The tighter the stick.........
Posted by Smokin n Jokin on Wednesday, 20-Jun-2007
The harsher the smoke. Anybody else agree? While sinning my way through a package of the new Camel signature series infusion I noticed that they are packed very light. I don't remember any other premades being packed that loose. Anyhoo...I discovered that I have been packing my sticks way too tight. I should have suspected something when I only got about 14 or 15 sticks out of an ounce of tobacco. I stuffed a stick a lot looser than I usually do in a Vera Cruz elegante tube. When I smoked it it seemed smoother and mellower than usual. I allowed that it might have been because of the tube, I don't use them very often because of the cost. I stuffed one in a regular FF Rizla tube and got the same results, so I decided I've been packing the tobacco too tight. I think this has also caused a lot of my other problems, like the time it takes to make a stick, too much time spent cramming the tobacco in the chamber, and filter voids, the tobacco is packed so tight it can't get through the nozzle.
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- Re: The tighter the stick.........
- Posted by Dave L on Thursday, 21-Jun-2007
In my experience, the smooth/harsh qualities of a given tobacco are most affected by moisture content (Kerry dry/harsh > Wazmo moist/diluted) and filter length. The Vera Cruz filters are 5mm longer than the Rizla.
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I get the feeling that a lot of folks over-stuff their smokes. One thought is to get some perforated light tubes and significantly stronger tobacco. The only way you'll get a decent draw is if you don't over-pack.
- Re: The tighter the stick.........
- Posted by Wazmo Nariz on Thursday, 21-Jun-2007
15 sticks per oz??? That's almost two grams per stick. Man, I wonder how you could even get a decent draw on smokes packed that tight. I tend to use a tad more than one gram per stick and I always thought I was overpacking them a bit! :-)
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I wonder sometimes about the higher moisture content thing ...it seems that the more moisture in the tobacco, the more steam will be released during burning. And steam would seem to "dilute" the taste. Or maybe the more steam released, the less actual tobacco essential oils or whatever is being released due to the alteration of the burn characteristics of the tobacco.
In my experience, higher moisture content doesn't just "mild out" the taste, it alters it dramatically -- sometimes in a bad way as far as I'm concerned -- the amount of change is dependent on the blend. I'd guess really old, really dry tobacco would loose some of its essence and would be like burning old dry leaves and could be quite harsh; for instance, while I've "rehydrated" really old, dry tobacco to a softer, more pliable state, it never tastes the same as fresher, slightly drier tobacco.
Anyway, 15 sticks per ounce? Seriously? :-)
- Re: The tighter the stick.........
- Posted by mike c on Thursday, 21-Jun-2007
morning take 2 (just woke up again), and I looked and nothing then looked again as most of you know I am a bit "insane".
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Interesting.....I had used great restraint not to "go after" the 15-to-oz. ratio myself.
I agree here as well....in fact, you taught me about "overly moist" tobacco.....as it turns out, I am just a very simple MYO smoker, not very picky over humidity, etc.....when it *does* get too dry, it's harsher but still smokable, acceptable, and also, with cheaper tobacco, moisture can be good.....(such as PTT)....and Wazmo, forgive me this, it's just intended "white noise" but McClintock Virginia in a "too dry" state=suicide!!! hehe....also, don't "trip out" on my Supermatic comments, it's a subtle thing, but it does exist.....the Ultimatic has a "slower" fill because it is packing a LITTLE tighter, which I like....the "oval" shape seems more pronounced on the Supermatic sticks as well....
- Re: The tighter the stick.........
- Posted by Kerry on Thursday, 21-Jun-2007
A lot depends on how moist the tobacco is. Drier tobacco is, imho, smoother when packed tight.
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The perfect moisture level is a personal taste issue when it comes to ease of stuffing, but other than the tobacco blend itself...
Burn rate/temperature has a LOT to do with "smoothness":
Hotter = harsher
Moister = cooler burn
Drier = hotter burn