Storing/Aging tobacco

pipedreams86 · Nov 29, 2016

got another question for you pipe smoking guru's! I have bought so far about 20 various pipe tobaccos, I am smoking about a bowl a day...sadly last week i only got 2 bowls in, in the whole week....busy life and all that...

As per the instructions online I have bought mason jars, washed and boiled them, filled them with my tobaccos, labelled them with dates, and I believe they are now safe for the coming years...my question is this, and i apologise if it's been asked before, I couldn't find a clear answer to it in my researching:
In 2-3 or 5 years when i come to open up a jar of lets say Dunhill EMP, do I then need to smoke the rest of that jar fairly quickly, or can i open it up, and use it over months or years without hurting the taste of the tobacco?
I like a lot of variety, would love to have a bowful of one tobacco, the next night a different one and so on, and so I'd like to buy a very wide assortment of tobaccos from all the types there are available (100 blends or so is my hope!) and then dip into them as i want over the years...but not sure if that is how this works...if not I'll have to change plans, my wallet might thank me anyway

what do you guys think/have found in your experience of storing toby?

cosmicfolklore · Nov 29, 2016

If a tobacco is only aged in a jar for 2-5 years, I don't think you'll have to worry about it degrading really fast before you can smoke it. However, if it reaches ten years or more, you'd better be prepared top do some serious smoking quickly. Every jar I set back, I anticipate a long haul before I break into it.

But, even with the tobacco still being stable, I don't ever buy the 100g tins or want a whole pint jar full, because I get bored with a blend rather quickly. YMMV

deathmetal · Nov 29, 2016

I like a lot of variety, would love to have a bowful of one tobacco, the next night a different one and so on, and so I'd like to buy a very wide assortment of tobaccos from all the types there are available (100 blends or so is my hope!) and then dip into them as i want over the years.

Sounds like you need many very small jars.

cosmicfolklore · Nov 29, 2016

I think that costs and space detracts many of the tobacco hoarders from the more reasonable sized jars. I would suggest to someone that if this is the case, maybe just set back the blends that you know will be staples in larger jars, and put the more exotic and more expensive blends in the smaller jars.

rodbuster3 · Nov 29, 2016

If i understand you correctly you want to buy a lot of blends open them all and smoke a bowl here and there as you please? The problem here to me would be every time you open that jar your injecting new air into the jar slowing or stopping the aging and drying out the tobacco to a point you may not enjoy. This would depend on how often you open each jar and your sills. I find that in my experience opening a jar multiple times a day several days a week has had adverse effect on what i like but i assume you wont be doing that since you want to smoke something differnt every time. I suggest kind of like what cosmic said find what you like put it up to break up later and have smaller jars for righ now. I personally would not have a hundred blends open at one time but the great thing about the pipe is find what works for you and F what anyone has to say about it.

cosmicfolklore · Nov 29, 2016

Once the jar is open, just consider the aging process finished. The tobacco will continue to change, but in a less predictable way. At this point, it is in your rotation, and is just waiting to be smoked.

mawnansmiff · Nov 29, 2016

I didn't get the impression the OP was overly concerned with ageing his tobacco, just wanting to store it in bulk and be able to dip into it as and when.
What I do is jar up my loose tobacco purchases and from those jars I will top up a tin for immediate use thereby keeping the bulk of the baccy safe in the jar. If and when the baccy in the jar shows signs of drying out I will pop in a water soaked piece of terracotta to maintain a reasonable moisture content.
Regards,
Jay.

cosmicfolklore · Nov 29, 2016

In 2-3 or 5 years when i come to open up a jar of lets say Dunhill EMP, do I then need to smoke the rest of that jar fairly quickly, or can i open it up, and use it over months or years without hurting the taste of the tobacco?

I guess this is what led me to believe that aging was the main issue. But, as far as changing the taste. I have found that pipe tobacco is a finicky thing. Unless it is laden with flavorings and PG, the slightest blowing of the wind, mood, time of day, what I had for dinner, which pipe I use, how long the tin or jar has been open, whether the jar was stored in my car, which pipe I use, match verses lighter, the season, or alignment of the stars, whether it was laughed at by strangers... changes the taste, even if just slightly. So, yes, there will be a change in taste. This is why I don't rely too heavily on most reviews, because I cannot attest to whether my tobacco will be treated similarly to the way reviewer did. However, this is an aspect of why I love pipe smoking. I don't want to taste the same thing all day long. I have had enough of that when I smoked cigarettes. I now want each bowl to be an experience in and of itself.

ashdigger · Nov 29, 2016

Cosmic, great comment and viewpoint.
Yesterday morning I smoked some Sir John's flake in a James Upshall in my office while working and it was fantastic, then I smoked some in a no name Meer in my truck while driving and it was good and last night I smoked two more bowls in two different style pipes while drinking at a bar watching the Packers game and they were different altogether.
Same baccy, same day, four different pipes, four different experiences and I enjoyed them all.

cosmicfolklore · Nov 29, 2016

My wife goes through the same with wines. She will have a bottle with friends on a special night, and then buy more of it because it was so awesome, only to find out that it is a pretty bland drink, and it was something else about the situation that made it taste different.

Same with tobaccos for me. I'll have a bowl while out hunting that blows my mind, and then get back on the couch and the same things tastes like plain ol' commercial crap.

jpmcwjr · Nov 29, 2016

Gandalf-
That's a very ambitious goal! I couldn't possibly keep track of a hundred blends. Yes, on a spreadsheet or data base, but to differentiate 100 tastes is beyond me. However, sealed jars will keep it in pretty good shape over a long time. I do the same with say six jars, but none lasts more than a few months. Several years of frequently opening a jar would produce .....? Shouldn't kill it, but won't help the taste.

pipedreams86 · Nov 29, 2016

Thanks so much guys for all the thoughts and advice...it appears from what you are all saying that 100 blends might be a bit hard to maintain! I like the way you are maintaining yours Jay/mawnansmiff...that is probably the closest to what I think I should try based on the feedback...I'm not so much worried about ageing (i've only just taken up the hobby, so can't speak to the benefits or how much the toby would benefit from that at this point), it's the conundrum of wanting as many various blends as I can afford, and also being aware of my relatively low smoking frequency...
I think i might try storing in large jars, like Jay suggested, then decant into way smaller jars infrequently, and hope that the occasional opening of the larger jars to refill the smaller ones won't affect the taste too much over the years...it might be a crazy idea but i'm even considering something like this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SQ-Professional-Revolving-Metallic-Spice/dp/B00EZNX1KO/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1480440047&sr=1-5&keywords=spice+rack
and filling those jars with 16 blends, and then storing everything else in large jars, and just refilling the small jars whenever they need which for some of those could be once a year at the rate i'm smoking...i'm thinking that shouldn't affect the larger jars too much opening every so often to quickly fill up those smaller jars...I could be wrong but i think i'll try it and see how it goes...i'll get back to you all in 5 years as to whether it worked or not :D :puffpipe:

cosmicfolklore · Nov 29, 2016

Advise I have heard older smokers tell new smokers. Don't think that just one time is going to give you an inkling of what a blend will taste like. Even now, at having a pretty good taster, I need to really give a blend a chance with several, or more, smokes to get any idea of what it tastes like. Try each blend in different pipes, because the pipe can greatly influence the flavor of the blend. And, if you are smoking less than one bowl a day... then just smoke one blend until it is gone. Smoking Nightcap on a Monday, and then Penzance on a Thursday, you will never have any real idea of what any of that tastes like.

And, if you are trying on Virginias and VaPers... it takes some intensive study on the subtleties of flavor to pull any differences between Virginias. You really want to stick with one blend until you get that "Aha!" moment.

And, smoke as often as you can.

Patience... patience...

mawnansmiff · Nov 29, 2016

Gandalf, I'm assuming you are in the UK. If so, pop down to your nearest Asda (UK version of Walmart) and buy some of their bailtop jars. They about £4 for a pack of three and each jar will hold roughly 8 - 10oz of tobacco quite easily if pressed. It is these that I use for holding and decanting from.
Those jars that you link to are extremely small...look at the dimensions. I wouldn't even use those as my day to day holding jars. Whereas I use old 50g tins there are many jars out there that would do the job of keeping your day to day supply in but the bailtop jars above are ideal for your bulk blends.
Hope that makes sense :roll:
"Try each blend in different pipes, because the pipe can greatly influence the flavor of the blend."
That is very true and it took a while for that particular penny to drop with me

Regards,
Jay.

pipedreams86 · Nov 29, 2016

thanks so much Jay! so it gets a little complicated; I am English, but working as a volunteer in Romania, managing things day to day for our charity here, which is why the hobby is so appreciated for its relaxing purposes (if I could get enough time for it that is!)...so I'm trying to research all of this online and ship from UK or from US where our charity hails from...I kind of came to that conclusion about those spice jars afterwards...you guys have all got me thinking, I might need to look more at having many smaller jars of a way fewer number of blends, and smoking through a jar once it's opened...lots to think about...good it gives me a lot of chance to experiment with the pipes!
i thought I had seen somewhere that the bail top jars went recommended because of the rubber gaskets and whether the vacuum seal is tight enough or not?

joshb83 · Nov 29, 2016

Since speaking on Storing tobaccos, does storing in the cold effect the tobacco aging if in a watertight jar??

northernneil · Nov 29, 2016

I might need to look more at having many smaller jars of a way fewer number of blends, and smoking through a jar once it's opened

^^ This would be my recommendation. That being said, I had a 100g tin of McClelland St James Woods that was 20 years old when I opened it. I have been enjoying this tobacco for well over a year now.
Has the flavor changed? Sure, but as cosmic stated, there are so many variables when it comes to taste. I can say that I still enjoy each bowl today as I did when first opened. Simply stored the tobacco in a mason jar instantly after opening.

drennan · Nov 29, 2016

i thought I had seen somewhere that the bail top jars went recommended because of the rubber gaskets and whether the vacuum seal is tight enough or not?

I've had expensive bail top jars fail and I've had expensive bail top jars hold up for years, it appears a bit of a lottery.

mawnansmiff · Nov 29, 2016

"I thought I had seen somewhere that the bail top jars went[weren't?] recommended because of the rubber gaskets and whether the vacuum seal is tight enough or not?"
Whether you use bailtop jars or proper Mason jars there is no vacuum seal, that is something entirely different and involves an entirely different procedure.
Yes, I personally have had issues with the bailtop jars that I use but nothing that a wetted piece of terracotta can't resolve.
Regards,
Jay.

pipesmokingtom · Nov 29, 2016

I only use bail jars for my daily dippers, Carter Hall and Mixture 79. They don't care if they're air tight. They would take about 10 years to dry out, most likely.

Storing/Aging tobacco

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