"miket" > wrote in message
...
> well for the first time I finally broke down and tried sushi at home. I
> purchased a Sushi kit that had all the goodies inside but the Nori has me
> concerned. The sheets are very brittle and have a smell somewhat like
> tobacco.
>
> Is this normal?

Nori being "brittle" is normal. Old Nori is usually non-brittle from
absorbing moisture.
Of course if it's so brittle you can't work with it at all it may be a
problem.
Pass a small amount of your Nori over a steaming cup of hot water to see how
that
Nori absorbs the moisture and if it seems to return to a consistency that
you are used to.
Although many dried products may smell somewhat like tobacco, I personally
can't
remember ever running accross Nori that did.
Is there a brand name on that Nori?

Musashi