Long Term Storage in Tobacco Tin

[Mr. Biggles]

Is it possible to keep pipe tobacco stored safely in its tin for a long period of time?

I thought about taping around the lid to create an airtight seal. Has anyone tried it, or got any thoughts on it?

 

[Mr. Biggles]

Commented by mistake.

 

[VDL_Piper]

On tins I have doubt about I use silicone tape which assists if the seal fails and allows you some grace to discover the problem.

 

[Mr. Biggles]

On tins I have doubt about I use silicone tape which assists if the seal fails and allows you some grace to discover the problem.
View attachment 389232

So you think tins are okay, and suitable for long time storage, even once opened?

 

[BingBong]

So you think tins are okay, and suitable for long time storage, even once opened?

No. Well, depends really. Gawith tins had poor seal for quite a while, although I think they're getting over that issue. In general, round tins (threaded lids) keep a better seal than square ones (pressure fit).

 

[Mr. Biggles]

Apologies.

Probably should have mentioned that I am referring specifically to Peterson tobacco tins.

 

[Mr. Biggles]

I guess I am trying to ascertain wether I could open a tin of Peterson and smoke it over several months or if I need to decant it into a mason jar.

 

[VDL_Piper]

If you open it the tobacco should be fine for a few weeks in the tin but longer and you may need a mason jar.
‘Round tins are generally good for many years, square not so much and ring pull style should be the same as rounds. If in doubt a mason jar or mylar are your friends.

 

[Mr. Biggles]

If you open it the tobacco should be fine for a few weeks in the tin but longer and you may need a mason jar.
‘Round tins are generally good for many years, square not so much and ring pull style should be the same as rounds. If in doubt a mason jar or mylar are your friends.

Even tape around the lid won't work?

 

[BingBong]

I guess I am trying to ascertain wether I could open a tin of Peterson and smoke it over several months or if I need to decant it into a mason jar.

In my experience, University Flake stays reasonably moist for, say, 3 months, but your mileage may vary - it really depends on blender, cut, their propensity for humectants etc; I find that something like a tin of Solani ABF needs to be smoked within a month else it dries out.

If it's a blend you keep coming back to, best jar it and dole out bits to the tin for convenience.

 

[carp rides again]

I find the peterson tins to be better than others, the sutliff and macbaren always dried out fast. As long as you really don't jack the lid up on the tin too bad upon opening, you can probably get a few months out of it

 

[Dave760]

A friend taught me this trick for keeping tobacco in round tins. Take a plastic sandwich bag (the thin, fold-over type), lay it over the top of the tin so it overhangs on all sides, then screw down the lid. The thin plastic will fill in the threads. I've misplaced tins that were closed this way for years and the tobacco was still in good shape.

I wouldn't intentionally try to store tobacco this way for years as jars and mylar bags are safer bets, but I've been surprised at how well it works.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Once you've opened a tin you create an apocalyptic even for that established environment inside. Might as well smoke it. And, I do find that several months is ok for blends that i only smoke every now and then.
But, if you want to keep the tobacco longer, then put it in a jar, but it is questionable whether you will geta true aging on that tobacco, some maybe you will, some maybe not.
But, if you open a tin, and then close it back up, you will never get that vacuum seal back (or even any kind of seal), unless you have special equipment.

Best practices would suggest that if you open a tin, smoke it. If you want to age a tobacco in a tin with a good seal, then leave it be. (period)
Any playing round between those lines will give you unpredictable results. But, it's not like the tobacco is going to turn to shit right away, unless the tobacco was aged for a really long time before you opened it. YMMV

 

[64alex]

Aluminum tape can be your answer.
All unopened tins I tape with it and they are fresh even many years later when opened.
For opened tins I do not want to put in mason jar aluminum tape keep them reasonably fresh for up a couple of years, they dry out a little bit over time which is not necessary bad as they become close to perfect drying conditions particularly for wet blends. But if you want to age them put in mason jar as already said.
However currently most of my blends are bulk (mainly G&H) and I keep the bulk in mylar bag storing the one I need for 1 year or so in Mason jars.

 

[sunnysmokes]

What do people do if you get tobacco in a pouch (something nice like salty dogs, or I suppose captain black if that's your jam) before opening it - just leave it?

 

[sablebrush52]

So you think tins are okay, and suitable for long time storage, even once opened?

Define long term storage. Are you thinking a decade or more?

The short answer is “maybe”, if it hasn’t been opened, and “not a chance in hell” if the tin has been opened.

Round screw down tins do a better job of holding a seal than square and rectangular tins, which are rarely 100% sealed and are slowly leaking from the get go.

Tins are not intended to last for years and years.

For long term storage either jar in mason jars or pack into food grade Mylar and heat seal.

 

[johnnyflake]

NO Tapping the Lid, No, No, No! You could actually break the seal!
No Opening and then resealing, for long term Storage, No, No, No!
Just place normal tins you have purchased into you long term storage area.
Personally, before placing any tins I come by into long term storage, I place the tin into a small one- quart zip-lock and let it sit for a month. After a month or longer, simply open the zip-lock bag away from your tobacco littered area and if you smell tobacco, the tin is leaking and not worth storing. No tobacco aroma, it's ready to put in storage.

 

[WerewolfOfLondon]

I have a draw full of sealed tobacco tins, my 'cellar' so to speak. I'd say there are about 100 to 150 tins in there. The vast majority are round tins, none of them opened. Yet they collectively give off an aroma. What the H is going on there? Any professors of quantum physics know what's going? Is the aroma leaking through the tins, or are the seals faulty?

 

[Sobrbiker]

I have a draw full of sealed tobacco tins, my 'cellar' so to speak. I'd say there are about 100 to 150 tins in there. The vast majority are round tins, none of them opened. Yet they collectively give off an aroma. What the H is going on there? Any professors of quantum physics know what's going? Is the aroma leaking through the tins, or are the seals faulty?

Could be as little as .75% are leaking (one tin) causing the odor.
Which one?

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I think tins are mostly safe for storage at least to ten to twenty years. I've smoked a ton from tins 5 to 10 years old, not a single seal failure. I've been fortunate enough to open and smoke tobacco from a handful of tins 25 years and older, again, no problems. I feel certain there would be some spoilage if the sample size for tins 20 years and older was large enough but I bet it's well less than 10%. I'd view that as an acceptable number.