Anyone else NOT like to dry their tobacco before smoking?

[Frost]

This has been bugging me a bit recently and I wanted to hear some input from others.

I see countless references to letting tobacco that is too moist dry out before smoking. I get it and all, but I have yet to findy any tobacco but the most goopy aromatics (which I probably wouldnt smoke and which probably wouldn't dry no matter how long you left it out anyway) that are too moist to smoke as long as I keep the smoking pace down and don't mind a re-light or two (or five) before it really starts burning well.

Furthermore, I find that alot of...make that most blends lose alot of "overtness" and general potency of certain flavors after anything more than the occasional incidental drying time between filling a pipe and smoking it.

C&D Sunday Picnic, Exh. Rooster, Kendal Cream Flake, FVF, BBF, Embarcadero, McC 2015, PS Bullseye, Reiner LGF, Dark Star, Escudo, Solani ABF...I don't dry any of these and they haven't tasted nearly as good to me when I have. In fact I can't think of any tobaccos that I dry regularly or enjoy more after drying time. I would say I always prefer my tobacco fresh from the tin/jar (aging is different, I am talking strictly moisture here).

Sure, if I smoke too fast I get gurgles and hot tobacco/tongue bite. But that's 'cause I'm smoking too fast, not because the tobacco was too moist. If I keep it slow, pack well, apply flame delicately and don't fret over a few re-lights, I almost always get better flavor from fresh tobacco than dried tobacco.

Is it just me? Anyone else feel the same way or am I really as much of a freak as my wife keeps telling me?

 

[Tommy]

I sure hope that doesn't make us freaks!

I'm relatively new to the world of pipe smoking..... and because of or in spite of; just one of those guys who open the tin, load, and light.

If it gets hot, I slow down, if it gurgles I sling the wet out on the floor, and if I have to re-light a few times....I just get pissed off and reach for the lighter.

I hope to learn to adjust the moisture level in my tobaccos to optimum some day but for right now I'm just tickled to death that I gave up cigars and all that "humidor" bullshit that goes with them! :cheers:

 

[Frost]

I'm relatively new as well I guess...which is probably part of why this has been buggin me so much of late. I've been through enough tobacco though to know what I like and what I don't, and I have to say for the majority of what I have smoked, fresh = good with alot of flavor and dry = not so good, often with distorted and/or absent and/or muted flavors.

 

[Cody V]

I don't dry it either

 

[CLRV]

Frost-

I've been thinking about this as well. For me, it breaks into two major concepts, both of which you mentioned.

First, as I believe you accurately state, there is more flavor and probably a better smoke from a "damper" tin (IE, for this discussion, one that hasn't been dried at all).

Second, drier tobacco, at least in my experience, is far easier to maintain and seems more forgiving of my propensity to smoke fast.

I'm working on getting to a happy median. My style of smoking *should* be slowed down. I should take it much slower to appreciate the depth of the tobacco etc. But if I move too far to that side of the road I'm not going to be doing it "my way" anymore. I'll be changing my inclinations in a pretty big way, which, for me, would cut down on the overall enjoyment. I tend to do a lot of other things while I smoke, very rarely do I just sit and think. When I do, I'm slow and can enjoy the tobacco more. Usually I'm drawing or playing music or more recently sitting on here reading old threads and becoming progressively less... unschooled. I'm not focused on slowly drawing the smoke and making sure it stays the right general temp. I like the feel of the pipe, the smell in the room, the quiet distraction that helps me focus slightly more on unlocking my brain.

That's my long winded way of saying no, I don't think your ability to enjoy and savor the tobacco without changing the moisture level makes you a freak. In fact, I find it enviable. But, then again, isn't that part of the beauty of this hobby (or I should say on here, life obsession), that it accomodates almost anyone from any background and any style?

My disjointed thoughts on the concept.

-Best

CL

 

[Frost]

Well put. I agree there are times when I'm not focused on the tobacco too much. Admittedly a better burn and easier light and generally more forgiving smoke might be preferable...I smoke while driving to/from work alot, taking a walk, playing guitar and doing various other things, but the effects of drying often leave me not enjoying the smoke anyway so I'm not sure if drying is the answer there or not...

I'll maybe have to experiment with it a bit more during these times I guess to see if I can find a happy medium, or maybe find certain blends that don't lose so much from drying time and perhaps that would make those smokes more enjoyable.

 

[Anonymous]

Letting good tobacco (examples : GLP & SG) dry before smoking it is about on a par with bringing just-made-&-still-warm glazed doughnuts home from the bakery and letting them sit 'til the next day, or opening a bottle of decent wine and not drinking it until the next day. So much is not even lost, but thrown away doing that it's almost unimaginable.

So you have to learn to smoke it at tin-moisture level. So what ? There's a learning curve involved with anything worthwhile.

Pipe smoking is an art.

:face:

 

[MisterE]

Guess it depends on the tobacco. Usually it´s okay out of the tin. FVF is pretty soggy though- I let that air a out a littke before packing.

 

[itsKot]

It varies from tobacco to tobacco for me. If it's an english, I let it dry out a good bit. Aromatics in the off-chance I have them I don't dry, nor do I dry my precious burley. I just recently got some flakes to try out and I find I like exhausted rooster without drying and am still on the fence with some of the others I picked up. Who knows? Maybe one day it'll change for me or you or anyone for that matter, but for now that's generally how the mop flops for me.

 

[Harlock999]

At the risk of sounding like a rank amateur, I think some of the modern rituals of smoking are just an attempt to bring a connoisseur-level of sophistication to an otherwise simple pursuit, namely; burning tobacco in a pipe for pleasure. I don't find it necessary to dry most blends, but some exceptions exist.

 

[Frost]

Letting good tobacco (examples : GLP & SG) dry before smoking it is about on a par with bringing just-made-&-still-warm glazed doughnuts home from the bakery and letting them sit 'til the next day, or opening a bottle of decent wine and not drinking it until the next day. So much is not even lost, but thrown away doing that it's almost unimaginable.

So you have to learn to smoke it at tin-moisture level. So what ? There's a learning curve involved with anything worthwhile.

Pipe smoking is an art.

:face:

I am inclined to agree with this at this point in time and it does bring me some small measure of comfort and reassurance to hear you put it that way yak.

My first inclination if I'm trying to pin down a particular tabac or find out what it has to offer is to experiment with packing and smoking technique, not drying. I think there are alot of blends that, were I to have judge based on the apparent moisture level from the tin and dried them...I never would have actually learned to appreciate or experienced just how good they can an were "meant" or "designed" to be.

Of course I guess it doesn't really matter what you do with it as long as you are enjoying smoking it. I suppose I was just a little surprised at how often I read about how this or that toacco smokes hot and wet if not dried first yet fresh from the tin/jar is the only way I like it.

 

[Natch]

I've found the opposite of this thread true for me. Very few tobaccos are, for me, ready to smoke right out of the tin. I almost always dry them to some extent. Having a wood stove in the middle of the house for winter heat, or a blazing Southern sun outside in summer makes it an easy, usually minute or ten event. Gives me time to open that beer, or mix that drink, or pour another cup of coffee.

Sorry, guys, you're all wrong. Next time remember to ask me first what you should think and we won't have this problem. :lol:

Natch

 

[Hermit]

I'm a dryer.
I've experimented with various moisture levels and found that
tobacco just burns better and trouble free if it's on the dry side
without appreciable sacrifice in flavor. There are trade-offs.

 

[mark]

At the risk of sounding like a rank amateur, I think some of the modern rituals of smoking are just an attempt to bring a connoisseur-level of sophistication to an otherwise simple pursuit, namely; burning tobacco in a pipe for pleasure.

YOU, sir, have thrown down the gauntlet !!! To imply our elite rituals are snobbery is inexcusable. I must protest most vigorously. The idea that burning dried vegetation and blowing smoke is a simple pursuit just will not do. You obviously have suffered a lapse in your sanity. Anyone who merely stuffs and puffs is no gentleman in my book, there are procedures that need to be followed. Complicated and delicately timed sequences are required to partake and succeed. Although slight variation is allowed, straying off the path of traditional ceremonies too far will not be condoned without serious social repercussions. I can only hope you snap out of your foolishness and straighten up before irrepairable damage is done to your reputation. I've written your name in my book and drawn a line through it !

Why, the very idea !!!

 

[Thomas Tkach]

I like to dry my stuff out, too. Maybe it's because I smoke too fast, or pack wrong, or something else, but when I smoke a blend fresh form the tin, I get no taste. Aged Royal Jersey Latakia straight from the tin tasted like hot air with only a hint of Latakia. I was disappointed. A few days later, after some drying, a whole different animal--there was flavor, and it was good!

I wonder if ambient humidity has anything to do with it. I live in coastal SC, so in the warmer months, humidity may be near 100% for most of the day. In that case, just having the stuff out of the tin give it more moisture, unless it's placed under a light or on a heat source, etc.

Where are dryers from and where are non-dryers from?

 

[Frost]

At the risk of sounding like a rank amateur, I think some of the modern rituals of smoking are just an attempt to bring a connoisseur-level of sophistication to an otherwise simple pursuit, namely; burning tobacco in a pipe for pleasure.

YOU, sir, have thrown down the gauntlet !!! To imply our elite rituals are snobbery is inexcusable. I must protest most vigorously. The idea that burning dried vegetation and blowing smoke is a simple pursuit just will not do. You obviously have suffered a lapse in your sanity. Anyone who merely stuffs and puffs is no gentleman in my book, there are procedures that need to be followed. Complicated and delicately timed sequences are required to partake and succeed. Although slight variation is allowed, straying off the path of traditional ceremonies too far will not be condoned without serious social repercussions. I can only hope you snap out of your foolishness and straighten up before irrepairable damage is done to your reputation. I've written your name in my book and drawn a line through it !

Why, the very idea !!!

Agreed, I think that is listed as a bannable offense somewhere in the BoB terms of use...wherever they are.

 

[Harlock999]

At the risk of sounding like a rank amateur, I think some of the modern rituals of smoking are just an attempt to bring a connoisseur-level of sophistication to an otherwise simple pursuit, namely; burning tobacco in a pipe for pleasure.

YOU, sir, have thrown down the gauntlet !!! To imply our elite rituals are snobbery is inexcusable. I must protest most vigorously. The idea that burning dried vegetation and blowing smoke is a simple pursuit just will not do. You obviously have suffered a lapse in your sanity. Anyone who merely stuffs and puffs is no gentleman in my book, there are procedures that need to be followed. Complicated and delicately timed sequences are required to partake and succeed. Although slight variation is allowed, straying off the path of traditional ceremonies too far will not be condoned without serious social repercussions. I can only hope you snap out of your foolishness and straighten up before irrepairable damage is done to your reputation. I've written your name in my book and drawn a line through it !

Why, the very idea !!!

:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

 

[Doc Manhattan]

Now that my smoking technique is a little more steady, I don't dry blends much. But I probably wouldn't be a devout pipe smoker today if I hadn't heeded a general trend of internet advice to dry out the portion I was about to smoke.

I still do occasionally make a judgment call after a first bowlful that a tin needs a few hours or even overnight open a crack to dry. There's no way a year-round tobacco tinner ships all its product, even different batches of the same blend, at the same moisture content.

(Then again, I'll also leave a bottle of good wine open overnight, on the advice of my boss when I worked at the package store. Try it with a decent French Syrah; you may be pleasantly surprised.)

 

[mark]

:lol!: ,,I've paid my dues but I'm still waiting for my regulations and procedures handbook,,,,


Frost, I dry flakes whole before I rub, dice or shred depending on the thickness and moisture content. I pull out what I'm going to smoke and keep the rest sealed. There's a point when I know they're good to go. I think they retain enough moisture internally so loss of flavor is minimal. Like Hermit said there are trade offs.
I've found drying ribbon is touchy due to the increased surface area. Sometimes loading a pipe and letting it sit solves the problem, cake absorbing the excess moisture.
For really moist finely cut tobacco, I toss a couple bowls worth in an empty tin and let it sit,,,,it dries slowly in the controlled environment but won't turn crisp.
I forgot a few VA flakes once and had post toasties on my hands. Loaded them in the pipe and breathed through the bowl several times to moisten them up and found they smoked fine, but with a different lighter flavor,,,not bad.

It's like understanding women,,,there are no correct answers, only questions

 

[Frost]

Interesting Mark...I don't leave my women out to dry either. Maybe I should try it out. :cheers: :lol: