Tobacco Storage

stoker · Nov 20, 2014

Hi All,
I see most people jar in ball type jars, and I have some in jars now. Does anyone use plastic vacuum seal bags? like food saver type system? Would the tobacco get a plastic taste from this? If not, the only downside I see is that if you want to try some you have to open the bag and would then have to reseal in another bag.

mcitinner1 · Nov 20, 2014

Welcome Stoker, the reason jars are used is because they're 100% airtight, and MOST plastic bags aren't. Your food grade bags may be fine. When I've received orders heavy with latakia from online sources they always have the wonderfully strong odor of the latakia tobacco as soon as the box is opened. They shouldn't have the odor if they were airtight. Cheers : puffy

:

teufelhund · Nov 20, 2014

My only issue with bags is that they don't stack all nice and pretty... But I don't see any issues with food saver bags except them being one use only. Also come to think of it jars aren't much more expensive and cheaper in the long run.

bulldogbriar89 · Nov 20, 2014

I go with jars because they are air tight sealed and you don't have to worry about rips or tares destroying the tobacco

easterntraveler · Nov 20, 2014

To hell with the food saver bags. They have a ball jar sealer attachment.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DVO5RZA/ref=asc_df_B00DVO5RZA3405257?smid=A38VRTFAUSM3C&tag=pgmp-1585-01-20&linkCode=df0&creative=395109&creativeASIN=B00DVO5RZA
it works great. They have a small mouth and large mouth jar sealer. Works awesome. Leaves a very small amount of air in it to assist the ageing process.

mcitinner1 · Nov 20, 2014

Hey Eastern, I went to your link and it didn't explain how the device works. Do you need one for each jar? If so the cost doesn't justify using them. I've got about 160 jars. 8)

zekest · Nov 20, 2014

Jars in your "cellar" are fun to look at, pick up, and fondle, and you can open any one of them, any time you want.
Vacuum bags don't have the same charm in my opinion, and I am a leading expert on my own opinion.
Although......vacuum bags would be the cat's ass for LTS (long term storage) of your prized tins of sacred Virginia Flake. Vacuum seal a few hundred tins of FVF, BVF, ODF, and bury them under the bird bath next to your 50,000 rounds of .22 long rifle ammo.

phil67 · Nov 20, 2014

Hey Eastern, I went to your link and it didn't explain how the device works. Do you need one for each jar? If so the cost doesn't justify using them. I've got about 160 jars.

Good grief no! Once you buy the jar sealer (wide or small mouth) it's good forever and repeated uses. I have a Food Saver and the Ball jar sealer and I love them, albeit I don't use them for storing tobacco. The Ball jar sealer sucks the air out of the jar creating a vacuum seal and I at times store peanuts, bird food, opened jars of sauce, etc. and they stay fresh for a LONG time. However, the Ball jar sealer does not replace the canning procedure for, well... whatever.
As for the OP's question if they (sealer bags) will work for storing tobacco the answer is a definite yes, but quite impracticable if you have to open one to obtain a bowl full. However, I have in the past used the sealer bags to ship samples of tobacco to some of the members here. Bottom line... for storing tobacco stick with the Mason jars and save the Food Sealer for food storage.

cortezattic · Nov 20, 2014

From what I've read, and this is mostly Greg Pease, food storage bags are good moisture barriers; but they are lousy for tobacco because some volatile organic molecules can walk right though the plastic like it wasn't there.

jitterbugdude · Nov 21, 2014

I'm a recent convert to Mylar bags. Although I have 7 cases of mason jars filled with tobacco the Mylar bags are nice to have too. Mylar Pro has some nice bags that come with oxygen absorbers if you feel the need to suck all the air out.

stoker · Nov 21, 2014

Thanks for all the comments. When you use jars do you pack it/tamp it down? I'm not fitting much in a jar just gravity feeding.

mcitinner1 · Nov 21, 2014

Definitely do some packing. I fit 8 to 16 ounces in a quart jar depending on the blend. I use a large plastic aspirin bottle as the packing tool, and I really put the pressure to it. Stan 8)

phil67 · Nov 21, 2014

At times I'll use the bottom of a small glass to pack it down as tightly as I can.

cosmicfolklore · Nov 21, 2014

From listening to the guests on the radio show and reading blogs by the best tobacconists, they all mention that the aging process does not take place in a vacuum. Oxygen and moisture are required to age the tobacco. However, it seems that aromatics do well in these bags, because you do not want them to actually age, because then the flavor gets lost.
But, I know some on here will extol the virtues of vacuum bags and those jar vacuum things, but personally I would listen to the experts over a bunch of guys shooting in the dark on a forum. But... we're all free to do what we want. Let us know how they turn out in a few years.

Me? I'm not about to take a risky gamble with my stash of expensive tobaccos.

cortezattic · Nov 21, 2014

When you use jars do you pack it/tamp it down?

I think the consensus is to press the tobacco down about as firmly as you would pack a pipe, and then leave ¼" to ½" of air space at the top. I don't think it's really critical. Firm packing probably helps meld the blend in much the same way as flake processing does.
BTW, my criticism of food storage bags does not apply to all plastic packaging. I think metalized bags are better. My experience with IRC's PermaMoist bags has been excellent. Prudence dictates that a little testing be done on samples.

cosmicfolklore · Nov 21, 2014

I pack mine 2oz to jar, which with flakes leaves several inches of head room, and with loose cut, at least an inch. And, I use the half pint jars mostly.
But, on some that I know that I won't smoke but maybe once a day when in rotation, I use the 4oz jars and only pack one oz in each jar.
My mistake when I started was in using the larger jars and packing them tight. When you pop the seals on those jars, the aging process stops, and while breathing in the jar while in rotation, you lose any benefits that were gained in the aging process and the tobacco takes on a dirt-like taste. So, to me, it didn't make any sense to take a short-cut with larger jars. I might as well not even try to age a blend if I continued to do that.
But as said, do what you like. And, let us know how that works for you.

tinpan · Nov 21, 2014

Hmmm.... I've been looking at this topic for a while. I recently discovered the Galwaith First Virginia Flake is shipping again in 250 gm boxes. I am looking at storing them long term, i.e. maybe socking away 5 or 10 boxes a year. Ideally I would like to just seal the boxes up with the tobacco in them so they retain their pristine appearance in 5 to 10 years. I haven't found jars large enough to hold the boxes. I thought about vacuum bags, I don't think you need to remove all the air but I've never used them.
Looks like Mylar may be interesting to try. Any thoughts?
Thanks
Tinpan

tinpan · Nov 22, 2014

Thanks, I've ordered a small batch (20) or 1 gal 5ml to try out

jitterbugdude · Nov 22, 2014

" but personally I would listen to the experts over a bunch of guys shooting in the dark on a forum. "
The problem is, the so called "experts" are shooting in the dark just like everyone else. Show me where someone has published a study showing the changes (or lack of) of microbial growth over time in a sealed container of tobacco. Until someone does that it is simply conjecture as to whether tobacco needs oxygen or not to "age" correctly. Personally I think there is little or no fermentation going on. I believe it to be mostly chemical in nature. Flue cured (Virginia) is heated to about 130f thus killing the microbes. Turkish is fermented. The fermentation stops when the microbes in the leaf run out of fuel. Then you have a lot of tobacco that is heated and pressed which kills the microbes. Add the the fact that almost all pipe tobacco has antimicrobial agents added to it you get tobacco that is pretty dead from a fermentation point of view. On the other hand, Burley is air cured. No further processing takes place. Burley has quite a bit of active microbes which is one of the reasons TSNAs increase 200%-700% with aging. Strangely enough Burley is known not to improve/age well.

stoker · Nov 23, 2014

Thanks guys.

Tobacco Storage

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Site Sponsors

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Starting to Get Obsessed

Lifer

Lifer

Part of the Furniture Now

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Part of the Furniture Now

Starting to Get Obsessed

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Starting to Get Obsessed

Starting to Get Obsessed

Part of the Furniture Now

Starting to Get Obsessed