Rehydrating Daugthers & Ryan 1lb Bags?

[sablebrush52]

Generally, I've found that I get the most intense flavor when I dry my tobacco to the point that it is nearly bone dry, but not bone dry. If I can feel the water content when I squeeze a pinch of tobacco between my thumb and forefinger, it's too moist. When it feels dry to the touch when squeezed, but is still pliant and not brittle, it's good to go. When I find an exception to this I'll let you know, but for now, everything that I smoke benefits from being smoked quite dry.

I only smoke outdoors, so I don't get the benefit of smelling the smoke because I'm not sitting in a room of it. Anything I taste has to come from what I sip and then exhale through my nose.

 

[butsiethesungo]

Speaking of D&R, I have a mason jar of this stuff and the first time I smoked it it went up in flame like bundle of hay.....pieces were flying out of my pipe! :puffpipe:
Anthony suggested that I mix it with Lane BCA and it really gave it some flavor. Has anyone mixed it with anything else before? I have D&R 3 sails.... :twisted:

 

[jpmcwjr]

I guess people like to guess about moisture content. Then write about it. Only Jesse knows what his bone dry is; Jack's idea of bone dry is quite different.

As far as I know, I am the only one to quantify it, other than the blenders who participate here. It'd be nice if we all had a point of real reference.
--

I know that you believe you understood what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.

 

[deathmetal]

Eh, you've got a few factors in play here. The first is that Mark Ryan likes to ship tobacco dry; the second is the conditions between then and now; the third is your own personal chemistry and smoking pace. How much does the blender recommend you rehydrate?

 

[cortezattic]

How much does the blender recommend you rehydrate?

Russ Ouellette had a practical response: Where possible, compare the bulk product to the tinned version. (I notice D&R's tinned blends are more moist.)

http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/packaging-a-tobacco-companys-dilemma/

 

[sablebrush52]

John,
I'll have you know that my bone dry is an international standard. Astronomers on 15 continents set their axial rotations based on it.
I was chatting with Mark Ryan about the moisture content of the tobaccos he sells and Mark said that he tins at the correct moisture level for smoking to get optimum flavor, and also that he doesn't believe that people should be paying for water. So his tins are 40grams and the tubs are 6oz, as opposed to 50gram and 8oz because the difference is excess water.

 

[deathmetal]

So his tins are 40grams and the tubs are 6oz, as opposed to 50gram and 8oz because the difference is excess water.

Don't you mean that his tins are 60grams and the tubs are 10oz, as opposed to 50gram and 80z of which 20% is water?

 

[sablebrush52]

Don't you mean that his tins are 60grams and the tubs are 10oz, as opposed to 50gram and 80z of which 20% is water?

Nope. You're getting an equivalent amount of leaf at a lighter weight because it isn't soaked with water.

 

[saltedplug]

Mr. Oeullette in the article above pointed out that moisture can't be controlled in bulk, that the the volatile components of taste do deteriorate on exposure to air and that bulk would not feature the anaerobic fermentation of the tin; but that as requests for both bulk and tinned were made by PC's customers, a well as, vacuum-bagged, they decided to offer some tobaccos in all three mediums knowing that there would still be complaints about tinned and the bulk options.
From what I know of the man, he has the patience of Job, and that knowing of the outcry no matter what he did, he went ahead and put all three mediums in play. Not only can he blend, but his customer service skills are top-notch, as clearly evidenced by his policing the recurring P&C compliant threads on this site. Customer service skills are not my forte. I'd maybe take one call before telling the second he could go hang himself!

 

[deathmetal]

I view D&R much like Ohm: it's meant to be smoked at the moisture level at which it arrives. Bagged tobaccos are designed to lose moisture.

 

[deathmetal]

Nope. You're getting an equivalent amount of leaf at a lighter weight because it isn't soaked with water.

I think the math is off here. You're getting the equivalent of, say, 60g because of the loss of 10g of water, not:

So his tins are 40grams and the tubs are 6oz, as opposed to 50gram and 8oz because the difference is excess water.

Which implies he's packing light tins because they would otherwise be heavier with water.

 

[sablebrush52]

Morning dyslexia? His tubs weigh in at 6oz. His tins are 40 grams or 35 grams. The amount of leaf is equivalent to 8oz tins or 50 gram tins respectively, but the weight on D&R tins is less because there isn't extra water added to the tobacco, which contributes to the weight. That according to Mark. So, 20% or so of the weight in some other makers' tins is just the extra water that needs to be evaporated off before you can get a good smoke. 60 grams doesn't even enter into it.

 

[mso489]

Just to echo the theme in several posts, I wouldn't be reluctant about smoking dry tobacco. Hydration might be good to do before jarring to age a blend, but usually a blend that seems a little, or quite dry, will smoke just fine. The lack of flavorings and toppings is a real virtue of D&R. I think it would appeal to most experienced pipe smokers. That might lure me to order some, despite my sufficient supply of blends on hand.

 

[saltedplug]

I regularly talk myself out of buying more tobacco as I have stacks of it. But the lack of toppings on D&R tobacco is tempting me. And the price is certainly right.

 

[deathmetal]

The amount of leaf is equivalent to 8oz tins or 50 gram tins respectively, but the weight on D&R tins is less because there isn't extra water added to the tobacco, which contributes to the weight.

I think you got your math backward on those. What you are trying to say is that the 8oz tin has another 20% of weight of leaf, not that it has been deducted.

 

[baaron]

Ha, good thing I decided to lurk here today, this reminded me that I still have to jar one of those bags I bought a year ago. I jarred the Picayune but ran out jars for the Rimboche. I took some out to sample and put the rest in the closet until I got more jars. Stuff got thrown on top and I had completely forgotten about it. Because we have high humidity here I expected it to be moist but it was fine and ended up being one of the best bowls I've had in a while.

Do you find that after re-hydrating there is a loss of flavor ?

Some, but I feel like there is definitely a sweet spot when it comes to moisture. Too dry(crumbling) and the tobacco burns fast. And like cosmic said, if its too moist you get steam/hot air so you get less tobacco flavor.

 

[sablebrush52]

I think you got your math backward on those. What you are trying to say is that the 8oz tin has another 20% of weight of leaf, not that it has been deducted.

Perhaps you have misread what I wrote in the first place. The amount of molecular material comprising the tobacco is similar between a 6 oz D&R tub and an 8 oz brand "Y" tub. The reason that the brand Y" tub is 8 oz is because there are 2 oz more of the molecular material that is known as water added to that molecular material known as tobacco, making for a total weight of 8 oz.
6oz of brand "Y" tobacco + 2 oz of extra water = 8oz total weight.
The D&R tobacco doesn't have all that water added to it. 6oz + no extra water = 6 oz.
Same amount of the material known as tobacco is in both the 6 oz D&R tin/tubs/whatevers and the 8 oz brand "Y" tin/tub/whatever. The only difference is the water.
The point is that Mark Ryan doesn't add extra water to his product. Many of his tins are marked 35 or 40 grams, not because there is less tobacco in them than a 50 gram tin, but because there is less water in them and therefore they weigh less. You're not paying for water.

 

[deathmetal]

Here's your original statement:

His tubs weigh in at 6oz. His tins are 40 grams or 35 grams. The amount of leaf is equivalent to 8oz tins or 50 gram tins respectively, but the weight on D&R tins is less because there isn't extra water added to the tobacco, which contributes to the weight.

Translation: he packs light tins because he does not include the water, not that you get more tobacco for the money.

 

[sablebrush52]

Translation: he packs light tins because he does not include the water, not that you get more tobacco for the money.

Correct. You're not paying for water. I didn't say he was putting more tobacco in the tins for the same amount. I said that Mark doesn't think it's right to charge people for water. People don't consider how much of what they think they're getting is something that they can't actually use, like excess water that actually kills flavor. When they read 8oz they think they're getting more tobacco than in one of D&R's 6 oz tubs. They're just getting more water rather than more leaf. People look at weights, and think that they're getting less from D&R because the price is similar, but the weight is less. Several poster here have made that point. Not the case.

 

[jaytex1969]

Has anyone mixed it with anything else before?

Butsie, I've had some problems enjoying the McClelland's Virginias. I have a bulk I got from my B&M which is primarily the McClelland's red and black VA's. I mix the moist VA's that don't seem to dry well with the dry D&R Picayune and they seem to go well together.