Tobacco Aging Project - Request for Suggestions

[Spinkle]

Good Evening Gentlemen,

I've learned a great deal from the internet in general and this site in particular over the last couple of years that I've been taking pipe smoking seriously. One of the things that I was surprised to learn was that pipe tobacco can actually get better with age. Despite living in Canada I have managed to amass a very tiny "cellar" of tins that I like or are one of a kind/extinct that I'm going to save for a few years.

On the other hand, I believe that I've read that aging tobacco in mason jars is also a method by which tobacco can be aged, and the results, while different for some reason related to fermentation that I'm not quite clear on, are also delicious.

Fast forward to back in July, I was still just getting a taste for straight Virginia blends, and having been studying up on them learned about how these seem to have the best "aging potential". I was strolling through the local Canadian Tire and happened to see a six pack of very large mason jars. I'm not sure if you guys get jars of this size in the USA or other places, but I'd not seen them before and so decided to snap them up and start a little experiment.



I made a large (for me) purchase from SmokingPipes.com and was lucky enough to get it through customs without duty. I then proceeded to jar 1lb each of Cornell & Diehl's Virginia Flake, Mac Baren's Virginia #1 and Mac Baren's HH Pure Virginia.








I also had purchased a 100g tin of Solani: Silver Flake, which I decided to shove in another of these massive oversized jars.

Today, my latest order arrived (again the tobacco gods smiled on me and no duty was assessed), which included 1lb of Mac Baren Mixture: Scottish Blend, and a second 100g tin of Solani: Silver Flake. I jarred the Mac Baren Mixture and put the next 100g of Solani in with the last batch.



My plan is to purchase a tin of Solani on each of my next few orders and continue adding until I hit a pound or so.

The overall long-term plan is to fill the final jar, put the plastic back over the case and squirrel the 6lbs of tobacco down in our storage locker in the basement which is a steady temperature and virtually no light. My goal is to age these jars for 10 years before opening them and smoking them.

If you've managed to read this far into my rambling, you'll know that I have one jar left, which brings me to the purpose of this post. I would love to get my fellow forum members' suggestions on what I should use to fill this last Jar:



I have no real preference other than it should be available to purchase in amounts larger than the most common sized tins as that just seems like a pain. Bulk or packaged 1lb bags I think would work best. I also think it would be best to mix it up a bit more and not include another straight Virginia.

Please provide me with your thoughts and suggestions and thanks for reading.

 

[rmpeeps]

I’d recommend Simply Red from Watch City Cigars.

 

[danimalia]

Heh, nice. My suggestion would be one of the Stokkebye Luxury Flakes. They come in 1.5lb boxes, or you can pretty much just buy as much as you want since it's pretty affordable from the usual online suspects. I had a jar of Luxury Navy Flake I forgot about for like 3 years, and when I found it, the contents were so fragrant and flavorful.

I haven't had Simply Red, but Watch City's Flake #558 is one I really love and think would age wonderfully as well. Simply Red might make a good choice just to compare how a blend of straight red VAs might compare to other VA or VaPer blends.

 

[Worknman]

Definitely get yourself a pound of No.8 slice from ljperetti. Its a virginia/perique with a little added burley in sort of a crumble cake/flake form. Really good stuff.

 

[Spinkle]

I’d recommend Simply Red from Watch City Cigars.

Thanks I'm going to look at the reviews. Do you know if they ship to Canada?

 

[Spinkle]

Heh, nice. My suggestion would be one of the Stokkebye Luxury Flakes. They come in 1.5lb boxes, or you can pretty much just buy as much as you want since it's pretty affordable from the usual online suspects. I had a jar of Luxury Navy Flake I forgot about for like 3 years, and when I found it, the contents were so fragrant and flavorful.

I haven't had Simply Red, but Watch City's Flake #558 is one I really love and think would age wonderfully as well. Simply Red might make a good choice just to compare how a blend of straight red VAs might compare to other VA or VaPer blends.

Thanks for the suggestions. I actually bought 8oz of Luxury Bullseye Flake about a year ago, which I still have having only smoked a few bowls. The tobacco has definitely turned much darker in that time. My problem is that for some reason Perique just doesn't seem to agree with me very often. I seem to recall that it doesn't age very well, but I could be misremembering.

 

[Spinkle]

Definitely get yourself a pound of No.8 slice from ljperetti. Its a virginia/perique with a little added burley in sort of a crumble cake/flake form. Really good stuff.

This could be a good idea, I've found that burley takes some of the edge off the Perique for me in a blend. I will take a look at this stuff, thanks.

 

[danimalia]

I believe the Luxury Twist Flake from Stokkebye is a pure VA (with a light topping), so if you don't care as much for perique, may be worth looking into.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Rattray’s Old Gowrie or SG FVF

 

[Chasing Embers]

I would put that Solani in a smaller jar to prevent it from drying out.

 

[Patrick_Green]

Might I ask how you procured the stickers for you jars? Id love to do that for mine.

 

[judcole]

I use jars for bulks. If the tobacco I purchase for long term comes in a tin, I leave it in the tin.
Once I place tobacco in a jar, I do not open it until I am ready to smoke that jar of tobacco. When you open the jar, you interrupt the aging process.

 

[haparnold]

I do not open it until I am ready to smoke that jar of tobacco. When you open the jar, you interrupt the aging process

+1. I only jar in small pint mason jars, which generally hold right around 2 ounces of ribbon or a little more of flake.

But, back to the OP's question, I'd recommend one of the Stokkebye flakes. Luxury Navy Flake ages well, is cheap, and is easy to find.

 

[rmpeeps]

Thanks I'm going to look at the reviews. Do you know if they ship to Canada?

I believe they will, though with full disclosure on the shipping docs.
Their boxes make tips to TEXAS just fine!!

 

[cortezattic]

I don't want to quench your enthusiasm for this aspect of the hobby/obsession, but large jars are definitely not the way to go. Small jars allow you to sample blends at various aging milestones without interrupting the process in your remaining stock. Also, tobacco in a jar becomes increasingly dry as you sample from it -- and large jars not only exacerbate the problem, but affect your entire supply.

 

[SpookedPiper]

Nice set up!

 

[seanv]

As Cortez said, the large jars are not ideal for what you're trying to do. I would recommend the small or medium size ones. Canadian Tire has both sizes available almost all of the time. The ageing process stops when the jar is opened. I always compare tobacco cellaring to wine cellaring in regards to sampling along the way. Before ageing I like to have an understanding of what the blend tastes like. I will cellar in the small jars and sample along the way. You are more likely to find your sweet spot this way

 

[haparnold]

The ageing process stops when the jar is opened.

I'm not convinced this is true. GL Pease says the aging process changes when you open an aging jar, because the anaerobic fermentation ceases when oxygen is introduced. That doesn't mean the tobacco will cease to age, but it does mean the aging process won't be the same as if you'd left the jar alone.

From the man himself:

Once the seal of the tin is broken, the delicate balance present in that little ecosystem is permanently altered. You can't go back! So, once that tin is open, either smoke its contents fairly quickly, or transfer it to air-tight containers, like bail-top canning jars. The aging process from this point on will be different, but the tobacco will remain in fine condition for your enjoyment as long as it's kept in good condition. (The plastic lids on my tins will keep the tobacco in find shape for anywhere from a couple weeks to a few months, depending on the ambient temperature and humidity. Just keep an eye on it!) This is the reason, by the way, that I cellar 2-oz tins, rather than the 8-oz ones. Once I open that tin, I want to smoke its contents as quickly as possible to get the maximum enjoyment from my years of patience. It's like a fine wine - cellar it for a long time, but drink it fairly quickly

 

[cortezattic]

Here's an interesting, if somewhat dated, FAQ:

The Pipe Tobacco Aging, Storage and Cellaring FAQ: Bulk Storage Issues

A compendium of knowledge intended for the pipe-smoking enthusiast interested in the aging, storage and cellaring of pipe tobacco.

pipe-club.com

 

[sandollars]

Might I ask how you procured the stickers for you jars? Id love to do that for mine.

+1 on the query about the labels. Care to comment?