What a difference dry tobacco makes!!

[64alex]

After reading many threads talking about the benefits of drying tobacco I started drying more and more the tobacco taking it out from the tin at increasing times before smoking.

Today I increased more the drying time of Squadron Leader leaving the amount to be smoked in a plate for 2 hours to dry.

And I think I hit the hot spot, wow what a difference. First of all no relights, not even a charring was necessary, a single match to light and then the straight bowl went top to bottom with no relights. A few times when it looked it was going to die just stirring a little bit around I revived the bowl to life without relighting. But maybe the most beautiful thing is that the smoke remained more or less constant throughout the entire bowl without that bitterness/dullness it can be found in the second half of the bowl.

I am definitely now converted to drying the tobacco more before smoking.

 

[sablebrush52]

Every blend has its moisture related sweet spot. Most, but not all, really benefit from being smoked very dry. Not crunchy dry, but dry to the touch when lightly squeezed, while still pliant. Some blends release more flavor notes when smoked really dry, such as Motzek Strang. That said, certain blenders, like Russ Ouellette, tin at the optimum moisture, so further drying isn't needed.
Some smokers like their tobacco moister and really don't care about the flavor loss. Whatever gives one a pleasurable smoke is good.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Good to hear! Russ's blends come in at a fine moisture level as just said. Worst - or among the worst- are the fabled Esotericas. A recent bag of Margate weighed in at 88% moisture. (somewhere between 55% and 70% RH is a fine level).
Another benefit from so doing is the chamber tends to be dry as the heat at the bottom drives out moisture from the heel. This means your pipe will need deep cleaning less, and will be ready for the next load sooner.

 

[aldecaker]

I rubbed out a flake of MacBaren's Navy Flake, intending to air it for about two hours like I usually do. I forgot about it for about four days, and when I smoked it it was pretty crunchy to the touch. It was a very good smoke; I won't be drying it quite that much on purpose, but I may now extend my drying time by a few hours.

 

[64alex]

[Every blend has its moisture related sweet spot. Most, but not all, really benefit from being smoked very dry.]
Yes, true. I think not all but most benefit from drying more or less before smoking.

Different issue is the wetness when packed in the tin because I think wet tobacco can potentially age better and faster.

So to be clear it can make sense tobacco is packed wetter but this does not mean it has to be smoked as wet as when packed.

 

[toobfreak]

If ever there was a champion here for proper drying time, I would say that belongs to JP. If he isn't trying to tell people to "get it dry enough", usually far drier than many people expect, he is trying to promote the merits of proper bowl washing to get the nasties out.
You are right Alex, once dried right, you can probably forgo the charring light most of the time; just a short light on top, then a careful smoking, not too fast, and with the occasional tamp to keep the tobacco in close contact, you won't need many relights at all of a bowl that will stay cool and dry all the way to the bottom.

 

[zerohunter]

I dry everything, usually for longer than I think I need to. In my experience, McClelland blends are impossible to dry enough, Margate and the new Balkan Sobranie are soaked, and I still usually dry out Russ' blends (though not much time is needed).
The two big breakthroughs of pipe smoking for me were: 1) drying and 2) buying a Zippo.

 

[ashdigger]

The absolute hardest thing to learn about pipe smoking, for me, was to DRY tobacco. Once I figured that out EVERYTHING started working. It all came together.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Yep, when in a hurry my microwave is a big help, and when working at the bench, I use my coffee mug warmer. Out in the field, I just leave my tobacco on the dashboard.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

and when working at the bench, I use my coffee mug warmer.

Cosmic, that's something I feel like I've mentioned a hundred times or more here and elsewhere. I simply put my tobacco in a coffee filter (the basket, flat bottomed kind) and put the warmer in low heat, reaching over and stirring the tobacco up a bit from time to time until it feels dry enough. If I'm in a hurry I'll turn it on high heat. I think this method is best, other than just open air drying, as you have far better control of how dry the tobacco gets than if you're using a microwave.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Sometimes drying doesn't help, I left a slice of Brown Bogie sitting for weeks and it didn't burn any better.
The cut of the tobacco can be just as important as anything, I think this is one of the things that Dunhill does really well.

Somehow, some blends just burn better than others.

 

[deathmetal]

Different issue is the wetness when packed in the tin because I think wet tobacco can potentially age better and faster.

This is why some of these blends come so wet, I think...

I left a slice of Brown Bogie sitting for weeks and it didn't burn any better.

The 'bogie is not just moist, but somewhat oily, which is why a frequent mixture here is to fine slice it and blend it with Dark Burley (or Cube Cut Burley).

 

[didimauw]

That's part of why I like Carter Hall, it comes from the tub, already pretty dry. Easy smoke.

 

[bonanzadriver]

Interesting thread.
As I've mentioned in previous posts, even though I started smoking a pipe back in the 80's, I was just a 2 or 3 bowls a year guy, smoking cigars on a weekly sometimes daily basis for the last 20 years or so.
A habit I've acquired, over the last few months is to have a medley of different tobacco's in different pipes, on any given evening. I will usually smoke a bowl until either the bowl gets a little too warm or it flames out. I'll then set it down and fire up the next on in line. Over a few hours I'll make my way through 4 or 5 different tobacco's, smoking each bowl 2 or three times throughout the evening.
The other night I ended up going to bed early, leaving a few pipes with about 1/2 a bowl of tobacco in em. I came back the next evening and decided to re-light em and finish what I'd started. (I hate to waste any tobacco, especially if I like it) All I can say is... Wow! Even though the tobacco had definitely dried out, the flavor was excellent. Very different from picking up a day old cigar that I had started before.
I was half expecting the pipes to have a stale flavor, like cigars do, but what a surprise..
Definitely will be moving towards the drier vs wetter smokes.

 

[shutterbugg]

Sometimes drying doesn't help, I left a slice of Brown Bogie sitting for weeks and it didn't burn any better.
The cut of the tobacco can be just as important as anything, I think this is one of the things that Dunhill does really well.

Somehow, some blends just burn better than others.

Gawith's blends (the few that don't gag from the taint of Lakeland essence) are not wet, they're gooey from toppings and/or perhaps the way they're pressed/processed. You almost need to bake them to get them dry. I've left them out for days with no perceptible decrease in that sticky moistness. Also, most OTCs are soaked in PG to survive long periods of suboptimal storage, and those also benefit from some heat to dissipate it, not just air drying.
Dunhills are mostly ribbon cuts, which light and burn with far less effort than other cuts IF they aren't packed too tightly, even if they are a tad on the moist side. DNR and their flakes are of course the exception, and I find them a bit moist for my liking. Typically I'll load my pipe, do the false light, and set it aside for a few minutes before lighting again.

 

[hawky454]

A habit I've acquired, over the last few months is to have a medley of different tobacco's in different pipes, on any given evening. I will usually smoke a bowl until either the bowl gets a little too warm or it flames out. I'll then set it down and fire up the next on in line. Over a few hours I'll make my way through 4 or 5 different tobacco's, smoking each bowl 2 or three times throughout the evening.

This is exactly how I do it. The flavors really pop when you switch pipes and you can pick up on the subtleties of a blend so much better this way. I've gotten to the point where I never smoke one pipe by itself, even when I walk my dog. Good to see other folks using this method. In fact, this is how I came to love straight VA's. They taste so good after a few minutes with an English blend. It some how refreshes my palate and lets me taste what I couldn't otherwise have tasted.
Some good combos that I've noted;
Exotique + Escudo + Revor Plug
Bengal Slices + Dark Flake Scented +McConnell's Latakia Flake + Directors Cut.
Exotique (or any English really) + Long Golden Flake + Dark Star
Those are just some suggestions but I will smoke down with up to 6 pipes in one sitting, when I can find the time that is.

 

[bonanzadriver]

but I will smoke down with up to 6 pipes in one sitting, when I can find the time that is.
Same here Hawk.
I've pretty much limited my smokin smorgasbord to evenings up in my mancave or out on the deck. A little too much to keep up with on the golf course.
As for the different combinations you've recommended... You've definitely given me some food for thought. And another reason to keep bulkin up that "Tobacco Crawl-Space" I'm workin on. (too small to be called a cellar at this point with less than a dozen tins and only 20 or so jars with varying amounts in em)

 

[hawky454]

You're on the right path, that's for sure. Try to stock up as much as you can before August of 2018.