Tips on cellaring bulk blends.

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scottfree

Lurker
Feb 14, 2019
33
6
I just ordered a few pounds of Balkan Supreme. I have my jars ready to go when it arrives. My question is centered mainly around my habit of putting Saran wrap around the tobacco and then into the jar. Is this a good idea, or should I leave some air within the jar? Thanks.

 

rdavid

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 30, 2018
648
9
Milton, FL
Get rid of the saran wrap. It serves no purpose.
Agree. I believe the air trapped inside the jar with the loose tobacco facilitates the aging process better. I just don't think saran wrap would add any benefit.
Arango Balkan Supreme? God I love that stuff. Going to jar a pound myself tomorrow.

 

scottfree

Lurker
Feb 14, 2019
33
6
I live in Colorado, so there is pretty much no humidity here. I have jarred up a lot of tobacco over the years, and it dries out in the jars. I changed my jars to Kerr from Ball brand jars. They seem to work better, but the moisture still gets out, thus the Saran Wrap. I love Arango Balkan Supreme, I have been smoking it for years. But it is not good dried out, I've lost pounds of it, turning into dried up saw dust sitting in worthless jars. Any way of getting a better seal? Thanks.

 

seanv

Lifer
Mar 22, 2018
2,958
10,405
Canada
I use bernardin brand jars, I keep them away from sunlight and temperature swings. I live in Saskatchewan. Our humidity levels are wacky too.

 

diamondback

Lifer
Feb 22, 2019
1,215
1,932
54
Rockvale, TN
Interesting. I’d always just used the reasonably smallest Ball/Mason jars, screwed on tight. Haven’t had any problems yet (TN here; reasonably humid for the most part), but I might try Saran Wrap if it does indeed help. I’ve got waaay too much tobacco in jars for them to fail. Later tonight I’ll dig up an old jar and see how dry the tobacco is. I’ve got some old ones with Frog M (various) that I’ve been aging. If they’ve turned to powder you’ll hear me yelling.
ETA: I’ve bought five pounds of the Arango Balkan Supreme sine its recent return. Wonderful stuff.

 

diamondback

Lifer
Feb 22, 2019
1,215
1,932
54
Rockvale, TN
Sorry to post twice but this has piqued my interest.
Any cellaring pros here that have definitive advice / pro-tips for correct storing in Mason jars? I keep mine in a closet where it’s slightly cool and of course out of the sun. With the Deeming Regs upcoming I’ve been avidly cellaring of late.

 

olkofri

Lifer
Sep 9, 2017
8,033
14,644
The Arm of Orion
Maybe wrap the jar itself in plastic? :?
You could also toss a humidifying disc in the jar. Although, if you're gonna be aging it, this might not work, as you have to be opening the tin every now and then to rehydrate the disc and then throw it in again.
I keep all my toby in Bernardin mason jars, inside a dark counter, and haven't had an issue with it drying out; except for those jars that are about 5-10% full, the tobacco doesn't dry out. I too live in Sask. and the relative humidity in my place during the winter is ~30% (it can get lower, but I turn on a humidifier to prevent that).

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,565
27,065
Carmel Valley, CA
Saran wrap- no help.
Pack it as tightly as you can. It will dry slower. There is still plenty of oxygen in the jar no matter how tight you pack.
I've not had any problems with Ball or Mason brand jars. Are you using new lids?

 

diamondback

Lifer
Feb 22, 2019
1,215
1,932
54
Rockvale, TN
Olkofri, I’m with you on the ‘too much air/empty space’ in a Mason jar. When a jar gets low I’ll transfer the baccy to a smaller jar. Not always (I’m a bit lazy), but as a general rule and definitely for my beloved blends. All those jars drive my wife nuts. I got yelled at a couple weeks ago and had to move my cellar to the same closet I keep my hunting clothes in.
Oh, I fished around and found a five year old jar of MM 965 and a three year old Frog/Town. All is well - both were in Mason jars.

 

diamondback

Lifer
Feb 22, 2019
1,215
1,932
54
Rockvale, TN
Did some reading and one thread I came across said to dip the lid area in hot wax. I’m not above doing that for jars that I intend to preserve for a long long time. Picture Makers Mark, but instead of a beautiful bottle of bourbon in red wax, a big nasty jar dipped in plain wax. I like it.
But then there’s stacking them. How to do that, in my case, without the weight of the jars on top breaking the wax seal on the bottom jars? I’ll need to build cheap shelves. OCD for the win.

 

cossackjack

Lifer
Oct 31, 2014
1,052
647
Evergreen, Colorado
scottfree

I’m in Colorado at 8100’ (higher is drier). My tobacco cellar is a real cellar, of various sized Mason jars (Ball & Kerr brands) & tins, which remains at 60-65ºF year round; humidity varies little, though is higher than the rest of my house. Both jarred & unopened tin tobaccos have aged well under these conditions.

I think that avoiding swings in ambient temperature, & to a lesser degree humidity, reduce the chance of lid seal failure.

The few jar failures have been attributed to either faulty lids or bits of tobacco between the lid & jar rim.

A well seated & sealed lid should become depressed within a week or two of jarring (my exceptions are a few jars of flakes that are nevertheless well sealed).

Narrow-mouth jars have smaller seal area & may be less likely to leak than wide-mouth jars. Despite this, I favor these wide-mouth 1/2 pint Mason jars for ease of pipe loading.

Jar your bulk tobaccos small: 1/2 pint (8 oz by volume) jars hold on average about 2 oz of tobacco.

BTW - overtightening the lid band can ruin the seal; finger-tight is usually sufficient. Also, stacking jars may lead to lid seal failure.

 
Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,578
66
Sarasota, FL
If drying out is indeed an issue for you, then put the jars inside of mylar bags and seal them as well. They make mylar bags up to 5 gallon size. I can't imagine it would dry out sealed in a mason jar that was inside of a sealed mylar bag.

 

diamondback

Lifer
Feb 22, 2019
1,215
1,932
54
Rockvale, TN
Jars inside Mylar bags is a can-do. I’m afraid the oxygen absorbers will pull the oxygen out of the jars as well, but I can pull it tight and iron ‘em shut. Great idea. I can do this tomorrow in fact.

 

scottfree

Lurker
Feb 14, 2019
33
6
Lots of good suggestions. I watched the videos on Parafilm. I think I'm going to try that on my cellaring jars and tins. Thanks!

 

diamondback

Lifer
Feb 22, 2019
1,215
1,932
54
Rockvale, TN
Scottfree, did you see in the comments where some cat mentioned aluminum tape? I’d imagine that’ll work a treat. After deliberation, that’s what I’m going with. Plus, I’ve got some in the garage. I can’t imagine oxygen getting through that at all. Nor should it loosen if stored properly.
At any rate, lots of great ideas here.

 

newbroom

Lifer
Jul 11, 2014
6,087
6,394
Florida
I'm a lazy old cheapskate, and I keep my bulks in their original bags, and keep the bags in coolers.

I keep my 'rotation' available in re purposed platic tubs. I live in FL, and so far, no problems.

 

rdavid

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 30, 2018
648
9
Milton, FL
I live in FL
Yeah, us Floridians don't have any issues with lack of humidity that's for sure. However, being that the house is air conditioned most of the year, I wonder if this would contribute to drying out tobacco over the long term.
I would be devastated if my deep cellar dried to dust. I do pack the jars relatively full but several have a small airspace at the top.

 
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