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BROBS

Lifer
Nov 13, 2019
11,765
40,026
IA
Storing wines... mmmmm... temperatures, light, the storage vessels, the metabolism of alcohols and sugars into more complex molecules... it's more similar than you'd think. But, just how similar? I won't make any dogmatic statements to that. But, yeh, it is a LOT like storing herbs and spices. I just have no interest in aging any paprikas myself, ha ha.
I GOT SOME 20 YEAR OLD THYME IT WILL BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF
 
One of the most interesting talks I have ever listened to was going to LaPoche and hearing Mark speak about what perique is. He mentioned that there is very little nicotine in perique, because it has fermented into different molecules, and new drugs are created in the process that increases the metabolism of nicotine from the other leaf it is blended with, and he talked a little about aging. If we think about the chemicals in tobacco that gives us the pleasures we seek from smoking and the flavanoids... it's interesting to think about the facts that a 10 year old Capstan may not even contain nicotine as we know it from a fresh tin. The molecules COULD have created new strains, more complex sugars for sure.
 

SeniorAMG

Might Stick Around
Jun 8, 2020
50
102
Haiku, Maui
My theory. ^^

Bulk in jars. opened tins into jars.

must have been searching the forums incorrectly. just posted a similar question as in this thread... then came across this.

Have you ever compared the two? unopened aged tin, versus same tobacco, but opened then jarred? Interested if there's a significant difference.
 

BROBS

Lifer
Nov 13, 2019
11,765
40,026
IA
must have been searching the forums incorrectly. just posted a similar question as in this thread... then came across this.

Have you ever compared the two? unopened aged tin, versus same tobacco, but opened then jarred? Interested if there's a significant difference.
yes the jarred stuff will age more quickly or you will see results more quickly IMO.
I had an open tin of Davidoff Flake Medallions that I jarred, I nearly finished the jar and opened another tin I got at the same time. The jarred coins were nearly black, and the tin looked about the same as when I opened the other one.
 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
A lot of experience, thought and a healthy disclaimer that although we follow established practices, and some of our own, we really don't know what we're doing but more of what we think might be best practice.
 

pantsBoots

Lifer
Jul 21, 2020
2,132
7,517
Terra Firma
Store it in a place near room temperature with stable temp and humidity. If concerned and/or planning to cellar it for an extended period of time, 10 years plus, then buy some 7mm mylar bags and put the tins in the bags, then heat seal them.
Any specific sources or brands of mylar bags you recommend? Reviews online sure make it seem like they're not all created equal.

Also, do you just use an iron, or did you buy the plug-in sealing gizmo?
 
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Jan 28, 2018
12,955
134,678
67
Sarasota, FL
Any specific sources or brands of mylar bags you recommend? Reviews online sure make it seem like they're not all created equal.

Also, do you just use an iron, or did you buy the plug-in sealing gizmo?

I bought on Amazon, I'm not sure it makes a huge amount of difference. I bought a cheap Gizmo but generally use an iron. Both work fine. Do not use one of the good vacuum sealers, at least in my opinion.
 

3rdguy

Lifer
Aug 29, 2017
3,472
7,293
Iowa
Do it like this.
From Cellaring with Peck.
gpS0mcM.jpg
That is Hoosier’s overflow area.
 

3rdguy

Lifer
Aug 29, 2017
3,472
7,293
Iowa
hahaha well we're about to move so I'm going to find out how much fun it is to move full totes of tobacco jars and about 300 unopened tins. And my wife will probably find out how Lorena Bobbit felt....
I will pull an Embers and reuse this one once again.
F1B2C894-B96A-4337-838D-E3C781C6B848.jpeg
 
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Wade H

Lurker
Jan 13, 2020
33
94
63
Glendale Arizona
I would love to hear more from people who have smoked decades-old tins of tobacco. If we're all cellaring lots of baccy only to have it quite likely turn to crap in twenty years as soon as it's opened, then it would be wise, at a minimum, to take that consideration into account. I've put away some blends with the (hopefully reasonable) expectation that they'll be good for decades down the road and won't immediately turn to crap when I open them, like the dudes in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade who drink from the fake holy grail and then immediately undergo an ultra-rapid aging process where the shrivel up and die in about fifteen seconds.

I will also add that in a tangentially-related matter, recent scuttlebutt has lead me to believe that perhaps the FDA deeming issues may not pose as much of an immediate threat as we all contemplated. I recall reading a thread about a popular manufacturer stating that they fully intend that a particular post-2007 blend will remain on the market and that they are jumping through the FDA hoops to make it happen. I understand that most of us are cellaring mainly because of concerns about future availability, largely in part due to increased FDA restrictions pushing blenders out of the market.

The overall "tobacco bad, smoking bad, smokers bad" thing of course is still a long-term issue in that all forces seem to be aligned against us, but I have some inkling of hope that at some point this hysteria will have run its course, and if it doesn't run its course, there are certainly other parts of the world that are not engaged in a "tobacco bad" moral panic. I mean, if you can readily buy embargoed Cuban cigars on the internet, whose to say that you won't be able to buy pipe tobacco from China? Even though I also am doing the cellaring thing, I'm hoping that perhaps future availability won't be as big a problem as we all think it might.
Lawdog, I have been smoking a pipe since 1979, and I have always put tins and canning jars away for a rainy day. I keep a comprehensive cellar reaching back 15 years. I concentrate mainly blends that are high in Virginia content. Contrary to what some might think, latakia blends age quite well too, especially if they contain some Virginia. Penzance is insanely good when aged. The latakia softens, but remains potent.

I just opened an 8oz mylar bag/tray of the original Esoterica Penzance, with Syrian Latakia, laid down in 2005. It's sublime, intoxicating with complexity. I have another 8oz bag/tray (2005) unopened. I also have in jars, 1 lb each of Dunhill Nightcap, My Mixture 965, and Early Morning Pipe, Three Years Matured Virginia, 3 lbs of Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake, 3 lbs of Peter Stokkebye Navy Flake, 8 tins of Escudo Navy Deluxe, all from 2005. They are all supurb! They were in a sealed tub that I left with my brother, in Tacoma Washington back in 2005. It remained in his possession until this year, when I retrieved them and brought them back to Phoenix.

My experience with aging tobacco has been overwhelmingly positive. Just make sure you have factory sealed tins or mason jars with new seals.
 

lawdawg

Lifer
Aug 25, 2016
1,792
3,801
Lawdog, I have been smoking a pipe since 1979, and I have always put tins and canning jars away for a rainy day. I keep a comprehensive cellar reaching back 15 years. I concentrate mainly blends that are high in Virginia content. Contrary to what some might think, latakia blends age quite well too, especially if they contain some Virginia. Penzance is insanely good when aged. The latakia softens, but remains potent.

I just opened an 8oz mylar bag/tray of the original Esoterica Penzance, with Syrian Latakia, laid down in 2005. It's sublime, intoxicating with complexity. I have another 8oz bag/tray (2005) unopened. I also have in jars, 1 lb each of Dunhill Nightcap, My Mixture 965, and Early Morning Pipe, Three Years Matured Virginia, 3 lbs of Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake, 3 lbs of Peter Stokkebye Navy Flake, 8 tins of Escudo Navy Deluxe, all from 2005. They are all supurb! They were in a sealed tub that I left with my brother, in Tacoma Washington back in 2005. It remained in his possession until this year, when I retrieved them and brought them back to Phoenix.

My experience with aging tobacco has been overwhelmingly positive. Just make sure you have factory sealed tins or mason jars with new seals.

Thanks for the comment Wade. I always buy a little extra hoping that it stays good down the road. I know after a certain point, vintage tins are pretty much hit or miss, but I would also venture to guess that taking extra steps like sealing tins up in mylar for the long haul goes a very long way in preserving the blends for future smoking.
 
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