How to Store tobacco from a European tin?

[Distant Roads]

I am sorry if I missed the answer to this one! Please help me by sharing your experience, because I may be overthinking this...


Let's say I've opened a number of standard European-style tobacco tins. Two questions:


1. if I plan to finish the tobacco from these tins in about one year, should I still replace the tobacco from tins into mason jars? Or just leave it in these tins? They seem to seal pretty tight...? What do you usually do?


2. Based on your experience, how soon would you replace the tobacco from tins into the jars? Same day? Same week, same month?

Please help me to find peace about that Thanks in advance!

 

[Briarcutter]

If your not going to smoke the tobacco in a couple of weeks I'd jar it up now. It depends how dry you like your tobacco, if you like it crispy, leave it in the tins. They may seem like a good seal but as soon as the vacuum seal is broken they really do not preserve the tobacco very well for long periods.

 

[OzPiper]

I am sorry if I missed the answer to this one! Please help me by sharing your experience, because I may be overthinking this...


Let's say I've opened a number of standard European-style tobacco tins. Two questions:


1. if I plan to finish the tobacco from these tins in about one year, should I still replace the tobacco from tins into mason jars? Or just leave it in these tins? They seem to seal pretty tight...? What do you usually do?


2. Based on your experience, how soon would you replace the tobacco from tins into the jars? Same day? Same week, same month?

Please help me to find peace about that Thanks in advance!

It really depends on your location and the ambient humidity.
I live in Sydney, Oz with a temperate climate.

I have tins opened for over 2-3+ years and kept in a wooden case.
The tobacco in some tins are dry - but that’s how I generally prefer them.
Other tins are moister, and I have to dry further before I load up.

I also leave samples in ziplock baggies for months (stored in the same wooden case) for months with little noticeable deterioration

If the tobacco dries out too much, rehydrating them is very simple.

I only jar tobacco if
1) they come in a pouch.
2) they come in bulk.
3) they come in a tin with a poor seal.

I hope this is of help to you.

 

[hakchuma]

I’ll usually let it sit in the can for up to a month or even three months if I haven’t finished it. It’s just tobacco. Then it goes in a jar when I feel like it. I’m not concerned. I smoke for nicotine nowadays and not as much for an experience. However smoke Latakia blends before they loose that smoky flavor because they will start to over a long period of time but im talking years sealed or in jars imo.

 

[kcghost]

If you are going to consume the tobacco in less than a month keep it in the original tin otherwise jar it. The caveat is if you think you will be selling it you must keep it in the original and unopened tin. You lose roughly half the value if you don't.

 

[Distant Roads]

Thanks, it helps a lot!

 

[bullet08]

Once opened, they all go into their respective mason jar. I never finish my tins fast enough, and I have more than one opened. Therefore, I keep everything that I opened in jars. Once I didn't jar a tin. By end of the month, it was too dry to smoke. Very harsh, and It didn't have anything left in it.

 

[Jon C.P.G.]

This or bust

 

[Distant Roads]

This or bust

View attachment 336734

Looks great, thanks for sharing!

 

[Sigmund]

Ive had good luck keeping tobacco in round tins for easily a few weeks. It will get more dry the more times you open it but its usually too wet. Mason Jars are better for long term storage but they are not easily come by here in the EU. Most of what we have in France are the bailing wire tension close jars. They work but you have to make sure you are not using dried up rubber seals.

Since we cant buy in bulk in the EU the idea of huge deep cellars like US users is a bit daunting and expensive. Most the things I buy are in original tins. Dont venture to repurpose jelly jars. Your tins will keep your blends safer. What you do will need to be from experience. Just pay attention to your tobacco. A lot depends on how many tins you keep open at once.

 

[Roach1]

@ Sigmund here is a european alternative to Mason jars and are readily available in different sizes. I buy these locally and on Amazon. https://amzn.eu/d/eYj8bSh

 

[Sigmund]

Ive seen those and there are mixed reviews about how well they seal so I didnt buy. They dont have the sepearate ring cap that can be replaced if the seal gets old. Thats one nice thing about true mason type jars. Maybe I will give them a whirl. Perhaps the complaint came from people actually doing food canning and found they didnt hold well. They are probably fine for tobacco.

 

[Roach1]

The caps are readily available. When finished with one blend a changing to another it wash out the jar a reolace the cap. I have had to problems yet.

 

[Distant Roads]

Ive seen those and there are mixed reviews about how well they seal so I didnt buy. They dont have the sepearate ring cap that can be replaced if the seal gets old. Thats one nice thing about true mason type jars. Maybe I will give them a whirl. Perhaps the complaint came from people actually doing food canning and found they didnt hold well. They are probably fine for tobacco.

I ordered these on Amazon.de:

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B09YRC9SXW?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

They are of different sizes, startingfrom 4 oz and up. I guess they are legit?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I would prefer the one-piece caps myself. I've seen what the company, Ball Mason, have had to say on the two piece caps. They are really made for canning under pressure or heat. The one piece lids would be better for jars that you plan on opening periodically to dip into, and tobaccos that might not create a natural vacuum. So, I'd take the criticism of the lids with a grain of salt.

 

[pappymac]

I am guessing you are talking about the 100g tins where the tobacco is contain in a cellophane type package inside the tin. Tins like this one:


When I buy something in those tins, I jar it within a week after I get it.

The packaging is not vacuum sealed or airtight and can dry out pretty fast.

 

[Sigmund]

@cosmicfolklore Good to know. I guess my days on a farm in the US led me to think I needed the two cap system. I will probably get some one cap glass jars since Im out of storage. That, or smoke up some of these and focus on obtaining more of blends I like. Its hard not to try new stuff....

I agree with Pappy...round tins are ok for a bit. They are threaded and have a rubber seal. Rectangular tins are for the recycle bin ASAP.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Yeh, I never jar my tins, unless they are the kind that Pappy posted. The cellar gurus suggest taht you replace square or rectangle tins, but I don't and never have had a problem. This may be against Best Practices, but it is my own risk. YMMV.

You can order just the one-piece lids. The two-piece lids are really designed to allow air to escape during high pressure canning, and have no benefits for tobacco storage. I also use just the one-piece lids for tomato sauces and acidic things that I only use the water bath method on when canning.

For the long haul, I use the two-piece lids, but once the vacuum is set inside the jar, I remove the outer rings, so that if the jar loses it's vacuum or seal, that it becomes visibly apparent. If you leave the ring on, you will have no idea that a jar is leaking air. And, tightening the ring does NOT tighten back up the seal. In the case of a lost seal, which has only ever happened when I moved my cellar out to my studio, I just replace the lid with a one-piece lid.