This reminds me of how i found out drier is better. I popped a tin forgot about it for a while. Thought I should throw this out nah might as well smoke it. Oh my god it still tastes like it supposed too and smokes much more easily and agreeably.
Cellaring question
- Thread starter JTH1991
- Start date
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You've gotten some really good advice on this thread. I won't try to recreate or repeat, but will leave you with two important things:
a) Use smaller jars (this has been discussed.)
b) DON'T use your cellar jars to fill your pipes from. This has you opening them too often. Use bags or smaller containers to keep your "working stock" in and keep the cellar jar closed.
Enjoy and don't over think this.
a) Use smaller jars (this has been discussed.)
b) DON'T use your cellar jars to fill your pipes from. This has you opening them too often. Use bags or smaller containers to keep your "working stock" in and keep the cellar jar closed.
Enjoy and don't over think this.
Some of this has already been mentioned, but...
Generally speaking, mason jars will preserve the tobacco's moisture level for a long time. There is some debate over what kind of jar seal works best, but plenty of people go with the typical kind of "Ball" or "Mason" screw-top jar used for canning vegetables. I've heard of these keeping tobacco fresh for many years.
Your tobacco isn't ruined. It can be hydrated using different methods. They make "hydration disks" that you soak in water and put into the jar with the tobacco until it's brought to the moisture level you like. If you use one of these make sure you're using distilled water only.
Some people even put a slice of fruit (like an apple) in the jar for a couple days. I wouldn't recommend that method because I'm convinced it can promote mold, which ruins the whole jar of baccy. Once you have mold in your tobacco you can't get rid of it, and it will spread-- the tobacco needs to be thrown away, the jar needs to be emptied and cleaned thoroughly.
It's possible to dry the tobacco so much that it loses some flavor even after you rehydrate it, but it takes a lot of time and/or heat to do that for most blends. I know a guy who stored all his tobacco in sealed jars but he kept the jars on a shelf above the heater vent on his floor. The heat was enough to dry the tobaccos completely over a couple of years. You want the jars to be kept in a cool, dark, dry place.
The more air you have in the jar, the more the tobacco dries out. The more often you open the jar, the more it dries out -- even if you only open it for a minute or two every couple of days. You can test this by filling two jars with the same blend, same amount in each jar. Keep one jar sealed and only open the other one when you're getting tobacco out of it to smoke. If you check both jars in just a couple of weeks you'll be able to tell a big difference in moisture. It sounds to me like this might be what happened to your stash. One ounce of tobacco was placed into a large jar with lots of air, then opened frequently for smoking.
For a blend I want to cellar, I cram it into a jar just big enough to hold it all and still be "springy" or "fluffy" and put it in a dresser drawer in a cool, dry room.
For blends I'm smoking regularly, I put it into a jar just big enough to hold it -- my "temporary storage" jar. Then I pull out enough tobacco for one or two weeks and place that in my "smoking" jar. When the smoking jar gets empty I refill it from the temporary storage jar. That way the temp storage jar is only opened once every 1-2 weeks. It doesn't matter that I'm opening the smoking jar all the time because I'm smoking right away.
I have a lot of jars.
Generally speaking, mason jars will preserve the tobacco's moisture level for a long time. There is some debate over what kind of jar seal works best, but plenty of people go with the typical kind of "Ball" or "Mason" screw-top jar used for canning vegetables. I've heard of these keeping tobacco fresh for many years.
Your tobacco isn't ruined. It can be hydrated using different methods. They make "hydration disks" that you soak in water and put into the jar with the tobacco until it's brought to the moisture level you like. If you use one of these make sure you're using distilled water only.
Some people even put a slice of fruit (like an apple) in the jar for a couple days. I wouldn't recommend that method because I'm convinced it can promote mold, which ruins the whole jar of baccy. Once you have mold in your tobacco you can't get rid of it, and it will spread-- the tobacco needs to be thrown away, the jar needs to be emptied and cleaned thoroughly.
It's possible to dry the tobacco so much that it loses some flavor even after you rehydrate it, but it takes a lot of time and/or heat to do that for most blends. I know a guy who stored all his tobacco in sealed jars but he kept the jars on a shelf above the heater vent on his floor. The heat was enough to dry the tobaccos completely over a couple of years. You want the jars to be kept in a cool, dark, dry place.
The more air you have in the jar, the more the tobacco dries out. The more often you open the jar, the more it dries out -- even if you only open it for a minute or two every couple of days. You can test this by filling two jars with the same blend, same amount in each jar. Keep one jar sealed and only open the other one when you're getting tobacco out of it to smoke. If you check both jars in just a couple of weeks you'll be able to tell a big difference in moisture. It sounds to me like this might be what happened to your stash. One ounce of tobacco was placed into a large jar with lots of air, then opened frequently for smoking.
For a blend I want to cellar, I cram it into a jar just big enough to hold it all and still be "springy" or "fluffy" and put it in a dresser drawer in a cool, dry room.
For blends I'm smoking regularly, I put it into a jar just big enough to hold it -- my "temporary storage" jar. Then I pull out enough tobacco for one or two weeks and place that in my "smoking" jar. When the smoking jar gets empty I refill it from the temporary storage jar. That way the temp storage jar is only opened once every 1-2 weeks. It doesn't matter that I'm opening the smoking jar all the time because I'm smoking right away.
I have a lot of jars.
All that extra air is what dried the tobacco. If you have only an ounce or two to store, try a 4oz jar. I usually use 8oz jars for bulk.
I don't believe you would see a perceptible difference in moisture if stored properly in a mason jar. That should be the case for up to 10 years and longer. I've opened a lot of tobacco in tins, mason jars and mylar bags that is 5 years and older. A fair amount 10 years and older. And it is rare to find the tobacco has dried out any significant amount.
When storing bulk, I cram as much tobacco in the jar that I can. Starts anaerobic fermentation all the earlier, and there's still plenty of oxygen regardless of how tightly packed.
I'm pretty sure I've never tried Kerr jars. The ones I've had issues with are cheapo store brands from Walmart, Amazon, Big Lots.....places like that.
Either the jar rims are not straight and smooth, or the rubber on the lids is inferior.
Ball jars or canning jars, are what you want, not the jars with the thick orange rubber seal, my tobacco in those has all started to dry after 3 years, luckily it is stuff I don’t care too much about, and I have mostly ball jars now.
but nothing should dry in a month in any storing condition, that’s unusual.
but nothing should dry in a month in any storing condition, that’s unusual.
Don't worry about the tobacco getting a little dry - easy to rehydrate.
Take aluminum foil and make a small 'bowl'. Take about 1/4 paper towel and fold it up very small, wet it and squeeze enough water out so it does not drip freely. Put the wet folded paper towel into the foil bowl and put into the mason jar so that the wet towel does not touch the tobacco. Check in a few days. Tobacco will be lightly moist and the towel will be dry. Repeat if needed. No need for fancy waters - tap will be fine.
Easy, cheap and effective!
Take aluminum foil and make a small 'bowl'. Take about 1/4 paper towel and fold it up very small, wet it and squeeze enough water out so it does not drip freely. Put the wet folded paper towel into the foil bowl and put into the mason jar so that the wet towel does not touch the tobacco. Check in a few days. Tobacco will be lightly moist and the towel will be dry. Repeat if needed. No need for fancy waters - tap will be fine.
Easy, cheap and effective!
Where do you live? Northen part of the US? Because if so, I can see how it'd be hard to imagine what Arizona Summer would do in a couple of hours to a tin of....anything...and it'd be mummy dust. Of course, that'd be with the lid carelessly left awry.
PS.
Please put your location in your Profile!
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Please put your location in your Profile!
Why: It will save time for others when you mention local stores, weather, tobacco prices, availability, regulations, location of photos, wildfires, air quality, etc.
How: Under your avatar, (top right, left most of three symbols) you choose "Account Details", which brings up "My Account". "My Location" is halfway down.
100%. That one rogue strand of tobacco may seem insignifacnt but can wreak havoc over time.
I prefer to short wide mouth mason jars. Mine are 250ml (8 fl.oz volume I believe). I use some small Ol' Smokey moonshine jars so grab and go as well.
I'll pack one tobacco onto several different ones to save me from having to open the entire amount of a tobacco to have a bowl. For a weekend I use a lined tobacco pouch but the other jars are super easy to travel with.
Hope this helps. It's a great system that works for me. I add custom labels for a touch of organization and class.
I'll pack one tobacco onto several different ones to save me from having to open the entire amount of a tobacco to have a bowl. For a weekend I use a lined tobacco pouch but the other jars are super easy to travel with.
Hope this helps. It's a great system that works for me. I add custom labels for a touch of organization and class.
