Exploding tobacco tins!

[shaintiques]

So i was at a B & M today getting some supplies. My buddy was along and he bought a tin of something and the guy behind the counter said, "oooh this is a good can its from. '07 and it has begun to swell up which means it is fermenting.". He said that sometimes the cans will swell up and explode sometimes. Is this true? Has anyone heard of this?

 

[maineyachtie]

Never heard of it. Sounds awesome though. OR - perhaps your tobacconist is full of it??

 

[jaysin]

I dont know Ive never heard of it but I would guess its possable as when things ferment they do produce a gas.

 

[logandow]

I need to see this before I die

 

[rigmedic1]

Would that be like making your own Perique? That would be some gooooood stuff!

 

[papipeguy]

I've seen swelling from fermentation but never heard of a tin exploding. May be a slight exageration on the part of the owner.

 

[jchaplick]

WEve had tins older than 2000 in our store we meet at, and I have never seen anything like that, who knows, seems plausible

 

[smokenscotch]

That sounds strange, I also think temperature control is needed there.

 

[spartan]

+1 smokenscotch
Shaintiques is in Georgia. So maybe the tins are getting too hot? Too much sun? Cooking the tobacco and maybe extremely excelerating fermentation, and/or damaging the tobacco at the same time.
I don't think they should explode. But that's not to say they can't. With every company having their "secret ingredients" who knows what could happen?

 

[doctorthoss]

I've actually had this happen to me once, and I've had numerous tins "swell" from the fermentation going on inside. It's usually a sign that the tobacco is going to be remarkably tasty, as this usually happens with VA/Perique blends. It basically means the aging process is creating something very, very nice.
That said, you should inspect your tins every few months and look for signs that the seal is compromised. If the tins have swelled to the point where you're afraid they will rupture, either smoke them soon or move them to a jar for long-time storage.
The one that exploded on me (Haddo's) did so in between inspections and I sadly lost the tobacco inside (it had dried to the point where I saw no point in re-hydrating). I now make it a point to check everything once a month or so.

 

[spartan]

No point in re-hrdrating? If that ever happends to you again... send it to me, i'll pay the shipping costs. ::

 

[shaintiques]

I guess he wasn't full of it. His shop has A/C and he said it was the fermentation, hmm tasty was the optimal word!

 

[recoilrob]

Quite a few of my McClellands VA's look swollen but all my others tins still have a concave top indicative of it still being vacuum sealed. I think it's more prevalent with the alloy "pop top" tins than the traditional screw tops.