Is Jarring a One-Time Thing?

[sablebrush52]

What about the can type tins that C&D/GL Pease uses? Does Pease recommend jarring those up too? don't think rust would be a concern given they're not made of steel.

Even those tins can have problems over time. The early Pease tins tended to corrode from the inside out with blends such as Haddo's, Bohemian Scandal, and Renaissance among them. Then C&D started lining the tins, which helped, but which didn't completely solve the problem. If you buy the larger tins, the joint along the side can corrode because it isn't covered.
Earlier this year I decided to go ahead and jar all of my Haddo's, and I'm glad that I did. The 1lb tins from 2011 and the 8 oz tins from 2013 all showed signs of corrosion beginning to form along the join.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Reading over the old thread from 2013 some of the guys were talking about experimenting over a several year period with different methods. Where are they now? Its been over 6 years...

I just popped a 6 year old jar of Annie Cake and Nightcap this weekend, from my first batches of jars to set back. They were great, especially the Nightcap which seems to really make for a smoother smoke.

And, I am constantly smoking from a huge purchase of OGS and Capstan that I purchased thirty tins of in the beginning, and keep buy more when it goes on sale. These are the small square tins. I actually don't notice much change in the OGS. But, it is good. But, I do notice more of a change in the Capstan, which keeps darkening.

What I do notice is that two years seems to be about as aged as a Virginia will get. In a jar, it does mellow and darken, maybe even more than tins. But, in the tins the Virginias seem to get sweeter as well as mellow.

This is all unscientific, and it depends on the tobacco more so than how it is cellared. But, I trust the tin more, as for a hundred or more years, this was the method. Plus, resale value, and keeping the tins to show how they've changed over the years, and just the weight (tins are lighter than jars.

But, if someone else feels more confident in the jars or bags, then do what makes you feel safer. But, for me, I have found more jars without a seal than tins, so YMMV.

 

[anotherbob]

A couple of years back I began questioning square and rectangular tins as a reliable means for long term storage. I suggested a simple experiment. Place a bunch of tins of Virginia in a tupperware container and seal the top. Place a bunch of English/Oriental/ Balkan blends in a different Tupperware container and seal the top. Wait a few weeks and pop the top and take a sniff. You'll be smelling Virginia from the Virginia container and Latakia/Orientals from the Latakia/Oriental container. Those tins don't hold a seal.

honestly I can smell the topping and sometimes tobacco from a tin before breaking the seal, can't do that even a smidge with jars.

 

[dgetzin]

In my experience, there is no such thing as a perfectly sealed tin. Nearly all tins I have come across “leak” The lovely smell of the contents to some degree, meaning that there is air exchange. Even if the air seal were perfect, your new tobacco is surrounded by plastic and or paper, and a bunch of metal. None of these things are inert. Glass is inert. Paper and plastic can ruin the taste of a tobacco pretty badly, I have had it happen. So, I’d advise putting in a jar right away. The other advantage of the jar is that introducing more oxygen, more air and a touch of ”fresh” air makes the aging process mature better that a vacuum sealed tin. ”Aged in the tin” always seemed like a less-good way to me.

for adding new to old in the jar, I would go by this rule: If at the time of the new addition, you are noticing that the ages tobacco has neither gained richness, nor lost topping flavor, adding new to old is totally fine. If you notice a difference and wish to PRESERVE that difference, keep new separate from old. If you notice a difference and wish to minimize the difference, then mix new with old.

Some aromatics of mine will “fade” a bit in the jar with use, as the lid gets opened each time a bowlful is plucked. But, for my jars, I notice the biggest difference with age in more straight-Virginia heavy blends. Even about three months time will add to a richness and a “round” aroma and taste as far as I have seen.

I'm still coming to grips with terms and concepts related to pipes and tobacco so please help redirect me if my presumptions are erroneous. I think that both, saving an unopened tin for far future consumption, and, decanting tobacco from tin to jar for the future, are forms of cellaring. If that is true, is a jar sacred once I have put say 2ozs in it, or if I have another ounce or so, can I add that to the jar?

 

[GCW]

I've found no discernible difference between aging in the tin versus jar. If anything, aging in the jar and adding oxygen to the mix improves the flavor quicker according to my tastes. That's my method, see below.
View attachment 5659

Jeff, that looks alot like a french horn case below the Esoterica. Do you play? I'm a horn player myself that's why I ask.