Cellaring Bulk Virginia Flake

[Pete-Sav]

I am wanting to cellar some bulk Virginia Flake tobacco. I've gathered from research that the mason jars are good and have 5 lbs. stored in such fashion. I would like to purchase the boxes of 1 or 1.5 lbs and cellar the box. Is this practical?

My thoughts are to take the box and place in a 7mil mylar bag and seal with an oxygen absorbing packet. Is this an acceptable practice? If so, should I remove the tobacco from the plastic it comes in first?

Am I all wet thinking of this and should just separate into jars? Any input from the experts here would be most appreciated as
this will be no small investment.

Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[ashdigger]

When I first started to cellar I used a couple of quart jars. I don’t advise that. The longer it ages the more likely it is to breakdown from oxidation AFTER the jar is opened.

I’d cellar in pints and jelly jars. That’s what I do now

 

[ofafeather]

It’s really personal preference at that point. Both will work fine. I like taking 1lb and throwing it in Mylar then I’ll break it down further when I open they bag down the road. I usually have some jars with smaller amounts to pull from.

 

[Pete-Sav]

Thank you for the input. I may split it between the two to be on the safe side. I have a small house so was looking at the bulk in mylar to save a bit of space. I just didn't know if it was safe to leave it in the plastic bag it comes in or not. I was thinking just stick the box in a mylar bag and cellar. Of course the danger is if I loose a seal I have the entire box compromised.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Jars!! About 80% of my cellar is jarred. I prefer the half pint and quarter pint sizes, because once a blend is aged and you pop that lid, the clock starts ticking on how long it will last, so I try not to jar them in sizes more than I can smoke in a week or so... plus, I get bored if a blend takes me more than a week to smoke through.

I can about 3oz of ribbon in a half pint or 6-8oz of a flake. So, most of my flakes get the short quarter pint sized jars.

 

[geopiper]

+1 to Ashdigger. Have plenty of smaller, tobacco filled jars available so you aren't openeing the same BIG jar over and over again to get your daily dose thereby halting the aging process. I use 4-oz, 8-oz and 16-oz jars. My long term storage (measured in years) goes into the 16 oz jars. I have multiple 4-oz jars filled with the same blend available as my go to jars I can tap into one at a time when one jar runs out. The 8-oz jars fill in the gaps (not enough tobacco to fill an 16-oz jar but too much for a 4-oz jar).

 

[ofafeather]

Both are viable and I use both. Mostly depends on what the purpose of the storage is. You can also use smaller Mylar bags to package smaller amounts. I prefer jars but they’re not always practical for me especially when I want to keep tobacco in its factory package or just don’t really have time to deal with breaking it down in smaller portions. Same with tins. Buy the 2oz or 8oz? Depends.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

When I first started to cellar I used a couple of quart jars. I don’t advise that. The longer it ages the more likely it is to breakdown from oxidation AFTER the jar is opened.

I’d cellar in pints and jelly jars. That’s what I do now

View attachment 68052

I love those cabinets!

 

[sablebrush52]

Cosmic got this one right. Break it up into small amounts, 2 to 4 oz, and jar, or Mylar, whatever turns you on. But break it up into smaller amounts. You only want to open what you're likely to consume in a short span.

Especially with long aged tobacco blends, exposure to fresh oxygen will cause the blend to lose flavor after a few days, and go to crap. Oxygen giveth and oxygen taketh away.

If you're trying to retard aging you can try flushing out the air and vacuum seal, flush with inert gas and seal, etc. Argon anyone?

Whatever, seal up in small user friendly amounts.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Cosmic got this one right.

Are you picking a fight with me again, ha ha. JK.

 

[kcghost]

The smaller jars is better but then you have more things to keep track of.

 

[musicman]

I'll chime in and agree with the majority of posters here. Smaller is better, due to the possibility of degradation once an aged blend is opened. I made the mistake of cellaring some bigger jars when I started and now I'm wondering what the heck I'll do with 8 oz of Plum Pudding, a smoke I (now) only reach for a few times a year. Since then everything goes in half or quarter pint mason jars, which hold about the same amount as your average tin. This is also a good way to track how well a blend ages, as you can crack a jar at the one year mark, the two year mark, etc.

If you're the kind of guy who will open a 1 pd box and smoke it all in a month or two, then go for it. Mylar is the way to go. But my experience has been that the smaller jars are better for most situations.

 

[mikestanley]

Admittedly, I have always preferred to buy tins. However, I did but a bunch of bulk flakes in boxes from both Gawiths and some McClelland over the years. I originally put them in larger jars. When I open one and , most of this stuff is from the 2004-2009, I transfer the remainder into half pint jars. It seems to work. If you use mylar just be aware that, if you smell the aroma of tobacco, your bags aren't airtight.

Mike S.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

If you use mylar just be aware that, if you smell the aroma of tobacco, your bags aren't airtight.

Mike S.

I'm not sure about that. I have my jars in a separate room from my tins, and I smell fresh tobacco in both rooms. And, my tins are sealed, and every jar is checked and the rings removed once their seals are set.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I have about 2/3 of my bulk in smaller Mason jars and 1/3 in mylar bags.

 

[ofafeather]

I have my jars in a separate room from my tins, and I smell fresh tobacco in both rooms. And, my tins are sealed, and every jar is checked and the rings removed once their seals are set.

Yes, this came up in earlier debates and, while far from my area of expertise blindly parrot those more capable than me very well. ? To wit: aroma particles are actually smaller than air particles so while an site tight seal may be present aroma may still escape. I’ll see if I can find the thread but I believe that @cshubhra had the scientific background to explain how scent can possibly escape a vacuum sealed container.

 

[mikestanley]

I'm not sure about that. I have my jars in a separate room from my tins, and I smell fresh tobacco in both rooms. And, my tins are sealed, and every jar is checked and the rings removed once their seals are set.

It goes for tins too.

Mike S.

 

[ofafeather]

site

Should say “air tight”