My tube of Viking dark seems a little dry. I decanted the tube into two Quart mason jars and placed a paper towel over the opening. Then sprayed the paper towel with distilled water and screwed the kid on. Is there any good method to hydrate this amount of snuff? I’ve used this method to bring back none dry pipe tobacco but only small amounts.
It’s just about putting the water back, so the amount of snuff is not too much of a factor in the small quantities we are talking about. As long as you keep everything clean and avoid contamination of any kind you will re-hydrate the snuff with no real problems. Putting a paper towel or sponge in or near the snuff is fine but there is nothing to be gained particularly, in terms of the end result, over just giving it a spray. It will make the process more gradual - which I suppose could be useful if you are unsure about the amount of water to add, but I would just spray a small amount directly on to the tobacco and keep going back to it - it doesn’t really matter, but when you get a bit more practised you could miss out the sponge/towel part.
Re-hydrated snuff will never taste the same as it did fresh because the evaporation that takes the water away also carries off some of the aromatics that give it it’s flavour; that’s on a sliding scale depending on how dry it has become. If you end up with a completely flavourless snuff it becomes an ideal starting point for experimenting with your own flavourings.
I would suggest not rehydrating your bulk snuff. It will store better with less moisture. Just set up a system to rehydrate a little at a time as needed for use.
I didn’t think about that. Good advice. One night with a damp paper towel didn’t really do anything. I guess when I decant into smaller jars I’ll spray it. I am disappinted though, I thought bulk snuff was the best way to go, but the Tins of Viking I have ordered from mr. Snuff in the past were much better by comparison.
Bulks snuff is only worthwhile if it is in one large amount inside an airtight container like the half pound or pound canisters of Wilsons snuffs - that’s when you get the factory fresh product. I don’t know what Viking is like or how it’s packaged, but that is the principle.
Bulk snuff should never be allowed to dry out
I would suggest not rehydrating your bulk snuff. It will store better with less moisture. Just set up a system to rehydrate a little at a time as needed for use.
I would think that rehydrating the bulk for storing would be best. Wont more of the original flavor be lost i.e. the oils of the tobacco and the flavorings? Isn’t the point to stem the loss of these oils?
I think this is one of those things where different methods could be used to get the same results. The issue is to not let the snuff lose MORE water content. Juxtaposers idea works if the loss of hydration is stopped - it could then be hydrated as required; storing it dry is neither negative or positive, just a question of preferance. However you do it, re-hydrated snuff will always have lost some flavour; airtight storage from the get go will stop this ever being an issue.