Problem With One Tobacco and Not The Other

[smokindreams]

Hello friends.
I have a issue I was hopping I can get some assistance with. I started pipe smoking not long ago and I really do love it, I smoke mostly Aromatics such as various Sutliff blends, Dunhill, East Indian trading company, Mac Baren, McClelland just to name a few.
I have smoking them mostly out of my Corncob pipe while I await for the other pipes I have ordered to arrive, my issue is recently I went to the local smoke shop and bought some Captain Black (regular) and after filling my pipe I noticed that I did not have to relight my bowl quit as much as I do when smoking any of the above mentioned tobaccos. When I smoked the Captain Black one light would last me at least 10min where the other I have to relight every few mins, for the first few minutes and even after I have to keep my lighter in hand, I am using the same pipe, same method to fill the bowl with the tobacco and all of the tobaccos are very new only a few days old the only thing I did different when smoking the Capatian black was the I used Matches instead of a lighter but I don't think that should make a difference on how much I need to relight my bowl?
Any help would be appreciated!

 

[jvnshr]

The answer is the moisture. Probably Captain Black came a little bit drier than others out of the pouch. Try drying your tobacco before smoking it. About 30 minutes or so before smoking the pipe, take a bowlful of tobacco out of the pipe, put it on a paper towel. If you want to accelerate the process you may use some heat to dry it faster.

 

[smokindreams]

Excellent! Thank you I will try that! Like a Cigar can pipe tobacco get to dried out? I currently store all of my tobacco in a Mason jar and sure enough they remain fairly moist.

 

[alexnorth]

It can go too dry but you just take out roughly the amount you're going to put in your pipe and dry it. My experience is that it's supposed to be a bit drier than i initially thought.. ::

 

[sablebrush52]

Tobaccos stored in Mason jars will not dry out. Most tobaccos have extra water content when tinned, so drying out the tobacco will give you more flavor, as well as being easier to keep lit. My suggestion is to try drying out the tobacco until it feels dry to the touch when squeezed, but still pliant.

 

[jvnshr]

Excellent! Thank you I will try that! Like a Cigar can pipe tobacco get to dried out? I currently store all of my tobacco in a Mason jar and sure enough they remain fairly moist.

You are welcome. Of course it can get too dried out, but you can rehydrate it. Dry cigars need at least few weeks (gradually) to be rehydrated and sometimes they lose their flavors after drying out, pipe tobacco on the other hand can be rehydrated instantly and it rarely loses its flavor.

 

[thesmokindragon]

+1 on drying times

 

[mawnansmiff]

What I tend to do is decant from my jar sufficient tobacco for say four or five smokes, dry it off over a few hours then pop it into an old tobacco tin and smoke it over a few days.
I do this with most blends which gives me the option of smoking anything in my 'collection' without any fuss.
The thing to remember of course is to label each tin and lid correctly so as to not get things mixed up!
Regards,
Jay.

 

[shutterbugg]

I have a issue I was hopping I can get some assistance with. I started pipe smoking not long ago and I really do love it, I smoke mostly Aromatics such as various Sutliff blends, Dunhill

If you had not mentioned Dunhill I couldn't argue with the oft-parrotted oversimplification regarding the tobacco being too wet. Now, it's perfectly okay if someone prefers to dial back the taste of Dunhill blends by drying them, however anyone who says they have trouble keeping Dunhill lit (with the possible exception of DNR and Flake), it's not moisture, it's how they're packing it. As counterintuitive as it may seem, ribbon cuts need to be packed with a light hand, otherwise it'll choke off the air needed to keep it burning.
So before you dry out your tobacco in the pursuit of less relights, you might want to first give a try to packing it a bit looser. It might do the trick, and won't dull the taste. If it doesn't work, you can always try drying it. The age-old (before pipesmoking became "a hobby" with an internet-authored rulebook) way to judge proper moisture was to pinch a clump of tobacco together and then let go. If it stays bunched it's too wet, if it falls apart it's just right. And if it goes snap-crakle-pop and turns to dust, there are a few guys on this forum who'll gladly take it off your hands

 

[smokindreams]

Thank you everyone for all of the wonderful suggestions! I'll try drying a small amount out, the Dunhill I'll pack it more loosely!

 

[jpmcwjr]

One can smoke some Dunhill blends upon opening the tin, but you may end up with a soggy bottom third of your bowl. Dunhill and many other blenders choose a moisture level based on packing and storing, not the optimal level for the best smoke. Most experienced pipe smokers feel there's more taste when at the a lower moisture level, not the other way around.
As always, YMMV, and smoke what you like the way you like it!

 

[sablebrush52]

In the end, what it comes down to is experimenting with each blend to figure out what works for you. Cuts of tobacco differ, moisture levels differ, so it pays to try different things to learn what works for you.
Most tobaccos are tinned with extra moisture for the simple reason that tins slowly leak and the extra moisture helps keep the contents from drying out for a very long time.
Too much moisture mutes flavors and too little does the same thing. The trick is to find the sweet spot, and for me, most of the time that sweet spot is fairly, but not completely dry. I got there through a lot of experimentation, trial and error. Go and experiment and find your sweet spot.
Part of what keeps me interested is the hunt for those magic bowls when the stars align and I enjoy a truly transcendent smoke, one where I can keep the blend simmering on the verge of going out so that the tobaccos surrounding the glowing cherry are releasing their flavors with the fullest impact. Get the moisture, the packing, the cadence right and it's magic.

 

[mackeson]

+100 on what others said about moisture content.
For a few years I smoked RYO cigarette blends out of my pipe, but when I tried "real" tobaccos I had problems until I accidentally discovered drier tobacco burns better.

There is a bit of a fine line between enough moisture for optimal flavor and dry enough to burn well, but first just focus on good burning then play with your perfect moisture - it's different for everyone. Also, re-lights are no big deal. It's frustrating to do it continuously, but 3-4 re-lights for a bowl are not a big deal (and the norm for me)
Welcome to the forums

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I know lots of people who still talk like Shutterbug, actually, I know more people who use those same parameters as he has mentioned. I think that it must have been in an actual rulebook somewhere, or one of those dogmatic novels for pipe collectors. I see them in the B&M lounge, telling the young guys. Then you hear their pipes go slurp-a-gurgle-gurgle, like a straw in the soda reaching the bottom. There's nothing wrong with that, and historically, men have dogmatically told each other these tales like, a pipe must pass a pipe cleaner, tobacco must be pinched, the three part packing process, the idea that matches will make tobacco burn cooler, never take a stem out of a hot pipe... there are tons of these old ideas.
Try them, I think that we all should. It's a great starting point. But, if you want to maximize your pleasure from the hobby, pasttime, habit, addiction, or whatever you want to call it, you will start to play around with things like the packing, the moisture, dryness, the lighting. Question the dogma of the old rules that were set down in books. Do what gives you the most pleasure from the smoke. Try new things, shake it up a little.
But, in a way, I am with Shutterbug sometimes. It seems like no matter what the question... (My pipe smokes hot) (I burn my tongue) (I can't taste it) (It goes out) (my wife hates me) (My car doesn't start) (How do I post a picture) the first response is always to dry their tobacco more. It does start to look like a cult, ha ha. But yes, sometimes the answer is to try drying the tobacco more, pack differently, smoke slower...

 

[jpmcwjr]

Try them, I think that we all should. It's a great starting point. But, if you want to maximize your pleasure from the hobby, pasttime, habit, addiction, or whatever you want to call it, you will start to play around with things like the packing, the moisture, dryness, the lighting. Question the dogma of the old rules that were set down in books. Do what gives you the most pleasure from the smoke. Try new things, shake it up a little.

Couldn't agree more. One of the problems with communication here is there's little, if any, empirical data. How much moisture is too much? How dry is too dry? One's light pack will be another's crushing tamp. How hot is hot? Data can be had, but it takes work and there seems to be little enthusiasm to putting hygrometers into everyone's jar. I've been guided by same (specific moisture content, expressed as RH), as well as input from Russ Oulette and Greg Pease as to optimum moisture levels.
While cadence, packing, lighting and tamping are all factors in how a bowl may smoke, overly moist tobacco outweighs them all as a factor for a poor smoke or soggy bowl. It's hard to change what you've been doing for 30 years and I understand the need for some to push back But facts is facts!
I sure don't mind strong differences of opinion, but think it can be done without innuendo and insults. There have been a number of posts by folks who've written that they've dried their tobacco for the first time, and are very happy to have done so. No one has said it sucked and they're sorry they tried it— so far!
And, did you know? If you dry your tobacco down to 65% RH and smoke a bowl, it'll cure the heartbreak of psoriasis!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I must just be stupid, because I just can't find any innuendo or insults here. But, saying that facts is facts is wrong also. I could care less if Greg and Russ both published a book and burning flames shoot out to tell me how moist or dry my tobacco should be, interpreted by the gods themselves, I will still dry my tobacco my way. Everyone else can do what they want, but facts are not involved at all. Pipe smoking is completely subjective. I live in 100% humidity Alabama, and I like mine crunchy. I could give a damn less whether someone else thinks it's too dry or not. It works for me in my climate. This might not work for someone in sunny and dry California or Nevada. It also might not work for someone living next door to me that is just starting and is overwhelmed by all of the minutia involved with pipes. My advise is to just play with it. Find what works for you.
I respect the hell out of Russ and Greg, and I enjoy their creations, but I wouldn't let them try to tell me how I should smoke my pipes. The saying at The Briary is that no one tells a cowboy how to treat his horse. We bash each other for the silliness we do to smoke our pipes, all in good fun, but when someone starts to get dogmatic, out come the guns and someone gets reminded about the cowboy and the horse.
I even know a surgeon who is a Briary rat that microwaves his tobacco and grinds it really fine in a small grinder to pack it hard as hell in his pipe. Who is to day that he's wrong, as long as his horse gets him there?

 

[shutterbugg]

One can smoke some Dunhill blends upon opening the tin, but you may end up with a soggy bottom third of your bowl. Dunhill and many other blenders choose a moisture level based on packing and storing, not the optimal level for the best smoke. Most experienced pipe smokers feel there's more taste when at the a lower moisture level, not the other way around.

1. You can end up with a soggy bottom third of a bowl even if the tobacco is bone dry, unless the ambient air is at zero humidity, because there is not time for moisture in the air sucked through the bowl to dissipate before the hot smoke contacts the cooler underlying tobacco and condenses. Also, toppings in many blends do not volatalize well.
2. Unless someone can link to an official statement from Dunhill attesting to them shipping their blends at a higher moisture level than they feel is optimal for smoking, there is nothing to prove it is anything but a baseless assertion. The tins are vacuum-sealed, many people cellar them unopened for years and when popped, find the contents at virtually the same moisture level as that of recently-tinned blends. And Dunhill stands to lose rather than gain by forcing customers to first dry their blends in order to enjoy them.
3. Saying "many" experienced smokers feel there's more taste at lower moisture levels is inarguable given the unquantifiable nature of that assertion. Saying "most" implies a majority, and thus makes it reasonable to expect the maker of such an assertion to provide solid data in its defence.

 

[shutterbugg]

It seems like no matter what the question... (My pipe smokes hot) (I burn my tongue) (I can't taste it) (It goes out) (my wife hates me) (My car doesn't start) (How do I post a picture) the first response is always to dry their tobacco more. It does start to look like a cult, ha ha. But yes, sometimes the answer is to try drying the tobacco more, pack differently, smoke slower..

Absolutely. And may I add, if you want to come to any accurate conclusions, be scientific about it and try them one at a time. Changing more than one variable at a time you can't be sure which one did the trick, or if one cancels out another, etc.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

My data is the fine white ash in my pipe that was smoked with only one match. Everyone else can just hand out trophies for everything else, ha ha.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Cosmic-
I'm not telling you or anyone how or what you must smoke. I am merely relying on experts' opinions as to what works for them as a counter to one or two other's assertions based solely on their experience and conclusions. That those experts' opinions are the same as mine will mean nothing to those in disagreement, nor does it mean the way shutterbugg smokes is wrong for him. It sounds like you smoke on the dry side, and I will defend your right to switch to wet, dust or topped to the gills!
And facts are facts. Relative humidity has a number and 65% RH at 70º in Alabama is the same everywhere. As I said, I doubt many would ever use a hygrometer. Anyway, if I am tired of all this, others must be more so, so a holiday here is in order!