stone
Full Member
Posts: 996
First Name: Jeff
Location:
|
Post by stone on May 6, 2019 9:27:49 GMT -5
From what I have read, there is not a hard fast correlation between Relative Humidity and Moisture By Weight. Mac and I discussed this in a few PM's regarding my Stonehaven and this article pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/dust-in-the-wind-a-primer-on-tobacco-moisture/ seems to hint that 12%-14% is the target for MBW and 60% - 65% is the target for RH yet I have read that RH and MBW doesn't have a direct correlation due to the varying types of tobacco in pipe tobacco.
I have three large marine coolers with silica beads which magically control the RH because some cigars like 65% better than 70% and I would be happy to set up another one for pipe tobacco and program the beads for 62% for bringing dry or moist tobacco to a common point.
Any experience with keeping pipe tobacco in a controlled RH environment?
|
|
|
|
Post by McWiggins on May 6, 2019 9:47:43 GMT -5
It could be an interesting experiment but I'm sure others have tried it. If it were a huge success I would think more people would be doing this. When big names in the pipe community who have been doing this for years keep their stuff in the original tins or in well sealed mason jars, I'm willing to bet it's because they know a thing or two. You can always give it a try and maybe discover something new but I think in the end pipe tobacco is easy enough in that keeping things simple is probably the best solution. Here is an interesting read that might help out with some more information. pipesmagazine.com/python/pipe-tobacco/pipe-tobacco-storage/ |
|
stone
Full Member
Posts: 996
First Name: Jeff
Location:
|
Post by stone on May 6, 2019 10:02:14 GMT -5
It could be an interesting experiment but I'm sure others have tried it. If it were a huge success I would think more people would be doing this. When big names in the pipe community who have been doing this for years keep their stuff in the original tins or in well sealed mason jars, I'm willing to bet it's because they know a thing or two. You can always give it a try and maybe discover something new but I think in the end pipe tobacco is easy enough in that keeping things simple is probably the best solution. Here is an interesting read that might help out with some more information. pipesmagazine.com/python/pipe-tobacco/pipe-tobacco-storage/I am 100% confident that they know exactly what they are talking about and I am not looking to invent a new way. My thought is about having place to keep that tobacco you come across that is just too moist or too dry until it settles, as opposed to letting it set out too long, or re hydrating it too much ..... and then put it into normal storage.
This came from my battle with my Stonehaven, wondering "is it too moist?" "is it too dry?" If I could put it in a controlled RH environment and a month later "know" that it is properly humidified, then I simply have to learn how to smoke the damned stuff  |
|
|
|
Post by McWiggins on May 6, 2019 10:21:09 GMT -5
I wonder though how much over thinking is in that. Some like to smoke and store their tobacco pretty darn dry. Others like it moist. Same with blenders. I’ve got tins that are packed and sealed that are dry while others are moist. I don’t know enough about blending to know why a blender will create one blend to be packed moist and another dry. What I do know is that pipe smoking is an art. From packing to tamping to how one likes their tobacco’s moisture content. I know myself and others couldn’t tell you the percentage in moisture we like our tobacco to be when smoked. We just know a rough range in how it how it feels that is right to us. I take it though you seem to like more exacting details. If so, I don’t think you doing this would hurt.  |
|
stone
Full Member
Posts: 996
First Name: Jeff
Location:
|
Post by stone on May 6, 2019 10:44:54 GMT -5
I wonder though how much over thinking is in that. Some like to smoke and store their tobacco pretty darn dry. Others like it moist. Same with blenders. I’ve got tins that are packed and sealed that are dry while others are moist. I don’t know enough about blending to know why a blender will create one blend to be packed moist and another dry. What I do know is that pipe smoking is an art. From packing to tamping to how one likes their tobacco’s moisture content. I know myself and others couldn’t tell you the percentage in moisture we like our tobacco to be when smoked. We just know a rough range in how it how it feels that is right to us. I take it though you seem to like more exacting details. If so, I don’t think you doing this would hurt. Well you are certainly correct about one thing, I am analytical and detail driven. When I played golf competitively a couple friends said I had paralysis by analysis. If I took longer than they liked to look at a putt or calculate wind and distance, they would tell me "just hit the damned ball" to which I would respond "then I would probably suck like you"  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
Location:
|
Post by Deleted on May 6, 2019 10:53:42 GMT -5
I know another member who I won’t mention that stores his tobacco and cigars in a similar fashion. If/when he can chime in with his results, he can better explain. I’ve smoked from his storage containers and the moisture level was perfect.
|
|
|
|
Post by sperrytops on May 6, 2019 11:04:06 GMT -5
Once I cellar a tobacco, whether it is in the original tin or transferred to a jar because is was originally in a bag or open tin, I leave it till I'm ready to use it. Whether that's a few months or a few years. I don't try to change the moisture level when I transfer it (if it was opened). I ty to change nothing. I put those jars in a cool dry location without sunlight and that's all it needs. I have never had a tobacco do anything in storage other than age. When I finally do open it, if its a bit moist I let what I am smoking for that session sit out a bit, or if too dry (it would have been going into the jar or maybe originally so in the tin) I may make an effort to hydrate it a bit, but not a lot. I rarely need to do that, though, as if it seems too dry when I am transferring it, it generally doesn't go into storage. I just set it aside for smoking right away. Tobaccos in original tins have never come out too dry for me, even after significant aging.
Cigars require a lot more TLC than pipe tobacco so I understand why you would want a more sophisticated approach for those. Tobacco cellars well in a sealed container. This also promotes aging. Cigars on the other hand, if truly sealed will not age well. They require a minimal degree of air exchange and a proper humidity level for maintaining a constant environment. Why this difference I'll leave to the experts to explain as I am not one of those.
|
|
Mac
Full Member
Posts: 834
First Name: John
Favorite Pipe: Ken Barnes Canted Billiard
Favorite Tobacco: Margate, Smyrna, Vintage Syrian
Location:
|
Post by Mac on May 6, 2019 17:14:16 GMT -5
Here's the paragraph from Greg Pease's article.
RH is what I use as I don't have a moisture meter, and am not planning on getting one. The small hygrometers fit in a jar easily, and can tell you what the RH is. The variable* is temperature, but most households are relatively stable. I can safely dry a couple ounces at a time, and then seal the jar, often a bail top for smoking over the next month or two.
* And preference per blend, though I find no big variance.
|
|
stone
Full Member
Posts: 996
First Name: Jeff
Location:
|
Post by stone on May 6, 2019 23:21:20 GMT -5
I would never keep pipe tobacco in one of my cigar humidors for the simple reason that the flavors could too easily meld.
When I took a 10-year break from pipe smoking all of my tobacco was in a cooler by itself and it seemed to do wonderfully well. I think I will resurrect that cooler as a "timeout" place for my wayward pipe tobacco.
|
|
|
|
Post by smellthehatfirst on May 7, 2019 12:30:16 GMT -5
I've been experimenting with humidity control for open tins. I always have a dozen or more tins open, because I have no impulse control whatsoever. In the summertime, it's no problem, and tins last for months even while open. Come winter, everything seems to dry out overnight. - I first tried to use humidifying discs, the clay ones sold by pipe vendors. They work extremely well to re-hydrate dry tobacco, but it's a 1-way control. If you add a disc to not-yet-dried tobacco, it becomes over-moist.
- I next tried a "tupper-dor," using an airtight container with ~8 oz of boveda for 2-way control. It didn't work at all, sadly. Moisture seems to seep out of tins, but it won't seep back in.
- Next I tried 65%, 1/4 oz boveda packs slipped directly into tins. This "worked" in the sense the tobacco never dried completely, but it wouldn't re-hydrate anything.
- My final, and most successful setup, is slipping 69% 1/4 oz boveda packs into tins. It rehydrates almost as well as a simple clay disc, but unlike the disc, will not over-moisten tobacco.
|
|
stone
Full Member
Posts: 996
First Name: Jeff
Location:
|
Post by stone on May 7, 2019 13:44:45 GMT -5
I've been experimenting with humidity control for open tins. I always have a dozen or more tins open, because I have no impulse control whatsoever. In the summertime, it's no problem, and tins last for months even while open. Come winter, everything seems to dry out overnight. - I first tried to use humidifying discs, the clay ones sold by pipe vendors. They work extremely well to re-hydrate dry tobacco, but it's a 1-way control. If you add a disc to not-yet-dried tobacco, it becomes over-moist.
- I next tried a "tupper-dor," using an airtight container with ~8 oz of boveda for 2-way control. It didn't work at all, sadly. Moisture seems to seep out of tins, but it won't seep back in.
- Next I tried 65%, 1/4 oz boveda packs slipped directly into tins. This "worked" in the sense the tobacco never dried completely, but it wouldn't re-hydrate anything.
- My final, and most successful setup, is slipping 69% 1/4 oz boveda packs into tins. It rehydrates almost as well as a simple clay disc, but unlike the disc, will not over-moisten tobacco.
I'm not sure I understand the part about the tupperdor not working? Other than a one-way valve, it seems impossible for the moisture to leave the tins unless it is a dryer environment outside of the tin? I have a cigar Oasis that will precisely control the release of humidity. Years ago I bought ten pounds of unprogrammed silica beads and placed them in a sealed container with the cigar Oasis. Once the humidity reached my desired level, I left it in the sealed container with the cigar Oasis for an additional month. This programmed the beads to that particular RH and that is what I use in my large Marine Coolers. If you don't have the patience or the cigar Oasis you can buy pre-programmed beads from heartfelt Industries. |
|
|
|
Post by smellthehatfirst on May 7, 2019 13:58:37 GMT -5
I'm not sure I understand the part about the tupperdor not working? Other than a one-way valve, it seems impossible for the moisture to leave the tins unless it is a dryer environment outside of the tin? The problem was that moisture wouldn't enter the tins.
I carry the tins around with me during the day, so moisture has opportunity to escape. I found putting them in the tupper-dor wouldn't restore the lost moisture.
I imagine for simply preventing it from getting worse, the tupper-dor might have been just fine. But that wasn't enough for me.
|
|
stone
Full Member
Posts: 996
First Name: Jeff
Location:
|
Post by stone on May 7, 2019 14:05:22 GMT -5
I'm not sure I understand the part about the tupperdor not working? Other than a one-way valve, it seems impossible for the moisture to leave the tins unless it is a dryer environment outside of the tin? The problem was that moisture wouldn't enter the tins.
I carry the tins around with me during the day, so moisture has opportunity to escape. I found putting them in the tupper-dor wouldn't restore the lost moisture.
I imagine for simply preventing it from getting worse, the tupper-dor might have been just fine. But that wasn't enough for me.
Did you open the tins when they were in the tuperdor? |
|
|
|
Post by smellthehatfirst on May 7, 2019 18:03:58 GMT -5
The problem was that moisture wouldn't enter the tins.
I carry the tins around with me during the day, so moisture has opportunity to escape. I found putting them in the tupper-dor wouldn't restore the lost moisture.
I imagine for simply preventing it from getting worse, the tupper-dor might have been just fine. But that wasn't enough for me.
Did you open the tins when they were in the tuperdor? No. I don't particularly want the flavors to marry. |
|
