Buying Cellar Jars Online...But NOT By Weight Requirement

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namuna

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 22, 2013
168
0
A while back I bought some storage jars with the latch tops, they're the perfect size for holding 8oz of tobacco.
Now that my cellar is expanding, I need more jars and unfortunately the Christmas Tree Shop I went to last time is now out of the jars I bought. So now I'm shopping online instead (notably from Amazon).
The thing is, when I look at the pictures for the half-pint mason jars, they all seem to be really small compared to the jars I bought (unfortunately for jars and such, about the only labling there was, was the price tag so I have no idea what they're actual ounce capacities are)...So now I'm realizing you can't buy the mason jars based on weight capacity, can you?! If I bought a bunch of 8oz capacity jars, I'd have to be cramming my 8oz bags of tobacco really hard to get them to fit.
So I'm wondering what you folks that source your jars from online, how do you calculate the size/capacity to tobacco weight? 2-to-1 (so buy 16oz capacity to hold 8oz of tobacco)? Bigger?

 

jgriff

Can't Leave
Feb 20, 2013
425
3
I don't think there is an easy answer. Your flakes, ropes, and plugs won't take up as much room as your dry ribbon cuts. I swear C&D bulks take up twice the space as others simply because they are already so dry. I just put what I can in a jar and then go on to another one if I need it. Rinse, lather, and repeat.

 

av8scuba

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 4, 2013
298
0
Mid-Missouri
I've found as a general rule that half-pint jars will hold 2 ounces of tobacco. So you can extrapolate from there.

 

leacha

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 19, 2013
939
8
Colorado
My 16 fl oz ball jar held 6 oz nt wt of MC 5100 Red Cake. While my 8 FL oz jar could hold 6 oz nt wt of pirate cake. It will depend on the tobacco and how you pack it in.

 

mrenglish

Lifer
Dec 25, 2010
2,220
72
Columbus, Ohio
The Quart jars (Mason/Bell/Kerr) will hold 500g of flake tobacco from the likes of Samuel Gawith. The half pint jars will hold four ounces of flake from the same company. Can't help with other types of cut but what others have mentioned seems about right.

 

Strike Anywhere

Can't Leave
Nov 9, 2011
368
83
I go against the "norm" in this regard. If flakes/ropes can fit in a certain size with enough air to still age, then cramming the same amount of ribbon cut into the same size jar should age just as well.
Half pint jars = 4oz (flakes or ribbon)

Pint jars = 8oz (flakes or ribbon)
So, as you can see, if you divide the liquid holding capacity of the jar by 2, that is the dry weight of tobacco I put in the jar. No need for us to discuss the differences between volumetric and gravimetric measurements, I realize those aren't equivalent.
Why do I do this when everyone else on the internet says you need air to age the tobacco? I based my decisions on flake tobacco. I can very easily fit 4oz of tobacco in a half pint jar with quite a bit of visible air space in the jar. I've also been cellaring tobacco for about 10 years now, so I've got jars that have had time to age like this. So if 4oz of flake ages well in a half pint, why wouldn't 4oz of ribbon cut? What weighs more: 4oz of feathers or 4oz of gravel? They both weigh the same right? It all comes down to density. Flakes are more dense than ribbon cut just like gravel is more dense than feathers. That also changes the surface area to volume ratio.
So, at the most basic level, if I cram 4oz of ribbon cut in the same size jar as 4oz of flake, it should (and does, at least to my taste buds) age just as well as the flake. The catch is, it takes a bit of work. 4oz of flake goes in pretty easy -- 4oz of ribbon cut requires a couple minutes of work packing it in there, but it's not impossible.

 

escioe

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 31, 2013
702
4
In general I use half-pint jars for 2 oz of tobacco. I like a bit of air in there, and 2 oz is a nice amount for me to smoke once in a while. Plus it makes the math easy: I get 8 oz tins, and when I decide to crack them, split them into 4 jars. You can fit more, but I'd rather have to have more jars so I can smoke through some of it without disturbing the rest.

 

namuna

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 22, 2013
168
0
Thanks for the responses folks, I'm glad I didn't pull the trigger initially when I was going to online order a dozen 8oz jars to hold my 8oz bags of tobacco!!

 

lordnoble

Lifer
Jul 13, 2010
2,677
14
I'm with TAB with how I run my cellar in terms of jar sizes. The big quart size will hold 16 oz of ribbon-type blends, but there isn't much room for air since you have to squish it down to get it all to fit.
-Jason

 

woodsroad

Lifer
Oct 10, 2013
11,568
15,208
SE PA USA
WallyWhirled sells an Anchor-Hocking 2qt screw top jar that works very nicely for 16oz.of ribbon cut. Drier blends (more tobacco, less water and PG) may still have a little left over. All the better, I use a smaller jar for the overflow, and smoke out of it, so the big jar stays closed.

 

shutterbugg

Lifer
Nov 18, 2013
1,451
21
I really like THESE because the openings are wide enough to get my hand in. A little pricey but very convenient. And they list the dimensions as well as the capacities.

 
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