Rectangle Tin Seals/Tobacco Scent

[Jacob74]

Hey friends,
I recently acquired a tin of Skiff Mixture from another forum member. I could smell the tobacco in the mailing envelope, and from the tin itself, despite the fact that the tin was in great shape, and still had the plastic wrap holding the lid on. I steeled myself for a potentially dried out tin...but then this morning I cut the plastic, and lo and behold there was a mighty sucking noise when I lifted the side of the tin to crack it open. Clearly, there was a vacuum!
The tobacco is emphatically not dry.
I'm a bit on the confused side for how the tin could both simultaneously leak aroma, and also be holding a vacuum. Also, the scent wasn't lakeland sauce, it's the latakia that I could smell, so it doesn't seem like it could just be some juice on the outside of the tin.
Does anyone have any thoughts or insight?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Just jar it.
Although, I will be checking in from time to time to laugh at responses. This question always gets the tin foil hat wearers going. Haha.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

I put all square tins in food saver bags and vacuum seal em, the food saver bag itself doesn't really do anything other than apply pressure to the lid and keep them from popping.

 

[sjohnston0311]

I have a stack of milspec foil bags - basically foil lined mylar - that I seal all of my square tins in. Not sure of it's really necessary, but I've heard reports of them losing the vacuum seal over time, and I've even had one pop open on me after receiving it in the mail. I don't bother to vacuum seal the bags, just heat seal them with a clothes iron so if the seal on the tin gives out it will stay fresh.

 

[sablebrush52]

Hey friends,
I recently acquired a tin of Skiff Mixture from another forum member. I could smell the tobacco in the mailing envelope, and from the tin itself, despite the fact that the tin was in great shape, and still had the plastic wrap holding the lid on. I steeled myself for a potentially dried out tin...but then this morning I cut the plastic, and lo and behold there was a mighty sucking noise when I lifted the side of the tin to crack it open. Clearly, there was a vacuum!
The tobacco is emphatically not dry.
I'm a bit on the confused side for how the tin could both simultaneously leak aroma, and also be holding a vacuum. Also, the scent wasn't lakeland sauce, it's the latakia that I could smell, so it doesn't seem like it could just be some juice on the outside of the tin.
Does anyone have any thoughts or insight?

A. The scent you smelled was deposited from the environment where the tin had been stored prior to its shipment to you. I've had shipments where there was a residual tobacco smell on the contents.

B. Your tin hasn't lost its seal, but is in the very slow process of losing its vacuum, which is quite common. Square and rectangular tins, by nature of their shape, cannot hold a constant level of pressure around the perimeter, and over years lose some or all of that seal. Circular tins are much better at staying sealed.

There a test you can do, which I did years ago. Pack a sealable tupper container with square and rectangular tins of Virginia and seal it. Pack a sealable tupperware container with square and rectangular tins of Latakia or oriental blends and seal it. Pack another sealable tupperware container with canister tins and seal that.

Wait a couple of weeks.

Open the Virginia container and take a sniff. You'll smell the Virginia tobaccos. Next, open the container with the Latakia and Oriental blends, you'll smell Latakia and Orientals. Open the container of canisters. You won't smell the tobacco. Rectangular and square metal tins leak. They were never meant for long term storage.

The one closet where I store tins of tobacco, reeks of tobacco when I open the door. The tobacco stored in other closets is binned, so the smell is confined to the bin. But when I open the bin to pull something out, the scent of tobacco is very present.

 

[Jacob74]

Time to order up some more jars (or start smoking way more), lol!

 

[Deano]

I recently opened a tin of Westmorland l had marked 7/17 and its fine. I dont doubt the square tins can pop but l havnt seen it.

 

[Winnipeger]

Silicone seals are not impermeable so they allow aromas to escape. However, as long as the pressure inside the tin is low enough compared to outside, the lid will stay sucked in place. How long will it take for the pressure inside to equalize with that outside? Years, decades...? Depends on the compression of the seal and the rate of exchange through it.

 

[verporchting]

I’m going to invent a Gor-bak fabric ziplock bag for tins (separate bags for square and round tins!) that will allow minimal passage of air molecules but will prevent the larger “scent” molecules from passing. Then I’m going to market them in tiered pricing for VA, Latakia and Aromatic versions to encourage debates over whether or not you can store one genre of tobacco in the “wrong” Gor-bak bag or whether it will dry out prematurely or hinder the aging process in your cellar. Then I’m going to market the bags with screen printed logos for the tobacco blends (properly licensed in cooperation with the blenders of course!) naturally resulting in rabid debates over whether it’s okay to store square tins of SG in a Gor-bak (mind you I’m claiming copyright and registered trademarks on these products beginning immediately!!!) bag clearly marked as for use ONLY for Esoterica round aromatic tins, and of course the debates over whether the incorrect Gor-bak bag usage will result in scent leakage or premature drying or inadequate aging in the cellar.

I’m going to be filthy rich and spend my retirement cackling gleefully over the raging controversy that I’ve helped create and launched into the internet!!!!

This is going to be great.

 

[kcghost]

I have no problem with sealed round tins. I have opened numerous tins from 0-25 years in the cellar and they have been fine, I have lost a total of two rounds tins in that period of time, YMMV.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I’m going to invent a Gor-bak fabric ziplock bag

I think in most if these, the weak point is the ziplock. You’d have to reinvent that one part also.

 

[verporchting]

My wife used to comment on the strong tobacco smell from the drawers I stored all my tins in. I started sealing them in her food saver vacuum bags and she’s never noticed any smell at all and I’ve never encountered a dried out tin in about 7-8 years. I haven’t noticed any harm whatsoever regarding the aging process either. Of course I immediately jar up bulk blends or any bags/tins that won’t be smoked immediately after opening. Meh, seems to work fine.

 

[verporchting]

I think in most if these, the weak point is the ziplock. You’d have to reinvent that one part also.

Hmmm, need to source something better. Do we know any rocket surgeons with pipe tobacco interests? There’s a lucrative opportunity here waiting to make their wildest dreams come true (on a percentage basis with my percentage being larger of course).

 

[Jacob74]

I don't know any rocket surgeons, but one of my cousins is a nuclear gynecologist.

 

[verporchting]

I don't know any rocket surgeons, but one of my cousins is a nuclear gynecologist.

I nearly choked to death while reading this as I was eating Chicken in a Biskit snack crackers. I haven’t had a laugh like that in ages. Did not see that coming.

I have questions, so many questions, LOL.

 

[Zero]

I nearly choked to death while reading this as I was eating Chicken in a Biskit snack crackers. I haven’t had a laugh like that in ages. Did not see that coming.

I have questions, so many questions, LOL.

Same, but I spewed my beer. I was imagining the clientele (MARS ATTACKS)

 

[Val]

Hey friends,
I recently acquired a tin of Skiff Mixture from another forum member. I could smell the tobacco in the mailing envelope, and from the tin itself, despite the fact that the tin was in great shape, and still had the plastic wrap holding the lid on. I steeled myself for a potentially dried out tin...but then this morning I cut the plastic, and lo and behold there was a mighty sucking noise when I lifted the side of the tin to crack it open. Clearly, there was a vacuum!
The tobacco is emphatically not dry.
I'm a bit on the confused side for how the tin could both simultaneously leak aroma, and also be holding a vacuum. Also, the scent wasn't lakeland sauce, it's the latakia that I could smell, so it doesn't seem like it could just be some juice on the outside of the tin.
Does anyone have any thoughts or insight?

Air gets out but not back in

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

Just jar it.
Although, I will be checking in from time to time to laugh at responses. This question always gets the tin foil hat wearers going. Haha.

Which reminds me how much I love the way UK folks say “aluminum”!

 

[TheWhale13]

My recently acquired Gawith tins smell too. I'm not too worried, they seem to hold for the time being, and either I'll notice if they dry when I eventually open them, or I'll mylar them up when I get the chance.

 

[verporchting]

My recently acquired Gawith tins smell too. I'm not too worried, they seem to hold for the time being, and either I'll notice if they dry when I eventually open them, or I'll mylar them up when I get the chance.

So long as you’re not cellaring for the long term that will probably work but I wouldn’t trust several hundreds of dollars worth of premium tinned tobacco to not turn to mummy dust in a drawer somewhere over the course of years. Brrr, that gives me the Wiggins just thinking about it.