Jarred Tobacco Shelf Life

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sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,765
45,328
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
do you vacuum seal your mylar bags?
For anything that going to be long term storage, as in years, yes, I heat seal the Mylar bags. I use .7mill food grade metallized Mylar storage. Once I learned that Esoterica bags could form pinholes in their creases, and found two bags with pinholes, I bagged the Esoterica bags in Mylar. I also use mason jars for bulk as well as Mylar. Whatever floats your boat. They both do fine.

If I''m jarring ribbon o shag cut I use a 1:2 ratio. 2oz tobacco in a 4oz jar, 4oz tobacco in a 8oz jar, etc. That means packing it as tightly as it's packed in the flat round metal tins. I leave a little air at the top. Flakes are a different matter. I'll pack them in, but not so tightly that I can't pull one out without destroying it.

The thing about tobacco is that its shelf life is not infinite. You may get to enjoy a 40 year old blend, though it's far more likely that it will have peaked and started to head downhill before then, but eventually it all turns to crap. Still, with proper storage and a bit of luck, you can enjoy your cellar for decades.

The other kicker is that not everything improves with age. That, like the immortality of cellared tobacco, is another myth. So the calculation is that it's better to have a faded version of a beloved blend than none. That's an individual choice. And there's the unavoidable reality that blends disappear without warning all the time, so cellaring, for better or for worse, is the only option to ensure having a favored blend around to smoke.

I calculate that I have about a 10 to 15 year supply cellared, and that will almost certainly outlast me.
 

ron123

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 28, 2015
541
984
Park Ridge, IL
Just my personal preference for smaller amounts that I regularly smoke. I do have some that have been sitting for several years and the tobacco is still fine...
I've been using Le Parfait jars which are the same kind of lids & closures, from Amazon, also having had some in them for years, and no issues.
 
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BROBS

Lifer
Nov 13, 2019
11,765
40,027
IA
I don't find it that at all. They are all stored in totes, labelled, cataloged and snug in the basement. I'm not in the habit of going down there and staring at my cellar...
I also like to have access to whatever tobacco I like without unsealing a bag.

my tobacco is in a walk in closet in jars... makes it easy to monitor the tobacco, see what I’m looking for rather than a pile of bags, and have access to the tobacco inside.
 

craig61a

Lifer
Apr 29, 2017
5,813
48,248
Minnesota USA
I also like to have access to whatever tobacco I like without unsealing a bag.

my tobacco is in a walk in closet in jars... makes it easy to monitor the tobacco, see what I’m looking for rather than a pile of bags, and have access to the tobacco inside.
 
Jan 31, 2021
23
100
Peak District, UK
I’ve just tried my hand at this for the first time with 200g of tobacco I want to start my cellaring project with and have a couple questions -

for context, I’ve used mason jars with rubber seals

I packed the tobacco in quite tightly with little room for air at the top (there was no tobacco around the lid and it sealed fully!) - do I need to leave more of a gap or is tightly packed okay?

I also put one of the paper discs from the tobacco tins in at the top to act as a barrier between the tobacco and the lid - this should be fine as it’s used in the tins themselves but thought I’d double check?

Thanks guys :)
 

seanv

Lifer
Mar 22, 2018
2,970
10,450
Canada
I’ve just tried my hand at this for the first time with 200g of tobacco I want to start my cellaring project with and have a couple questions -

for context, I’ve used mason jars with rubber seals

I packed the tobacco in quite tightly with little room for air at the top (there was no tobacco around the lid and it sealed fully!) - do I need to leave more of a gap or is tightly packed okay?

I also put one of the paper discs from the tobacco tins in at the top to act as a barrier between the tobacco and the lid - this should be fine as it’s used in the tins themselves but thought I’d double check?

Thanks guys :)
The amount of space from tobacco to lid is a matter of preference really. You will hear points from both sides but I don't think there is a true definitive answer.
 

TimeKiller

Might Stick Around
Feb 2, 2021
84
190
Texas
I use mason jars for alot of other things anyway, so was easy to just start storing my tobacco in them too, but I was curious... What about light?

Is it supposed to be kept in a dark place? Will the light ruin it?