Tobacco Cellar Environmental Factors (Temperature, Humidity)

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Ryszard

Starting to Get Obsessed
Sep 5, 2019
190
1,098
Europe
Hello everyone, hope you're well!

My tobaccos (mason jars & tins) were formerly stored in a closed cabinet at around 70~75F and 50% RH in my living room throughout the whole year. While I never had any problems with mould, I had mason jars "sweating" a bit during higher temperatures in summer (glass getting cloudy/hazy from the inside). Unfortunately, I had no other options for storage at that time.

I've recently moved to a new rental flat which offers a separate storage room (insulated, ventilation through a pipe near the floor and one near the ceiling, both to the outside). I've put a temperature/hygrometer in the room for a week to check the climate conditions during sunny/warm and rainy/cold weather outside.

The storage room is dark and at 40-45% RH, temperatures slightly fluctuating between 60,8F (16C) to 64,4F (18C) during the day regardless of the outside weather. Now I've considered moving my tobacco cabinet to said storage room because it seems to offer better climate conditions.

I've read on multiple sites that the temperature shouldn't fluctuate much and tobacco should be stored in a dark, cool (best below 65F) and dry place.

My first question is whether temperature fluctuation between 60,8F and 64,4F during the day could be a problem for tobacco cellaring and if the new cellar's environmental conditions are generally good for cellaring. My second question is whether I should store my jars and tins in the old closed (not air-tight) cabinet in that room or I should better keep them on open shelves? My idea behind storing them in the closed cabinet was that they might not be so exposed to environmental changes in temperature/humidity through the ventilation pipes in the room and that this might even out the minor temperature fluctuation a bit.

Perhaps I'm worrying far too much about all this and I'll be fine if I keep them dry and at below 65F, just want to do nothing wrong!

Thanks a lot for your help!
 

judcole

Lifer
Sep 14, 2011
7,149
32,925
Detroit
I have absolutely no specific knowledge about this whatsoever, but I do think you are overthinking this.
Store your jars and/or tins in a cool dry, place. They are not cigars. They have some protection. I keep all of my tobacco in my basement. Tins are in various plastic tubs or an old dresser. Jarred bulks are in an old Igloo cooler. Blends that are currently in rotation sit on a shelf. Been using that method for over 15 years - never had an issue.
 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
A sealed jar has its own environment that, I think, will come to duplicate the exterior environment. So yes, the exterior matters, but at what point? Fluctuation between 60 and 65 seems irrelevant, while storing the jars inunconditioned space during the summer would seem ill-advised. During summer I used to store my tobacco offsite.
 

gervais

Lifer
Sep 4, 2019
2,078
6,973
39
Ontario
I put my storage bins in the basement (cool) during spring / summer
And bring them back upstairs in a food pantry when the cold cold weather comes, because the basement gets alot of heat when the furnace is turned on. Id say my temps fluctuate between 60-75 throughout the year
 
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