Change?

[FLDRD]

I have not aged any tobacco yet. (See below)

But I notice changes in flavor as a result of changing moisture level.

That could be 30 minutes open in the air or 1-6 months in an opened tin. Sometimes I've let the tobacco spend 30 minutes packed in a pipe chamber whilst I breathe the flavors off of it and that dries it up some too; it has enhanced some of my smokes. Maybe this protocol has a name?

BTW, in order to be considered "aged", must a tin be opened and jarred, or if I refrain from opening tins for some years, will that count as ageing?

Thanks for any reasonable answers.

 

[mso489]

Drying is not aging, but it can advance the flavor of a blend in many cases. I smoke with glacial moderation, so I buy more than I smoke, so most of what I smoke has had at least a year, sometimes three to five, to age, on occasion a little more. I'd give a blend at least a year before I'd believe any noticeable change. But you don't really know if the tobacco is aged before it was tinned, or in inventory after it was tinned, so a tin that is new to you may be a few years old.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

About 40 to 90 minutes... when I smoke it. It's like fire turns it from a dried clump of leaves into a pipe of ash. I guess it is changed if you dumped water on it, but not as drastically as fire.

 

[LOREN]

I noticed a real change (to me) with “big n burley” after a year in a mason jar.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I have not aged any tobacco yet. (See below)

But I notice changes in flavor as a result of changing moisture level.

That could be 30 minutes open in the air or 1-6 months in an opened tin. Sometimes I've let the tobacco spend 30 minutes packed in a pipe chamber whilst I breathe the flavors off of it and that dries it up some too; it has enhanced some of my smokes. Maybe this protocol has a name?

BTW, in order to be considered "aged", must a tin be opened and jarred, or if I refrain from opening tins for some years, will that count as ageing?

In the tin, unopened, seems to be the best way to age a blend. If opened and then jarred, it will also age, but will be a touch different. Each time a tin or jar is opened, the aging changes.

 

[PeterPipersPizza]

In the tin, unopened, seems to be the best way to age a blend. If opened and then jarred, it will also age, but will be a touch different. Each time a tin or jar is opened, the aging changes.

I always thought the tobacco in the tins would be too dry after 5+ years. But I just opened up some 7yr old Dunhill London Mixture and it is at the perfect moisture level. Makes me think maybe I shouldn't have jarred all that other tobacco given what your saying. Now that the tin is open I will have to put it in a jar to preserve the moisture, of course. This will no doubt bring additional changes.

 

[Egg Shen]

In the tin, unopened, seems to be the best way to age a blend. If opened and then jarred, it will also age, but will be a touch different. Each time a tin or jar is opened, the aging changes.

I don’t think it will age in a closed tin as that’s basically an anaerobic environment. That’s why folks put them in jars with a few inches of headspace.

 

[FLDRD]

2 direct replies. In opposition to one another.

Same process but dramatically different timeframes?

If an aerobic environment is key to ageing, wouldn't that really only affect the upper portion in the jar? While the remaining amount below some level (how deep?) would not be effected the same? If a slight aerobic environment is needed, do those who jar with a little bit of space at the top shake or loosen the packed tobacco at any type of interval or timeframe in an effort to even out the process?

I'll need to be reading further.

But I do think I'll try some larger quantities soon such as 1# bags; and I've read repeatedly that the bags they arrive in are not strong enough to provide safe and effective storing. I suppose I'll be buying 64 oz jars for those when I begin. Or maybe mylar bags which I think are cheaper and less weight should they need to be moved. Been thinking about The Best of the Rest English I read about online here the other day .... That sounds intriguing.

I see I need to search for a thread on proper ways of ageing.

Cheers.

 

[FLDRD]

"Tins are best. Jars are a very close second".
...
"as long as you can resist the urge to open them and 'check up' on what's happening"

G. L. Pease - Some Frequently Asked Questions

 

[jpmcwjr]

I don’t think it will age in a closed tin as that’s basically an anaerobic environment. That’s why folks put them in jars with a few inches of headspace.

I like the anaerobic aging that takes place, and always recommend when jarring you push out as much air as possible. I.e., no headspace at all.

 

[lraisch]

My opinion is that opening a tin of aged tobacco results in something like the "breathing" of a bottle of wine. For me the first three smokes will be somewhat dull in flavor and then proceed to open up.

My favorite light English blends take 3 to 7 years to develop fully in the tin. I have had the same blends fresh, and again at 6 months and one year old, each with a noticeable improvement. I have also had 20 year old tins of the same blends that have started to fade,

 

[Egg Shen]

I like the anaerobic aging that takes place, and always recommend when jarring you push out as much air as possible. I.e., no headspace at all.

Oh? That’s interesting. I will get to observe this eventually I suppose just because sometimes my mason jar selection is limited, so I may empty a tin into 2 small jars. One is packed and the other has headspace. Something to experiment with down the road…

 

[monty55]

Ten minutes in "aging" and you noticed a difference??

Ok Ok, I exaggerated. 15 minutes

 

[monty55]

I think I misread the OP, or maybe I had to many scotches at that point. Yes, it does depend on the blends, but a lot of the time these tins you buy from reputable places were made a month or three earlier than when you actually get it in the mail, but I like to give it 6 mos. as a min, that's from the date stamp, not from when I receive it.

 

[hawky454]

Change? Spare some chaaaange?

 

[monty55]

I don’t think it will age in a closed tin as that’s basically an anaerobic environment. That’s why folks put them in jars with a few inches of headspace.

This is incorrect! It does age, but it does it under anaerobic conditions. There is a great article by Greg Pease about this very subject. Once you open the tin and allow Oxygen to get to it everything changes. And most of us age our tobacco in the tins and unopened. The only reason to open a tin and put it in a jar is to smoke it, not to age it. I'll try to hunt down the thread and post it here.

 

[monty55]

Hear Ye Hear Ye.. read this:

The Pipe Tobacco Aging, Storage and Cellaring FAQ: Fundamentals (pipe-club.com)

It's a fermenting process and the bugs that ferment the tobacco are different in anaerobic versus aerobic

 

[monty55]

I always thought the tobacco in the tins would be too dry after 5+ years. But I just opened up some 7yr old Dunhill London Mixture and it is at the perfect moisture level. Makes me think maybe I shouldn't have jarred all that other tobacco given what your saying. Now that the tin is open I will have to put it in a jar to preserve the moisture, of course. This will no doubt bring additional changes.

See my post above and read the article

 

[Pipewizard420]

Have noticed some slight changes after being Jared a few years, especially flakes & coins. LBF and Newminster, as well as the Gawith flakes have visibly turned much darker and mellowed out a bit after a year or two. For the most part aging happens naturally and for my taste is a bit overrated.

I find it odd that people can go from hate to love with the same blend over time lol. Some subtle change perhaps, but this begs the question how opinion can sway from one extreme to the other so easily. Is it user error? Different bowls? Diet? Usually after 1 bowl one should have a general idea of opinion as to what to expect from a certain blend. It's like drinking half a can of coke then pitting it in the refrigerator for a week, it changes slightly but still tastes like coke IMO.

 

[jpmcwjr]

It's nothing like putting a can of soda in the icebox.

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