Pipe tobacco in a humidor?
- Thread starter PipeGarGuy
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As long as the tobacco in the humidor is being consumed you should have no problems.
Open tins in mason jars if you're not going to smoke straight through it.
I’m smoking through them pretty regularly. I have noticed a lot of tobacco jars on websites with hygrometers built into the lid. What’s with that? Doesn’t that make it a glass humidor? My setup seems to be doing the job. If I need the humidor for more cigars, rather than buy another humidor I’ll try the mason jars.
Meanwhile my Pipe collection grows out of control lol.
There are pipe-tobacco humidors, jars (typically brown glass) that feature a small clay disc in the lids. The idea is that you moisten the clay, secure the lid, and your tobacco should remain fresh. If you’re likely to smoke your tobacco within a couple of weeks, this method should work fine. But the seals on these jars are not very solid, so the jars aren’t well suited for long-term storage. I use those clamping glass jars with rubber seals that you can pick up at Walmart, etc. (Not mason jars.) I recently opened one that had been closed up for four years, and the tobacco was still perfect.
Your tins may rust if stored with such high humidity. A cool, dark place without temperature extremes…. will suffice.
Like maybe, a cellar?
Like maybe, a cellar?
I don't really think that it is a really high humidity, but then I am from Alabama, where high humidity is like everyday. I think that what a humidor might offer is just stabile humidity. It's not like those cigars and tins are going to have condensation on them. Relatively speaking, a humidor is less humidity than me in Alabama leaving a tin... :::cough cough::: anywhere. Ha ha.
You should visit New Jersey. It’s a “dry rain”. The entire State is a Humidor.
I did score two older cans of Granger that were stored in a Cigar Store’s walk-in humidor and the metal rings on the both cans had rusted.
Cigars really shouldn't be kept that moist either. Sounds like they either didn't have a great humidor system or they were morons.
Mason jars work for me. Keep in mind, when storing pipe tobacco in a humidor with cigars, there could be some cross contamination where depending on the type of pipe tobacco, the cigars could begin to take on some of those flavor notes. As much as I love my pipe tobacco, I don't want my cigars tasting like pipe tobacco.
I keep my cigars in one humidor and the pipe tobacco in another humidor. They’re separated from each other.
If it’s working for you, don’t change it (and maybe ignore the rest of this post).
That being said, IMO a humidor is simply not necessary for pipe tobacco storage. Sealed tins should not be kept in a humidor. If you have an open tin or pouch that you’re not going to finish within a couple of weeks, put it in the smallest mason jar that it will fit in. It will be just fine. Any incremental drying that happens in a jar is almost certain to be beneficial. Keep the jars (whether of “open” tins or bulk tobacco in long term storage) out of direct sunlight and in a temperature stable place. There is just no reason for purchasing a humidor or fiddling with RH maintenance for pipe tobacco.
My opinion is based on the premise that most pipe tobacco is too wet to smoke when purchased. Obviously, the degree to which that is true (if at all) varies greatly based on packaging type, blend genre, tinned or bulk, and of course one’s own dryness preference. But as general rule, most of the time that’s true. Most of the blends I smoke I leave out to dry for up to an hour. I’ve never had any tobacco dry out too much from simply handling, transferring to a jar, opening to take out a bowl’s worth, etc. I have forgotten to close a lid now and then, and ended up with dust, but that was my fault and had nothing to do with a lack of Boveda packs.
That being said, IMO a humidor is simply not necessary for pipe tobacco storage. Sealed tins should not be kept in a humidor. If you have an open tin or pouch that you’re not going to finish within a couple of weeks, put it in the smallest mason jar that it will fit in. It will be just fine. Any incremental drying that happens in a jar is almost certain to be beneficial. Keep the jars (whether of “open” tins or bulk tobacco in long term storage) out of direct sunlight and in a temperature stable place. There is just no reason for purchasing a humidor or fiddling with RH maintenance for pipe tobacco.
My opinion is based on the premise that most pipe tobacco is too wet to smoke when purchased. Obviously, the degree to which that is true (if at all) varies greatly based on packaging type, blend genre, tinned or bulk, and of course one’s own dryness preference. But as general rule, most of the time that’s true. Most of the blends I smoke I leave out to dry for up to an hour. I’ve never had any tobacco dry out too much from simply handling, transferring to a jar, opening to take out a bowl’s worth, etc. I have forgotten to close a lid now and then, and ended up with dust, but that was my fault and had nothing to do with a lack of Boveda packs.
I already have the humidor so I might as well keep using it. It’s doing a great job. If I need more room for cigars I’ll move my pipe tobacco to mason jars rather than buy another humidor. I’ve seen jars on websites with hygrometers in them. Isn’t that just a glass humidor?
I had a fairly nice humidor I gave to @woodsroad about ten years ago since I never really used it. I kept a few cigars in the thing and when I put a packet of opened pipe tobacco in the humidor it just tasted of cigars. I am afraid the only cigars I enjoy and occasionally smoke are Marsh Wheeling which I believe were also a favorite of U.S Grants.
The humidor I keep my pipe tobacco in has never had cigars in it, just pipe tobacco. Some of my blends are house blends in ziplock bags and some are in tins. My cigars are in a separate humidor.
I regifted that humidor to a man who loved cigars, but enjoyed liverwurst even more. He found that by keeping his liverwurst in that old humidor, he could have the best of both worlds. Cigarros hechos con paté de hígado!