Storage - Do you jar your flake?

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PipeGeek

PipeGeek

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I'm getting into the habit of jarring my tobaccos as soon as I open the tin (for me, jars are easier to open). I know some of you do the same, and some don't.

For those that do, how do you handle (non-pre-rubbed) flake tobacco? Jar it when you open the tin? Rub it out before you jar it?
 
With the short flakes from 50g tins I just put them into a wide mouth half pint Ball jar. I can easily get two tins in one jar, more if I want to work at it. With the long flakes I cut them in half and slide them vertically into a 16oz wide mouth ball jar and can fit 8oz into each jar.
 
I typically keep each in the original tin, which then goes in ziploc bag and then in a cigar humidor (with no humidifier disc, etc.). The humidor holds about four 50g cat-food type tins this way, or about six if I mix it up and use the 50g metal puck type tins.

Now, if I were messin' with larger tins of Rattray's or anything 100g+, it'd go in a jar. Obviously, bulk needs someplace to go, too, those long flakes need to be cut sometimes before they get jarred. Overall, this is just how I do it, based on what I have and space at hand.

I only rub out what I need as I need it.

That's it, rest'a these fellers likely do differently. 8)
 
As I only smoke 2 Flake blends, and they are both sold as a broken flake, if I put them in a jar, as I do with my Oxford Flake when I transfer from it's "paint can" when I open it,I just pour it in the jar. I'm going to rub it out any way to smoke so it doesn't matter whether it gets broken up more. For my McC's Virginia #27, I work out of it's 100g tin. For my Dunhill Flake when I get it, I usually just take it out of the tin and jar it and if it breaks, it breaks! I'm not as much of a "purist" as many here are, but my smokes are all good and I enjoy 'em regardless of bieng not as discerning as other's here are :p BTW, I only do any of this when I open the tin to smoke it. If "cellard" it stays in it's original sealed tin till then.
 
Jar in flake form once the tin has been opened.

It might be more convenient to rub it out and then jar it. Would this alter the flavour over time?
 
I leave it in the tin once I've opened it. Most flakes stay moist for at least a week or so (and in the case of SG flakes, much longer) so that gives me plenty of time to smoke it before it gets too dry. I only open one tin at a time though so it's highly unlikely I'll have blends open for months on end.
 
My OGS slid right into my wide mouthed jars easily. No need to rub before hand. Although I could have easily broke them apart before jarring as a 100g tin would have warrented..
 
I get 6 packs of 1/2 pint wide mouth Ball jars at Wally World and stuff flakes in those as is. I've got tobacco that I stuffed in them over two years ago and it's fine.
 
williamcharles":8xlens89 said:
With the short flakes from 50g tins I just put them into a wide mouth half pint Ball jar. I can easily get two tins in one jar, more if I want to work at it. With the long flakes I cut them in half and slide them vertically into a 16oz wide mouth ball jar and can fit 8oz into each jar.
Click to expand...
Pretty much what I do, except I seldom buy tins, usually 500 grams or pound blocks. But into jars the go right away. More and more I'm using half quart and pint jars rather than quart jars, as it allows me to age some longer while I open and use others.

Natch
 
Any true bulk in bags that I buy I jar immediately, my preferred jar is an 8-oz Ball widemouth jam jar, I usually get close to 100gm per jar.

Bulk that comes in a package like PS, SG, Esoterica, etc goes into a Coleman cooler. Same as I store my cigars except I don't usually humidify the pipe tobacco. I keep a hygrometer in all my coolers and the pipe tobacco usually maintains 55-60 RH on its own. Sometimes in the winter I will transfer a partially depleted humidifier into the pipe tobacco cooler to restore some lost moisture, especially if the RH starts to fall below 50%.
 
All bulks get jarred. I use pt and qt jars. Tins I don't intend to smoke in the near future are left in the tins. Rectangular tins I open get jarred, they don't have a good seal once opened. Round tins with the plastic tops, I just smoke out of, they are a much better seal, and it will be gone before it dries.
 
Thanks to all that responded. Very helpful.

As I discovered today when I opened my first tin of (non-pre-rubbed) flake, the flakes weren't as wide as I had though (widest one was half the short width of the tin), so they fit just fine in my "standard" Ball half-pint jars. All is well.

I like having a standard container, and I love it when a plan comes together.
 
Nice, enjoy those flakes...

...come to think of it, what'ja get? Did you make mention of that already?

8)
 
Yeah, in my original PAD post:

https://www.brothersofbriar.com/t16388-i-blame-mike_68

But the short list:

Orlik Golden Sliced
Solani Aged Burley Flake
Peterson Irish Flake

Hadn't gotten around to opening them until today. Took a smoke of the Irish Flake. Got more of a nic hit than I bargained for. :)
 
Doh! Yeah, I remember now. I was being distracted like a sugared-up child with...hell, the Star of the East label... off I went... :lol:

...go back in there and let (me/us/them) know how some of that tobacco treats ya, what you think of it, what you liked, what you didn't...

8)
 
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