Age of Tobacco When Smoked
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Is there a perfect environment for storing blends to age? Mine live in cardboard boxes at the bottom of my wardrobe in a bedroom that is roughly 18 - 20 degrees c. with a RH of roughly 40 - 55% all year round.
What are regarded as ideal conditions?
Regards,
Jay.
What are regarded as ideal conditions?
Regards,
Jay.
OK, you are in the high 60's °F which I'd say is the upper limit. Better if you can store it in the low 60's or even the 50's. So long as you don't FREEZE, generally the colder the better, but IMO Jay, going too cold might also impede the aging, so I generally try to stay as cool as I reasonably can--- upper 50's to lower 60's Fahrenheit. The word COOL is the keyword.
RH? You are fine where you are at. So long as your seals are good, that will keep your tins in good shape. RH of around 65-70% will make it less likely your contents will ever dry out as that is probably where they ought to be anyway--- like a cigar.
Mind if I ask how you know this? I'm eternally interested in the aging process of pipe tobacco, but so little real (non-anecdotal) data is available. There are more questions than answers. What is it that is actually going on as tobacco ages? Is it a biological process? Are bacteria involved? If so, which ones and what environmental conditions favor their activity? What effect do the anti-fungal additives used in most tobacco have on bacteria and the aging process? How about the flavor components themselves? How do they change over time?
It would be great to have a treatise on tobacco aging written by someone who has done the actual research.
Except the humans are dead at 0% humidity, and very uncomfortable at 100%! But agree that room humidity is not important.
And, Dan, I think Professor Pease has written on the subject. I'll look for it later today but I bet you can find it quickly anyhow.
+1 :puffpipe:
With respect to cigars, I see the 70/70 rule referenced quite a bit but I suspect that is, in part, due to the relationship between temperature and relative humidity.
"But again, is aging tobacco biological? What about chemical changes, enzymatic changes?"
Dan, I'm far from being an expert on the subject of ageing tobacco but from what I have read on here the general consensus is that both biological and enzymatic changes take place (are they not the same thing?) and heat does play a significant role in how much or how little those changes are over a given period of time. I just don't know what the optimum temperature is.
That said, I think my mini stash should be safe in my wardrobe :
:
Regards,
Jay.
Dan, I'm far from being an expert on the subject of ageing tobacco but from what I have read on here the general consensus is that both biological and enzymatic changes take place (are they not the same thing?) and heat does play a significant role in how much or how little those changes are over a given period of time. I just don't know what the optimum temperature is.
That said, I think my mini stash should be safe in my wardrobe :
:Regards,
Jay.
Here's some reading that touches on the above, plus other intelligent observations. [A GL Pease monograph]
Rel. Humidity: Sure it matters. High humidity promotes mildew and corrosion of the containers. I had high humidity in my basement once (broken AC) and had mildew growing on a nylon storage case. Any difference between outside RH in the room and RH in the containers creates a /pressure/ that is trying to be equalized. If the seals and containers are truly good, no matter, but if a container or seal ever fails, then the container will seek to equal the room.
I think the 70/70 rule is wrong. Just general numbers easy to remember. I've had better luck keeping cigars a little drier, 65-68% RH. Even 62 is OK. Once you get above 70% you start to run the risk of real problems. It's a real bitch to get mildew out of a humidor. A lot of work to clean.
It both a biological and chemical process. Bacteria, micro-organisms and chemical changes are involved. Freezing harms the tobacco and basically stops most of the activity. Cooler temperatures allow progress with good preservation (resist mildew). Warm temps might speed some things up but promotes fungal growth. How do I know? 40 years experience and basic chemistry and biology.
I think the 70/70 rule is wrong. Just general numbers easy to remember. I've had better luck keeping cigars a little drier, 65-68% RH. Even 62 is OK. Once you get above 70% you start to run the risk of real problems. It's a real bitch to get mildew out of a humidor. A lot of work to clean.
I have a question on storing tobacco, as I am new to having more than a pound at a time that is not sealed in tins:
I bought a pound of 965 that I plan on smoking in my normal rotation of smokes. It came in very smokable moisture level. I put it in a sealed hinge top jar. Since I will be opening it from time to time to decant it into usable containers for smoking out and about, should I worry about it drying out? I realize that sealed it will not dry out, but as I will open it, remove an ounce or so, from time to time should I do any humidification to it? I'm guessing the answer is no, as that would encourage mold, but I figured I'd ask. Sorry to high jack the thread, but I figured I'd ask. Oh, it will probably take me a year to go through a pound, due to my smoking frequency and that it is not the only tobacco I have.
Thanks.
I bought a pound of 965 that I plan on smoking in my normal rotation of smokes. It came in very smokable moisture level. I put it in a sealed hinge top jar. Since I will be opening it from time to time to decant it into usable containers for smoking out and about, should I worry about it drying out? I realize that sealed it will not dry out, but as I will open it, remove an ounce or so, from time to time should I do any humidification to it? I'm guessing the answer is no, as that would encourage mold, but I figured I'd ask. Sorry to high jack the thread, but I figured I'd ask. Oh, it will probably take me a year to go through a pound, due to my smoking frequency and that it is not the only tobacco I have.
Thanks.
Unkleyoda, Maybe put the tobacco into smaller jars, so that you can just open a couple of oz at a time, and by the end, you will be smoking an aged version of 965. Otherwise, if you smoke rather quickly through a pound, and you don't switch between dozens of blends, I wouldn't worry much about it. I prefer my English blends to be rather dry, so drying out wouldn't bother me at all. But, you could put one of those humidification disks in there with it. Lots of guys do that.
Not to worry; what you propose is fine. If you really want to get up on the humidity thing, buy a hygrometer or two for just a few bucks. Then you'll know absolutely.
"I put it in a sealed hinge top jar."
These are what I use, bought from Asda (UK version of Walmart) and found their sealing integrity to be quite variable. This I put down to a poorly fitting rubber/silicone seal.
Some will keep my tobacco moist for months on end, others allow it to slowly dry out after ~2 months or so. This is when I employ John's trick of adding a wetted piece of terracotta to the jar.
I then decant from these jars sufficient baccy for several smokes, dry it out and store it in old tins for as and when needed leaving the rest in the jar nice and moist.
Regards,
Jay.
These are what I use, bought from Asda (UK version of Walmart) and found their sealing integrity to be quite variable. This I put down to a poorly fitting rubber/silicone seal.
Some will keep my tobacco moist for months on end, others allow it to slowly dry out after ~2 months or so. This is when I employ John's trick of adding a wetted piece of terracotta to the jar.
I then decant from these jars sufficient baccy for several smokes, dry it out and store it in old tins for as and when needed leaving the rest in the jar nice and moist.
Regards,
Jay.
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