Newbie Cellaring Question -- Want to preserve opened tins

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mordy18

Can't Leave
Mar 12, 2019
381
1,370
Northern New Jersey
Apologies in advance, I know this topic has been done to death and there are countless articles and videos on the interwebs on how to cellar pipe tobacco. But I want to make sure I have it right because as a recently restarted pipe smoker I've acquired a few tins of tobaccos that are on their way out or already gone and want to make sure I am preserving the properly. Specifically, I bought a ridiculously priced 100g tin of Frog Morton's Cellar ($100) simply because I want to see what all the fuss was about and at least have a reference point for what many considered a great tobacco. I also have about six different tins of Dunhill blends.
I intend to smoke all of these, not age them or keep them for years. But I probably smoke 2-3 bowls a week, so all in the 15 or so tins of tobacco I have are going to last me quite a long time, and I'm sure I'll be sampling others.
So, my understanding is that an opened, sealed tin should just be left alone, stored in a dark cool place. Once opened, simply put the tobacco in a mason jar and close tightly, no additional humidification necessary or advisable. That's new to mesince I use boveda packs for my cigars, but I understand that is different. (My basement man cave/smoking lair/gun room stays between 62-70 all year and probably moderate humidity although I havent measured it.)
Do I have that right? No boveda pack or humidity button in my mason jars of tobacco that will be opened semi-regularly for smoking?

 

jeff540

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 25, 2016
518
799
Southwest Virginia
That is correct. I have had pretty good luck with McClelland ribbon not going too dry even after a few months in the original tin. Case in point: I have currently an opened tin of Celebrated Sovereign from 2003. I opened it last September and still have at least 60% left, not too dry and no discernible difference in taste (it's good, complex but light, just not stellar).

 

mordy18

Can't Leave
Mar 12, 2019
381
1,370
Northern New Jersey
Thanks. Now I'll see if tobacco tastes any better when I pay a ridiculous amount for it. The nice thing about pipe smoking, as opposed to cigars, is that you can control how much you smoke at one time and the per smoke cost is so much lower.

 

jeff540

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 25, 2016
518
799
Southwest Virginia
Those are the main factors that turned me from a cigar smoker to a pipe smoker gradually over the last 20 years. I smoke a good $20+ cigar once or twice a year now, and to be honest I enjoy most of my pipe blends better than any of the good cigars on my radar (Cuban Bolivars and Montecristos, Fuente Hemingway and OpusX, and Padron Anniversary).

 

xingpao

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 11, 2019
119
89
What you are describing is not cellaring tobacco. You opened the tin, which will halt the aging process and now you are keeping it in a jar and should be smoking it. Perhaps google to find a great article by GL Pease on aging, but you should be smoking it now as it will lose taste.
Now, I am sure someone will disagree with what I am saying, but I wanted to chime in with what cellaring is vs. Opening, smoking and placing the open contents into a jar.

 

mordy18

Can't Leave
Mar 12, 2019
381
1,370
Northern New Jersey
Yes xinpao. Maybe I used the wrong term. I'm not interested in aging. Just want to keep opened tobacco fresh. Given how much (or little I smoke) 5 or six opened tins could last me a year so I'd like to be able keep the tobacco from drying out or going bad. As I wrote above my understanding is that the tobacco will keep for a long time by simply putting it in a tightly closed mason jar and keeping in a dark, cool place.

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
44,929
117,219
What you are describing is not cellaring tobacco.
Cellaring tobacco just means putting it up for future use. Though it sometimes entails aging, that isn't always the intent. Aging doesn't affect tobacco enough to hold my interest, so any aging that happens in my 250+ pound collection is due to not getting around to smoking it. I've collected so much not for aging, but for when I could no longer afford it.

 
Jan 28, 2018
13,917
155,620
67
Sarasota, FL
I've been buying the large mouth amber mason jars recently for short term storage of tobacco from opened tins. These amber jars supposedly filter out the harmful rays from the sunlight that allegedly can negatively affect the tobacco. Will keep the tobacco in good condition for a long time, even when frequently opening and closing of the lid to load up your pipe.

 
May 9, 2018
1,687
87
Raleigh, NC
I have been keeping larger quantities in the pint sized jars and then keeping myself smaller, 4 oz jars to fill my pipe from. I figure it's better to open the bigger jars when I need to fill my smaller jars than to open the larger jar every time. I keep anywhere from 5-10 small jars going at any given time while the larger jars just sit and patiently await me running out and in need of a refill.

 
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