Long Term Aging/Storage

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Bourbonandcigars

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 30, 2024
128
1,121
I’ve been thinking about buying a couple of large air tight containers and putting a couple humidor packs in them with all the tins I have. You think this would be fine for long term aging?
 
Nov 20, 2022
2,306
22,831
Wisconsin
I’ve been thinking about buying a couple of large air tight containers and putting a couple humidor packs in them with all the tins I have. You think this would be fine for long term aging?
That is my strategy. I don't know if a closed tin requires the humidification packs, but I figure it wont hurt unless wet enough to promote rust. I do the same for my opened tins while I smoke them to get variety without multiple tins drying out. I get waterproof tubs at Menards.
 
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pipeguy23

Lurker
Dec 30, 2015
17
3
Arts and Craft Store, like Hobby Lobby or Michaels usually have the types of glass jars with either a latch or tight sealing lid (plastic gasket) I've been extremely surprised with how well mine keeps, inside these types of jars. Would recommend glass over plastic.

Word of advice, single or double zip block bag your tobacco...and try to get all the air out of them that you can, may also help...

This is what I tend to do, prior to putting them into one of these types of containers.

I guess you could always vacuum seal them, but I haven't tried this myself.

I think the oldest that I have is from between 2015 - 2017, and still has a great deal of moisture.

If you keep it loose in those types of jars...I'd say maybe a year or two.

Hope that helps and Best of Luck.
 

Bourbonandcigars

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 30, 2024
128
1,121
That is my strategy. I don't know if a closed tin requires the humidification packs, but I figure it wont hurt unless wet enough to promote rust. I do the same for my opened tins while I smoke them to get variety without multiple tins drying out. I get waterproof tubs at Menards.
I’ve been using these tubs for cigars for years now but never have used them for pipe tobacco
 

Bourbonandcigars

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 30, 2024
128
1,121
Arts and Craft Store, like Hobby Lobby or Michaels usually have the types of glass jars with either a latch or tight sealing lid (plastic gasket) I've been extremely surprised with how well mine keeps, inside these types of jars. Would recommend glass over plastic.

Word of advice, single or double zip block bag your tobacco...and try to get all the air out of them that you can, may also help...

This is what I tend to do, prior to putting them into one of these types of containers.

I guess you could always vacuum seal them, but I haven't tried this myself.

I think the oldest that I have is from between 2015 - 2017, and still has a great deal of moisture.

If you keep it loose in those types of jars...I'd say maybe a year or two.

Hope that helps and Best of Luck.
Sorry, I meant for sealed tins.
 

dottlejockey

Can't Leave
All sealed tins are just in a big plastic storage bin. Not air tight. I just check them once in a while to make sure nothing's bulging to the point of cracking the seal. Sometimes the small, thin-styled tins can lose their seal over time. I had this happen with a couple of tins of Kingfisher, so i wound up rehydrating those and popping all the rest and putting 10-12 tins worth in a big jar for the rest of our "relationship." This way i can keep a couple humi buscuits in there and keep my eye on em. Not to mention, keeping them readily available. I like this BVP, so why not have it on the shelf? Piper logic. ;) Anyhoo, mason jars work great. Use small ones for single tins all the way up to huge wide mouth tobacconist style ones for larger amounts of items that come in bulk packs. Some have been on my shelves for well over a decade, no problem.
 
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sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,995
46,172
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
I’ve been thinking about buying a couple of large air tight containers and putting a couple humidor packs in them with all the tins I have. You think this would be fine for long term aging?
Since the tobacco is tinned, humidor packs are unnecessary. What you need is a dry environment with a reasonably consistent cool temperature.
A humid environment can lead to tins rusting, which compromises the seal, ruining the contents.
Round tins tend to hold up better than square or rectangular tins over the long haul.
For long term storage of bulks, use either canning jars, or 7mil food grade Mylar bags that have been heat sealed.
 
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rmcnabb

Might Stick Around
Feb 19, 2024
69
377
The easy answer is mason jars. But they're bulky. I'm a big believer in vacuum sealed food bags - I got a vacuum sealer off ebay and I can easily store tins, boxes, loose bulk, anything. It's nice when you get a pound of flake in a cheap zip lock bag and you can just stick it in a vacuum bag and in 15 seconds it's good for a decade. If you ever have any suspicion that the bag has failed, in 15 seconds you can rebag it. Not bulky, not breakable. The downside is that once you open the bag you have to do something with it, and for an open rotating cellar with several blends going at once, nothing beats mason jars.

I just opened an 8-ounce tin of Westminster that is about 20 years old. It was not what I would call "moist". It was, frankly, perfect to smoke - but I know now that I'm going to have to bag or jar that 8 oz or it will dry out. After many years we can't count on the original packaging to be perfectly protective. Steel tins, particularly, rust - and rust can admit air.
 
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