Open the Jar, Spoil the Broth?

[smudgersmissingleg]

I agree with the other lads, leave them in the tin.

One thing I have noticed is there is a marked improvement between a freshly opened tobacco tin and 3-6 months in a jar. I always have a bowl of a new to me blend as soon as I open the tin and there have been numerous occasions where I didn't really care for it, jarred it, then tried it again a few months later where I found I liked it a lot more.
The first 2 or 3 times I thought it must be all in my head, that a few months in a jar couldn't make that much difference but now I'm convinced it does go through some sort of change that (to my tastes) improves the flavour.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Something in my weird brain wishes you would buy 10 lbs more and get this to the nearest 50-lb mark.

4x his weight ?

3x?

 

[BROBS]

3x?

I knew that was just pokin the bear. Errr ... pirate.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I knew that was just pokin the bear. Errr ... pirate.

Arrrr.

 

[Jaylotw]

Ive been doing a lot of stuff over the years that folks here are saying never to do. No ill results. Not saying they are wrong, but sometimes the wealth of info available on the internet has overcomplicated things that should be simple. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Aye. I agree. We all follow our own rules to an extent. I think the OP’s question was a good one, though, as the whole jar/tin/age thing had me a bit confused for a while in the beginning.

For me, once the tin is opened, the contents go in a jar that gets a date. Jar goes in the cabinet, and when I want to smoke that one, I open it and smoke some. Jar goes back in the cabinet. I’ve never really considered a rotation of blends per se, although I do tend to keep to about 15 blends out of the 40 or so I’ve got stashed. The other 35 get opened and sampled when I feel like it. Once and a while, a jar will dry out a bit, but that’s usually not much of a problem.

I recently found a jar of FVF that’s at least 10 years old, and that jar had been opened and closed at least 15 times since I filled it. The flakes inside still turned black with sugar crystals and taste like aged FVF out of a tin.

 

[Mr.Mike]

Aye. I agree. We all follow our own rules to an extent. I think the OP’s question was a good one, though, as the whole jar/tin/age thing had me a bit confused for a while in the beginning.

For me, once the tin is opened, the contents go in a jar that gets a date. Jar goes in the cabinet, and when I want to smoke that one, I open it and smoke some. Jar goes back in the cabinet. I’ve never really considered a rotation of blends per se, although I do tend to keep to about 15 blends out of the 40 or so I’ve got stashed. The other 35 get opened and sampled when I feel like it. Once and a while, a jar will dry out a bit, but that’s usually not much of a problem.

I recently found a jar of FVF that’s at least 10 years old, and that jar had been opened and closed at least 15 times since I filled it. The flakes inside still turned black with sugar crystals and taste like aged FVF out of a tin.

What you do is exactly what I do. I like having 20+ tins opened and jarred to choose from when I'm ready for a smoke.

 

[samuelgawith01]

I see nothing wrong with opening a tin, and dumping the contents into a Ball jar.
I see nothing wrong with keeping the tin sealed until use.
The thing is, when you put the tobacco in contact with oxygen while in the Ball jar,The acids in the tobacco start to neutralize, and eventually you'll have a smoother,more flavorful tobacco because you won't have to deal with all the acidity on your pallet.To keep this process going,I open my jars (time permitting) every couple of weeks to allow a fresh dose of air into the jar.As long as the lid is sealed back up, the tobak won't dry out on you.Keep introducing new oxygen to the tobacco periodically, the resealing the jar, and the aging process will continue.Keep it in the sealed tin, this neutralization will eventually happen, perhaps to lesser degree, and it will take ALOT longer.You can also do this with a humidor full of cigars, and age them the same way.
Hope this helps

 

[shanez]

Arrrr.

View attachment 23957

Careful. This could become a bear thread...

 

[Chasing Embers]

Careful. This could become a bear thread...

Oh, no......

 

[David_Lawrence]

As usual, thank you all for the wealth of wisdom.

I should have clarified to begin with that my focus is on preserving freshness, flavour and moisture levels with any improvement from ageing being a bonus. If my recent wave of tobaccos aren't as bone dry in two/three months' as the first batch was, I'll be happy.

I realise the question of whether to open a sealed tin only to empty it into an airtight jar seems pointless but the aroma was so much stronger after jarring my 2/3 full tins that I thought maybe the breaking apart of the compressed cake when transferring might aid things in some scientific way I won't pretend to understand.

I agree with the other lads, leave them in the tin.

One thing I have noticed is there is a marked improvement between a freshly opened tobacco tin and 3-6 months in a jar. I always have a bowl of a new to me blend as soon as I open the tin and there have been numerous occasions where I didn't really care for it, jarred it, then tried it again a few months later where I found I liked it a lot more.

Heh, see this was my confusion! The latter part supports what I was considering yet the conclusion you open with seems to advise the opposite....I think I'll go with the jarring after all.

I would never add a newly opened tin to an already jarred tobacco though since they are at different stages of aging and have been aging differently

This is something I would not have considered. There's only 2-3 weeks in it but yes that does make sense.

Of course we also had jzbdano saying:

The proper way to maintain a jar in the rotation is to never allow the volume of tobacco fall below 3/16 full if the blend is to stay in rotation.

So evidently some disregard that completely. If I had more jars, I'd have kept the fresh tin in a separate one but as my supply is suspended right now (I'd ordered some and now the shop is closed for quarantine), I think I'll just mix them considering it's only been a few weeks.

Overall though, I do retain a healthy understanding that these things don't matter as much as I'm making it sound. I just like to know people's reasons for and against, learn a bit about the underlying theories, then do as I will and go back to enjoying the fruit of it all.

Ta, then.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Your last paragraph is excellent. And you'll find some folks throw out "facts" that don't exist. Or espouse theories and practices that have no basis in reality. Or...... Well, you get the picture!