Tobacco pouches/ leather bags why do they exist?

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Choatecav

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 19, 2023
562
1,520
Middle Tennessee
Good point. If you could afford it, a wash-leather bag like the one you'd keep your money in; and if you couldn't, you'd tie up your weed in a handkerchief or even just a spare scrap of cloth. And it brings to mind the situation a couple or three centuries ago, when pipe smoking was primarily a social activity for men, (rather than the solitary vice our latter-day puritans in government are willing it to become): in inns and taverns, not only would there be a rack of clays on the bar counter, but sometimes also a wooden box with tobacco in one compartment, and a receptacle for coins in the other - certainly in England. You put your coin in the slot, pulled the drawer, and took out a fill for your pipe. That of course was back in the days when mostly you didn't have much choice as to what tobacco you smoked. And since it was a social activity, maybe tobacco receptacles were only prevalent in the home or other places where men gathered socially. View attachment 354855
That is a very cool photo of the tobacco box. I have heard of them but cannot say I've actually seen one or a photo. Is that part of your collection?
 
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craig61a

Lifer
Apr 29, 2017
6,164
52,948
Minnesota USA
I haven’t had a leather pouch for about 25 years.

They have a thin rubbery type membrane on the inside to avoid evaporation. Over time it will get discolored by the tobacco. And it will deteriorate, allowing tears or cracks in the membrane.

These have been around for decades. Old Corn Fed Fred just smoked old Mail Bag Burley, so he wasn’t worried about the tobacco du Jur cross contaminating his leaf…
 

MisterBadger

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 6, 2024
660
4,947
Ludlow, UK
That is a very cool photo of the tobacco box. I have heard of them but cannot say I've actually seen one or a photo. Is that part of your collection?
@Choatecav - Alas, no. It was a pic I managed to pull off the web. Besides, having one in the house might give pipe smoking visitors the wrong impression: they might think I was from Yorkshire :LOL:
 
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Jul 28, 2016
8,094
42,983
Finland-Scandinavia-EU
I haven’t had a leather pouch for about 25 years.

They have a thin rubbery type membrane on the inside to avoid evaporation. Over time it will get discolored by the tobacco. And it will deteriorate, allowing tears or cracks in the membrane.

These have been around for decades. Old Corn Fed Fred just smoked old Mail Bag Burley, so he wasn’t worried about the tobacco du Jur cross contaminating his leaf…
Unless those are made by White spot Dunhills or Martin Wess product from Germany(manufacturer which actually makes them today for Dunhill brand ) today they use improved black color rubbermaterial for inside lining
 
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SSGT.

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jul 7, 2024
124
579
Sealy Texas
So probably a dumb question but why are tobacco pouches (the reusable ones made of leather) A thing? In my experience, the tobacco never stays fresh or moist. Moreover, they ghost other tobacco's smells. When putting new tobacco in. How long is the tobacco meant to stay good in a pouch, before it gets crunchy and wrecked. I brought two in the hopes that I can smoke some of my favorite blends on my lunch break. But when I am out on my break, the tobacco is already as dry as a church full of nuns. Am I using it wrong?
No such thing as a dumb question if you don't know you don't know and the best way to know is to ask. I used to use a pouch I carried in my shirt pocket but being outside in Texas heat well it's not as hot as some place like Arizona, but you get the point. I decided to try a couple of pocket jars works great and about the same sized as a Copenhagen can.