extra light or two and it's a good smoke with plenty of flavor. A month later the tobacco left in the opened tin can be almost crackly dry and it's also a good smoke with plenty of flavor, but I smoke a little slower to keep the temperature down. It's really no big deal in my experience to just go with the flow and pay attention to what is going on in the pipe to get what I want out of it.

While I acknowledge that most folks have a preference, and that's great, I wonder if too much is being made of achieving the "perfect" smoke and whether it gets in the way of just enjoying it, however it is at that moment. I get the idea that for some it's a real passion. More power to you.

But this, for me, is a reminder of how many times I break the "rules" and still find a great deal to love about a pipeful of good tobacco.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Excellent! Whatever works for any given person that gives an enjoyable smoke.....

 

[anotherbob]

Being new to pipe smoking, I am wondering if people can help me understand the importance of drying tobacco to the right degree. I know that the right degree is a partly subjective matter, but if the tobacco is too moist, it will be difficult to light/keep lit. But there is the range where it isn't obviously too moist to being crispy yet not distintegrating. My naive question is why does it matter within this range how much moisture the tobacco has? From what I know, the purpose of the charing light is to remove moisture from the tobacco such that it will stay lit. So, if the charing light gets the tobacco to the right moisture level (eventually there is no moisture at all as it burns), why does it matter how moist the tobacco is within this range?

I have read in the forums , according to some, that if the tobacco is too dry, you lose flavour. (From my experience, this seems to be true.) But wouldn't the charing light result in a loss of flavour if this point is true? If flavour is not actually lost, then a dryer tobacco seems preferable since it should result in less relights.

I have found that I like to pack my pipe and then let it dry out a bit more in the bowl. But this is just because I have found it to be easier to pack with a moister tobacco. Do others have any advice/comments on this?
Thanks for your help.

what makes you lose the flavors is evaporation. So for aros it's esspecially extreme. Because they lose their topping which is sprayed on. So it sits on the outside of the leaf. When you char it your vaporizing it too but it doesn't just go up into the atmosphere but into the smoke. Hope that makes sense. Kind of hurried today.

 

[rajangan]

For some people, overthinking enhances their pass times. For others, it ruins it. It's a free country. You can do it to yourself or let it go. Your choice.

 

[mso489]

Mostly, I find letting tobacco dry, overnight or even a few days, gives me a better smoke. I don't detect any flavor loss, and it lights and burns more evenly. The moisture route doesn't work for me. There are aromatics that come and stay really moist, and these are usually quite sweet. I've enjoyed sampling these like rich desserts, but it is nothing I'd smoke regularly. All personal preference, but that's mine, after many years of doing it various ways.

 

[sablebrush52]

The flavors that you get don't come from the burning tobacco, the "cherry" as it's sometimes called. It comes from the tobacco surrounding the burning cherry, which is giving up its essences as it simmers.

Too much moisture and the flavors are muted. Think of it as a watery broth where the actual flavor providing ingredient is a smaller percentage of what you're getting. Reducing the water content changes that watery broth into a reduction, one where the flavor providing ingredient is a much higher concentration. But you still need a tiny amount of that water.

Since I smoke Virginias or their variants, like Va/Per, Va/Bur, Va/Per/Bur blends, the moisture level that provides me the most intense flavors is just shy of bone dry. I'm looking for a level of moisture where I feel no moisture or coolness from the water content when I squeeze the tobacco betwixt thumb and fingers. It feels dry to the touch, but is still basically pliant, if a bit crispy at the ends. If the tobacco is crumbly dry, where it's going to turn into powder, it's too dry and some flavor is going to be lost.

Aromatics require a little bit more moisture so that the topping doesn't fade out, but it's a fine line between losing the flavor of the topping and the flavor of the underlying leaf. Aromatics require some experimentation to get right. They're not the easiest genre to enjoy.

English, Balkan, and Oriental blends are easily the most forgiving because their constituent leaves are flavor powerhouses. You can have a middling technique and still enjoy a flavorful smoke.

Packing is important, but in my experience, not as critical as moisture levels. Even if you pack properly, too much or too little moisture will still result in a bland smoke. Packing too tight will affect the draw, prevent the leaf from simmering properly, and will likely contribute to a hot smoke, which also affects flavors. Better too loose than too tight.

Flakes require a different approach than ribbon or shag cut. Some people prefer the fold and stuff approach of smoking flakes. I've rarely found that to be an acceptable approach unless I'm setting up a pipe with a folded and stuffed flake the day or two before I actually smoke the bowl. Then, the tobacco has had some drying out time before I apply fire to it. I reserve some flake to crumble up and spread over the top to act as kindling.

Mostly I break up or cube cut a flake before loading up a bowl. I gravity feed the bits into the bowl with a couple of sideways taps to settle the bits, and then lightly tamp the top, adding some kindling to help spread the flame over the surface of the tobacco. Blreaking up a flake before drying also decreases the time it will take to dry the tobacco, and helps the drying be more uniform.

Different manufacturers tin their blends with different levels of moisture. For example, Gawith flakes are very moist and benefit from several hours at a minimum of drying time before loading up a pipe. You will become more familiar with the differences as you try different blends from different manufacturers.

I'll puff to get a bowl going, then I gently sip the smoke. My goal is to be able to enjoy the bowl while keeping the tobacco just simmering at the edge of going out. That's when I get the most complete and intense flavors. This is when cadence becomes important

Lastly, I always snork when I'm going for all of the flavor nuances. Pushing out the smoke through my nose allows me to pick up more flavors. There are more flavor receptors in your schnoz than in your mouth.

Don't worry about the tobacco going out while you're smoking a bowl. Not all blends are easy to smoke from top to bottom. Some blends need relights. There's no gold star for smoking a bowl from top to bottom without a relight, nor is there a gold star for burning every last strand. It's perfectly fine to toss out the last part of the bowl. You won't damage your pipe from trying to turn it into a blast furnace while going after those last few strands. And smoking too fast and too hot makes for an ashy tasting smoke.

There's a learning curve to finding out what works best for you. Experimenting with moisture levels and with packing will help you find the results that you are seeking.

Patience is essential to mastery. Eventually it all comes together and becomes natural.

 

[beef]

The flavors that you get don't come from the burning tobacco, the "cherry" as it's sometimes called. It comes from the tobacco surrounding the burning cherry, which is giving up its essences as it simmers.

Too much moisture and the flavors are muted. Think of it as a watery broth where the actual flavor providing ingredient is a smaller percentage of what you're getting. Reducing the water content changes that watery broth into a reduction, one where the flavor providing ingredient is a much higher concentration. But you still need a tiny amount of that water.

Since I smoke Virginias or their variants, like Va/Per, Va/Bur, Va/Per/Bur blends, the moisture level that provides me the most intense flavors is just shy of bone dry. I'm looking for a level of moisture where I feel no moisture or coolness from the water content when I squeeze the tobacco betwixt thumb and fingers. It feels dry to the touch, but is still basically pliant, if a bit crispy at the ends. If the tobacco is crumbly dry, where it's going to turn into powder, it's too dry and some flavor is going to be lost.

Aromatics require a little bit more moisture so that the topping doesn't fade out, but it's a fine line between losing the flavor of the topping and the flavor of the underlying leaf. Aromatics require some experimentation to get right. They're not the easiest genre to enjoy.

English, Balkan, and Oriental blends are easily the most forgiving because their constituent leaves are flavor powerhouses. You can have a middling technique and still enjoy a flavorful smoke.

Packing is important, but in my experience, not as critical as moisture levels. Even if you pack properly, too much or too little moisture will still result in a bland smoke. Packing too tight will affect the draw, prevent the leaf from simmering properly, and will likely contribute to a hot smoke, which also affects flavors. Better too loose than too tight.

Flakes require a different approach than ribbon or shag cut. Some people prefer the fold and stuff approach of smoking flakes. I've rarely found that to be an acceptable approach unless I'm setting up a pipe with a folded and stuffed flake the day or two before I actually smoke the bowl. Then, the tobacco has had some drying out time before I apply fire to it. I reserve some flake to crumble up and spread over the top to act as kindling.

Mostly I break up or cube cut a flake before loading up a bowl. I gravity feed the bits into the bowl with a couple of sideways taps to settle the bits, and then lightly tamp the top, adding some kindling to help spread the flame over the surface of the tobacco. Blreaking up a flake before drying also decreases the time it will take to dry the tobacco, and helps the drying be more uniform.

Different manufacturers tin their blends with different levels of moisture. For example, Gawith flakes are very moist and benefit from several hours at a minimum of drying time before loading up a pipe. You will become more familiar with the differences as you try different blends from different manufacturers.

I'll puff to get a bowl going, then I gently sip the smoke. My goal is to be able to enjoy the bowl while keeping the tobacco just simmering at the edge of going out. That's when I get the most complete and intense flavors. This is when cadence becomes important

Lastly, I always snork when I'm going for all of the flavor nuances. Pushing out the smoke through my nose allows me to pick up more flavors. There are more flavor receptors in your schnoz than in your mouth.

Don't worry about the tobacco going out while you're smoking a bowl. Not all blends are easy to smoke from top to bottom. Some blends need relights. There's no gold star for smoking a bowl from top to bottom without a relight, nor is there a gold star for burning every last strand. It's perfectly fine to toss out the last part of the bowl. You won't damage your pipe from trying to turn it into a blast furnace while going after those last few strands. And smoking too fast and too hot makes for an ashy tasting smoke.

There's a learning curve to finding out what works best for you. Experimenting with moisture levels and with packing will help you find the results that you are seeking.

Patience is essential to mastery. Eventually it all comes together and becomes natural.

Very helpful and detailed! Thank you! I know that there are some variation due to personal preference with almost every aspect of pipe smoking. One reason why I would like less relights, right now, is that it is cold as hell when I am smoking and the interruption reminds me that I am out in the cold. Can't wait to be able to sit on my porch smoking away without the threat of frostbite.

 

[beef]

Thanks everyone for the helpful comments.

 

[Grangerous]

If you often smoke different tobaccos, there will be variables to tackle between brands upon opening.

SWR and Granger are similar blends marketed at differing levels of moisture. SWR is dry, like granola. Granger is moister.

I find Granger luxurious. Soft to the touch, dark and rich yet won’t clump if pinched.It loads and smokes beautifully.

Some say drying it “wakes it up”. I’ve not found this
to be true.

I have to agree with Stevecourtright, whom I think nailed it. Re-read his post. “Adapt to the tobacco”

 

[Old School 3319]

All I can say is moisture is not my friend. Moisture = bite and burn of the mouth. If you smoke aro’s it is a learning curve that each person has to learn. I smoke very dry tobacco and I enjoy all my different blends but dry is key

 

[Fiddlepiper]

I’m not a fan of very dry and crispy. I like a little moisture. For the blends I smoke I find it suits them better although the sweet spot for each blend is definitely different. I don’t always get it perfect but it very rarely detracts too much from the experience if I don’t. I just have to adapt as @stevecourtright says above.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

To keep it very simple.. Just dry it until crispy. later you can hone that system down... but very dry tobacco helped me learn to enjoy my pipes.