Christian Pipe Smokers

Lets re-Hydrate that dried out tobacco

I have used an apple slice many times, tried a banana slice one time, I have put distilled water on a paper towel, distilled water in a mister and spray misted. I have been known to get a square of paper towel with some bourbon on it...I am not picky.

Right now I have a tin of Penzance that was gifted to me, but it had been opened and it is bone dry...I didn't want to add bourbon or apple flavor to it, but last time I tried to hydrate some Penzance, with distilled water, it turned moldy...so I am going to try a slice of cucumber....we will see...I am not going to let it sit too long

Bloodhound wrote: ↑18 Jul 2022, 15:15 Lets re-Hydrate that dried out tobacco

I have used an apple slice many times, tried a banana slice one time, I have put distilled water on a paper towel, distilled water in a mister and spray misted. I have been known to get a square of paper towel with some bourbon on it...I am not picky.

Right now I have a tin of Penzance that was gifted to me, but it had been opened and it is bone dry...I didn't want to add bourbon or apple flavor to it, but last time I tried to hydrate some Penzance, with distilled water, it turned moldy...so I am going to try a slice of cucumber....we will see...I am not going to let it sit too long

Esoterica tobacco is known for having very little or no antifungal stuff added. Thus, it tends to mold easily.

Water.

God invented it.

It's almost like it's perfect.

DLJake wrote: ↑18 Jul 2022, 15:55 Water.

God invented it.

It's almost like it's perfect.

AND .. .given that I'm 98% water, that'd make me 98% perfect. No?

My semi-local B&M has found a source for those little gel balls that are often used as air fresheners. Their balls (hehe balls) are obviously not scented (hehe, scented balls). They'll drop a couple in a tiny, perforated ziplock bag (hehe, balls in a bag) and put the bag in a bag of tobacco if it's on the dry side. When the gel balls dry out and shrivel up (hehe, shriveled balls) you can soak them in distilled water and they swell right back up (hehe, swollen balls).
Sorry... I proofread this and smiled a few times.

I typically just use a small slice of apple or orange peel in a ziplock for a day, and then let it air out for a day afterward.

Paper towel, wet with water, across the top of the container like a drum skin, held in place with a rubber band. Loosely set container lid over the paper towel so it doesn't just dry out in an hour or put the whole thing in a ziplock bag.

coco wrote: ↑18 Jul 2022, 15:34

Bloodhound wrote: ↑18 Jul 2022, 15:15 Lets re-Hydrate that dried out tobacco

I have used an apple slice many times, tried a banana slice one time, I have put distilled water on a paper towel, distilled water in a mister and spray misted. I have been known to get a square of paper towel with some bourbon on it...I am not picky.

Right now I have a tin of Penzance that was gifted to me, but it had been opened and it is bone dry...I didn't want to add bourbon or apple flavor to it, but last time I tried to hydrate some Penzance, with distilled water, it turned moldy...so I am going to try a slice of cucumber....we will see...I am not going to let it sit too long

Esoterica tobacco is known for having very little or no antifungal stuff added. Thus, it tends to mold easily.

<witness>

Very easily.

Distilled water is easy and works just fine -- but most guys add too much and maybe end up with mold.

I learned this from GL Pease (plus a little lab chem magic).

Memorize this:

1/4 tsp = 1 gram of water.

2 oz tin = 50 grams tobacco.

If your tobacco is dry, you want to add 2% water.
If your tobacco is bone dry, you want to add 4% water.

You don't have a scale, so just eyeball the weight. Do you have half a tin of dry tobacco? = 25 grams
25 grams x .02 = 0.5 gram water (1/8 tsp)
25 grams x .04 = 1 gram water (1/4 tsp)

Shake it around in a bag or tin, let it rest for a day or two to reach equilibrium, and enjoy.

If your tobacco is in a jar of unknown volume, scoop out with an old tin (or pile up next to a sealed tin) to get an eyeball of the total volume. Do a wee bit of math, and measure your water.

So maybe you have 1 and 1/2 tins of tobacco. 1.5 x 50 grams = 75 grams tobacco
75g x .02 = 1.5 grams water (1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp)
75g x .04 = 3 grams water (1/2 tsp plus 1/4 tsp)

I've done this countless times. Works every time. Even with Penzance.

(Sometimes I add a little more water, to get it just right after the first equilibration.)

Del wrote: ↑19 Jul 2022, 08:51 equilibration

I'm pretty sure I'll never need that word, but I'm going to carry it around, just in case.