I Can Vacuum Seal My Canning Jars. Should I?

[easterntraveler]

I have a machine that can vacuum seal canning jars. Looking for Opinions on wether or not Ishould use it?

 

[gwtwdbss]

I probably would if I had one and were gonna cellar the jar for a long time provided that enough air is left in the jar to age the tobacco. I have also noticed that the jars tend to seal themselves quite nicely after they have been stored for a while.

 

[andrew]

Indubitably, it will help the aging process, you should ideally seal your jars using a canning process to properly age blends, but having a vacuum sealer for jars would be alot easier and achieve the same results.

 

[kcvet67]

No. Many vacuum sealers remove most of the oxygen necessary for the aging process. If you take the time to seal the jars properly when you fill them they will have an airtight seal while maintaining an oxygen level that's high enough to age the tobacco.

 

[nachman]

Not to be contrary, but, but no, don't vacuum seal the jars. In the aging process there are two major stages. The first is the action of the aerobic bacteria which requires oxygen. The aerobic bacteria use up the oxygen forming a natural vacuum, then the anaerobic bacteria take over and accomplish their part in the aging.

 

[cortezattic]

I have read from multiple sources that kcvet and nachman are 100% spot-on in their advice.

Now, since your vacuum device works on Mason jars, try the obvious: experiment!

 

[cortezattic]

Where's Dr. Kashmir when you need him?

 

[captainsousie]

Try this article. It details the results quite nicely. Below are the pertinent points for anyone too lazy to click the link.

I wanted to post the results of the recently concluded experiment in using the Tilia Vacuum sealing dingus for storing tobacco. For those of you who want to skip the details, Greg Pease was right--store your tobacco in an unevacuated glass jar.

/snip

3. Evacuated mason jars. Tobacco was practically unchanged from the day it was packed. Minor aging only. Different from the plastic-aged samples but (IMO) no worse or better. Note that if you are quick on the switch with the Tilia, you might be able to create jars with only a mild vacuum seal. This would more closely resemble professional "vacuum-packed" tins and might work very well.
4. Unevacuated sealed mason jars (bands/lid dipped in paraffin after sealing). This gave by FAR the best result, with excellent and sometimes surprising amounts of aging. A recently opened sample of McClelland 5115 smelled utterly delectable and smoked like a dream--it was *vastly* superior to identical samples packed on the same day using methods 1, 2 and 3
Conclusions: As I mentioned above, much effort could have been spared had I heeded the prophecies of Greg Pease, who predicted the results here to a T from the day I did it three years ago.

Conclusion. Don't vacuum seal if you actually want your tobacco to taste different/better in years to come. If you love how it tastes right this second, go right ahead.

 

[theboz]

It seems that the answer depends on what you want your results to be, for aging it looks like a no. However, if it may make it possible to prevent aromatics from losing their aromatic properties over time or to keep a blend closer to what it was like before storage. I however have no experience in this...just my speculation based on what I have read.

 

[fnord]

Captainsousie walks in truth and light.
"Conclusion. Don't vacuum seal if you actually want your tobacco to taste different/better in years to come. If you love how it tastes right this second, go right ahead."
Selah!
Fnord

 

[nsfisher]

I really don't see the point. Proper jars(mason for example), do the job properly as it is.

 

[cavendish]

I keep mine in mason jars. All I do is heat the jar in a pot with some lightly boiling water for about 5min. I suggest not filling the pot too full with water, usually about halfway up the jars is safe enough there no chance of it tipping over.. Make sure when you put the jar in the pot to leave the lid resting and the ring screwed enough to stop it from falling off. After the 5min or so take it out and screw the lid on hand tight. Leave it on the counter to cool so it can be put away. Don't over tighten or you could damage the rubber seal and the jar won't seal properly resulting in dried out leaf. Kcvet, nachman, cortezattic and roth have it pretty much nailed down.
A properly sealed jar will have the lid and the 'button' sucked down. If you hear them pop its a good top is what my mum said always said lol.

 

[mso489]

No expertise here, but I'd say it's not necessary. The seal on canning jars is sufficient for aging tobacco, I'd guess.
Some of my storage isn't really aging, so I want the tobacco well-stored, but available to transfer into a pouch

or smaller handy jar for regular use. I move my bulk 965 from the big canning jar into a little screw-top jar at

the ready for packing a pipe. I don't open the big jar as often, but my intent is just to keep it fresh, not change

its flavor through aging. I have a tin or two sealed for that purpose.