Tobacco Storage (Short-term)

[-R.]

I have a question about how I should store the tobacco I have opened.

As I've still been in the process of figuring out what blends I really like enough to start putting in a cellar, I have quite a few tins open, as well as tobacco that I've bought in loose/bulk form.

The loose/bulk tobaccos I have in glass jars that I picked up at a store, that have little plastic/rubber gaskets on the lid. I assume those will keep the tobacco in good condition for some time.

However, what about the tobaccos in the tins? I have both the McClelland/GLPease/&c style tins and the McConnell/Peterson vacuum-sealed tins opened. Is it enough to keep the tobaccos in those tins, with the plastic or metal lids on tight, or should I stick it in the aforementioned glass jars?

Obviously I'm not talking about aging the tobacco, but just keeping it in a moist, ready to smoke state.

 

[Muddler]

Personally, I just keep my opened tobacco in its tin - even the 8oz GLP & C&D blends. Sure it dries out a little (especially the square/ rectangular tins) but that doesn't bother me too much - I prefer my tobacco on the dry side. BTW, I decant the 8oz tobacco into 2oz tins which keeps it in good condition. I do the same with jars of tobacco.

 

[talrmn35]

I'm with Mudd on this one..I keep the stuff I'm currently smoking in there respective tins, as I like it a bit dryer as well. I put bulk tobacco in jars...some like the ones you mentioned and for long term storage, ball jars.

 

[Frost]

I use jars for both short term and long term storage. As soon as I open a tin it goes into a jar, and as soon as I receive bulk it goes into a jar. I'm less picky about the type of jar for the short term stuff tho...any old jar will do for stuff I plan to smoke soon. The long term stuff goes into the ball jars.

 

[-R.]

For short-term storage in a Ball/Mason jar, do I need to sterilize the jar first, as one would for home canning? Or is it enought to just make sure that the jar is clean and dry before dumping the tobacco in? I'm asking for a jar that'll be opened and closed on a regular basis to get tobacco out, rather than something that's being stored and aged.

Is there a good guide for storing and aging tobacco anywhere?

 

[Midnight Blues]

R,

I store all my opened tins in small Ball jars, it wouldn't hurt to wash them out before use
but you shouldn't have to sterilize them.

As far as tobacco storage and aging, here's a nice piece by Neiil Archer Roan, I actually use the same Ball/Mason jars,

http://www.apassionforpipes.com/neills-blog/2010/11/28/keep-your-favorite-tobaccos-optimally-fresh.html

 

[Obelus]

.

 

[Frost]

For short-term storage in a Ball/Mason jar, do I need to sterilize the jar first, as one would for home canning? Or is it enought to just make sure that the jar is clean and dry before dumping the tobacco in? I'm asking for a jar that'll be opened and closed on a regular basis to get tobacco out, rather than something that's being stored and aged.

If the jars are new, there is no need to sterilize or wash...just dump and screw. Umm...the tobacco and the lid respectively to avoid any confusion. :lol:

If it's a re-used jelly jar or some such, I generally wash it in a dishwasher until I can't smell jelly anymore before putting tobacco in it (usually at least twice). With something like a spaghetti sauce jar, it may take 3 or 4 washes before all residual scent is gone from the jar.

I've tossed out a couple of pickle jars and a spaghetti sauce jar or two after a few washes 'cause it still stunk of the old contents. I realized how important it was to thoroughly clean these jars once when I had a bowl of Escudo that tasted like pickles. I almost puked. :no:

Just to reiterate, I only use these kinds of jars for stuff I plan on smoking in the near future.

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

Those elusive "volatile oils" are supposed to evanesce if the tobacco isn't stored in an air-tight jar. Similar to Frost, I transfer a just-opened tin into a 1/2 pint (jelly) Ball jar just after opening it—every tin. And most certainly anything I want to age or have decided to put back for awhile goes into a jelly jar. Keeping my tobacco as I do has afforded me bliss in a tin of Davidoff Flake Medallions that I kept sealed in a Ball/jelly jar for just six months. Radical improvement in the melding of the VA and Perique and the richness of the VAs. I can't say enough how just six months of aging improved this tobacco! I've never gotten this much improvement in six months before.

A number of pipers say that there is a taste benefit to drying down tobacco by ~25% that you intend to smoke in short order. I like my tobacco to have enough moisture that I can feel it with a slight rub, and thus I have no comment here except to say that the guys who keep the tobacco in the tin with the top on are obviously part of the "dryer is better" group. And certainly the tobacco is not going to age in an unsealed tin.

Even if I were storing tobaccos just for the short-term, let's say a month, I would still feel better about them if they were sealed in a jelly jar.

As regards whether to wash new jars, I'd say wash them. Again I come down on the safe side.

I piper also advised me that when you are rinsing a soapy jar, you do so in triplicate. Hot water sterilizes, but cold rinses better. He advocated a three-part rinse—hot, then cold, then hot. This is what I do.