Air in jar: friend or enemy

[Lonnie P]

The wife has a tool that removes air from a jar, creating a slight vacuum, before seating the lid. Would this be helpful or detrimental to the aging prosess?

 

[Smokeybandit]

The wife has a tool that removes air from a jar, creating a slight vacuum, before seating the lid. Would this be helpful or detrimental to the aging prosess?

I would think it depends on the state of the tobacco as some seem to age better because of the air and those that are good out of the tin would be better in a vacuum.

 

[telescopes]

Depends - do you want the tobacco to age?

 

[Lonnie P]

Depends - do you want the tobacco to age?

Yes

 

[Skippy Piper]

A bit of air in the jar will help the tobacco develop it's flavor and aroma, and allow it to continue improving with age. To test this for yourself take a freshly opened tin or a newly received bulk blend then give the tobacco a sniff, smoke a pipe of it, and note the aroma of the tobacco and flavor of the smoke. Now seal said tobacco up in a Ball jar with some air space at the top (at least half an inch, but even leaving the jar just half full of tobacco and half full of air is perfectly fine) and don't open it for 2 weeks.

When you come back and open the jar again to smoke some after 2 weeks take note of the aroma of the tobacco and the flavor of the smoke. You'll likely find both to be significantly more intense and flavorful than they were before you jarred it up!

If you have enough of the same blend to do so you can also perform this experiment with a second jar that you pack tight all the way to the top to push all the air out, and you'll likely find it that after being sealed up for 2 weeks it won't be quite as pleasant smelling or flavorful as the jar that you left some air in.

 

[Terry Lennox]

For Balkans that I don't want to lose freshness I try to pack jars with as little air as possible.
For Virginia flakes where I want the aging to proceed faster I give it a little more space.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Tobacco needs oxygen to go through the aerobic chemical process.if you want to preserve the tobacco, go ahead and vacuum out the air. If you want to agree it, leave the air in the jar.

 

[Shore]

This should help you decide...

I'm currently running some test on vacuum sealed v. Non-vacuum sealed but I do vacuum seal a fair number of jars and tins in foodsaver bags...

 

[sablebrush52]

On his site, Greg Pease has an article on the effects of vacuum sealing a jar of one of his blends VS not vacuum sealing the same blend and checking out the difference about a year or so later. The vacuum retarded the aging process though not entirely.

 

[Sea Lord]

Not 100% sure but I think a bit of air is required to ensure the aging process kicks in. Eventually, chemical reactions 'eat' the air over time and things keep going their jolly way.