I just use tap water. I'm sure there's situations where you would want better water, like if your tap water was disgusting or really high in minerals, but ours is pretty vanilla.
How Long Does Tobacco Stay Fresh
- Thread starter JoBo
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I keep open tins in tupperware like containers and they stay fresh for 1.5-2 years. My tupperware like stuff I got from Wlalmrt, a package of 4 different sizes for 6 bucks, that was back in 2012 and they have never failed me yet.
Uk tap water is flouridated, its a bit nasty. I shall use some English spring water we have plenty of that especially after the last two weeks of rain.
See told ya!
This film cracks me up every time I see it.
released in 1964 can you believe it.
Yup! Gotta watch out for Commie plots to take away our precious bodily fluids!
I have read that you should use Distilled water instead of tap water, thoughts on this would be welcome.
You're probably better off using distilled water. I admittedly don't want to be bothered. I drink tap water. Tap water doesn't kill the yeast in my bread starter. How bad could it be? Some small towns and IRs have terrible stinky water. I wouldn't use that garbage.
Excessive irrigation of tobacco with high chlorine tap water causes burning problems. I haven't noticed a correlation with hydrating cured tobacco with it.
Unless your tap water smells, there's no problem using it for rehydration.
,I have tobacco that I vacuum sealed back in the late 90's,and is still smokable.It's good to age it in a jar for a few months, then vacuum seal it.This way all the strands are forced tightly together,and the various components marry to each other more than if they were loose in a jar.The actual aging will stop/slow down at this point due to the lack of oxygen.All personal preference,I guess.This image shows tobacco from the Georgetown tobacco ship in Washington DC from the late 90's.Dunhill tobaccos benefit especially from this aging treatment.Again,ust my opinion.
On Forums, the question, "How long does tobacco stay fresh?" is the central philosophical question of our age and all of our lives, bearing on our purpose and meaning in every dimension. Collectively, we have written fifty five volumes on the subject, and are just finishing the preface, so we can get down to business on the issue itself. So, all I can say is, keep reading.
That Old Georgetown Blend is good stuff. I picked up 8oz when I was last in DC in the mid 2000s and enjoyed every last bit of it.
+1 on vacuum sealing. I find it does still age though, especially if the moisture level is higher which is safer while vacuumed because of the lack of oxygen.
The reason I say it still ages is because much of the oxidation that occurs with tobacco is actually hydrolysis. In hydrolysis, the oxygen is taken from the water in the tobacco, not the air. This is why tobacco doesn't really age when its bone dry.
Also how dry is the tobacco (I guess if you can call it that) in a cigarette?
Here's an example of high moisture, no air aging: I wish I had a photo of it before. It was a pale to medium brown. I put it in a plastic bag and compressed it with fiberglass tape, and two months later, it developed way more cigar character and was a much better smoke.
And another tobacco, but same idea:
Before :
After:
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here is my osmosis trick for adding moisture. I always feel weird about adding water directly to leaf, as I have Had some mold issues. I fold up a small piece of tin foil to make a shallow dish, then take a paper towel, roll it up right, soak it in distilled water, and off to the races. Takes a day or two for all the moisture to absorb, but it works great in my opinion.
I like how your method is especially good trick for flake and rope because you wouldn't have to mix it up, ruining the shapes.
A while back, I scored two cutter top tins of a British flake called Wills Cut Golden Bar - around 60 years old. One was perfectly sealed and still had its fantastic almond/ cognac aroma on top of a good virginia base. A delicious smoke. The other had rust holes and so was mummy-dry. Rehydrated*, I got what was essentially a Samuel Gawith style virginia - somewhere between Golden Glow and Best Brown Flake. The aromatic topping had vanished but the base tobacco was still great.
So tobacco basically lasts forever.
Steve
*my complex rehydration method is to add tap water to the tobacco jar - up to a teaspoon per 50g - and leave for a couple of days. Osmosis does the rest. Use bottled if your tap water is bad.
So tobacco basically lasts forever.
Steve
*my complex rehydration method is to add tap water to the tobacco jar - up to a teaspoon per 50g - and leave for a couple of days. Osmosis does the rest. Use bottled if your tap water is bad.
Mylar is good for storage but not necessary if you're reopening the bag to smoke from regularly.