Opened My Tins - Now What?

[sablebrush52]

I've reconsidered my answer and, based on the thread's title, the best response I can give is:
Set fire to the contents!

 

[sparroa]

All my tobacco goes into Mason jars...
It just stays better that way.
For me, the only exception is a blend that is unbearably wet. Time in an unsealed tin will help it reach an appropriate level of moisture.
Throw the MacBaren Original Choice in a jar and revisit it down the road. Who knows, it might have mellowed enough to be to your liking...

 

[techie]

In my house the temp is usually between 72F - 77F, and the humidity ranges from about 50 to as high as 80, but typically averages about 65. I haven't yet transferred any to the jars, but these have been unsealed now for a week and none feel dry. The ones I haven't pulled any tobacco from seem to have sufficient moisture.
The last Scotch Mixture I smoked I let sit out on a sheet of paper for over an hour and it still didn't really feel dry to me, and I had a tough time keeping it lit after smoking 1/3 of the bowl. I ended up giving up on it, thinking it would be very low anyway, but there was about 1/4 bowl of unsmoked tobacco in there.
I'll get the hang of it eventually.
Gonna transfer these tins to jars. I'll try the Mac Baren after sitting a while.

 

[sparroa]

I mainly use jars for my short-term tobacco storage because I like to keep my tobacco sealed to retain its moisture until I am ready to dry it before every smoke. I find blends maintain their quality for longer that way and if you happen to forget them then they are already safely stored.
If you are content with the moisture level in an open tin, however, feel free to continue following that method. There is no hard and fast rule on the matter. I only change it up when I have unsatisfactory results and so far I am happy with keeping all my open blends jarred.
An hour should be more than enough drying time for most tobacco but I have some PG soaked blends that could use longer. I am not sure if the MacBaren belongs in that company, but most blends in my experience are better smoked on the drier side so adjust your timing accordingly.

 

[jpmcwjr]

If your RH is 65% and you're trying to dry the tobacco, which, let's say, starts at 80% RH, which is on the low side for many tinned tobaccos, it will take weeks to get to 65%, about the right level for smoking. So a little dry time in the microwave might get the job done.

 

[newbroom]

I 'repurpose' lots of containers. Kind of an obsession not to throw out a perfectly good wide mouthed Jelly jar or perfectly sized plastic tub that once held lunchmeat.

I buy dry bulks, and keep them in coolers till I need to reload my tubs. I have kept open factory tubs of CH, SWR, PA, and more, for lengthy periods with no discernible degradation, and I live in Florida, where the humidity is high most of the time.

 

[cigrmaster]

I use plastic tupperware like containers to store my open tins. I cannot be bothered jarring tobacco that I intend to smoke. The plastic tubs I buy will keep an open tin fresh for at least 1.5 years. In the pic below the opaque containers with the white lids are what I am talking about. They come as a 4 pack in 4 different sizes and can be bought at Walmart for around 6 bucks or so.

 

[thomasw]

I've also felt that the more obnoxious the tin note, the better the smoke, and its corollary.

So true in my experience ... i.e., 3P's possessing a manure scent in the tin, but being a divine smoke!

All my tobacco goes into Mason jars...
It just stays better that way.
For me, the only exception is a blend that is unbearably wet. Time in an unsealed tin will help it reach an appropriate level of moisture.
Throw the MacBaren Original Choice in a jar and revisit it down the road. Who knows, it might have mellowed enough to be to your liking...

^^^Excellent advice with which you won't go wrong following! ::

 

[yuda]

Never jarred pipe tobacco, but I know it's the way to go if you have the space. I must though, even just the tun or bag in some tuppaware keeps most blends at the right moisture level for quite some time. Much less stress when storing pipe tobacco as opposed to cigars(which most people are obsessed with when it comes to "good tobacco").

 

[techie]

I was under the impression that the 8oz Ball jars would hold a 50g tin, but I find that I have to really stuff the tobacco in there to be able to leave a bit of room at the top. Is this ok, or should the tobacco not be so compressed in the jar?

 

[jpmcwjr]

FWIW: I stuff the hell out of tobacco into Mason jars. I don't believe it's at all necessary to leave room for oxygen; there's plenty in there already.

 

[jaytex1969]

Same here. I often grab a straight walled juice glass just a bit smaller in diameter than the jar I'm filling and use it as a "piston" to cram even more into the jar.
That said, I'm a cellaring novice and, if this is an error, I'll not know for several years....

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I’ve found tins that I opened a few years ago and just set it aside for one reason or another, and it was still as juicy as the day I openned it. The seals are pretty good. That said, I tend to leave a tin open till it has dried mostly before so even start to smoke it. I don't jar tins once I open them, but I do have hundreds and hundreds of jarred bulks and homegrown. Drying open tins is my goal anyways. Maybe a tin left open in my truck for a year or so might start to affect the essential oils of the tobacco, but really, it takes more energy to make a blend stale than you’d think. It’s way easier to get mold than staleness. IMO
So, my suggestion is to just smoke them. I think you’ll find that the drier it gets the more flavor it has. But, if you want to make the whole thing more process oriented, there’s nothing wrong with jarring open tins. For some of us, it’s just a matter of enjoying yourself without all of the worry. YMMV

 

[carolinachurchwarden]

I was under the impression that the 8oz Ball jars would hold a 50g tin, but I find that I have to really stuff the tobacco in there to be able to leave a bit of room at the top. Is this ok, or should the tobacco not be so compressed in the jar?

Stuff the ever loving hell out of it. As I said, I bought some 4 oz. jars for when I buy just an ounce of this or that to try and it works quite well. You might have to give it a good push, but if you're like me, you might not be able to resist the urge to pack a bowl and light immediately when you get a new blend, so I typically lay out a bowl or two just to give a new blend a go right away. The 4 oz. jars hold my 1 oz bags, perfectly, so I'd assume an 8 oz. jar should hold twice that easily, and most tins comes in around 1.75 oz. So if they're over topping a little bit, I say make sure you put it in the jar in thin layers, making sure to pack it down with your fingers pretty tightly. You can't pour it full and try to cram it down as easily as layering it slowly. Just pour a bit in, pack it tight, pour some more, pack again, all the way to the top and it should all fit. Ever notice how tightly packed that tin is when you crack it?

 

[techie]

Yes, I have noticed the tins are packed real tight, so I did the same with the jars, pretty much the way you described it carolinachurchwarden.
Thank you all for helping out this beginner!

 

[scloyd]

I pack as much of a tin as possible into a jar. What doesn't fit in the jar stays in the tin and I smoke that first. Usually, I can fit all of it in the jar.

 

[sparroa]

I don't stuff the hell out of my tobacco jars because they can fit quite a lot and I prefer to measure out smaller portions so I am not automatically unsealing 100g of aged tobacco whenever I want to crack one open. I don't smoke a lot so smaller quantities suit me just fine! I'm sure both ways work as I have enjoyed 8-10 year old jars of the same blends containing lots of air space versus minimal air space without noticing an appreciable difference in the taste or smoking properties...