Beginner Here: When to "Tamp" and How to Store...

[bludgeoningdeath]

I apologize if these two issues have been posted in here already but I'm new to this forum. Feel free to redirect me. 1st question is I'm curious about when to use my tamper in the bowl. From reading online I know that after the initial "fake" light I should tamp down the ashes. Then some sources say light another "fake" light and tamp the ashes again...then do the final. Some sources say only one "fake" light then tamp.
But when I'm smoking should I tamp the ashes down again as I burn down the bowl? What is "Stirring" the pipe exactly? What is it's purpose and how do I do this?
Also I've found myself being so curious about different tobacco's that I've been buying more tobacco than I can smoke. They're all in ziploc baggies...about 3 ounces each at the most. Should I store them in lid tight jars instead like in the shops?

 

[bludgeoningdeath]

Ok cool deal fella's thank you for the info! I will look for a few jars to keep my stashes in!

 

[easterntraveler]

I don’t know how many different ways I have read to store tobacco. It is my understanding that as long as the tin is not damaged you can keep it sealed in the tin for well over thirty years. The goal is to keep it air tight. You can also get some mason jars. You need to figure out how long you want to store/cellar your tobacco. To play it safe I would just buy different size mason jars and store it in those. According to everything I have read you only need to fill them up and tightly secure the lid and your tobacco will be good for at least 30-50 years as long as the lids do not develop rust. I would not use zip lock bags for longer than 2 weeks (this is obviously my opinion). If you open a tin it should last 3-4 weeks but not much longer than that. Now if you’re a little crazy like me you can actually go through the entire canning process or to be a lot safer you can get foodsaver and there cool containers and store in those. However if it is going to be for an extremely long time I would avoid this do to the plastic breaking down. However, I recently bought an attachment to my food saver that will actually suck the air out and seal Mason jars so I can avoid the entire canning process.

 

[bludgeoningdeath]

Thanks Eastern Traveller. I'm afraid some of the tobacco I bought when I first started I kept in the ziplocks for over 2 weeks. It does seem to have lost a lil aroma. Oh well I'll smoke it all up soon. I went to Walmart today and bought some Ball mason jars. I packed all my tobacco seperatly in 4 oz. jars.
Ha...I kinda went crazy and bought more tobacco than I could smoke in a day with only 4 pipes because of all the different kinds. ::

 

[sparroa]

If you plan to age tobacco, keep separate aging jars.
Opening your jars repeatedly interrupts (and sometimes ends) the aging process.
Jars are relatively cheap and they are quite reusable so it doesn't pay to skimp...
Tamp - lightly - whenever your tobacco expands a fair distance away from the cherry. Do NOT use too much pressure.
It's good advice, also, to dump your ash regularly or the tobacco won't take to fire very well...
Pipe smoking is a fairly simple process but it takes time and effort to get it right. You will find that it becomes more natural when you get more bowls under your belt.

 

[sparroa]

I agree that it "stops dead" each time you open the jar but my point - whether it was clear or not - is that the process will not always start over again. Sometimes by opening the jar, from what I have read, you disrupt things enough to end the perceivable aging process altogether. This is probably more common if you open aged tobacco, but the point remains.

 

[sparroa]

I always try to combat this by smoking aged stock ASAP but it is not always possible - and sometimes us mortals forget... It isn't always a dramatic decline but I'm willing to bet that dollars to donuts you are better off smoking the stuff as soon as you can.

 

[shaintiques]

And make sure you draw while tamping or you will put it out.