Howdy folks. I have a quick cellaring question if you all wouldn't mind giving me some pointers. I'm about a month into this pipe smoking journey. I had purchased 4 blends of tobaccos, and based on advice of the Spurgeon Piper on YouTube, I immediately purchased mason jars to store my tobacco in. He talks how the tobacco stays good like this for a very long time. Yesterday I got out my jar of C@D Autumn Evening and noted that it was quite a bit drier than when I received it. When I got it, it was sort of damp/sticky, which I expected as it is an aromatic. This had me curious, and I checked the other 3 blends which were much drier as well. Have I done something wrong in my cellaring? Is my tobacco ruined? Can it be rehydrated? I should also note the jars were stored in a drawer of my dresser. Thank you in advance!
Since they haven't dried into mummy dust, just gotten drier, they're probably going to smoke better with better flavor. Doesn't read like hydration is necessary.
Here's how I jar. Been doing it for decades, and haven't had any issues.
The ratio of jar to tobacco that I use is roughly 2 to 1. 4 oz jar for 2 oz of ribbon cut tobacco, 8 oz for 4 oz of ribbon cut tobacco, etc, etc. That's a fairly tight compression, similar to how most commercial blends are compressed when tinned in the round metal tins. I leave about 1/4" of air at the top to help with "aging". If you want to retard aging, vacuum seal the contents. 4, 8, and 12 oz jars are what I use so that I only open what I'm going to smoke and let the rest sleep.
The 12 oz tall jars are used for longer flakes, like the Gawith Hoggarth flakes. Otherwise it's 4 and 8 oz jars.
The ring is always left on. There have been a few jars that built up enough pressure inside from fermentation that the tops blew off, sailing 4 to 6 feet, when I removed the ring, so the ring stays on.
Different cuts may require more space than ribbon cut because they don't compress as much. Just fill the jar and leave a little room for air at the top.
A word about aging. Tobaccos don't "improve" with age. Tobaccos change with age, to a greater or lesser extent, and whether that change is an improvement is a matter for the individual smoker to decide. There are blends that I prefer fresh, but I'd rather have them aged than not have them at all. Too many blends disappear without warning, while others have component substitutions that the various blending companies won't admit to. When you find a blend that you really like, buy a few tins of it. Might taste very different the next time it's released.
