Cellaring vs Smokable Storage

Well the first response!
I've got 4 small mason jars with blends that I'm working my way through now. That's my smokable stock. I have maybe 15 or so tins 'cellared' until a jar opens up. It works for me, the space I have, and how often I can enjoy a bowl.
Some feel some tins are sealed better than others, and that determines how they are stored.

@cwpiperman. I LOVE your post. I specifically love the way you have defined your tobacco storage. It took me a few years to realize the difference between cellaring Versus smokable tobacco storage. But we all do it that way. In general, I store most if not 90% of my smokable tobacco in the original tins. Bulk tobacco is a different story of course.However, there are certain tin tobaccos that I put in a mason jars. For example, Savinelli Doblone d’Oro I put in Mason jars because it is perfect moisture upon arrival. But Samuel Gawith Blends I store in Mason jars. Along the way you’ll figure out your own method.

You seem to have all of the generally accepted information. To my knowledge the position that more air contributes to aging is an educated guess at best. If one buys that line of thinking and you know you wouldn't want to sell or trade your cellared tobaccos in the future, that would suggest that transferring to loosely packed Mason jars is the way to go for cellaring. If you think it's irrelevant, then you can choose to cellar them in essentially airless vacuum packed tins or in tightly packed jars. Me? I think it's effectively unimportant to aging how much air is in the container. Supporting my position are the many posts from folks raving about the beautifully darkened tobaccos with plume emerging from their aged, vacuum packed tins. Could air accelerate things? Maybe. Some will cite aerobic versus anaerobic fermentation and it's a reasonable sounding argument, but where's the proof it's actually noticeable? We'd need a five year test of tinned versus jarred versions of the same tobacco from the same batch. I haven't seen anyone perform that test.
So, my recommendation is to keep the tins sealed. It keeps your future options open in case your tastes change or the tobacco ages in an unexpected and negative way. For example, Brian Levine says that the Perique in VAPers becomes too mild for his taste if aged too long. To someone else, those same tins have improved and are valuable. If that were to happen to you, you could sell the sealed tins. Jarred tobacco is less valuable.
Worried about the integrity of the tins? I recently read about a round tin from the 1950s being opened and the tobacco found in good condition. You might want to monitor the rectangular tins which are less reliable than the round tins.

My cellar consists of tins I haven't gotten around to, and jars that I've forgotten about. I have an unintentional cellar from years of buying, but over 200 pounds of it. I consider everything in my closet as smokable, and the stuff with decades of age on it is just stuff I haven't gotten around to yet. I buy in large lots as I've seen favorites disappear over the past thirty years and I like to be prepared for such future events.

I think most trust tins for aging before the seal is broken. After you pop the seal, jarring is best practice. Cardboard "tins" probably are best jarred. If I'm smoking a blend regularly, I may leave it in the tin, but I wouldn't recommend it; it's kind of lazy.

...over 200 pounds of it...

Click to expand...

And how much of that is Black Frigate? :P

Around 10 pounds.

Despite my earlier proclamation that tins are generally safe for long term storage, this current thread regarding tin rust is kinda scary.

Dewpoints are high where I live in the summer. They hit 77 a week ago so I keep all of my tobacco in the basement and run a dehumidifer spring-fall regardless in the basement. Plus it is air conditioned. In the winter I burn corn in the basement so I would say year round my humidity near my collectings is very minimal. I would aim for the lowest humidity you can obtain before worrying about temperatures unless you are dealing with extreme temps. And then I would be relocating my stash to a better controlled area.