Tabac - Dry Times List!

[PipeIT]

Hello,

I personally find that drying out tabac before smoking, to what length I go with various blends, to achieve a fine smoking experience still a mystery at times.

Let me explain...

Maybe it just gets down to one thing, we are all unique and our bodies are different, so what one can achieve and experience, the other(s) might not.

If you look around, you will find it commonly spoken of to dry your tabac out, many also say, dry it out more than you think, and then pack lighter than you think.

So, when it comes to this drying and packing, I’ve been doing it, but the results are always different depending on the blends, and for the most part, it’s not been good.

For me personally, every blend I’ve dried pretty excessively, upwards of an hour or two, to achieve slightly to fairly crispy tabac has delivered far worse results, than better results. This is in the ballpark of 40 different blends too...

On a side note, the part of keeping the pipe lit, and never really needing to light often, is also something I’ve never achieved, and for those times when I have it staying lit longer, the tastes are not as good, as compared to when I barely light it, sip a little then let it go out and cool down, and repeat.

The moral of the story for me is, unless it’s goopy tabac, I only dry around 10 minutes to an hour, with all blends still feeling some moisture when I pinch. I lightly pack, then I light, take very small easy sips, like sampling/tasting, then let it go out. When I do it like this, I do truly start to experience a lot of the nuances/subtitles/flavors of the tabac, I start to feel like Jim, LOL.

If you haven’t seen it, the last time I saw someone speak about smoking straight from the tin, which we all know can be achieved with the right moisture, was Shane Ireland in regards to Windjammer, doing a taste video on this blend.

I didn’t want this to be solely about my rantings, I’m hoping we can all create a really nice big tabac Dry Time List, not because it’s the right or wrong way as we know, but simply to show and guide others in the direction(s) of what you’ve achieved, and what we all might try and experiment with ourselves.

So here I go with what I have, these blends and times, are what I have experienced, that has resulted in the best flavors, (Straight form the tin, also means jar)

As I buy more blends I will update my list! Please be aware as you read this, for me, this is about achieving maximum flavor, not worrying about keeping the pipe lit! ?

Please share your thoughts on blends!

C&D Eight State Burley - 10-20 mins, or straight from tin
C&D House Reserve - 10-20 mins, or straight from tin
C&D Carolina Red Flake - 10-20 mins
Cup O' Joes Blend No. 23 - 10 mins, or straight from tin
Dunhill Durbar - 10 mins, or straight from tin
Dunhill London Mixture - 10-20 mins
Dunhill Nightcap - 10-20 mins
Dunhill 965 - 10-20 mins
Dunhill SMM - 10-20 mins
Erinmore Flake - 10-20 mins, or straight from tin
G&H Co. Bosun - 30-60 mins
G&H Co. Ennerdale - 30-60 mins
G&H Co. Rum Flake - 30-60 mins
G.L. Pease Stonehenge - 10-20 mins
G.L Pease Stratford - Straight from the tin
G.L. Pease Windjammer - Straight from the tin
Granger - 10 mins, or straight from pouch
KBV Anne Cap - 30-60 mins
KBV The Patience of Dr. Silence - 10-20 mins
Mac Baren HH Burely Flake - Straight from the tin
Mac Baren HH Syrian - Straight from the tin
McClelland’s Blue Mountain - Straight from the tin
SG Saint James Flake - 10-20 mins
SG Squadron Leader - Straight from the tin
SPC Plum Pudding SRF - Straight from the tin
Sir Walter Raleigh - Straight from pouch
Solani 333 Festival - 30-60 mins
Solani 633 Virginia Flake - 10 mins, or straight from tin
Sillem’s Black - 15-30 mins
Sutliff Cringle Flake - 15-30 mins
The Country Squire Black & Tan - 10 mins
The Country Squire 50th Anniversary - 10 mins, or straight from tin
The Country Squire Parson’s Blend - 10-20 mins
The Country Squire Rivendell - 10-20 mins
Vincent Manil La Brumeuse - Straight from pouch
WCC Rouxgaroux - 10-20 mins

 

[alaskanpiper]

Haha, I dry every single blend I smoke for a longer time period than anything you have listed. Typically at least 2-3 hours. Different strokes, as they say!

There are of course a few exceptions, but generally.

 

[PipeIT]

Haha, I dry every single blend I smoke for a longer time period than anything you have listed. Typically at least 2-3 hours. Different strokes, as they say!

There are of course a few exceptions, but generally.

Hey Alaskan!

I think KBV makes some awesome blends! I have a few, Anne Cap being one of them. Anne Cap really sparked it for me to write this post, because every time I try to really dry it out for several hours, the taste is just awful.

You’re right, and it’s not about any rights or wrongs, just what works for you.

I made the list to be about achieving maximum flavor, so for me personally, this list represents that. If I dry any longer, I notice the tabac starts to loose flavors.

 

[didimauw]

Oh jeez.

Briar fox, Burley flake, amphora--- 6-12 hours.

Carter hall--3 days minimum. Sometimes over a week with the fan on.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Hell, just leaving a flake out for an hour will probably add more moisture than dry it. Where do you live a desert? Ha ha.

Just posting times means nothing to the rest of us. List the ambient humidity, and the room temp, and we might get to some discussions. But, here in 90-100% humidity Alabama, it takes more than just setting a flake out. I have to set them on a coffee mug warmer to drive off the water. So, I dry whole tins and jars at a time.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Hell, just leaving a flake out for an hour will probably add more moisture than dry it. Where do you live a desert? Ha ha.

Just posting times means nothing to the rest of us. List the ambient humidity, and the room temp, and we might get to some discussions. But, here in 90-100% humidity Alabama, it takes more than just setting a flake out. I have to set them on a coffee mug warmer to drive off the water. So, I dry whole tins and jars at a time.

Cosmic is dead on here. There are so many extraneous variables, up to and including personal taste and cadence. When I first started out I thought about making a list similar to this one for my preferred drying time for specific blends, but after a while I just started to learn to know by touch when a blend is ready to be loaded.

I decided it was easier to just check in on the tobacco every so often until it feels ready than to maintain a list that would eventually be hundreds of blends long, and wouldn't account for the aforementioned extraneous variables that are subject to change at any time. If I know I'm going to be smoking a lot in the following days, I'll select a buffet of blends and dry them all at the same time, then store them once dried for the ensuing smoke fest so I don't have to bother with it in the moment.

But hey, if a list works for you and it makes things more enjoyable/easier, then more power to you!

 

[didimauw]

Hell, just leaving a flake out for an hour will probably add more moisture than dry it. Where do you live a desert? Ha ha.

Just posting times means nothing to the rest of us. List the ambient humidity, and the room temp, and we might get to some discussions. But, here in 90-100% humidity Alabama, it takes more than just setting a flake out. I have to set them on a coffee mug warmer to drive off the water. So, I dry whole tins and jars at a time.

Yup you should have seen the huge pile of tobacco I had laid out on my computer desk. It smelled good for days. It was probably 3 oz worth I was trying to dry.

I hate it. This is also why I enjoy Ryback so much. Not only the flavor, but the dry time. Zero. None. Crispy out of the bag.

Otherwise what I dump, looks like the strands in my ashtray in that other thread. Wet gross tobacco pieces. Carter hall of course.

Ryback is all white grey ash at all times. Lol

 

[alaskanpiper]

Yup you should have seen the huge pile of tobacco I had laid out on my computer desk. It smelled good for days. It was probably 3 oz worth I was trying to dry.

I hate it. This is also why I enjoy Ryback so much. Not only the flavor, but the dry time. Zero. None. Crispy out of the bag.

Otherwise what I dump, looks like the strands in my ashtray in that other thread. Wet gross tobacco pieces. Carter hall of course.

Ryback is all white grey ash at all times. Lol

Yeah, Picayune and GLP Penny Farthing are that way for me. A couple of my "exceptions" I mentioned above, haha. Probably why I smoke so much Penny Farthing these days. I am so busy lately I usually don't know I am going to get the opportunity to smoke until 5 minutes before whatever unexpected break resulting from some sort of cancellation rears it's sweet head.

Then I sprint down the stairs, two at a time, violently hurl an open tobacco tin at the first pipe I see like some half time basketball fan in a half court shooting contest and flee into the woods yelling so nobody can say anything that will stop me.

 

[PipeIT]

Hell, just leaving a flake out for an hour will probably add more moisture than dry it. Where do you live a desert? Ha ha.

Just posting times means nothing to the rest of us. List the ambient humidity, and the room temp, and we might get to some discussions. But, here in 90-100% humidity Alabama, it takes more than just setting a flake out. I have to set them on a coffee mug warmer to drive off the water. So, I dry whole tins and jars at a time.

You’re absolutely right, I had ambient temperature/humidity in the back of my mind as I was writing, and forgot to include this, as a very important condition, that will certainly make the times different, depending on your situation.

Also @alaskanpiper touch is very important, I mentioned this, along with moisture.

So everyone’s mileage will vary.

For me, the drying ambient conditions are moderate, ranging from 30%-60% humidity, because I’m always running an air conditioner, so the environment the tabac lives is not extreme, not to hot or cold, not to dry or humid.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Vince Tabac?

 

[bullet08]

Drying time has a lot to do with how you want your tobacco that day. And some days, it might take longer to dry than others. I like my tobacco right before it turns crispy. But some days, I'll dry little longer. Sometimes, I don't dry it at all. It all depends on what I want that day.

 

[anotherbob]

I keep meaning to say when any of us give advice compare it to the other advice we give. Why? Well it often makes more sense in the complete context of how someone smokes. If you pack your pipe a certain way then how it smokes at a certain dryness suddenly works better. Are they all about the breath smoking which certainly works best with dry tobacco. That doesn't mean one solitary piece of advice is useless but that when put into the total context of how that person smokes it will yield more information. Been meaning to say that for a while, because taking that tact has really helped find what works best for me.

 

[chopper]

Plum pudding is the only blend on your list Pipeit, that I've ever smoked.
Talk about rubbing it in a guys face . . .

Levels of humidity must play a part.
I've rarely felt the need to dry my blends and smoke them straight from the bag. Apart from the last month or so in summer, rarely do we have high humidity.

The only two blends that were too moist were aromatics. Since I prefer semi-aromatics anyway, adding enough Windsail Virginia to get a good moisture level killed two birds with one stone.

My style of smoking a pipe is different than most [I don't sip and I inhale] where I tend to get distracted after a few puffs, so I often have to relight a bowl.

Edit to add; posted before I read the thread
@cosmicfolklore re; humidity, exactly what I was thinking.
In tropical far north Australia, the humidity is awful for five months of the year.
Shit either rots or grows mould.
One would need to be rather careful storing tobacco in that environment.

 

[saltedplug]

I find this obsession with moisture strange.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Vince Tabac?

LOL, that autocorrected to Vince. Sorry Vic!

 

[PipeIT]

I find this obsession with moisture strange.

For me, the problem is between all the various blends out there, when I have something, how much drying is needed to achieve great flavorful results is all I’m after.

So I’ve experimented, straight from the tin, a little drying time, and a lot of drying time.

In the end, most blends for me taste the best when I haven’t dried them that much, or not at all.

For me I’m not obsessed, I was just sad when I really dried out KBV Anne Cap and it tasted really bad, ever since I’ve been careful how I go about this now, that’s all.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

in regards to blends where some light topping is added ,especially traditional G&H blends, St Bruno&Condor ,Erinmore and even Amphoras if these are left to dry to a crispy condition I have found they will be more easy to handle and keep lit but also overall taste profile will deteriorate ,so to say, aforementioned like blends may turn to be harsh tasting,and unsubtle if you will leave them to become overly dry

 

[Servant King]

Hello,

I personally find that drying out tabac before smoking, to what length I go with various blends, to achieve a fine smoking experience still a mystery at times.

Let me explain...

Maybe it just gets down to one thing, we are all unique and our bodies are different, so what one can achieve and experience, the other(s) might not.

If you look around, you will find it commonly spoken of to dry your tabac out, many also say, dry it out more than you think, and then pack lighter than you think.

So, when it comes to this drying and packing, I’ve been doing it, but the results are always different depending on the blends, and for the most part, it’s not been good.

For me personally, every blend I’ve dried pretty excessively, upwards of an hour or two, to achieve slightly to fairly crispy tabac has delivered far worse results, than better results. This is in the ballpark of 40 different blends too...

On a side note, the part of keeping the pipe lit, and never really needing to light often, is also something I’ve never achieved, and for those times when I have it staying lit longer, the tastes are not as good, as compared to when I barely light it, sip a little then let it go out and cool down, and repeat.

The moral of the story for me is, unless it’s goopy tabac, I only dry around 10 minutes to an hour, with all blends still feeling some moisture when I pinch. I lightly pack, then I light, take very small easy sips, like sampling/tasting, then let it go out. When I do it like this, I do truly start to experience a lot of the nuances/subtitles/flavors of the tabac, I start to feel like Jim, LOL.

If you haven’t seen it, the last time I saw someone speak about smoking straight from the tin, which we all know can be achieved with the right moisture, was Shane Ireland in regards to Windjammer, doing a taste video on this blend.

I didn’t want this to be solely about my rantings, I’m hoping we can all create a really nice big tabac Dry Time List, not because it’s the right or wrong way as we know, but simply to show and guide others in the direction(s) of what you’ve achieved, and what we all might try and experiment with ourselves.

So here I go with what I have, these blends and times, are what I have experienced, that has resulted in the best flavors, (Straight form the tin, also means jar)

As I buy more blends I will update my list! Please be aware as you read this, for me, this is about achieving maximum flavor, not worrying about keeping the pipe lit! ?

Please share your thoughts on blends!

C&D Eight State Burley - 10-20 mins, or straight from tin
C&D House Reserve - 10-20 mins, or straight from tin
C&D Carolina Red Flake - 10-20 mins
Cup O' Joes Blend No. 23 - 10 mins, or straight from tin
Dunhill Durbar - 10 mins, or straight from tin
Dunhill London Mixture - 10-20 mins
Dunhill Nightcap - 10-20 mins
Dunhill 965 - 10-20 mins
Dunhill SMM - 10-20 mins
Erinmore Flake - 10-20 mins, or straight from tin
G&H Co. Bosun - 30-60 mins
G&H Co. Ennerdale - 30-60 mins
G&H Co. Rum Flake - 30-60 mins
G.L. Pease Stonehenge - 10-20 mins
G.L Pease Stratford - Straight from the tin
G.L. Pease Windjammer - Straight from the tin
Granger - 10 mins, or straight from pouch
KBV Anne Cap - 30-60 mins
KBV The Patience of Dr. Silence - 10-20 mins
Mac Baren HH Burely Flake - Straight from the tin
Mac Baren HH Syrian - Straight from the tin
McClelland’s Blue Mountain - Straight from the tin
SG Saint James Flake - 10-20 mins
SG Squadron Leader - Straight from the tin
SPC Plum Pudding SRF - Straight from the tin
Sir Walter Raleigh - Straight from pouch
Solani 333 Festival - 30-60 mins
Solani 633 Virginia Flake - 10 mins, or straight from tin
Sillem’s Black - 15-30 mins
Sutliff Cringle Flake - 15-30 mins
The Country Squire Black & Tan - 10 mins
The Country Squire 50th Anniversary - 10 mins, or straight from tin
The Country Squire Parson’s Blend - 10-20 mins
The Country Squire Rivendell - 10-20 mins
Vincent Manil La Brumeuse - Straight from pouch
WCC Rouxgaroux - 10-20 mins

You forgot Sutliff Molto Dolce. I like to dry mine 275 years, although I have a friend who swears by 550. I'm a pretty patient guy, but I can't wait that long. Everyone has their limits, I suppose.

 

[olkofri]

I find this obsession with moisture strange.

Ditto.

Besides, listing times is pointless: time is heavily dependent on relative humidity and that is a variable that is constantly changing, even in the same day. It'd be more useful to list drying times in the microwave, for those who are into nuking the poor toby... then again, wattages change too.

 

[tobefrank]

For some blends the oven is my friend. 6-8 minutes in an oven cooling down gets Erinmore Flake to a perfect smoking moisture content.