Jar vs Tin?

[toadie]

I'm still fairly new enough to the game to where I probably wouldn't recognize tobacco being too moist or too dry yet, but from what I've seen it seems to be a decent concern.
I have a few open tins I keep in my little "Smoke Chest" but I'm starting to wonder if it would better preserve the moisture content of the tobacco (as they are now, I don't feel confident to start throwing in little moisteners yet and creating a swamp) if I transfered them from the tins to more air-tight mason jars.
Thoughts? Experience?

 

[sparroa]

You shouldn't leave multiple blends open in their unsealed tins, in my experience.
Small mason jars are certainly preferable to an open tin.
If, for example, you only had one blend that you were planning to smoke through in a short period of time, then I'd say it's alright to leave it in the tin. To delay moisture loss, though, I'd put it in a good freezer bag.
When you get used to smoking a blend, you'll notice the flavour variations as the tobacco dries. In my opinion there is a sweet spot between not too wet and not too dry that is "just right". It will take you some time to find this, and it will not be the same between blends...
Also, if you plan on aging tobacco, you should have it in a separate mason jar that will not be repeatedly opened and disturbed. Everytime you open the jar, at best, you basically reboot the aging process - at worst, you stop it altogether and kickstart a decline. (Particularly if a blend already has some time on it.)
My storage philosophy in short:

-Undisturbed mason jars for aging

-Mason jars or bail-top jars for your daily rotation in the short to medium term

-Open tins kept in a freezer bag (or even well-sealed tupperware) for immediate smoking
*Regarding moisture, I should add that most of my problems related to smoking performance/enjoyment come down to this key element. If the tobacco is too moist, you will experience steam burn/tongue bite/poor combustion/difficulty lighting/sootiness/goopiness. If the tobacco is too dry, you will experience a loss of flavour, harshness, and potential for tongue bite as it will burn faster than you are used to.
The best way to remedy moist tobacco is to dry it on a sheet of paper or paper towel for a number of minutes until it isn't so damp/tacky and the best way to remedy dry tobacco is to rehydrate it in small quantities as you desire it. (There are countless ways to do this - I personally just use a damp square of paper towel inside a Glad sandwich container; it's not perfect but it is simple - just don't let the damp paper towel touch the baccy)

 

[pipeinhand]

Here is what I do, open, in a mason jar. Unopened, leave it alone until it is opened, then...

 

[cigrmaster]

I store my open tins in large tupperware like containers, it keeps them fresh for a long time. I usually have 15-20 tins open at a time and none have ever dried out before I got around to smoking them.

 

[toadie]

The only things stopping me from running out and buying some jars is that a) I don't have that many tobaccos enough to need to age them, b) I rotate blends pretty regularly so the aging wouldn't be the benefit as much as moisture retention would be, and c) I think the tins look so damn cool, and I just love stepping outside with my little bag o' pipes and a tin of Frog Morton and have as many bowls as I want without fiddling around in the dark with a glass jar.

 

[johncorosz]

Sealing plastic containers. I end up mixing my baccy anyways so unless the blend is so special by itself I mix it and often each container has 3-10 brands in one container (mixed). But you can put tins in plastic bags if your concerned about moisture content. I have a few tins that after opening I placed in ziploc bags and they stay fresh for a few months that way.

 

[sjpipesmoker]

I have wasted a few good tins by opening a bunch at a time and not smoking them fast enough and letting them sit in their tin to leak out. For me a open tin with tobacco is a very bad thing, they dry out faster than I can smoke

 

[sparroa]

toadie,
I recommend glass jars for every day use, as well as for aging. If you reread my posts above, you'll see that I emphasize the use of separate jars if you wish to age your tobacco. Opening/closing the tin would greatly retard or even ruin the aging process so it is pointless to actively smoke from a jar that you are trying to age...
The open tins will not keep your tobacco fresh - period.

(Some PG laden blends are an exception. I don't know if Frog Morton belongs in that category or not)
You can use mason jars/tupperware/freezer bags to fix that freshness problem, but if you keep your tobacco in the open tin without any other protection then you are going to end up with a lot of wasted tobacco. You may still be able to smoke it, but the moisture and flavour will be gone, so what is the point at that rate?
A compromise, perhaps, is to jar your tobacco and put whatever you liberally plan to smoke for that day inside your tin. That's if you prefer the tin for aesthetic or practical reasons.
johncorosz,
Different strokes for different folks but what is there to be gained by mixing your tins at random? You'd probably save a lot of money just buying quality bulk tobacco if you are just going to combine them when it's all said and done. I can imagine that you came across some interesting combinations that way, but honestly it sounds like a recipe for a flavour disaster more often than not.

 

[toadie]

Alright. I'm convinced.
My tins still smell and feel pretty much like when I first got them maybe two months ago (aside from the "punch" of the two Frog Mortons being very slightly dulled down)

 

[sparroa]

Some brands suffer more than others. Some aromatics will keep their moisture until long after the flavour has faded; as I said, excessive amounts of propylene glycol as a humectant are usually the reason.
If you aren't experiencing any problems, then don't feel compelled to change your system because everyone else is doing it. I just look at the jars/tupperware/freezer bags as additional insurance to protect your investment.
One tin may only be $10 but if you've got many opened up and sitting around you can understand how the costs tend to escalate.
Mason jars are cheap and they are currently in season so you should have no trouble finding some smaller ones to suit your purpose at this time of year. Give it a try and if you don't find a difference then you'll know for future reference.
I have seen firsthand the difference that jars make. The only tobacco I trust to leave in the tin are certain Sam Gawith blends. They are wet enough so that they'll just be in perfect smoking condition as I come to the end of the tin... (All the same, I still seal them in bags)