From Tin To Jar

[Big John Shea]

Was recently listening to an online pipe show and they discussed the topic of whether or not you should let the tobacco from your newly opened tin dry out to the best smokable condition before you jar it for future use.

From a scientific perspective, tobacco does not age well after it is dried. You need moisture and air to age tobacco.

If you want your beloved blends to perfect themselves over years in the jar, then jar them moist and direct from the tin.

Cheers!

 

[hyperstar]

Air in mason jar.

 

[Big John Shea]

Air in mason jar.
View attachment 290760

Yes, exactly. Moisture also and it will age well.

 

[Sigmund]

I dont do much in terms of intentionally aging blends. Its hard enough to get good tobacco in the EU for present use. It seems crazy to me to dry tobacco in advance of aging. In addition to losing moisture you lose oils as well. Maybe science will tell me Im wrong but commons sense suggests keeping everything as intact as possible. If tins were trustworthy over time that would be the best solution. Ive wondered at times if a vacuum seal around a tin or several tins in mylar would be the ideal solution. Since I dont do it I dont know...but I wonder.

 

[Big John Shea]

I dont do much in terms of intentionally aging blends. Its hard enough to get good tobacco in the EU for present use. It seems crazy to me to dry tobacco in advance of aging. In addition to losing moisture you lose oils as well. Maybe science will tell me Im wrong but commons sense suggests keeping everything as intact as possible. If tins were trustworthy over time that would be the best solution. Ive wondered at times if a vacuum seal around a tin or several tins in mylar would be the ideal solution. Since I dont do it I dont know...but I wonder.

I actually will often seal old tins I buy in food safe bags. I double bag things. One bag that is sealed but not vacc'd, and then the next bag is vacc sealed.

I do this often for Gawith tins as they are less reliable in their seals.

 

[garlikethefish]

I'm relatively new to pipe smoking. 3 years or so. I bought quite a few tins when I started and took the advice of others to jar them. A few months ago I started an experiment of putting the tobacco back in the tins. 3 months later as I check the tins the tobacco, in almost all cases, is as moist as the day I put it in there. These are mostly Peterson round tins with the rubber material inside the lid. I tighten them as hard as a can. So far so good. I will keep monitoring of course.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I always jar my processed tobaccos with whatever moisture the tobaccos came with, but once I pop a jar top smoke, I will let it dry out before dipping into it. Letting it dry a bowl at a time is a crazy waste of time for me.
But, after curing tobaccos that I have grown, I will leave it totally dry for a few years before I start processing it. This is pretty standard. It does create a less harsh smoke.

Others can do what they want with their tobaccos. It's not our place to tell a cowboy how to ride their horse.

 

[Big John Shea]

I'm relatively new to pipe smoking. 3 years or so. I bought quite a few tins when I started and took the advice of others to jar them. A few months ago I started an experiment of putting the tobacco back in the tins. 3 months later as I check the tins the tobacco, in almost all cases, is as moist as the day I put it in there. These are mostly Peterson round tins with the rubber material inside the lid. I tighten them as hard as a can. So far so good. I will keep monitoring of course.

It's not a bad idea actually. You could always just leave it in the tin, and seal it in a a foodsaver vacc bag instead of jarring it at all.

For me, half the fun of collecting tobacco is jarring, then decorating my jars with labels, either ones printed or taken off the tin itself. My wife says I'm not good enough at being bored though. She says I'm always looking for something to waste my time on. LOL

 

[garlikethefish]

It's not a bad idea actually. You could always just leave it in the tin, and seal it in a a foodsaver vacc bag instead of jarring it at all.

For me, half the fun of collecting tobacco is jarring, then decorating my jars with labels, either ones printed or taken off the tin itself. My wife says I'm not good enough at being bored though. She says I'm always looking for something to waste my time on. LOL

Yeah, I'm a bit quirky too. I just like the esthetics of the tin. I might experiment with tape (electrical or foil tape) around the circumference of the lid if I find I'm losing moisture. We'll see.

 

[Sobrbiker]

I'm relatively new to pipe smoking. 3 years or so. I bought quite a few tins when I started and took the advice of others to jar them. A few months ago I started an experiment of putting the tobacco back in the tins. 3 months later as I check the tins the tobacco, in almost all cases, is as moist as the day I put it in there. These are mostly Peterson round tins with the rubber material inside the lid. I tighten them as hard as a can. So far so good. I will keep monitoring of course.

I bought quite a few pg filled flavored bulk aromatics and blends when I started out, and they now live in used tins like that. Such blends are very tolerant of being stored like that on the shelf and it frees up jar space for tobaccos more susceptible to becoming crisp once opened.
Jars for sure if the tobacco is going to be stored for future use.