Shelf life of an open tin

[seitz55]

I bought a tin of McClelland's Christmas Cheer 2016 about a year ago. I opened it and after my first bowl I put it away because of the over powering smell of ketchup and I ended up forgetting about it. I was organizing my tobacco cellar and I came across it. I am pleasantly surprised that the over powering smell of ketchup is pretty much gone. My question is, will it be safe to smoke after being open so long in the tin?

 

[warren]

Safe? Should be. Might need a wee bit of hydration.

 

[seitz55]

Thank you, I will give it a try.

 

[akfilm]

I just smoked an open tin from 1960. I would imagine if it's not moldy it's fine. I have several tobaccos I purposely leave for a year (and a Christmas blend is one of them)

 

[mso489]

warren nailed it, as he often does. Now I'd go ahead and jar (and label) the tobacco, to keep it well if not exactly fresh. As I've mentioned, I think dry tobacco does better than you'd think. It's not the way to get the optimal taste, but can last a long time. Now get it in a jar.

 

[iamn8]

Chemically speaking, what's up with the McClelland thing?

 

[aquadoc]

I like the smell of the McClelland tobaccos.

 

[seitz55]

I am smoking a bit of it now and it is an exceptional smoke and I am beyond happy on how it turned out. Thanks for the advise and I will be jarring the rest of the tobacco.

 

[tbradsim1]

I've left some out, that I had opened and forgot for over a year, kinda crispy but smoked good or better than fresh.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

what's up with the McClelland thing?

When I set my own crop up to sweat out the ammonia, the vinegar is a natural by product. I imagine that either other companies don't sweat out the ammonia which are what causes bite, or cover up the natural flavors with casings and such.

 

[iamn8]

It's such a signature and unique to the brand. Interesting. I love 2015. Before even trying it I bought a couple pounds. I'm glad I did.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I can smell that same aroma in several other brands' versions of Virginias.

 

[toobfreak]

I've had tobaccos left in tins and pouches for years and no harm was ever done. Stuff dried, but otherwise smelled good. The worst thing that I think can happen is for some of the essential oils and other flavorings either added or developed in the curing dry out or go away, but just a little judicious remoisturizing just enough that the tobacco is no longer brittle and has a little flexibility to it is about the best thing you can do for it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

All I usually do when I want a touch of moisture is just put my lips over the bowl and blow backwards through the pipe. Just the condensation from my breath tends to be enough to take the edge off without soaking down the tobacco and making it bitey. YMMV

 

[iamn8]

Cos, I've never tried that before. How do we get your condensated breath? Or will anyone's do?

 

[mikestanley]

In cases where a tin will remain open, I put a piece of wax paper on top then put the lid on. It works very well for me. I find this especially helpful on 8oz tins. I'm just not a "jar it" guy. In my cellar, it keeps the tobacco moist for about a year. Obviously, each time you open it, you lose a bit of moisture. As for that McClelland thing, it doesn't transfer to the smoked tobacco. Some say its fermentation, others that it's an anti fungal treatment McClelland uses. Mike and Mary McNeil seem to say it's the former. For me, it's never been an issue.

Mike S.

 

[condorlover1]

This is an interesting topic of conversation. I have noticed that some tobaccos seem to keep far better than others. I have found pouches of Condor in jackets in my wardrobe that are months old and are still fresh and smokable. There are some blends that just never seen to go off like Captain Monochromatic aka Captain Black where opened pouches have been found from 2000 years ago in Egyptian pyramids and the stuff is a moist as a virgins cooter. Strangely War Horse Bar tends to dry out in the tin very quickly and if not consumed within a week of opening tends to resemble modeling balsa wood for some strange reason!

 

[mikestanley]

Captain Black...the Twinkies of pipe tobacco?
Mike S.

 

[condorlover1]

:rofl: Mike you hit the nail right on the head - the Twinkie of the pipe tobacco world!

 

[64alex]

I don't like to jar so to keep the tobacco fresh after I open the tin I put a double aluminum foil under the cover and I seal the tin with electric tape. The tobacco stay fresh this way very well.