To keep the tobacco in its tin I use a double aluminum foil placed below the lid and cut just below the border of the lid. Then I seal with electric tape between the aluminum foil and the lid. Tin resealed in this way are still as fresh as when originally opened 2 years ago. If you want to add an extra layer of security you can run aluminum tape on top of this. I like to reseal opened tins in this way as it save space and it is easy to recognize different tins easily. For long term cellaring of bulk tobacco Mason Jars are the way to go, while for long term cellaring of tinned tobacco I leave it in the tin and to be safe I run a layer of aluminum tape around the lid.
Storage Questions
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Yes those 50 tins have all been opened.
The mason jars I've used don't seem to be completely airtight unless I seal them every time.
@oldtoby: Thanks for the vegetable oil advice. Would it work with silicone, and is vaseline fine?
The mason jars I've used don't seem to be completely airtight unless I seal them every time.
@oldtoby: Thanks for the vegetable oil advice. Would it work with silicone, and is vaseline fine?
Vaseline is a petroleum product. Not sure how that might work out with rubber or silicone. I'd use vegetable oil to be safe. A thin film is all you need to keep them lubricated from drying out.
As for the Mason jars, just make sure the rims of the jars are wiped clean of tobacco dust. Same for the rubber seal on the lids.
After you pack a jar for long term storage, wipe both rim and lid with a damp paper towel. Then apply the lid and ring, hand tightened. Some tobaccos will create a seal strong enough to pull the lid popper down, some won't.
Don't worry. The ones that don't will be fine. I have jars from the late eighties that are still pristine.
Even the jars you smoke out of will last for several years provided you keep the rims and lids free from tobacco dust and particles.
As for the Mason jars, just make sure the rims of the jars are wiped clean of tobacco dust. Same for the rubber seal on the lids.
After you pack a jar for long term storage, wipe both rim and lid with a damp paper towel. Then apply the lid and ring, hand tightened. Some tobaccos will create a seal strong enough to pull the lid popper down, some won't.
Don't worry. The ones that don't will be fine. I have jars from the late eighties that are still pristine.
Even the jars you smoke out of will last for several years provided you keep the rims and lids free from tobacco dust and particles.
But, for me, I usually have less than 12 tins open, most of the time just five, but I don't worry so much about tobacco drying out. I think that we tend to overthink it, and want to keep it wet, and then dry it out right before we smoke, but true staleness takes a long time to achieve. Dryness is easily dealt with.
But, 50... or even 12 tins for someone who only smokes once a week... then you might want to get a strategy. But, why so many open? If you just try one blend once, and you don't like it, you really haven't given it a shot. Before I pass judgment I will sometimes smoke two tins of something, in different pipes. Most of the time, I can find a perfect combination, or just find a mood for that blend. If I had 50 to chose from, I would spend more time just staring at all of the tins and thinking, and with my brain that would start to feel like looking for my keys.
But, 50... or even 12 tins for someone who only smokes once a week... then you might want to get a strategy. But, why so many open? If you just try one blend once, and you don't like it, you really haven't given it a shot. Before I pass judgment I will sometimes smoke two tins of something, in different pipes. Most of the time, I can find a perfect combination, or just find a mood for that blend. If I had 50 to chose from, I would spend more time just staring at all of the tins and thinking, and with my brain that would start to feel like looking for my keys.
I fell into this trap too, just opening new tins to figure out what I like so I can get more of it before it goes out of stock. So I have quite a few in jars, just resting and waiting.
What I decided is I'll smoke 5-7 jars in rotation (as I am a one bowl a day guy as well, except for weekends) and take copious notes in what I like about the tobacco and give it a mental rank. If by the end of the jar I crave more, I'll add to my order list.
But I'll have to wait until the stuff comes back in stock. There is quite a bit out there that has been sitting vacant.
What I decided is I'll smoke 5-7 jars in rotation (as I am a one bowl a day guy as well, except for weekends) and take copious notes in what I like about the tobacco and give it a mental rank. If by the end of the jar I crave more, I'll add to my order list.
But I'll have to wait until the stuff comes back in stock. There is quite a bit out there that has been sitting vacant.
I keep 8-12 open tins, bags for 2 ounces or so from shops, stuff I have pulled from jars, etc. in my man cave by my smoking chair at all times. Typically, I will put a small Boveda 62 in a 100 g McClelland tin, put the plastic lid back on that, and put the tin in a ziplock bag. I have three ziplocks right now with various quantities of smaller zip locks inside, one for Peretti stuff, one for some G&H, one for PS, each with one small Boveda. That works for me. I have had some things for over six months with the moisture content perfect. I rarely have to replace a Boveda before I have gone through the tobacco. But 50? Bovedas are cheap if you get them with free shipping from, say, Amazon, but they aren't free.
I looked at the Mylar bags Craig recommended. Amazon pairs them with an oxygen absorbing product that's a small cube and claims to absorb the majority of the oxygen left in the package after sealing. What do you think of something like that?
I have heard from Greg Pease and others that you want the microbes that start the aging enzyme process to eat up all of the oxygen, so them having some oxygen at the start of the process is essential. This is why vacuum packing is not a thing amongst tobacco cellar-ers.
I remember reading that from Greg Pease but didn't remember the details. That makes sense. Thanks.
First of all, thanks for all the responses.
I'm thinking off simply putting a layer off plastic foil over all the lever lid jars. It really feels as if this should be airtight.
I'm thinking off simply putting a layer off plastic foil over all the lever lid jars. It really feels as if this should be airtight.
[I'm thinking off simply putting a layer off plastic foil over all the lever lid jars. It really feels as if this should be airtight.]
This will be useless as I tested when I started smoking as plastic is not airtight. Putting a double layer aluminum foil under the lid and sealing it with electric tape will keep the tobacco fresh for a long time (as now I tested for at least 2 years).
This will be useless as I tested when I started smoking as plastic is not airtight. Putting a double layer aluminum foil under the lid and sealing it with electric tape will keep the tobacco fresh for a long time (as now I tested for at least 2 years).
Goshdarn it.
Tin foil lids like bryguy suggested? Or putting them in some version off those Mylar bags, if I can find big enough ones.
Vegetable oil or vaseline on the lids is another option. What vegetable oil does the fine gentleman who recommended this recommend?
I realize that I have a way off testing this since I have essential oils. That stuff has EXTREMELY potent aroma that has penetrated every single type off storage I've tested, except warm-water sealed mason jars.
This is how I initially decided to dismiss non-sealed mason jars.
I will test the various different sealing methods suggested and post the result, probably in a separate thread for future reference.
Also, I'd like to defend my decision off buying 50 tins in the following manner: living in Sweden, pipe tobacco costs almost half if I order it from Denmark or Germany, so I made two massive orders with the plan off not buying any new pipe tobacco for about 3-4 years (I calculated that that's how long it will take). It's also easier to plan my economy when I already have everything I need for keeping this hobby alive (I also have a ridicolous amount off estate pipes, most off them bought criminally cheap)
Tin foil lids like bryguy suggested? Or putting them in some version off those Mylar bags, if I can find big enough ones.
Vegetable oil or vaseline on the lids is another option. What vegetable oil does the fine gentleman who recommended this recommend?
I realize that I have a way off testing this since I have essential oils. That stuff has EXTREMELY potent aroma that has penetrated every single type off storage I've tested, except warm-water sealed mason jars.
This is how I initially decided to dismiss non-sealed mason jars.
I will test the various different sealing methods suggested and post the result, probably in a separate thread for future reference.
Also, I'd like to defend my decision off buying 50 tins in the following manner: living in Sweden, pipe tobacco costs almost half if I order it from Denmark or Germany, so I made two massive orders with the plan off not buying any new pipe tobacco for about 3-4 years (I calculated that that's how long it will take). It's also easier to plan my economy when I already have everything I need for keeping this hobby alive (I also have a ridicolous amount off estate pipes, most off them bought criminally cheap)
If you are planning on putting some of them away for longer, I put mine (pints) in a 3inch hot tap water bath for 5 minutes or so, and the tighten the lids. The brief heating is enough to suck the lids down for a visually sure seal, but the tobacco doesn't get hot enough to change any flavor or anything like true hot water bath canning would. If I open a blend and deem it would be better in time, that's the route I usually go. Otherwise I keep em in jars with regular old hand tightened lids, and everything is fine. I have a couple jars that are over 14 years old that were not hot water sealed, and the contents are still in good shape.
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