[wileyone]

I fancy myself as a DIY tobacco blender. Certain varieties will tend to have an acidic ph while others favor the alkaline side of the scale. I'd like to learn more about this first hand by testing the ph myself.

A couple of questions:

1) Is there a reasonably priced meter that is fairly accurate? Would simple test strips be as effective?

2) Can the ph of tobacco smoke be measured by 'bubbling' the smoke through water, then testing the solution?

3) What would be the best way to get a ph read on a sample of unburnt tobacco? 

[Borek]

pH is not a property of anything - pH is a property of a solution. To be more precise - water solution, and one that is not too concentrated. When we speak about things like "soil pH" or "tobacco pH" we refer to pH measured using established procedure in which the sample is mixed with water and then pH of the solution is measured - see http://www.ph-meter.info/pH-measurements-other-procedures for more detailed explanation.

So the answer to 2 & 3 is - you need to check what the standard procedures are, and follow them. I guess they are defined by the tobacco industry.

[Arkcon]

Vendors do sell a variety of pH probes meant for insertion into soft foods and other objects you might want to take the pH of.  Like Boreck: said, they're only really valid for slightly wet, or at worst, soft moist samples.  You can search for them and your application online.

[wileyone]

So this is gonna be a tricky matter then....
Alright, what if I were to lower my standards    Let's say I just wanted to 'play around' with the ph idea. Surely I could gather information that would satiate my curiosity. Can anyone suggest a reliable ph test kit, aka, paper strips?