What are your opinions on rehydrating tobacco? Is it necessary? If so, when should one rehydrate and how? How often?
Rehydrating Tobacco
- Thread starter NightShayde
- Start date
Never had to rehydrate pipe tobacco, most on here dry it out before smoking. When I chewed tobacco I would pour a shot of whiskey in and let it soak for awhile
Rehydrating tobacco is necessary when it has lost all moisture and crumbles into dust when touched. Most tobacco is tinned with excess moisture, so it's more a matter of drying it down to a proper smoking level of moisture.
On those occasions that I rehydrate tobacco I do the following:
Place the tobacco in a bowl or pan large enough to spread out the tobacco. I prefer Pyrex.
Take some paper toweling, enough to drape over the top of the dish when folded once over itself.
Wet the paper towel with distilled water and drape over the rim of the bowl.
Leave it alone for a few hours and check the tobacco, mixing it up while you're at it. If the tobacco feels dry in patches, re-dampen the toweling and give it another few hours and check it again.
Jar the tobacco and give it a week for the moisture to evenly distribute through the leaf.
Not all blends resuscitate well. I've had success with English blends, but a blend like Haddo's Delight is a goner.
Good luck.
^^^ What stablebrush52 said. I store most of my tobacco in jars. If necessary, I will wet a paper towel (usually w/distilled water) and placed it over the opening, and then close the lid. Depending on the amount and dryness, it usually takes a few hours to rehydrate. Some will use a slice of apple, or some other fruit, but I have no experience with this technique. You can also use the below for smaller amounts...
And don't put too much water on the tower over the tobacco. If you have a spritzer just a squeeze or two will do the job.
Shredded tobacco - I weigh the tobacco and add an amount of water equal to 10 to 14% of that weight. Close the lid or bag, give it a shake, leave it in a warm place for a short while.
(I add water to tobacco which is crumble dry. The amount of water depends on whether there is PG or glycerin in it. 10% if humectants. 12-15% if not.)
Whole leaf - same, just by spraying. Tip: weigh the bottle, not the tobacco.
Rope and plug. Freeze the rope or plug, Add an appropriate weight of ice. Vacuum seal it. Let it melt in a warm place and let sit for a day or three. This helps to reduce swelling of the plug.
(I add water to tobacco which is crumble dry. The amount of water depends on whether there is PG or glycerin in it. 10% if humectants. 12-15% if not.)
Whole leaf - same, just by spraying. Tip: weigh the bottle, not the tobacco.
Rope and plug. Freeze the rope or plug, Add an appropriate weight of ice. Vacuum seal it. Let it melt in a warm place and let sit for a day or three. This helps to reduce swelling of the plug.
This works well. I had to revive a tin of some double pressed Latakia and I did exactly this.
Awesome. Thank you so much. I actually prefer wet and sticky over desert dry tobacco.
If the need ever arises, there is a sticky thread about it here:
How to Re-Hydrate Pipe Tobacco :: Pipe Tobacco Discussion
Here is an article that I wrote awhile ago that shows a few different methods of re-hydrating pipe tobacco: How to Rehydrate Pipe Tobacco
pipesmagazine.com
I tape a cotton ball to the bottom of a mason jar lid then use a medicine dropper to wet, not soak, the cotton ball with distilled water. Check on the tobacco about every other day and remoisten the cotton as needed and stir the tobacco to get even hydration.
For small amounts (1-2oz), the terra cotta humidifier stones work well enough. They’re also sold as ’brown sugar savers’ on some sites, but RAW sells some marketed toward cigarette tobacco. They’re cheap and easy to use for a single, dried up tin.