Tobacco and Cold/Hot Temps

[Hobbs]

I’ve only been smoking pipes for about 2 years so still learning. I live in upstate NY where (obviously) we get freezing temps in the Winter. In the last few Winters when temps were mid 20’s-30’s, I would brave the cold and smoke on my deck as long as there wasn't too much wind. But below these temps and I’m out of luck.
But was thinking about turning my mud room into a smokers room since the only items in there are coats. It doesn’t get any heat or air from the house but I could easily use a space heater and there is a window to open also.
My question is that would storing tobacco out there be a problem? Not only the freezing temps but the hot summer. Could this degrade the tobacco even if I had them stored in mason jars and in a cabinet?

 

[PA Piper Mike]

Much like cigars, you want to keep your tobacco at a fairly consistent temperature, usually between 60-70 degrees. Any colder than 60, (and you might get different opinions on this) and you might affect the flavor and aging (if cellaring) and any hotter, you run the risk for tobacco beetles. If your mud room gets up into the 90s, then you might produce some humid conditions inside the mason jars too which ups your chances for beetles - warmth and humidity. Now, I'm not sure how prevalent they are in pipe tobacco, but I think the same rules might apply.

Smoking out in the mud room wouldn't be an issue, but I can't see anything but potential issues with the temp swings if you store your tobacco out there.

 

[kcghost]

You have look out for temperature changes in the room. Too hot or too cold is bad. The preferred range is a very narrow 60-70 degrees. And the humidity should be kept between 55-70 per cent. The humidity is as important as the temperature.
Realize that pipe smoking generates a decent amount of smoke so your coats will need protection from that.

 

[Tate]

I've left some tobacco the cold garage and didn't notice an issue in mechanics or flavor. Don't know the long term effects though! Definitely watching for more experienced answers.

 

[Hobbs]

You have look out for temperature changes in the room. Too hot or too cold is bad. The preferred range is a very narrow 60-70 degrees. And the humidity should be kept between 55-70 per cent. The humidity is as important as the temperature.
Realize that pipe smoking generates a decent amount of smoke so your coats will need protection from that.

As far as the coats, I assumed they might absorb the smoke but am curious as to how bad.
Muttinchop video stated that since pipe tobacco doesn’t have chemicals like cigarettes, a “room” will not smell like smoke.
Of course Aeros do have some chemicals but am going to experiment by taking MY coats out but leaving my Mother-In-Laws in there…. Will start with a strong Lat Bomb while sitting next to her coat.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

As far as the coats, I assumed they might absorb the smoke but am curious as to how bad.
Muttinchop video stated that since pipe tobacco doesn’t have chemicals like cigarettes, a “room” will not smell like smoke.
Of course Aeros do have some chemicals but am going to experiment by taking MY coats out but leaving my Mother-In-Laws in there…. Will start with a strong Lat Bomb while sitting next to her coat.

The room will smell like a pipe has been enjoyed, how much depends on how often. Absent something trying to prevent it, pretty much everything will absorb whatever there is from the smoke - and I wouldn’t count on any “counter measures” preventing that if you smoke there often (leaving out the labyrinth of air filtration and ventilating systems).

 

[warren]

Smoke adheres to surfaces. tenuously. This includes hair, skin, carpets, paint, glass, clothes and so forth. The reek, mostly unnoticed by the smoker is insidious. Just embrace it as an unavoidable result of smoking. Do as many of us, embrace it, ignore it and simply enjoy your wee vice. "Give it no thought", is my advice.

Up here, in the frozen North, I simply dress for the weather, do my chores, exercise the dog and such all while smoking my pipe. It's currently -2, surrounded by tall snow banks, the dawg and I will be out playing fetch and enjoying the "winter wonderland." It's a cold, sunny, grand day!

 

[Chasing Embers]

Muttinchop video stated that since pipe tobacco doesn’t have chemicals like cigarettes, a “room” will not smell like smoke.

Muttnchop is wrong on a great many things. Smoke is smoke and tobacco smoke of any kind will saturate everything in a room unless you're using an air purifier. Unless you grow it yourself, most pipe tobacco has added chemicals, both natural and unnatural added to it.

 

[Lees65GTO]

Everything will get coated with a thin layer of yellow/brown yuck from the smoke. As for the beetles, unless they were in the tobacco when you bought it, or in another tobacco and you put them together or near each other uncovered, you should not have a problem. I had to throw out over five pounds of Canadian Virginia leaf because some Brightleaf Virginia I bought had beetles and they spread to the Canadian. These were whole leaf tobaccos not a blended tobacco. On a good note freezing them for about eight hours will kill them.

 

[makhorkasmoker]

I keep my tobacco and pipes in a garage. Temps range from freezing to 100 degrees f. Humidity can be high here in Florida. I’ve never had a problem, but I don’t really cellar the tobacco. I buy a pound of burley, smoke it, and replace it with another when needed—usually 2 or 3 months later. If I were cellaring nice Virginias, or anything else for much longer, I’d keep it in a temperature controlled room

 

[badbriar]

Not sure abut pipe tobacco, but storing cigars in cold temps (mid 50's & below) sure is detrimental to the quality and tastes of the cigars. This is from experience when my wineador reset during a power outage to the lowest temperature setting of 54 deg. Discovered that after about a week.

 

[metalheadycigarguy]

As for the smoke in the room, yes the coats will reek of smoke. Whether it's pipes, cigars, and/or cigarettes, your clothing will smell. I have a couple sweatshirts I keep in my shop as well as some jersey's hanging up, and they smell of smoke. If I wash them, they're fine, but in between washings, they smell.

As for the temps, I store all my pipe tobacco in my shop in my pipe cabinet. I have tins and bulk in mason jars. In the winter, if I don't have my heaters on, the temps can get down to 50 and in the summer, they can reach the low 80's as I don't have an air conditioner for the shop. I've been doing this since I started smoking pipes back in 2011. I've never noticed a problem with my tobaccos.

 

[proteus]

Depends on the tobacco for sure. I smoke some blends that are the same to acco as cigars and cigs. Straight Virginias. Burleys like OJK. Virginia blends with DAC. The GH Irish X series too. They all leave a fingerprint of cigs. I have to be careful sneaking a bowl of these inside. Especially perique blends. Aromatics dissipate and some other blends leave no lingering long term note. Have to read the reviews and experiment to know which. Some reviews include a lingering room note observation.