Some Aging Thoughts

[alfredo_buscatti]

I used to put no more than 4 ozs in a pint jar; I ended up with a lot of jars, and I'm not sure that in the end that sample size helped me enjoy aging benefits more. What was enjoyable was the aging. Now I've been cramming cut tobacco into these same jars and am able to get about ~7 oz into them; headspace included. I think that compressing the tobacco will accelerate aging in the same way that pressing does. The molecules are forced to be more closely together; by their physical proximity they trade off electrons/form covalent bonds. HS chemistry here, I don't know; but the melding of aging surely has to do with a blending of the different tobaccos.

I think tins/canisters are the best way to age. The maxim now goes that interrupted aging, i.e., opening and closing a jar, does not detract from the aging but does change it. Though that may be true, I think that whatever chemical processes that occur inside the agin vessel, the steadier the better. Starting and stopping is quite often the bugaboo in computer programming. Special things have to be done at the ends, because they are the ends, that don't have to be done for the data in the middle. I have no data to support this, but it makes more sense to me that whatever does occur, if not interrupted, occurs better. More steady and sure. Protecting the tobacco from temperature variance is the same thing. Members of a certain Cuban cigar forum whose name I cannot recall (I'll edit this when I remember) point to a standard practiced by some of wrapping closed boxes.

Pease has written about the differences so often noted between bulk and tinned tobacco and made the point that the two are treated differently. One can imagine that the tinned tobacco is placed in the container fairly soon after its manufacture whereas bulk sits in non-airtight wrapping for weeks? months? before someone buys it and, purportedly, jars it. Bulk is certainly more exposed to temperature and the vagaries of the open air. The two must be different. If I'm going to put off smoking a tobacco for years to age it, invest that much effort, it makes more sense for my practices to buy it in tins. Less interruption.

Finally, adding to my post earlier that pointed out that as tobacco is an organic substance, once harvested it deteriorates. We call the controlled deterioration of tobacco aging, as it changes it in a way that many prize. Same with cheese and wine. As an example I'm almost finished smoking a large sample of Dark Flake gifted by Natch. This is not ordinarily a tobacco that I would think would age well; but that estimation is largely based on ignorance of the chemical properties of the Malawi Dark Fired Cured and the Indian Dark Air-cured tobaccos, meaning that I have no idea if they have the sugars that allow VAs to age so well. At any rate I must report that it was greatly enhanced by aging. Flavors condensed into an overall darker and more refined palette.

None of this is meant to have any large import. Tobacco remains tobacco and aging aging; but it may have some import as to best practices.

 

[Briar Spirit]

Now that does interest me, I have been assured the best way to fill a jar for ageing is to fill the jar much the same way as you would fill your pipe with rubbed tobacco, leaving a subtle firmness to the 'bounce' of a thumb depression.

I am most certainly not arguing your point here Mike, your point made me curious to know what others feel about this, I have never aged tobacco so I have absolutely no idea which is the better method, still curious though.

I have tried a sample of 5 yr aged FVF and the flakes were rock hard and broke into pieces as opposed to rubbing out nicely, have to wonder if the method of cellaring those alters the amount of moisture retained by the tobacco, hard and brittle flakes surely isn't the desired result of ageing flakes!

 

[Anonymous]

FVF does get sticky and tough -- a bit like beef jerkey -- but not hard and crumbly like that. Sounds like a bad seal (consequently, that it dried out).

FWIW

:face:

 

[Briar Spirit]

Makes sense Yak, probably explains why it didn't really taste of too much either, it left me wondering what all the fuss was about ageing tobacco, seems I'm right back where I started, nadgers, and there was me thinking I had crossed that bridge. :shock:

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

I've never had flakes cohere as did you; don't know what to say.

As for packing cut tobacco in jars, who knows? Those who advised you must have had their reasons.

 

[petertschantz]

I haven't aged any flake yet, although I hope to soon. I have read that tins aren't always the best bet for aging and seals are suspect. Once I decide on a candidate for aging, I'll probably transfer from tin to Mason jar for aging.

my 2 cents

 

[bosun1]

I use wide mouth quart sized jars. Fill them up, compress the tobac, fill, compress, etc. until there is no room left. Then after about a month come back and give the tops another twist to make sure they are still as air tight as possible. Haven't been 'cellaring' for too long so no comment about the taste improving, but I have my hopes!

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

Any straight VA or VA-based blend will improve greatly by age.

As regards cramming cut tobacco into jars, the proximity of the tobacco has to accelerate aging. I learned this from Vito. Also it should speed up the transition from aerobic to anaerobic fermentation; not this makes any great difference. But if there is less O2 in the jar the less aerobic fermentation would occur; anaerobic fermentation produces most of the aging goodies.

Keeping the jar sealed without opening for the length of time you select to age the tobacco would promote the steady fermentation discussed earlier in the thread.

I love to think about aging and have written those thoughts here, but there is no science in what I say other than that stated by Vito as regards physical proximity.