Cellar in Tin or Glass?

[pharmpiper]

I'm starting to zero in on some blends that I really like and putting a few away for cellaring, but I have a question: How well do the original tins hold up? I really hadn't given it any thought until recently when I picked up a 11/18 packed C&D 5 O'clock Shadow that was very dry. To the point where nearly half the cake had already crumbled.

I know there are some that feel the blender packs the tobacco at the precise moisture level they intend it to be enjoyed, but this stuff is basically flavorless tinder at this point. Very disappointing. I've acquired a few older Dunhills in original tins that didn't have this issue, so it makes me somewhat suspect the newer cardboard tin technology.

This did make me looking at my cellaring efforts with a more critical eye and wonder if I should be transferring all of the cardboard type tins to glass jars.

But then I wondered if I would be messing up the delicate microcosm of the tobacco by doing do. So perhaps it would be ill advised?

Yet I already bought a couple flats of jars

Had to stop and smoke some OJK just to get my head settled again.

Any thoughts and/or experience?

 

[ashdigger]

I'm a glass man myself.

 

[cigrmaster]

I store all my tins in their original packaging. I have yet to have a tin fail no matter what the shape. I have enough jars for all my bulks and am not looking to collect any more. My tobacco stays in a very constant temp and humidity range which I believe has been the main reason I have not had any failures.

I also have no C&D stock in my cellar.

 

[haparnold]

I'm not afraid of the can-style vessels that GLP, C&D, etc. tobaccos come in. Any form of storage will have some expected failure rate, but my expected failure rate in the cans is low enough that I'm comfortable keeping the tobacco sealed in them. I'm much less comfortable with rectangular tins (I'm sure Sable will chime in soon on this issue).
I'm actually about to embark on a project of sealing my rectangular tins (mostly Mac Baren flakes) into mylar bags for an extra measure of protection.
There is one big reason I'm minimizing glass, which is that I move every two years for my job, and at the end of the day a metal can or a mylar bag is going to handle being dropped by a surly moving man much better than a glass jar. But if you plan to stay in one place for a while, glass is king.
Oh also, I hear SPC blends are in cardboard cans like peanuts come in (don't know if it's true; I've never smoked any), but the Cornell & Diehl-type tins are metal cans with a paper label on the outside, not cardboard.

 

[seanv]

I struggle with this sometimes. I am currently leaving tins to age in the tin.

 

[64alex]

I am leaving in tins using aluminum tape as additional sealing in case the seal of the tin fails. I am pretty comfortable doing so about keeping the seal. Only other potential risk it could be faced leaving in the tin is rusting of the tin which if starting from the inside it is not not going to detected until it is too late but living in a dry climate I never encountered.

 

[didimauw]

After finding a few mold issues, I like to be able to see my tobacco.

 

[pharmpiper]

Oh also, I hear SPC blends are in cardboard cans like peanuts come in (don't know if it's true; I've never smoked any), but the Cornell & Diehl-type tins are metal cans with a paper label on the outside, not cardboard.

Really? They seemed so smooshy I assumed they were cardboard. I'll have to take one of them apart now.

If they are metal, silly question here, what about dipping the whole thing in wax?

I suppose sealing in Mylar would be a lot cleaner and cheaper.

After finding a few mold issues, I like to be able to see my tobacco.

Good point. It gets very humid here in Maine.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Have too many thousands of dollars in my cellar to take a chance, all glass here.

 

[sablebrush52]

It really comes down to how long you expect to age them. the square and rectangular tins are generally fine for the first 5 to 7 years, and then things start to get more hit and miss. With a shape like this there's no way to provide even pressure around the perimeter of the seal and I suspect that they are very slowly long pressure from the get go.
A way to test this is to put a number of square and rectangular tins in a sealable tupperware container for a few weeks, then pull off the lid and take a sniff. Chances are good that you will smell tobacco, which means some of them, if not all of them, are slowly leaking.
The round tins are better as the pressure of the seal is evenly distributed around the perimeter. Canister types generally hold up well.
If your intention is long term storage, as in 10+ years, you're better off jarring. If you have a reason to keep them in the tin, like later resale on the secondary market, you can seal the tins with metallic tape and/or store them in heat sealed Mylar bags.
Greg Pease used to recommend keeping tobacco in its tin. But last year he changed his mind after finding a number of failed tins in his cellar, and now recommends immediately jarring for long term aging.
If your tobacco uses acid as a preservative or anti mold agent, you're better off jarring, as the tins will rot from the inside out. Even high quality tinning, such as McClelland used is not immune. Failed tins from the 1990's are turning up.
I no longer buy vintage tins that are rectangular, or the early Pease canister tins because so many of them have rotted out, leaving the contents dried out and spoiled by rust.

 

[nunnster]

If I may, I'll chime in. I use a big old (and I mean OLD) armoire that has been repurposed into my tobacco "cellar". It is sheltered from light and the wood is thick enough that it's pretty good about resisting changes in temp for a long time, as well as keeping the humidity constant reguadless of the temp inside my home. That said, I'm not concerned about it to much as the oldest tin of sealed tobacco I have just turned 6 in July, and several others are turning 4 soon (not all that age was by me, but I like to look around shops and find stuff that has some age on it already). BUT a majority of my tobacco I've actually got sealed up in jars, because I have a bad habit of trying a couple bowls of something, then moving on to either old favorites or the next new thing. However, I do think jars are the way to go. Once you seal up a jar and let it sit,the seal is much tighter than an old tin, an old tin I can snack and break the seal where as with the sealed up Mason jars after a couple months I have to use a knife to pry the lids off.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I agree with Jesse. I've taken a portion of my cellar and put the tuna into 5 gallon mylar bags then heat sealed them. Not much effort and cheap. I bought a number of large plastic totes that can hold the or four of the filled 5 gallon bags to protect them from getting nicked. May end up not being necessary but better safe than sorry.

 

[olkofri]

Glass if I popped open the tin.
Also, glass doesn't oxidise like metal.

 

[sablebrush52]

This is what comes from hurriedly typing before settling into work. I wrote:

With a shape like this there's no way to provide even pressure around the perimeter of the seal and I suspect that they are very slowly long pressure from the get go.

I meant to write:

With a shape like this there's no way to provide even pressure around the perimeter of the seal and I suspect that they are very slowly losing pressure from the get go.

 

[pianopuffer]

Like Sable and Hoosier, I also have made the switch to mylar storage, at least so far with all the bulk that I currently have on stock. It saved me a ton of space!

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

I just mylar bag all my tins as soon as I get them. Tobacco is expensive in England and the price of a mylar bag is worth it to me for peace of mind.
Chris

 

[smokeyweb]

All my tins are left unopened, heat sealed in Mylar, and stored in bins in the basement. If a seal breaks... no problem! And if not... you still get the pleasure of cracking a fresh tin, and preserving resale value.

 

[jon11]

The newer 2oz. Mcclelland and C&D tins are the safest for long term cellaring. All of my other tins I wrap with parafilm tape along the seams. So far so good

 

[samuelgawith01]

Stored in sealed original tins,or if tin was opened,in a ball jar.I have some tobacco from years ago in vacuum storage bags.

 

[jaytex1969]

Just how much tuna have you cellared, Hoosier? 8O