Mason Jars vs. Aluminum Pot with a Lever

carver · Jan 5, 2016

There is a lot going on about jarring and cellaring and what I read the most about is the famous Mason Jar, Ball Jar.

I've looked them up here online and they cost a pretty fortune.

Now I also have found random glass jars, they look like Mason jars, but since I have never seen a Mason Jar, I don't know what makes MJ particular, special of efficient. Special rubber seal inside? Special click when closed?
From what I gathered with the jars I bought is that, although probably air tight the first time one is used, I ma pretty sure that if kept being opened and closed whenever tobacco is needed, it seems like the aluminum shape of the lid will deteriorate and let air get in.
I guess that for cellaring, they serve a purpose, stay closed for years and all is good.
On a day to day basis, I haven't found those jars being efficient and leaving the tobacco in their tins neither, I like to give the tobacco a bit of air, a bit of breathing, you see.

That's why I bought those.

They can contain up to 100gr of tobacco.
I haven't had a need for cellaring bigger quantities as I am still trying a lot of blends.

These pots cost me 1/4 of the price of a small MJ.

One thing annoys me, they don't stack easy and the lever is a bit in they way.

I had a check at a tobacco that I put there 2 years ago and it's still quite good in terms of humidity.
They make quite a nice view.

So I guess that in the end my question is this: why mason jars? what's up with them? what would you say is not optimal with the pots I chose ?

geirove · Jan 5, 2016

Do these have silicon or rubber seal?

carver · Jan 5, 2016

not sure how to spot the difference I gotta say ... it's translucid, not plain white, I'd say silicon.

geirove · Jan 5, 2016

not sure how to spot the difference I gotta say ... it's translucid, not plain white, I'd say silicon.

Cause the silicon will last years, but rubber seems to crack with time. Just something to think about if you planning to age tobacco. They look nice, did you buy them online?

carver · Jan 5, 2016

thanks for the advice, good to know.

Yes I bought them online.

jvnshr · Jan 5, 2016

We don't have any mason jars here, so I use the ones in the picture below.

cosmicfolklore · Jan 5, 2016

Mason Jars! I used those aluminum pots with silicon seals for a few years in storing my chemicals needed for metals refining, and THEY ARE NOT airtight. I have had chemicals that I have had to rely on to remain perfectly dry, get spoiled quickly and easily with those jars. Now, everything goes into a Mason jar.

And, I especially would not rely on them to cellar my tobaccos. Maybe they are good for short term storage for an open rotation, but having the snap on seal for long term storage is just not going to work. Besides, you don't want to open the jar if you are aging it. Why would you want the quick opening snap on thingy?
Mason Jars are just cheaper and more effective. Or, those Mylar bags, some have reported are pretty good. Those snap type jars might be Ok for just putting some tobacco in to smoke in a rotation, but eventually the blend stored in it will dry out.

phil67 · Jan 5, 2016

I've looked them up here online and they cost a pretty fortune.

Where do you live? In the states the average price for an 8 oz. or 12 oz. Mason is is between $1.10 to $1.40 per jar.

pappymac · Jan 5, 2016

Mason Jar or Ball Jar? Basically, the only difference I've ever seen is the name on the side of the jar. They are canning jars. The have screw on lids usually comprised of an outer ring and a lid which has a rubber seal. You can find them in grocery stores, Wal-Mart, Dollar stores, etc. If you go to places like Hobby Lobby or Michael's then you can find them but you are going to pay twice to three times as much because those are "craft" stores and the jack the prices up.
On the other hand, you can find different sizes of jars with the bail closures. I have a couple of those that I use for my everyday tobaccos and they work just fine. The seals are made of silicon.

cosmicfolklore · Jan 5, 2016

Ball was bought out by Mason, if I am remembering correctly, but I have some ancient Ball jars that have the old logo on them. You can also buy crates of industrial jars used by people like me who can most of their foods, in which I can get the jars for as low as 20 cents a jar. But, you have to buy a whole lot of them, and they aren't as strong as the Mason jars. I can hit a Mason jar with a baseball bat and send it out over my back fence without breaking, because it is a high pressure borsilicate glass. Those cheaper jars will survive setting on a shelf and even a short drop to the floor without worry, but they aren't as tough. You would just have top look for wholesale jars for canning to find some in your area, but there are lots of jars out there. Maybe not Mason jars, but there has to be jars, unless your culture just doesn't grow food or preserve it.

shutterbugg · Jan 5, 2016

The ones with screw-on lids are probably better for long-term cellaring, but I buy in tins and only jar one at a time. I use all-glass jars with rubber seals and hinged lids, they work great, and I prefer those to screw-lid jars because mine have wide mouths which let me get my fingers and/or a pipe bowl inside easier.

phred · Jan 5, 2016

The advantage of the Ball/Mason jars is that the lids can be easily and cheaply replaced, while the jar itself can be washed/sterilized and re-used. If you look around in grocery stores during canning season, they're cheap and come in a variety of sizes. They're ideal for long-term storage, as the seal is easy to check and fairly easy to manage, even if you're not doing a hot-bath canning method (which is generally not recommended for tobacco storage anyway).
I tend to use bail-type jars for day-to-day storage of blends that I'm actively smoking, and the canning jars for longer-term storage of blends that I've either purchased in bulk, or that come in containers whose seals I don't entirely trust. I'm not constantly opening and closing the canning jars, so the lid seal isn't being disturbed.

brass · Jan 5, 2016

I'm with Fred. The bail jars will keep tobacco usable for a year or two before drying noticeably. Use Mason jars for long term storage.
I've also pretty much moved to buying tins rather than bulk so as not to have to worry about jarring anything except for short term usage - from a few weeks to a year or so.
Pax.

yaddy306 · Jan 5, 2016

Fun fact for you:

Ball, Kerr, Golden Harvest and Bernardin (Canada) canning jars are all made by Jarden Corporation.
Jarden Corporation also acquired Yankee Candle, First Alert smoke detectors, and Diamond Match, among others (Rawlings, Mr. Coffee, Shakespeare Fishing Tackle, Sunbeam, Coleman...).
Jarden was acquired by Newell Rubbermaid for $15 billion last month.

jvnshr · Jan 5, 2016

Cosmic is right. The ones I use are not airtight. So I only use them for the rotation.

captainprophesy · Jan 5, 2016

Mason jars for me as well. As others have said, the flip down lids jars are not air tight... ok for rotation tobaccos but not if you intend to age them.

carver · Jan 7, 2016

as I mentioned in the first post, I do not "cellar", it's all part of the rotation.

To me here, in terms of prices, glass jars range from 30-40rmb (chinese yuan renminbi), while the flip pots range around 15.

The jars are imported, they don't do that kind here. For some reason ...

jjm1 · Jan 7, 2016

I use ones purchased from Carrefour, those that are probably for storing tea, and get them for about 10RMB. I found the mason jars on taobao and jd.com to be too high.

Mason Jars vs. Aluminum Pot with a Lever

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