Tobacco Mylar Storage - One Man's Method

[shanez]

Not sure if my method is any good or not but I thought I'd post it to give others here some ideas.
I don't smoke a lot so it takes me some time to get through a tin but I like to take advantage of sales. When SPC Please Pudding SR is on sale at buy 2 get 1 free, I buy 4 and get 2 free. Here's how I store my surplus for future use:
Mylar bags:

Oxygen absorbers:

Food saver machine:

Writing implement:

Heaven in a tin:

Seal only (no vacuum):

Results:

Some additional information:
I use my lungs to remove as much air from the package as possible before sealing. One of the issues with mylar bags is they mostly require a special and expensive machine. This is okay since I don't use the vacuum when doing this. By not putting the tins under vacuum it is less pressure on the tins factory seal. Also, the oxygen absorbers should help mitigate any air inside the package. Also, some mylar bags require a special machine to heat seal them. The ones I use supposedly don't need anything special. As best I can tell is they seal just fine with my food saver machine.
Anywho, that's what I do. Hopefully this helps someone.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Oxygen/air is essential to the aging process. I'd lose the oxygen absorbers and leave air in the bag. I've also found a hot iron and ironing board seems to work best for sealing the Mylar. I did a combination of ball jars and mylar bags today for around 10 pounds.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Oxygen/air is essential to the aging process. I'd lose the oxygen absorbers and leave air in the bag.

He's bagging sealed tins. Oxygen's still in the tin.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Understood but I still don't think it is necessary to evacuate what little oxygen that would be left in the bag.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Probably not. We've all got our cellaring quirks. :mrgreen:

 

[woodsroad]

If you found true Mylar barrier bags that seal with a FoodSaver, that's a big deal. Most Mylar bags won't seal because the material is too thick and has too high of a melting point.
Care to share your bag source?

 

[shanez]

Care to share your bag source?

Sure. I bought this specific product here:
http://www.discountmylarbags.com/50-gen-2-0-hot-seal-textured-embossed-8x12-1-quart-embossed-aluminum-foil-mylar-vacuum-bags/

 

[woodsroad]

That's a huge step forward for owners of the FoodSaver machines.

 

[greatdane]

If you put bulk tobacco directly in Mylar, will the oxygen adsorbers affect the taste at all?
I only smoke aromatics, so I am more concerned with preserving the freshness/flavor than "aging".

 

[craiginthecorn]

The idea of oxygen absorbers alongside a sealed metal tin probably reduces the chance of rusting and wouldn't affect the tobacco. In with open tobacco, the oxygen absorbers would likely prevent aerobic fermentation, but probably accelerate the start of anaerobic fermentation.

 

[darwin]

The bags referred in the link are 4 mil. thickness. This is probably why the Food Saver works okay. The 5.5 mil bags I've been using are better sealed with a dedicated mylar sealing rig. The difference in thickness is probably inconsequential for tinned tobacco but I'm more comfortable with the thicker material for bulk tobacco. I don't bother with the oxygen absorbers at all. Also the bags I use, from MylarPro, have an excellent ziplock seal which is good for up to a year by itself.

 

[shanez]

Some more thoughts on the oxy absorbers:
I don't know anything about the aging process of tobacco but I'm storing tobacco in factory packaging. Sealed tins in mylar bags with the absorbers have only the added benefit of saving some (small) space after the absorbers have done their thing. Here's a pic after 1 week:

I can know fit another half dozen to one dozen tins in the same plastic tote bin I'm using for storage.
Currently, for me, this leaves only the issue of tobaccos that are packaged like Manil's Semois.
Semois is already very dry and is basically a burley so i'm not sure if "aging" will really benefit it. (Perhaps someone here has tried an aged Semois and can speak to this?) My concern is at what point does exposure to oxygen switch from "aging" to oxidation? (Oxidation is a big concern when aging other things such as wine.)
Instead of oxy absorbers for tobaccos packed in this or a similar manner, would it be better to vacuum seal the package and then place it in a mylar bag?
Please remember, I'm not storing for the express purpose of aging. I'm storing to help ensure I have what I want for my future use. Aging is just an added benefit.

 

[greatdane]

Interesting.
But isn't putting sealed cans in Mylar a bit of an overkill? I though sealed tins would remain airtight basically indefinitely? I know tins may rust if stored in humid climates and that square shaped tins are known to fail; but I have always cellared round, sealed tins as-is.

 

[sonnyblack]

The "shoe polish" tins with vacuum seal are fine for cellaring, but he's sealing the SPC "cardboard" tins which could fail over long periods of time. More here: http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/cellaring-seattle-pipe-club-cardboard-tins