With impending new taxes on tobacco it's prudent to stock up, but after I've stocked up I know enough to store my tobacco in a cool, dry place but any other hints? What about the freezer? Right now for my loose blends I use a nice squat, widemouth Ball canning jar (Walmart - $4.00 for 4) that holds 1-2 oz nicely and I keep them in my basement.
Pipe Tobacco Storage
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I would advise against a freezer, I hear it negatively impact the tobacco itself AND it will slow down aging significantly. I stick with mason jars filled to the top(with a finger's worth of air space on top), in a cool place, away from sunlight.
Definantly don't store them in the freezer.... My tobacco cellar is the closet in the guest bedroom. It also doubles as my cigar storage room so I have a window unit operating 24/7. I keep the room at 71 degrees, and the relative humidity in the room generaly hovers around 48 to 52 percent. I use the same jars, plus the other sizes for bulk storage, and have several sealed tins in there as well. I know some keep theirs in a quality cooler, and since summer is coming on most retailers are putting them out at decent prices.. Should work well in your basement and will protect them from excess moisture or the off chance of a broken pipe or seepage..
Mason jars, mason jars, mason jars...
They are the first and last word on pipe tobacco storage.
With cigars, you need to buy an expensive high quality humidor or go through the effort and expense of creating a "coolidor". Pipe tobacco, on the other hand, only requires the humble mason jar.
Cheap, simple, widely available storage. New jars don't even need to be cleaned.
After that, shield them from light and extreme moisture/dryness/temperature fluctuations and you should be good to go... It doesn't matter if they are under your bed, in a closet, in a cooler, in a drawer, or in a specially made cellar as long as all of those conditions are met.
They are the first and last word on pipe tobacco storage.
With cigars, you need to buy an expensive high quality humidor or go through the effort and expense of creating a "coolidor". Pipe tobacco, on the other hand, only requires the humble mason jar.
Cheap, simple, widely available storage. New jars don't even need to be cleaned.
After that, shield them from light and extreme moisture/dryness/temperature fluctuations and you should be good to go... It doesn't matter if they are under your bed, in a closet, in a cooler, in a drawer, or in a specially made cellar as long as all of those conditions are met.
yaz, those are fine but you do not need to spend that kind of money on jars. In this pic on the top shelf is what I use and I buy them at walmart. The large ones are 8.97 and I can put 2 pounds in each. The reason I like the ones I buy is because of the silicone gaskets, I have had rubber ones go bad after a decade.
I store my open tins in the plastic tupperware like tubs and they keep my open tins fresh for months at a time. A 4 pack of different sizes is like 6 bucks or so also at walmart.
I store my open tins in the plastic tupperware like tubs and they keep my open tins fresh for months at a time. A 4 pack of different sizes is like 6 bucks or so also at walmart.
I hate to say this, but I do not have a single mason jar. Ok, most of my tobacco is in sealed cans. But there is about 20# of bulk. I keep it in the original bags then pour some in a big cigar humidor for access. The humidor has dividers & will store up to 4 blends. It will also rehumidify blends that have dried out. I know that the tobacco doesn't age as well in plastic bags and the humidor, but it does age enough to mellow it a little. Anything that requires more aging I buy in cans.
Thanks Harris. The ones I showed have silicone gaskets as well and thought since they weren't clear they would provide more protection against light, but since I keep them in a cabinet with doors no light gets in anyway.
I think I will hit the Mart of Wal and get the ones you have. I already have two of the ones I showed (the smallest version)but will get the clearer ones going forward.
I think I will hit the Mart of Wal and get the ones you have. I already have two of the ones I showed (the smallest version)but will get the clearer ones going forward.
I use bailing jars with silicon O rings and just keep them in the basement; It's the closest thing I have to an actual cellar and since it is below ground it stays nice and cool. Although to be perfectly honest a tobacco bunker may be on the bucket list I have an awfully big backyard. :lol:
Thanks guys for all of the information! My wife says that if you want "fancy" containers, WallyWorld has a good selection, but try Marshalls, and Ross outlet stores. Personally, Mason jars all the way for me.
PS - I'm a lucky one my basement is dry and cool.
PSS - What about those little silver humidifier disks?
PS - I'm a lucky one my basement is dry and cool.
PSS - What about those little silver humidifier disks?
For long term storage I only use ball jars, but I did buy some of those same plastic flip jars from Wal-Mart that Harris has - I have four of them and I only use them for open tins. I was pretty skeptical about them at first - so I filled one with water and spun it around upside down. Not a single drop came out, so I think they are pretty tight. Still, for long terms storage, ball jars are what I use.
roth,
Not all plastic is from a Christmas tree shop and not all plastic is cheap and stinky. These jars are expensive for a reason, they are very high quality and they have no smell and they keep tobacco great for years. Just because you swear by your jars does not make it the only way to store tobacco and that your way is the only way. The guy who turned me on to these is someone I trust and someone who has a great deal of experience in storing tobacco for a long time.
Not all plastic is from a Christmas tree shop and not all plastic is cheap and stinky. These jars are expensive for a reason, they are very high quality and they have no smell and they keep tobacco great for years. Just because you swear by your jars does not make it the only way to store tobacco and that your way is the only way. The guy who turned me on to these is someone I trust and someone who has a great deal of experience in storing tobacco for a long time.
I use a variety of different mason jar sizes for long term storage. That said, I also have a bunch of the same plastic jars that Harris has. I think those pastic jars, with silicone seals, are very high quality and I would not worry about them imparting flavour to the tobacco for long term storage. The only reason why I don't use them for long term storage is because I prefer smaller jars, which forces me to use mason jars.
I will say that one issue I have had with mason jars is that you really have to watch the lids and seals. I find that some times the lids don't fit properly and don't provide a perfect seal (if the lid keeps turning without "locking", that is a bad sign). This has actually happened numerous times to me, which is why I have bought several boxes of just lids - I would guess that 15 or 20% of the time I have to use a different lid to get a new jar tightly sealed. I have found that this problem is more common with the wide mouth mason jars, which I do prefer because they are easier to stack.
I just picked up a case of the same jars astrange has and I picked up a case of 1/2 pint, pint, and quart. I have lots of 2qt jars to go along with them from when I smoked my pipe 10yr ago. I plan to stock my celler jammed full and maybe even a little more on the top shelf lol. Everyone has a nice looking haul so far! I will be sure to post some pics once my pipe rack is built and things are a little more organized 
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