Aging tobacco in the basement

[vink]

So the title says it all. We recently bought a 1950 bungalow and I now have a nice office in the basement. I have all my tins and jars in a wood cabinet. The only thing is that like any old basement, it's cold and humidity is kind of high. Is there any problems for long term storing? If so, is there anything I can do so that I can still keep my stuff there?

 

[woodsroad]

Rust.
Tins will rust as will Ball jar lids and rings. Tobacco sealed in Mylar bags will not be affected.
Maybe you need to buy a dehumidifier.

 

[vink]

Yeah. I thought that rust would be the problem. So what would be a safe humidity range for long term storage?

 

[woodsroad]

I keep my garage and basement at 50% or lower.

 

[drrock]

I store my humble stash in our basement where it's fairly cool, the baccy has done well, and I haven't had problems with rust, etc. on the many blends I have stored in Mason jars

If you're worried about the basement humidity, I'd get a dehumidifier and keep it below 50%

 

[snoopy311]

Google and common sense. :puffpipe:

 

[hawky454]

I aged tobacco in my basement in Portland, OR for years with no problem. All of them were either in tins or mason jars, I had no problem with rust.

 

[wyfbane]

Hawky are you still in PDX? I live in Vancouver. We should meet up and smoke.
Not to totally derail: I have stored my tobacco in my basement for 3 years here in the Pacific NW as well, (Tacoma and Vancouver), and never had rust, thank God.
I like the dehumidifier Idea, though. I will keep an eye out for one.

 

[hawky454]

Wyfbane, unfortunately I'm not living out that way any more, I moved back to Texas in 2014. If you're ever out this way I would love to meet up for a smoke.

 

[ericusrex]

I, too, am worried about rust and burst pipes ruining my stash. The rustable tins (all the flat tins and 8 oz cans),I keep in watertight containers from the container store:
https://www.containerstore.com/s/clear-weathertight-totes/d?productId=10026213&q=watertight
I also store bagged bulks in these containers with a humidifying element.
The non-rustable tins (McClelland, Pease, C&D etc)I keep in the cheaper storage bins that aren't weatherproof.
If you're not sure if a tin is rustable or not see if a magnet sticks to it. Magnetic = rustable

 

[mso489]

A basement isn't a good tobacco storage area. A nice row of blends that represent your rotation, in your office, would be okay while they're being used. But for anything longer term, I'd find some accessible but unused space in the upstairs of the house. You don't want anything that heats up a lot, like an attic, but you don't want humidity. Even a dehumidifier wouldn't be best, since it is added expense and could go out while you're away, etc. Okay for your comfort, but not for tobacco that is there continuously. A shallow box slid under a couch or bed, or similar unused space might work; get creative, as they say.