So I Have Jarred Up My Tobacco, Now What???

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yazamitaz

Lifer
Mar 1, 2013
1,757
1
I have been scouring the threads here all morning and can't seem to find an answer to this question. I recently purchased some bulk that I have put into Ball jars. When I want to eventually access this tobacco will I have to smoke it all after it is opened, or can I access an ounce, put that ounce in a smaller jar, and then reseal the 8oz jar?? Will this negatively effect the remaining tobacco in the larger jar?
Maybe a better question is should I have purchased (4) 2 oz jars and then accessed the tobacco 2 oz at a time? This is only PS Proper English and Balkan Supreme along with some SG Squadron Leader, so we are not talking the highest end tobaccos. I want to store my bulks properly as well as put some age on some of it for fun.
Any input or links where this has been discussed would be most appreciated. :puffy:
Thanks, and Happy Sinko de Mayo :rofl:

 

theboz

Can't Leave
Mar 12, 2013
355
0
United States
From what I have gathered, opening the jar changes the aging process by exposing it to more oxygen, I think most people use smaller jars if they are looking to smoke some of it occasionally.

 

lumberjakpipester

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 21, 2012
293
0
I use the smaller 250ml jars for most of my blends and the medium 500ml ones for my OTC's, they are cheap enough not to worry about it IMO, plus... you can reuse them!

 

zonomo

Lifer
Nov 24, 2012
1,584
5
So Yaz, I am a new pipper too What I did was buy the big 1 lbs Jars for the Tobacco I really want, like Hobbits Weed, 1Q, etc. I have about 16 of those in all. Then I hve the normal 6 oz Mason jars for things that I think I'll smoke frequently, like local B&M blends, some Boswell blends, then I have 2 oz jars which I use the the stuff that gets smoked a lot or..... stuff I purchased to try but haven't done so yet.

 

zonomo

Lifer
Nov 24, 2012
1,584
5
I place a 3/4" fold on the cardboard inner lid and toss a distilled watrer charged HumiCare Pillow on top (a charged pouch moistener aluminium coin works just as well)
I wish I understood more about this process. I have my tobacco in lock-tight sealed jars with a rubber gasket. And some are just in mason jars w twist caps. But I dont do anything to humidify them. Do you have a good place to send me to learn more about this Roth? Thanks

 

homeatsea

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 6, 2013
509
4
I too just got into the jarring/aging process. I've been jarring the majority of my purchase in the 8oz mason jars and putting what I want to smoke in the near/immediate future in a ziplock baggy (and pressing the air out, of course). I find that the ziplock bags keep tobacco at a smokeable level for a good 2-3 weeks so long as you keep them in a cool, dry place. This allows me to have a decent sized sample of the blend for immediate use while the rest remains stored away to age. Just my own little inexperienced process though, I'm sure there are others that are probably more effective out there.

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
Using many small jars is a strategy to keep most of your stock aging without interruption.

When a jar is opened and resealed the aging process will resume, but it will differ from the original stock. (Maybe better!)

Aging does not necessarily equate with improvement, though most folks think so. I prefer the exuberance of "younger" blends.

I jar tobacco for preservation, but I often rue the loss of zest possessed by young Virginias.

In my experience some blends lose the original matrix of flavors provided by their component leafs and become wedded, or unified.

Not always a good thing.

 

drwatson

Lifer
Aug 3, 2010
1,721
5
toledo
I have always used a few different sizes, none to big though. I dodnt really do anything too special, and have found that they tend to seal themselves with time. BUt once I do open any jar, it becomes part of my one or two type rotation until it's gone.

 

yazamitaz

Lifer
Mar 1, 2013
1,757
1
All good info gents, I appreciate the education.
Flint - I think you nailed my situation. Perhaps I am just looking to keep it fresh and not necessarily age it, today that is. I am sure as my tastes change I will buy some bulks that are meant to lay down for a while. I think if I open an 8 oz jar once every few months for a minute or two that isn't going to negatively impact the tobacco.
I have to say as I sit here on my patio puffing on some Escudo and reading these posts I am so glad I joined this forum. I hope one day, regardless of how much of a logistical nightmare t would be, that I could share a bowl or 6 with each one of you.

 

salewis

Can't Leave
Jan 27, 2011
412
0
Do not worry about using the tobacco that you dedicated to jars it will not grow stale unless you leave the jars open too long. Leave tobacco in tins if you are not going to smoke them. One you decide to smoke this tinned tobacco commit to jars. Most pipe smokers open a tin, decide they do not like the tobacco and leave the jars in their cellars for months or even years. Often the tobacco that they did not like at first changes and after several years, usually latakia blends, they reopen the jar and alas the tobacco has mellowed and is often a considerable more palatable tobacco.

 

plateauguy

Lifer
Mar 19, 2013
2,412
18
Thanks, Yaz for the question. I was wondering the same thing. My wife gave me the stink eye when she caught me in her big canning jars. Think I stick with the small ones.

 

flyguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2012
1,018
4
I use the 8oz jelly jars (Kerr) for stashing bulk orders. I also keep 4oz Kerr jelly jars. These smaller jars are for storing tobacco when I open a new 100gm tin or smaller samples. I recently opened a new 100gm tin of McC Dark Star and transferred it to four 4oz jars so the aging process can continue and since I can't smoke a whole 100gm tin before it stales. Of course,I always label and date each jar.

 

igloo

Lifer
Jan 17, 2010
4,083
5
woodlands tx
I like one quart Mason jars I do not seem to have problem disposing of the contents or keeping it fresh after it has been opened ,even for extended periods of time . All you do when you open the jar is stop the ageing process .I like to transfer the tobacco to bail top jars with the rubber seals after a blend has been opened . I think that the blue or green patina looks better next to my chair . I do not like any kind of humidifying discs ,I wait for a good rain storm and open up the lids on anything that is trying to dry out . 90% humidity in the south works good for that .

 

andrew

Lifer
Feb 13, 2013
3,042
400
Actually I just read up on this and really you aren't technically aging the tobacco unless you're going through the canning process, making the seal airtight and then fermentation begins. So really you're just keeping the tobacco in jars and not aging it, therefore opening and closing it doesn't make a difference in my mind, the flavours will seep together and maybe lose some flavour or mellow out, but it's not technically aging. I think I have to go through all my jars and properly seal them.
A lot of people have discovered that aging pipe tobacco can make for a more pleasurable smoking experience, but, as with many things about pipes and tobaccos, there are a number of misconceptions and a lot of misinformation out there, so let's look at some thoughts about aging tobacco.
First, what kind of pipe tobaccos benefit from aging? Virginia and Virginia/Perique blends probably are the ones that change most noticeably and generally become sweeter and smoother. One of the most surprising smokes I have ever had was from a 10 year old tin of McClelland Christmas Cheer. It had become so sweet that it reminded me of toffee. English and Balkan style blends will also be helped if you find the tobacco to be harsh or overpowering when fresh. Time mellows and takes the edge off the sometimes in-your-face power of Latakia. Burley blends and aromatics don’t seem to benefit much. If at all.
How does one go about aging tobacco? If you mostly purchase tins, the process is simpler, but has its caveats. If you mostly purchase vacuum-sealed tins (the flat tins with screw threads or need to be popped with a coin), be aware that leaving the tobacco in that tin will allow it to age, but relatively slowly. The lack of oxygen in the tins reduces the effect of aging, according to no less an authority than Greg Pease. The tins used by Cornell & Diehl, G.L. Pease, McClelland and our own Hearth & Home tobaccos are not vacuum-sealed, so the oxygen content of the tin is better suited to aging.
If you are aging bulk tobacco, or are looking to age tobacco from vacuum-sealed tins, the preferred method is to use mason jars (like the ones used for jarring preserves and pickles), but the method is different than you would use for food products. Fill the jars about ¾ of the way, leaving enough air space to allow for maturation. Whereas you would usually put these jars in a bath of boiling water for food preservation, that extreme heat would change the tobacco, so draw hot tap water (temperature below 140° F) into your sink, and place the jars in the sink so that the water is about as high as the level of tobacco in the jar. Let them sit in the water for about 15 minutes, and screw the lids in place. Remove them from the sink, and as they cool, a light vacuum will pull the lids tightly into place. Some folks like to use a vacuum sealer and bags to age tobacco, but this has the same problem as vacuum-sealed tins. Using ziplock bags or Tupperware type containers just won’t work as there will be too much air exchange, and the tobacco will dry out.
When you’re ready to finally smoke the aged tobacco, open the container and allow the tin or jar to remain open for an hour or so before loading a bowl, to let the air bring out the flavor.
Russ Ouellette, blender

 

andrew

Lifer
Feb 13, 2013
3,042
400
Well after the jar tipping and my jar of EMP ending up getting soaking wet and now drying, F**K the jarring method is all I can say, I'm just sealing it with a twist from now on. I'll post an update to the dried EMP to see how it turns out, I think it will be fine, but still. F**K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Damn, now I read the keep the lids part on!! DOH!!!!!!
There was definitely a seal happening though just from screwing the mason jar lids on the first time, as it popped when I took it off

 
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