My flakes are drying out.

[dnietosi]

Hey guys,
I know some of you are going to recommend to just smoke it fast. But, as i cant do that...
I have a Dunhill flake and Solani ABF that are starting to dry out. I am just keeping then in the tin holding the tap tight with a thick rubber band but time is passing anyways.
Any tips on keeping my tobacco on the right level of moisture?
Thanks,
D

 

[maduroman]

put in a sealed container. once you pop a tin they are no longer sealed and the tobacco will dry out.

 

[kasbah]

Mason jars are the answer, my friend. The minute I crack a tin I transfer all the contents to a brand new jar (or cleaned jar with new lid).

 

[captainprophesy]

What Kasbah said... as soon as you open a tin, transfer to a mason jar.
You can buy a case of mason jars (get wide mouth) for about $7... they are a life saver.

 

[hawk60ce]

+1

 

[foggymountain]

You may re-humidify tobacco. Just put in a jar, humidor or tupperware container, closed, with a little piece of wet sponge on/in a small receptacle. I use jar lids or tobacco can plastic covers to put the sponge in. It works quickly. Dunhill flake is good dry though.

 

[dnietosi]

Thanks! I will try how it goes with the jars!

 

[cigrmaster]

I put all my open tins in a large tupperware like plastic container. I keep the tobacco in the tin and it will stay fresh for months. I don't bother taking the tobacco out of my tins and jar it up, I have never found the need to do that.

 

[rigmedic1]

I get thouse pouch humidifier buttons, they work really well keeping my flakes moist, and I have used them to rehumidify some dried out Wessex Burley Sliced.

 

[msandoval858]

I mason jar for long term storage but most tins do fine in a tupperware for me. This could depend on the humidity in your area but I've never had an issue unless I got lazy and left a tin sitting out for too long.
The trick for me (as hard as it is) is not too keep too many tins open at one time. Good luck with that one.

 

[lestrout]

how about putting the opened tin in a baggy?
hp

les

 

[instymp]

or,how long do thay keep in a baggie

 

[ohin3]

I actually like what happens to a tin of tobacco while it is left open for a while. Once it hits that perfect level of moisture I transfer it to a mason jar. I find that open air aging does wonders for most tobaccos. I never really realized it till I started getting tobacco samples from people around the world. I noticed that some of the tobaccos that I tried were fantastic when I tried them after they had time in a shipping box to dry out for a while but when I bought a new tin of the same it did not hold the magic contained in the open air aged sample. I like to let flakes go to the point that they are almost brittle and then stuff them in a mason jar for long term consumption.

 

[brian64]

+1 ohin3...dry is good...imo.

 

[chopz]

put the dry tobacco in a mason jar and drape a dampened paper towel over the mouth for a day. after that the moisture content should be fine and then you can seal up the jar to keep it that way (after tossing the paper towel of course).

 

[nsfisher]

I like my baccy dry. I leave it in the tin with the cover loose for about 2-3 weeks, before I jar it.

 

[flyguy]

I keep my opened tins in an ice chest humidor I made. Get and old ice chest and one of those absorbent blocks florists use to keep flowers fresh. Get a plastic container with holes punched in the lid, put the block in the container and saturate it with distilled water and place it in the cooler. This keeps the inside of the cooler at 70% humidity. This is a great way to store your opened tins. One warning: don't keep your cigars in this humidor or they'll taste like pipe tobacco.

 

[gray4lines]

As a side note, many insist cigars must be kept at 70% RH, but I found this kept cigars too moist, especially with certain maduros -- made be feel like I was sucking a golf ball through a garden house smoking them and/or a cigar's burn was erratic when too moist as well.

I prefer my cigars in the 60's rh % as well! It definitely cuts down on "bad draw" issues.
I think I like pipe tobacco a little dry too. Although I usually jar it immediately after receiving in (tins or bulk).

 

[tbradsim1]

Easy way if you want to let it stay in tin for a little while after opening is to put a small sheet of cling wrap or aluminum foil over tobbaco and put cover back on helps but is not the long term answer. The old cajun

 

[flyguy]

@rothnh,

The 70% humidity in my ice chest doesn't seem to be too high as I keep the plastic lids on the tins. The tins, believe it or not, continue to dry out slightly but not as much as if they were kept in the open. If the tobacco was kept open in the ice chest, then I would agree with you...70% is too high.