Preparing Flake for Cellaring

[jaytex1969]

Good day, all.
I just got two pounds of HH Flake, Old Dark Fired and Bold Kentucky.
Each is in a dense, vacuum sealed package the size of a small book.
Since the seal is good, should I drop them into the cellar "as is" or hack them up into jar sized chunks?
Since they come vacuum sealed from the producer, I imagine there would be no aging occurring without some air.
Half of my brain says to jar it so that some aging can occur. The other half says I can jar it whenever I break the seal in the near or far future.
Please share your secret knowledge!
Thanks.
Jay :nana:

 

[ashdigger]

JAR THEM. JAR THEM NOW. Sorry for yelling, I don't want you falling for someone else's bs.
And yes, you'll need to shorten the flakes.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Yep, I jar mine as well.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

Half of my brain says to jar it so that some aging can occur.

That's the good half.
Three votes for jar (3.5 if you include the good half of your brain). Get to work!

 

[ashdigger]

My concern is that someone will post about a bag they dug out of a dust covered trunk and it's marvelously aged and then spew bullshit like......oh I trust the bags, and you should too. I've seen that nonsense too many times.

 

[mcitinner1]

Four and one half. Use scissors to cut the flakes to size if you're not using quarts, and put as much as you can fit in each jar.

 

[wyfbane]

Jar! Jar! Jar! Jar!
5.5 for jarring.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Or put unopened bag in sealed mylar. You don't need to introduce more oxygen.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

Or put unopened bag in sealed mylar. You don't need to introduce more oxygen.

I GUESS, but then you have to order mylar bags and get a heat-sealer or try and use an iron or something. And when you DO want to open it, then you have to jar the remainder ANYWAY. I have never subscribed to the mylar thing. Seems unnecessarily finicky when mason jars are so readily available and cheap.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I don't disagree, just mentioning options. You can also stuff the unopened bag in a mason jar.

 

[cosmicbobo]

My concern is that someone will post about a bag they dug out of a dust covered trunk and it's marvelously aged and then spew bullshit like......oh I trust the bags, and you should too. I've seen that nonsense too many times.

Okay, that happened to me, story to follow when I am in a reflective mood, but jar it, me boy is the answer!

Cosmania

 

[ashdigger]

The problem with leaving stuff in the bag and then placing it in a sealed mylar bag is........if it ages appreciably........ what do you do after you open the bag? The product will deteriorate before your eyes. If you jar it in smaller portions you will solve many problems in one shot.

 

[mcitinner1]

^^^Yep

 

[jaytex1969]

So, can this block of compressed flake be cut with a knife, or is there an easier/preferred way to process it?
Jay :nana:

 

[pipesmokingtom]

 

[weezell]

Use scissors to cut the flakes to size

Yes, young grasshopper... ::

 

[josephcross]

Jar it! though I'm kind of thinking I should break my jars down to smaller sizes, as to smoke them without compromising the rest, seeing as my smoking rate is far less than the rate in which I buy.

 

[prairiedruid]

Even Jar Jar jars his tobacco!

 

[cosmicbobo]

@josephcross I use four ounce ball jars. Good for two ounces tobacco.

 

[josephcross]

I've been using mostly 8oz for long term storage. I have two oz for a lot of my right now stuff, but I think that I need to intersperse them more into my long term cellaring operation.