Storage Questions

mikehaggarkj · Apr 11, 2018

Hello,I have about 50 opened pipe blends that I wish to smoke over the course of several years.

I plan on smoking one bowl a day and for me the enjoyment is at it's greatest when I can pick a different one almost every time, making notes about the different tastes etc.

Problem is that I don't want them to lose go dry, lose aroma or taste, or otherwise go bad, and I'd rather not re-seal my tobacco into mason jars every single time I smoke.
I have bought a ton off snap-top lids with rubber or silicone (I think it's the latter), but a few tobaccos have dried out quite a bit, but that could be because there was some tobacco dust on the seals.
How good are these snap top lids usually and what other good options are there?

mcitinner1 · Apr 11, 2018

Well I think you answered you own question. I'm not sure what your snap top container is. But also any plastic container is not 100% "sealed". You can also rehydrate any blend by spritzing it with distilled water.

jazz · Apr 11, 2018

Those lever type lids are rubbish for storing tobacco. I have never owned one that did not allow my tobacco to dry out. Replacing the gasket with a silicon one helps but they still leak in my experience.

rmpeeps · Apr 11, 2018

Check out the Qorpak bottle w/PTFE kids. We used to use them for environmental regulatory sampling.

I ended up with 2 cases of the 4oz jars, and they can, and HAVE, maintained a seal for at least 18 years.

Not cheap, but you never be messing with lids & rings again.
http://www.qorpak.com/category/186/straight-sided-round-jars

jamban · Apr 11, 2018

Yeah, the lever type lids are not truly air tight. Get some good quality screw top lids on wide mouth jars. I buy from a wholesaler in bulk for very very cheap.
I like to use 100ml jars as they are big enough for 50g worth of tobacco. For your bulk tobaccos or 100g tins, this is good because you allow the extra jars' contents to age longer before you have to open them.

mikehaggarkj · Apr 11, 2018

Those lever type lids sucking was a huge fear I had. I already spent like 150 dollars+ on them.

How bad is it if it's not completely airtight? I don't mind rehydrating with a few drops off water every now and then, but lost flavour or decrease in quality is not acceptable. I've spent too much money on all this tobacco.

jamban · Apr 11, 2018

I'd use the lever lids for other short term storage and buy airtight jars. You and your cellar will be glad you did many years down the line. It was a lesson for me, but thankfully i hadn't bought that many yet.

cosmicfolklore · Apr 11, 2018

There is a big difference between a tobacco just drying out, even to bone dry, and being stale. "Stale" takes a little longer than just total dehydration to empty the leaf of essential oils. Dryness is the state the leaf is cured to and transported and sometimes stored before processing, sometimes for years. So, dryness doesn't destroy anything from the natural leaf, unless left that way for a VERY long time, like years.
Now, you are talking about just storing blends that you are currently smoking, not long term aging of the leaf? Correct?

Keeping your rotation in a plastic container is perfectly ok, IMO. For me, I like my tobacco very dry when I pack it. It's just my preference. However, even if you prefer more moisture, if you wanted to rehydrate with one of those little ceramic stones soaked in water, or just draping a wet paper towel over the container for a little bit, that would be fine.
Unless we are talking about an aromatic that has a topping, then just disregard everything I've said. Things like Prince Albert and Sir Walter have a topping, as well as all other aromatics by definition. And, once the topping has dried, all of the reason someone would buy those brands is gone as well.
But, the essence of the natural leaf in an un-topped blend will remain smoke-able for a long time after drying. Even the casing should remain in tact.

jpmcwjr · Apr 11, 2018

To be clear: You have already opened 50 tins??
If not, why not scale down your plan a bit: Open 7-14 tins, and rotate among them, esp. as you're smoking one bowl a day. (leaving the other 35+ to be opened later.)

craiginthecorn · Apr 11, 2018

I’ve been using this method for about 9 months and love it. When I open a 50g tin, I wait until the moisture level is about right and then put the remainder in these 5 mil ziplock aluminum foil and Mylar bags which I buy on Amazon. They’re so much easier to store and WAY easier for finding the tobacco you’re looking for. These will comfortably hold 1 oz and with a bit of extra effort 2 oz of tobacco. They’re absolutely perfect for storing a nice selection in my small humidor locker at the cigar shop. I’ve found no discernible loss of moisture when using these bags. The only thing you have to be careful of is that you get the ziplock fully closed, but once they’re closed, they stay closed. My technique is to clear the ziplock of tobacco, close it 3/4s, press out the remaining air, then finish closing. Makes a very compact package.
For cellaring, there’s no better option than Mason jars. These bags are available in larger sizes and I’m using some now with success, but for a pound, I still jar it up then as I take out some for use, I put it in the smaller Mylar bags.
One other method I’ve seen is to buy the clear Mylar bags and put the entire tin inside. That eliminates the labeling, but also uses a lot more space.

curl · Apr 11, 2018

Craig, I’ve taken the extra step of using an iron to seal the tops of my Mylar bags. Without that seal, I think these bags are just fancier ziplock bags. Of course I’m talking about long term storage.

Civil War · Apr 11, 2018

I like to use Bormioli Rocco Fido Square Jars. They are easy to use and keep my tobacco air tight. I replace the rubber seals (which crack over time) with silicon seals

mikehaggarkj · Apr 11, 2018

Note: I smoke few aromatics and the ones I do have I do not care that much about.

craiginthecorn · Apr 11, 2018

Curl, I think you're underestimating these bags greatly. Their ability to retain moisture is light years better than a Baggie. You imply the problem is with the Ziplock, but in my experience, it's plenty good enough. Sealing them defeats the value of using the bags. The point is to have a convenient, compact, and effective storage method. For small quantities, I'm quite happy with the method, but it will take years to prove my point scientifically. I guess I could do a six month experiment with a precision scale to prove the effectiveness. In fact, that's just what I am going to do.

cosmicfolklore · Apr 11, 2018

Those mylar bags are also great for mailing tobacco samples. If I am not mistaken, I think the Box Pass uses them also.

oldtoby · Apr 11, 2018

@ Civilwar,
I have a few of the jars with the rubber gasket I use for tobaccos that will be smoked soon. I've found that a little vegetable oil applied to the gaskets make for a good seal and much longer life.
To the OP, if you have 50 unopened blends and only wish to smoke a bowl a day, that tobacco will be around a long time. Invest in a few boxes of half pint jars. They're small and don't take up that much space. It's your best bet to preserve that expensive tobacco.

saltedplug · Apr 11, 2018

Anything other than jars, although perhaps more convenient, always involves degradation of the tobacco. jars jars jars.

jpmcwjr · Apr 11, 2018

To be clear: You have already opened 50 tins??

cosmicfolklore · Apr 11, 2018

Yeh, John, I blew right past the 50 tins part. But, I could easily smoke 50 tins in... 3 months, if I didn't take my pipe out of mouth to eat or talk. : puffy

:
But, if you're one of those people who likes to eat or... talk. Then maybe go with jars, but first let me buy a few shares of the Ball/Mason company, because you're going to need to buy about 5 dozen jars.

oldtoby · Apr 11, 2018

Could have sworn the post read "unopened". Maybe I need a new pair of glasses.

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