How Long Does Tobacco Stay Fresh

[JoBo]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

I keep my tobacco in kilner jars. Do they have a shelf life? Do they deteriorate over time?
I have some hydro stones on order. Do these help?

 

[jpmcwjr]

Please define "fresh". Do you mean smokable? - Good smokable?

Also, please define or illustrate the jar type you are inquiring about.

 

[JoBo]

Good smokable

 

[mingc]

Decades. People pay hundreds of dollars for aged and discontinued tins. The conventional thought is that aging goes best in airtight containers like your Kilner jar and that it improves the taste of the tobacco. In reality, however, aging changes the tobacco, but whether it is improved is a subjective matter of taste. I happen to age mine because I like to try lots of blends but I don't smoke very much or often, so I have lots of jars lying around. The oldest tobacco that I have jarred is from 1985.

 

[craig61a]

Ok, I have some Kilner bail jars. Those you’ve pictured are just like the Ball brand jars.

They do come in various sizes, so you may ‘can‘ smaller qtys, say 4 oz. jars, for long term storage. Then when you open one your just opening a portion of what you have stored up, opposed to opening a larger qty. Some people get hung up on that.

I store the majority of my cellar in Mylar. Takes up less space, less weight.

You don’t need to add hydro stones to your jars, unless you want promote mold growth. I you’re opening these jars regularly, like for your rotation it will dry down over a period of time, but not rapidly, as in bone dry tobacco.

I keep my “working tobacco” in small bail jars, 3-4 ounces per jar, and then refill them as necessary.

I use quart Ball jars to store aromatics. I have an attachment for vacuum sealing and a vacuum pump that I use for those to keep the tobacco fresh. And I also do that for some tobaccos that have been aged for years in larger qtys then opened.

 

[rajangan]

You don’t need to add hydro stones to your jars, unless you want promote mold growth. I you’re opening these jars regularly, like for your rotation it will dry down over a period of time, but not rapidly, as in bone dry tobacco

I second this.

Have you ever seen a jar of pickles dry out?

 

[jpmcwjr]

Thank you. So, pretty much a Brit version of our Mason or Ball jars.

What mingc said above. You'll be fine.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I second or third getting rid of the hydro stones. Pipe tobacco is different than cigars. Keep doing what you're doing minus the stones.

 

[FurCoat]

I jar bulks and what I have in roation to smoke. Everything else I keep in the original tin after close inspection to make sure the seal is intact.

 

[pianopuffer]

Forever. Haha, kidding but not. I've learned that overly dry tobacco smokes amazing, to the point where I feel bad for storing samples of blends in ziplocks only to return to them months later and find them completely enjoyable. Don't overthink this. Just work on the packing and cadence and it will all pan out.

 

[jpmcwjr]

If the tobacco smokes perfectly for you, it's not overly anything.

 

[Pit&Pipes]

Where do people get the mylar I’ve seen mentioned about? I only use Ball Mason jars but mylar is intriguing.

 

[JPremo]

Welp I live in the Desert so I get about 3 months out of an opened tin. Of course I put most of it into Jars for longer term storage, once it's in a jar all you need is some Boveda packets and your Tobacco will last as long as you want it to!

 

[rajangan]

If it dries out, I just add water. Pipe tobacco should be in the range of 10-14% water by weight, so if I've had a bad seal or simply was neglectful and find a bone dry batch of tobacco, I simply weigh the tobacco, add 10% of that weight in water, give it a shake, then come back a couple more times, shake and cop a feel.

 

[hauntedmyst]

You don’t need to add hydro stones to your jars, unless you want promote mold growth.

Or unless its D&R Tobacco, which is so dry, it makes Death Valley seem like India in the middle of a monsoon by comparison.

 

[craig61a]

Or unless its D&R Tobacco, which is so dry, it makes Death Valley seem like India in the middle of a monsoon by comparison.

I have about 30 lbs of D&R product cellared, and I haven’t found that to be the case...

 

[jpmcwjr]

Would that everyone had a small hygrometer so we could actually know what too dry, too wet, and just right are in anyone's opinion. It's all relative!

 

[cshubhra]

I think (without proof) tobacco lasts for ever.
IMO even if you light a bone dry tobacco, it rehydrates itself (From the moisture generated from combustion) within a few puffs.
If you think it is too dry add a Boveda pack and it will be moistened within a couple of weeks.
My experience is limited so it’s an opinion only - Tobacco does not lose any significant volatile matter when its dry. Case in point - Tobacco is indeed very dry when it is shipped to the blender by the distributor - It is stored dry in the warehouse before the blender cases it before blending.

 

[rajangan]

I think (without proof) tobacco lasts for ever.
IMO even if you light a bone dry tobacco, it rehydrates itself (From the moisture generated from combustion) within a few puffs.
If you think it is too dry add a Boveda pack and it will be moistened within a couple of weeks.
My experience is limited so it’s an opinion only - Tobacco does not lose any significant volatile matter when its dry. Case in point - Tobacco is indeed very dry when it is shipped to the blender by the distributor - It is stored dry in the warehouse before the blender cases it before blending.

I agree that it doesn't lose anything when dry. Aging stops, which is important for homegrown, but with commercial tobacco, its fair to expect that it has already been aged enough to be enjoyable.

If you're like me, however, you don't keep your blends in a cellar, but rather take them with you wherever you go, whether in a back pocket, rolling around under your seat, in a backpack, etc, and dry tobacco particles tend to get smaller every day until you've got a bag, tin, or jar of shake.

 

[marconi]

If it dries out, I just add water. Pipe tobacco should be in the range of 10-14% water by weight, so if I've had a bad seal or simply was neglectful and find a bone dry batch of tobacco, I simply weigh the tobacco, add 10% of that weight in water, give it a shake, then come back a couple more times, shake and cop a feel.

Do you add distilled water, bottled water, or it doesn't matter as long as its water?