Aging in the Tin - Is That a Thing?

[Jerry144]

Hi All - basic question about aging tobacco. Will it age in a sealed tin? Seems like it needs air contact. C&D tins in particular are hermetically sealed. So does that mean they do not age (significantly)?

Do you empty your tins into jars as soon as you get them?

 

[briarbuck]

Aging seems to happen under anaerobic conditions, so you want to prevent the leaf from being exposed to air. Treat them like red wine in a cool place and sealed in the can for aging purposes.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Yes, they age just fine in the tin.

No, I don't rejar good tins.

 

[kcghost]

They will age perfectly in a tin, and many of us believe tins are the only way to travel. And it beats the hell out of the expense of jars. Jars are very good for bulk tobacco, however. Be sure to keep them and your jars out of the sun at all times and keep the room there in properly humidified.

 

[ofafeather]

Agree with the above. Tins are great as long as the seal is good.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Not understanding what ambient humidity has to do with aging in airtight tins or jars. Heat, bad, for sure, but I don't think humidity comes into play unless it's at the very extremes, high or low.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Ha, I wouldn't dream of putting tinned tobaccos into jars, unless something goes drastically wrong with a tin. Of course they'll age in the tins. But, as soon as I pop a tin, I let the whole tin dry out before partaking.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I think you must have overheard a conversation at the local tobacco shop among several who are uninformed. Air is trapped inside the tin which is part of the initial aging process, I believe that is aerobic. Once the oxygen is depleted, anaerobic processes begin the second part of aging.

 

[craig61a]

C&D tins, AFAIK, are hermetically (airtight) sealed, but there is no vacuum.

The accepted school of thought is that a little oxygen in the tin is good for aging. Most of the oxygen is consumed by aerobic fermentation, and then anaerobic fermentation takes over.

Keeping the tins in cool, dry environment at relatively constant temperature over time ensures that the tobacco will remain in good condition.

That’s my understanding of it…

 

[fireground_piper]

I break anything larger than 2oz or 100g tins down into 2oz jars just out of storage preference. Mostly because I don't want to age 8oz of something and break it open all at the same time when I get to it. I prefer to just crack 2oz at a time so from that perspective, I break open even 8oz C&D tins and jar in 2oz portions as soon as I get it out of preference.

 

[ofafeather]

Also, even vacuum sealed tins still have air, there’s just less of it which creates the negative pressure to keep the tin sealed.

 

[sablebrush52]

Hi All - basic question about aging tobacco. Will it age in a sealed tin? Seems like it needs air contact. C&D tins in particular are hermetically sealed. So does that mean they do not age (significantly)?

Do you empty your tins into jars as soon as you get them?

Aging in a tin has been a thing almost as long as tobaccos have been tinned. Most smokers who cellar for aging keep their tobacco in the tin if they bought it in a tin. It's not foolproof since cuttertops are no longer in use, but it's standard practice.
Do a Google search about aging tobaccos, keeping them in the tin and you will find a wealth of information, debate, and contradictory experience and advice. In short terms, nobody knows how it works but they've made a choice and are sticking with it.
Personally, I keep some in a tin, jar others, and bag still others in Mylar. After years of doing this I'm sufficiently convinced that there is no one better method and all have their limitations. Tobaccos that age in a desirable way do so using any of these methods.

 

[cigrmaster]

If I get a 50 gram tin I age it in the tin. If I get a 100 gram tin I age it in that. If I get tins that are not vacuum sealed aka Solani 660 Silver flake that is not vacuum sealed I jar it upon arrival and forget about it. It ages just fine and smokes very nicely years later. I prefer all my tins to be 50-100 grams and vacuum sealed if I had a choice. Unfortunately I don't have that option some times so I go with the flow. Luckily for me, mostly all of my favorites are are 50 gram vacuum sealed tins. I would be totally pissed if most of my favorites were bulk tobacco.

 

[Servant King]

Not understanding what ambient humidity has to do with aging in airtight tins or jars. Heat, bad, for sure, but I don't think humidity comes into play unless it's at the very extremes, high or low.

Agreed; I was thinking the very same thing. The seal of the tin would for the most part render the external conditions irrelevant, no? Of course, if the seal fails (as I've heard happens sometimes with the square/rectangular tins), that's where such factors would come into play.

 

[anotherbob]

tip in metal tins you can check the seal by seeing if it will open by hand. Normally you can't but if you can then the seal was compromised.

 

[greeneyes]

This must be the second installment of the reddit thread.

 

[judcole]

Not a darned thing left to be said. I can see opening and jarring big tins, but doing it to small ones is pointless.

 

[NomadOrb]

I age my tobacco in my car by forgetting to take it out when I leave.