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1Beechnutguy2
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Hi Guys, been feeling around here (The site mind you) trying to find this place to introduce myself. My mis-nomer is Beechnut but I'm really a John. I can't say I'm new to smoking pipes. Started with some disgusting peach brandy flavor which I can remember to this day and that's a lot of days ago. I was a student at Concordia College (University now) in Austin. I have moved around a lot but mainly Navy days Brooklyn, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Florida. I was lucky, really lucky, then stayed in NYC for about7 yrs, then to SF Bay area for 20+, my kids grew up and went to school there. Then 13 yrs in Southern Calif, Palm Springs area. Went to school too much but not really enough?? Landscape Architect, Architectural Design.
So more recently I live in Northern KY next to Cincinnati. Love it here except I'm too far from Grand kids in CA. I chew , yes Beechnut, as a Landscape contracting Company I was outside all day and we also had ranch endeavors too. Love that stuff but can't do it here or there but better than a pipe there but over here..you got it...things are a little slower now and I can make time for a bowl or a cigar occasionally. Been mostly experimenting but do have favs. Like the English style with Turkish blend and Latakia! But I'm always trying something new. I think pipes and associated tobacco is made for this. I suppose the Dutch style is good for every day. Sail was my favorite until I discovered Latakia by accident. I also find that I am now an old, young fart. I shy away from the sweet stuff more than I did years ago. Well, that's me...Kinda'
I do have a question for you experts, cause I am not an expert on pipes and tobacco for sure. OK, in ordering misc tobaccos and experimenting a lot I find it to be near impossible to get fresh, moist tobacco. Does it vary by types? I find that most of the more pricey stuff comes in tins and almost all of it is dry as a bone, like brittle. Is that OK, over the hill, and can I correct it like keeping cigars in a humidor. I appreciate your help, Beech
So more recently I live in Northern KY next to Cincinnati. Love it here except I'm too far from Grand kids in CA. I chew , yes Beechnut, as a Landscape contracting Company I was outside all day and we also had ranch endeavors too. Love that stuff but can't do it here or there but better than a pipe there but over here..you got it...things are a little slower now and I can make time for a bowl or a cigar occasionally. Been mostly experimenting but do have favs. Like the English style with Turkish blend and Latakia! But I'm always trying something new. I think pipes and associated tobacco is made for this. I suppose the Dutch style is good for every day. Sail was my favorite until I discovered Latakia by accident. I also find that I am now an old, young fart. I shy away from the sweet stuff more than I did years ago. Well, that's me...Kinda'
I do have a question for you experts, cause I am not an expert on pipes and tobacco for sure. OK, in ordering misc tobaccos and experimenting a lot I find it to be near impossible to get fresh, moist tobacco. Does it vary by types? I find that most of the more pricey stuff comes in tins and almost all of it is dry as a bone, like brittle. Is that OK, over the hill, and can I correct it like keeping cigars in a humidor. I appreciate your help, Beech
Comments
First, Welcome to the group. At the top of the list is an "Introduce yourself topic." But you're ex-navy so we can excuse that. I have more insults but will save them for later as I don't want to bash the junior sea service too much to start. (I'm retired Coast Guard. You may call me Senior Chief.)
There's a lot to digest and discuss in your post but let me get to the import part about moisture levels in tobacco. If you are getting tins of tobacco that is bone dry and almost brittle, someone is selling you tins that have been opened and left on the shelf to dry. That is wrong. About 3 years ago I bought a 14-oz. can of an old blend named George Washington. The last production run of the blend was in 1974. The can still had the factory seal and when I opened it, the tobacco was still at a good moisture level. I immediately moved it into quart mason jars and put the lid on tightly. It is still at a good smoking moisture level. George Washington was my grandfather's tobacco of choice until they stopped making it. He died in 1978.
As a general rule, the tobacco in a tin should be moist and springy. You should then remove the amount you need to fill your bowl and let it dry on a plate or paper towel for 10 or 15 minutes before smoking.
You don't want the tobacco to be so dry that it is brittle. If it is, it will burn faster, burn your tongue and be less enjoyable. You are also missing some of the flavor nuances of the tobacco.
Yes it can be corrected but don't put it in a humidor as that will suck any remaining moisture out. There's a variety of ways to restore moisture - spritzing with distilled water, buying a small humidifier pack, using a small piece of orange peel, for example. You take the tobacco out of the tin and spread it out on paper towels, spritz it with water and then put in a mason jar and hand tighten the lid. Store it away from the sunlight for about a day and you will notice the moisture returning.
You can order tobacco online from https://www.smokingpipes.com/ and https://www.pipesandcigars.com/ both are going to sell you tobacco cheaper than you can find it in cigar shops, drugstores and gas stations. That's because their overhead is a lot less.
What you need to do is find some the squat Mason or Ball jars and move the tobacco to those. When you screw the lid down tight it will provide a tight seal and will keep the tobacco from drying out too fast. I have some blends that have been in jars for five years and they are still in good smoking condition. Like I said earlier, just put a piece of orange peel in the jar with the tobacco and it will draw the moisture out of the peel and into the tobacco.
And I never said "grunt" (which is a Marine) or "swabbie". I said junior sea going service. LOL
BTW, my first bowl, like your’s, back in the day, was John Rolf’s Peach Brandy, a drugstore blend favored by our organist. I was in the choir.