Tins vs Jars (Storage Question)

[David_Lawrence]

While I'm aware that airtight jars are ideal for longer term storage, what would the result be of keeping tobacco in a tin over the course of time (weeks vs months vs over a year)?

I ask because I see that the tins most smokers here refer to are the thin rubber lidded variety with a disposable metal ring-pull lid (these being common in American distribution but nonexistent among British) and am wondering, frankly hoping, that it's the poorer quality of these tins that necessitates the transfer as I'd certainly never store opened tobacco in those thing.

I don't have the room to put all my tobaccos into individual airtight jars so my compromise was to buy a large jar and keep all my small tins in there, these being the traditional rectangular tins as below:

From the mingled scent in the big jar, it's clear that these tins aren't airtight but being locked in the jar I'm reasonably confident they're protected enough. The ones I'm more wondering about are the larger tighter circular tins as below:

These have a much tighter fit and if I didn't know better, I'd just assume that when tightly closed they'd be sufficient for storing in a cupboard but with all the talk of transferring into jars, I'm concerned that the tobacco I love so much (e.g. Peterson's/Dunhill Elizabethan) will get worse as time goes by rather than improving or at least sustaining their quality.

They're too large to fit through the opening of my giant jar so currently they're just stacked up in my cupboard - is this the road to ruin?

Finally, the jars I'm using are the far more prevalent rubber seal flip latch variety as below:

And while Mason jars may be the best, are these ones really not airtight or is it more a case of them potentially leaking if the rubber is broken or degraded?

I love having a grand selection of tobaccos to hand and am not going to be finishing tins any time soon (Peterson's dwindling Irish Flake notwithstanding) so I'm in a bit of a...trying not to say pickle here.

Thanks as always.

 

[verporchting]

Tins stored in a drawer filled the room with tobacco scent. They leak scent ergo air is circulating.

Jars stored in drawers do not ergo better seal.

I have several bail lid jars; some seal well but some don’t. They’re handy for my go to blends because of size and convenience but I’d never trust my tobacco to them for the long term.

Jars for long term is a proven solution. I’ve vacuum sealed some tins in Mylar food bags as an experiment and I don’t smell anything when those tins are stored in a drawer. Ask me again in 15 years if it worked out well, lol,

 

[David_Lawrence]

Looks like I'll have to be recycling some glass then. I'd expect to have these tobaccos for about two years so if they wouldn't keep well for that long then I'll have to find some Masons.

Shame about the round English tins though, I was hoping they'd be a different story to the old traditional loose lid sort. So far the oldest was still only opened about two months ago though so I should have time to rescue them, and having to buy one or two more won't be a disaster, I just didn't want to go on building a collection only to find they'd been wasted.

Cheers.

 

[sisyphus]

bean dip style tins are fine for long term

standard round and square tins, and old style 14oz ring pull are mostly fine, although depending on humidity levels will rust

rectangular tins like Germain can't be trusted

jars are safe as houses, but again, depending on humidity level you may need to replace the lids at some point

 

[redglow]

Unfortunately, once you pop the tin, it's all downhill from there. I have a few tins that need to be rehydrated as I didn't get around to smoking or jarring them after the initial few bowls.

So, if you have a tin that's going to be around for a while, it's best to get it transferred into an airtight container.