Rehydrating Dry Tobaccos with Well Hydrated Tobaccos

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DTXHobbit

Lurker
Oct 25, 2021
42
96
Texas
Hello All-

I have a tin of EMP that has been in an open tin for about half of a year and is getting quite dry. I was wondering if any others here have experience rehydrating tobaccos with other more hydrated tobacco.

I have a sealed tin of EMP that I assume is well hydrated. I'm hoping for feedback on if it would be okay (and not just end up with two tins of bad tobacco) if I took the dry EMP and mixed it with the new EMP and sealed it in a mason jar.

Thank you.

DTXHobbit
 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,822
16,316
SE PA USA
EZ-PZ Method:

  1. Dump the tin contents into a ziploc bag.
  2. Fill a clean spray bottle with non-chlorinated water.
  3. Spay a a fine mist of that water onto the tobacco.
  4. Inflate the bag by blowing into it and seal it.
  5. Shake-a-shake-a-shake-a-woozie-woozie-woo.
  6. Done.

I've done this many times over the past 10 years or so with no observed downside.
 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,786
27,410
Carmel Valley, CA
Then you have one tobacco at perfect moisture level, and another too wet!

I was also going to suggest rehydrating one tobacco, and let the other tin find its equilibrium later.

So now you have two good choices!
 

DTXHobbit

Lurker
Oct 25, 2021
42
96
Texas
EZ-PZ Method:

  1. Dump the tin contents into a ziploc bag.
  2. Fill a clean spray bottle with non-chlorinated water.
  3. Spay a a fine mist of that water onto the tobacco.
  4. Inflate the bag by blowing into it and seal it.
  5. Shake-a-shake-a-shake-a-woozie-woozie-woo.
  6. Done.

I've done this many times over the past 10 years or so with no observed downside.
Thanks for the suggestion!
 
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lraisch

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 4, 2011
632
1,237
Granite Falls, Washington state
Put a few drops of distilled water into the tin, cap it shake. If the tobacco is loose in the tin (not a hard mass) this will suffuse through the entire tin in a day or two. If the tobacco is still compressed, loosen it with your fingers so the moisture will be evenly distributed.
 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,822
16,316
SE PA USA
Distilled is the key. Regular tap or bottled spring water can result in mold.
That has not been my experience. Almost all commercial pipe tobacco has been already treated with an anti-fungal chemical. And distilled water is not necessarily sterile water. I use well water from our tap, but any non-chlorinated drinking water should suffice. You aren’t saturating the tobacco, just moistening enough to keep it from crumbling.

I do believe however that Mark Ryan did not treat his tobacco. He shipped his blends with a low enough moisture level that mold spores could not evolve and bloom.
 
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didimauw

Moderator
Staff member
Jul 28, 2013
9,983
31,956
34
Burlington WI
I do it a lot. I mix dry and moist tobacco's of the same together. I prefer my tobacco very dry, but sometimes it's just a bit much. So I kill two birds with one stone, and add the wet tobacco with my jar of dry. Then my wet tobacco dries up and my dry tobacco gets some more moisture in it. Perfect.
 

verporchting

Lifer
Dec 30, 2018
2,907
9,005
More than once I’ve left tobacco out to dry and discovered it days later (my life just works that way sometimes, sadly) and I’ve just dumped it back into the tin/pouch/jar for a few days with the uncrunchy stuff and it all evened out just fine.
 

DTXHobbit

Lurker
Oct 25, 2021
42
96
Texas
I do it a lot. I mix dry and moist tobacco's of the same together. I prefer my tobacco very dry, but sometimes it's just a bit much. So I kill two birds with one stone, and add the wet tobacco with my jar of dry. Then my wet tobacco dries up and my dry tobacco gets some more moisture in it. Perfect.
Great to hear, that’s what I was hoping for.
 

Dudditz

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 3, 2021
624
1,316
New Jersey
Nope. Distilled water is not the key to mold forming in tobacco. Distilled water for anything pipe related could, possibly, maybe, be a very very slightly (and unnoticeable by humans) better result.

Above does not apply if your tap water is skanky.
Really???? Hmmm, I guess I have been misinformed for years as distilled water was always the required water for a humidor and the protection from moldy tobacco. I humbly stand corrected.
 
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Dudditz

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 3, 2021
624
1,316
New Jersey
That has not been my experience. Almost all commercial pipe tobacco has been already treated with an anti-fungal chemical. And distilled water is not necessarily sterile water. I use well water from our tap, but any non-chlorinated drinking water should suffice. You aren’t saturating the tobacco, just moistening enough to keep it from crumbling.

I do believe however that Mark Ryan did not treat his tobacco. He shipped his blends with a low enough moisture level that mold spores could not evolve and bloom.
I did not know that. I commented from a position of what I was taught relative to a cigar humidor and the use of distilled water. Thanks for the info. ?
 
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Mrs Cosmic- watching me look through the cabinet for an empty jar to put just a little tobacco in... "why are you even worried about keeping it dry if you are going to just dry it out before you smoke it?"

Me- "I just don't want it to dry out before I can get a chance to smoke it."

Mrs Cosmic- "That seems stupid and a waste of time to just dry it out one bowl at a time and worrying about it staying dry before you get a chance to dry it out.

Me_ "shut up old woman, What do you know about pipe tobaccos."

Mrs Cosmic- shrugs and walks away.

Me- stops looking for a jar, and just dumps the whole thing out to dry... because it really is stupid to try to keep your tobaccos dry until you get a chance to dry it just before you smoke it.

In the beginning of my pipe tobacco days, I too rehydrated tobaccos. But, now... if it needs rehydrating, then it is perfect to smoke it. If, IF, IF I think that the blend would smoke better with a little moisture, I just blow into the pipe backwards, through the chamber full of tobacco. That little bit of moisture from my breath is all any blend would need. But, of course when Mrs Cosmic sees me doing this she says... "your smoking your pipe backwards, dumbass."

I love that woman.