My Jarring Experience

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mikethompson

Lifer
Jun 26, 2016
11,292
23,327
Near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Well I guess I should have known better.
This fall I put some Early Morning Pipe in a sealed jar like this;

s-l300.png

I also put some Christmas Cheer in a similar jar. Not to age them in there per se, but to prevent them from drying out before I could enjoy them again. Cut to Saturday. Weather is nice and mild. Time to get down the Christmas lights with the help of the aforementioned EMP in a Missouri Meerschaum. The taste was, well, flat. It just tasted like smoke for the most part. It was also considerably drier than fresh leaf from the tin. I chalk it up to having a pipe while working and not taking my time like I usually do.
Today I have a little time to myself and pack my Brigham with Christmas Cheer. That's flat too. It certainly doesn't have that sweet kiss on the lips when you first light it.
I think my cheap jars didn't adequately seal my tobaccos. I should have just got these;
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81KjztTEifL._SL1500_.jpg
Just wanted to share, moral is to not cheap out on your jars.

 
Jan 8, 2013
7,493
733
Just wanted to share, moral is to not cheap out on your jars.
Or the other way around perhaps :rofl: Mason jars are pretty cheap, and in fact quite a bit less cost than jars like in your photo. Mine have lasted for as long as I've been smoking a pipe, beginning late 2012 through early 2013, but some here have opened jars they've had for many years and the tobacco was perfect.

 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
Ball?Mason jars, though you would think the jars you used would hold a seal. My palate varies throughout the day; sure it wasn't your taster?

 

ukbob

Lifer
Dec 3, 2016
1,070
5,416
Norfolk. England.
I've used the clip top jars for cellaring quite a few times and never had any problems at all, opened up one the over day cellared 4 years ago contents just fine.

 

mikethompson

Lifer
Jun 26, 2016
11,292
23,327
Near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Anthony, yes I know. The jars I got were from the dollar store and felt a little cheap even when I got them. I even doubled up the gaskets.
I don't think it's the palette, two different blends on two different days, plus they were noticably drier than I remember.

 
To me, when it is crunchy dry is when I get the full flavor of the tobacco. I have a set of raku jars that I had a local ceramicists make me to use as tobacco jars. I will pour a mason jar or tin into it to dry it to smoking level for me. I don't use them all of the time, just when I pop a jar of something that I know that I am going to smoke often throughout the day for a few days and I know that I will be close to the house for that time.
Did it set in the jar for years? Did you clean the jars well? I'm not sure if the jar made any difference or not. I would think that bone dry CC or EMP would really sing when dried out. It does for me.
Just drying out doesn't "kill" a tobacco. It takes quite a while for the essential oils in the leaf to dissipate, so even bone dry tobacco can set out for weeks without any ill effect.

 

luigi

Can't Leave
May 16, 2017
456
1,265
Europe
I'm using jar glass of the food once it's empty, for example cucumbers. :D Simple, almost no costs, it works perfectly.

I have also a few expensive jars and there's no difference in tobacco, as long as you clean them well.

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
Seems to me the bail top jars could be tightened by bending the wire appropriately, and there are a variety of after-market gaskets available. But after your experience -- what with the ruined tobacco -- why experiment any further?!
More discussion on this here: http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/bail-top-jars-rubber-or-silicone-seal

 

mikethompson

Lifer
Jun 26, 2016
11,292
23,327
Near Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Well I tried again today taking my time with it and got some more flavour from the EMP. I did notice that the ribbons towards the bottom of the jar were still a little more 'moist' if that's the right term, than those on top.
And Cosmic, the second or third thing I learned when I joined the forum / started down this road, is that you *never* toss tobacco :lol:

 

badbeard

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 9, 2017
284
585
Kentucky, USA
I had similar issues with EMP tasting really flat when dry. Actually it was not only flat, but a bit hot as well. I've found that I need to pack a little firmer when it begins to lose moisture, to maintain the flavor it had when it was fresh from the tin. The dryer it is, the faster/hotter it burns, the less flavor I get - was my theory on the matter.
You could also try to rehydrate a small portion of it to see if dryness is really your issue.

 

perdurabo

Lifer
Jun 3, 2015
3,305
1,575
Hmmm....I'm with cosmic the dryer the better. As you know all of our taste are different. Some like their stuff a little wet, or a little dry. Smoking a dry blend slow will stop the fast burn. No doubt that the jars need to be replaced with Mason jars. But I wouldn't think a flat taste would occur because of dry tobacco. The tobacco still contain their oils when dry, at least that's what I understand. Anyway smoke it the way you like it. Lesson learned.

 

leatherman

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 23, 2017
202
1
I have only recently started using similar jars, bought from Ikea. Not to cellar, just for ease of storage. The Ikea ones have thick rubber gaskets and close firmly. They weren't too expensive either.

 

mikestanley

Lifer
May 10, 2009
1,698
1,126
Akron area of Ohio
I opened a small mason jar last night. The size holds a 100 gram “tin” of Solani 633. FVF from 2006. The tobacco is ready to smoke. Had a pipe last night and it was very good. FVF isn’t my favorite Virginia Flake by any means. I particularly don’t care for how it rubs out but this jar will get smoked.

MikeS.

 

spartan99

Can't Leave
Mar 10, 2017
493
5
I haven't had any trouble with the dollar store jars I have, and most of them have simple plastic screw tops.

 

smokertruck

Can't Leave
Aug 1, 2013
423
0
you might have left too much air space at the top so it all might have dried out - i use both no difference between the two but the mason jars i buy the smallest so dont mess around with a large one constantly reopening.
like my tobacco moist right upon opening the tin then mason jar after about a week.

i do like those clip jars they have that old antique look that us old farts like.
also use that clip jar for coffee for 5 years & the coffee is still fresh opening about once a week to transfer some to small mason jar for daily use. yea - a rare turkish blend i make up with cardamom - nice fresh flavor like mint goes nice with my erinmore flake in an old leather pipe from the 60's still with a ghost flavor from the erinmore from 60's was really fruity back then better than today's erinmore - but at least erinmore today the flake is much better than their mixture.

anyways i digress ... it aint the jar.

 
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