Pouch Tobacco Freshness

joematriarch · Oct 12, 2014

Hello all,
I'm AJ, and I've been browsing these forums for about a month now since I've started pipe smoking. I have a few questions about the freshness of pouch tobacco and what I can do to preserve it.
The problem arose when I left my Capt. Black (I know, I'm not a connoisseur by any means) cracked open to dry out. The tobacco itself was practically smothered in molasses and it was near impossible to keep lit with the insane amounts of moisture and oils it produced. I left it outside in the sun with the pouch cracked open for one day and when I went to smoke it, it tasted awful. It was stale, had a horrible aftertaste, had lost its flavor and aroma, and it left me grimacing. It was like relighting a week old bowl.
Google yielded no answers (as it never seems to anymore) to the questions I have, so I figured I could bring them here.
How long does pouch tobacco stay fresh while sealed? While not sealed?
How can I dry out my tobacco without losing flavors or aromas?
Can I somehow restore some of the lost qualities of this still-full $7 pouch?
What is the longest time I can leave my pouch tobacco unsealed/open?
Thanks in advance for any answers or advice!

woodsroad · Oct 12, 2014

Hello AJ and welcome to the PM Forums.
All of your questions have the same answer: Ditch the pouch and get yourself some decent tobacco. Check out some of the vendors here and order yourself up some samplers of stuff that sounds appealing to you. You can thank me later.

bulldogbriar89 · Oct 12, 2014

welcome to the forum man.
How long does pouch tobacco stay fresh while sealed? While not sealed?

your best bet is to buy a bunch of mason jars and as soon as you open the pouch or tin is to move it to the jar to keep it fresh
How can I dry out my tobacco without losing flavors or aromas?

just spread a bowls work out on a paper plate until it is a little more dry, you don't want it to dry or you will get some bad tong burn.
Can I somehow restore some of the lost qualities of this still-full $7 pouch?

their are ways to re add moister into the tobaccos with a humidor but it takes time
What is the longest time I can leave my pouch tobacco unsealed/open?

again I would go to using mason jars

huntertrw · Oct 12, 2014

"...get yourself some decent tobacco."
For those of us who like the occasional bowl of Captain Black it might just be possible to take offense at your response, as taste is a highly subjective matter. Apparently that blend sounded appealing to joematriarch (or else he would not have tried it), so who are you to judge his selection?

puffy · Oct 12, 2014

Welcome AJ..It could be that you just may not like Captain Black.I second the sampler pack idea.There are cheaper ways to buy tobacco than pouches.The last time I checked Captain Black was 6 bucks a pouch.It isn't about being a connoisseur.It's about what you like.We each have our own taste.I for example have been smoking Captain Black-White for a very long time.I smoked some tonite in fact.

woodsroad · Oct 13, 2014

Sorry that you are offended, Hunter, but you are making a straw man argument here. I am not passing judgement on the gentleman,s taste. I am passing judgement on Capt. Black. It is loaded with humectants, and that is the root of the problem that he is having. If AJ likes the taste of Capt. Black, perhaps he can find something similar in a blend that has less PG in it. AJ is also having some problems with proper storage, and perhaps with pipe packing, but those are issues that are common to most new pipe smokers, and will resolve themselves after he hangs out here a while and absorbs some of the PM common knowledge.

condorlover1 · Oct 13, 2014

@ woods road you are right. I buy my Condor in pouches but I tip them into my oil skin tobacco pouch as soon as I open the stuff. I have only smoked Captain 'Bleck' once and I can see it would hold an certain appeal to some sections of the pipe community. Sadly that person was not me as the thing seems to be loaded with glycol or some other form of tobacco embalming fluid which causes steam and tongue burn. That being said everything is a matter of choice and perhaps it should be put in a jar with the lid off to allow it to breath for a day or so.

mso489 · Oct 13, 2014

I'm all for going to better tobacco, but to answer the question, some pouch tobacco is treated to last a long time,

for shelf life at convenience stories, etc., and will probably go for a year or two. Other pouch tobacco like Five

Brothers, is so dry it will last two years or more and still smoke pretty well, but quickly as it always does. I'd try

any tobacco that was smokeable to see if it is still good. It's more durable than we think. This isn't an argument

for poor storage, but an observation from experience. Buy better tobacco? Yes. Put pouch tobacco in jars? Good

idea.

cobguy · Oct 13, 2014

I'm just surprised it dried out after only one day open in the sun!

About 5 years ago, I found a pouch of CB under my truck's 3rd row seating.

It had to have been there for at least 6 months ... still moist ... in Arizona!
Interesting side note ... CB White was actually used at one of the last International Slow Smoking Competions.

I was .. uhhh .. surprised.

woodsroad · Oct 13, 2014

If it'a dry day, low humidity, a nice breeze I'd guess that a pouch could dry out in an hour in the sun.

cobguy · Oct 13, 2014

That's funny Sparks ... It does have a nice "truck note"!

huntertrw · Oct 13, 2014

"...Capt. Black. It is loaded with humectants."
Ah, THAT must be the reason it is one of the world's best selling pipe-tobaccos!

woodsroad · Oct 13, 2014

"...Capt. Black. It is loaded with humectants."

Ah, THAT must be the reason it is one of the world's best selling pipe-tobaccos!

Inversely, Stonehaven, (or Gaslight, or BlackHouse) which have no humectants, and are among the best pipe tobaccos available, probably rank near the bottom of the list in sales. Your point being....what?

huntertrw · Oct 13, 2014

"Your point being....what?"
That "best" is in the palate of the individual smoker.

woodsroad · Oct 13, 2014

That was your point? That quality is subjective?

huntertrw · Oct 13, 2014

To paraphrase HAL the computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey, this exchange can serve no useful purpose anymore. Goodbye.

cobguy · Oct 13, 2014

Random tidbit for those that don't already know:
Take the computer's name, HAL, and forward each letter one place ... IBM.

seagullplayer · Oct 21, 2014

CB is not my favorite, but it is to some folks, and I still smoke it now and again.

I have found that if I open a pouch of anything and want to dry it out a little, I just open it and let it set out. But not in the sun, you don't need the heat.

I think that might have been part of the OP issue.

A little warmed up plastic pouch can add "flavor" to anything...

mcitinner1 · Oct 21, 2014

@WR Hey Dan, I'm wondering where to go to see what toppings or additives go into different tobacco blends like CB or any others. Are there threads here on the subject?

buster · Oct 21, 2014

I use a jar for long term storage and fill my leather pouch with as much as I think I need for a little while. It has a zipper and is not air tight but hey it's for short term.
I have this one and its on sale at the moment.
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/pipe-pouches/66897/vinyl-combo-pipe-tobacco-pouch/#p-105944
I have a few of these little things around and use them in the jar or pouch if I feel the need for them. Mostly I just pull from the jars and don't worry to much about it.
http://www.pipesandcigars.com/humidification/78837/pouch-moistener/#p-118211

Pouch Tobacco Freshness

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