Tobacco Refrigeration

claypipesarchaeologist · Jun 25, 2014

I've been storing my tobaccos in mason jars at about 68 degrees F, and have noticed a huge difference in flavor. I used to just refrigerate the ones I wanted to cellar, but now I put them all in a little wine fridge. It has significantly improved the flavor of my daily used blends compared to how they would taste just left at room temp in a cabinet.
I wonder, does this have more to do with the cold stopping the degradation process or just packing a bowl of cold tobacco?

cobguy · Jun 25, 2014

Wine and pipe tobacco both thrive in the same temperature, conditions and humidity.
Light and heat are the 2 biggest enemies of the aging process and should be avoided at all costs.
Igloo type coolers work well for storing your aging pipe tobacco if you don't have a better space.
I use the coolest room's back closet myself and don't worry too much about monitoring the temp.

As long as it isn't getting direct light or excessive heat it's good to go.

blendtobac · Jun 25, 2014

Refrigeration is fine, as long as the tobacco is in a well-sealed container, like a mason jar. Tubs, unsealed tins and baggies kept in a fridge are a recipe for disaster. The refrigerator will suck moisture out of the tobacco and the smells from the food surrounding it can taint the tobacco. A cool, dark spot in the basement (if you have one) is really the ideal place for storage.
Russ

disinformatique · Jun 29, 2014

Excellent thread and excellent tip Russ, my fiancee lives in St. Petersburg FL, it will be nice of her to store it in mason jar and into her fridge. Interestingly she has complained that her Dunhill Nightcap got dry being in the tin and its really hot and humid there right now.
Cheers,

Chris :puffpipe:

ocpsdan · Jun 29, 2014

Providing it's tightly sealed I don't see an issue, but don't see the benefit either. Refrigerators and cooling units have had dehumidification devices built in for decades; bad for tobacco storage.

papipeguy · Jun 29, 2014

Wine fridges are for white wines. Reds should be at about 60 degrees. At ;east that's my understanding. I'd never refrigerate tobacco.

pipebow88 · Jun 29, 2014

The best fridge for tobacco is a thermoelectric wine fridge. You can keep it at temperatures in the 60's, and it also doesn't take moisture out of the air inside either. However, as already mentioned for pipe tobacco as long as you're out of direct sunlight and not in a hot space it's ok. I had a thermoelectric wine fridge I had humidity controlled for aging cigars and it was great for that.

B

peckinpahhombre · Jun 29, 2014

Wine fridges are for white wines. Reds should be at about 60 degrees. At ;east that's my understanding. I'd never refrigerate tobacco.

Nope, wine fridges are for reds and whites. Ideal cellar temp is around 55 degrees fahrenheit. I have 4 wine refrigeration units and each stores about 500 bottles. I am up to about 1400 bottles in total of both reds and whites.
Reds should be served at 60-65, depending on the wine. My pet peeve in restaurants is that many serve red wine at room temperature. Likewise they serve white wine at too cold a temperature. Most white wines should be served in the 45-50 range which is warmer than typical refrigerator temperatures.

masonwarden · Jun 29, 2014

Peck is stocked on tobacco AND wine! His cellars must be endless!

disinformatique · Jun 30, 2014

Peck is actually Robert Downey Jr, all that Iron Man Money !!

bookn3rd5 · Jun 30, 2014

Interesting - my uncle claimed he does this to his tobacco. However, he puts it in plastic bags - and I wl advise him to use jars instead per the advice of Russ

claypipesarchaeologist · Jun 30, 2014

Most refrigerators allow you to adjust the temperature. How far you can go from the recommended 45 degrees F, I think, would depend on the fridge. Nothing too special about a wine fridge. It's small, has racks for wine bottles, which work well for mason jars, and I happen to have access to one. This one does maintain some small level of humidity. I chose 68 because room temp is a little warm where I am and I didn't want to ruin it by going too cold.

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