How Tightly Should Tobacco Be Packed in Jars For Long Term Storage?

phreon · Mar 7, 2018

The title says it all. I have 64 Oz. of tobacco to jar up. My meager experience is every ounce of weight fills roughly 4 oz. of space reasonably tightly. Less than I'd pack the pipe, but not loose by any stretch. My McClelland stash has arrived...
Most of it'll go into quart canning jars, but I'll split the last into 8 oz. jars so I'm not disturbing the big ones as I dig into it. Leave about an inch of head-space?
FWIW, I'm working with "Virginias and soft, cut cake Burley Cavendish" and "Virginias and smooth Black Cavendish flavored with chocolate". #110 and #402.
Thank you.

woodsroad · Mar 7, 2018

Pack it as tightly as possible, into the smallest canning jars that you can consume in a reasonable period of time. Don't put it all into one jar.

phreon · Mar 7, 2018

I think I'd need a hydraulic press to get 40 oz. into a 32 oz. jar!
It'll take me a good long while to go through this. I smoke in fits and starts. A fair amount will go in 8 oz. jars for sure, but it'll take a while to get to the big ones.

sablebrush52 · Mar 7, 2018

With ribbon cut I pack in a 1:2 ratio. 2oz tobacco in a 4 oz jar, 4 oz tobacco in an 8 oz jar, etc. With flakes I pack as tightly as I can while still allowing the opportunity to full a flake without macerating it.

3rdguy · Mar 7, 2018

I like some air in it to start out if it is for long term like you mentioned.

woodsroad · Mar 7, 2018

3dguy, it's already been exposed to air for quite a while now.

perdurabo · Mar 7, 2018

Pack it tight. Real tight.

seacaptain · Mar 7, 2018

With ribbon cut I pack in a 1:2 ratio. 2oz tobacco in a 4 oz jar, 4 oz tobacco in an 8 oz jar, etc. With flakes I pack as tightly as I can while still allowing the opportunity to full a flake without macerating it.

This.

aldecaker · Mar 7, 2018

For anything other than flake, I use a wooden potato masher to compress it as tightly as possible.

pipesmokingtom · Mar 7, 2018

Even if you pack it as tightly as possible, there will be plenty of air for aging.

phreon · Mar 7, 2018

Well, it's all sealed away. I should have bought more of the #402, 4 little jars. This is all of it.
The #110 is weirdly springy. It's not dried out, it just semi-fine ribbon that fluffs back up immediately after mashing down hard. I could have fought to get it into fewer jars but would have made a bigger mess.
4 on the left are #402, everything else on the right is #110
Time to find my canning stickers.

midwestpipesmoker70 · Mar 7, 2018

Looks good!

balkisobrains · Mar 7, 2018

I like dividing up across more of the 4oz jars, even though it more of a Pita.

jpmcwjr · Mar 7, 2018

Mash it down! Unless you have a major press (that'd break the jars!) there's plenty of oxygen in the jar when fully packed.
And tobacco is sold by weight; the jars measured by volume.

curl · Mar 8, 2018

I totally agree with sablebrush. I would add that I prefer 2 oz storage over 4 oz or larger. When we finally open a jar, the fermentation process stops. I would rather keep the next 2 oz in the cellar while I rather slowly smoke my way thru a each jar.

craiginthecorn · Mar 8, 2018

Since these are both aromatic blends, they won't really benefit from aging, due to the casing. The main concern is that the flavorings will fade over time. So, IMHO, pack these tobaccos very tightly to preserve the current flavors and save space. If we were talking about 27 Virginia, for example, then you'd want some air in the jar to allow aerobic fermentation.

Civil War · Mar 8, 2018

as tightly as possible, use a sledge hammer to really get it in there. :rofl:

aldecaker · Mar 8, 2018

When using the sledgehammer method, wrap the jar in electrical tape first. That will help keep the jar together. :wink:

How Tightly Should Tobacco Be Packed in Jars For Long Term Storage?

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