I hear a lot of people saying they keep tobacco for quite long times. How long will tobacco keep if stored properly and what is the best way to store?
Tobacco Shelf Life????
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Mason jars are the way to go. I've read articles about it lasting 40-50 years in one. Probably could last longer, really. Mason jars are air tight.
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Welcome to the forum. :
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What about in a tin?
I was gifted a tin of Peterson Irish Whiskey, smoking it for the first time right now. It smelled great in the tin but when I went to load my pipe it seemed really dry. So far it's smoking really well but wondering how well tins of tobacco keep.
I was gifted a tin of Peterson Irish Whiskey, smoking it for the first time right now. It smelled great in the tin but when I went to load my pipe it seemed really dry. So far it's smoking really well but wondering how well tins of tobacco keep.
It varies greatly from tin to tin.
The circular European tins are among my favourites; the American "cans" are also fairly good.
The rectangular Gawith-style tins are a little risky; the Penzance-style tins even moreso.
Dan Tobaccos are ALWAYS too dry in my experience, straight from the tin...
Large Solani tins aren't sealed whatsoever...
Then of course you must take into consideration that ANY tin could've been dinged enough in transit to render it useless for aging; that's why you must inspect them all upon arrival.
If in doubt about the tin's integrity, then throw the tobacco in a mason jar.
I tend to avoid that for the most part, however, because I think something is lost when you open the original tin without a pressing reason... You stop the aging process and it may take years to resume again, or it may never again produce the same microflora that you started out with...
In general, keep it in a dark and dry and cool to room temperature location. Consistency of temperature is key; you want to avoid any extremes or big fluctuations.
Original tins are ideal if they aren't damaged or unsealed or prone to failure. (This is your judgment call)
Virginia tobacco will supposedly improve for decades when dealing with quality blends. These are rich in sugars and will benefit the most from aging.
Burley tobacco supposedly doesn't change very dramatically, becoming perhaps a bit more mellow and refined.
Oriental tobacco probably improves to some extent, though I am not familiar with what aging does to that type.
Latakia softens and marries within a year, and will continue to get milder. It may or may not be over the hill in 5-10 years, depending upon the composition of the blend and the smoker's tastes. (Some like ancient lat blends)
Perique tobacco softens and its spiciness fades, for I have seen a dramatic difference in as little as one year in some cases. This is another time when your mileage may vary. It will, however, remain good for many years.
And, finally, aromatics. I personally think that these are not worth cellaring because if you like them for the topping/casing then that is the first thing to go. Exceptions may be made for some blends with quality bases of Virginia or Burley that would probably benefit from allowing the tobacco to shine through. Some of the drugstore aros could also probably use some time to evaporate some of their excessively artificial flavours, but you may/may not like what you are left with...
The circular European tins are among my favourites; the American "cans" are also fairly good.
The rectangular Gawith-style tins are a little risky; the Penzance-style tins even moreso.
Dan Tobaccos are ALWAYS too dry in my experience, straight from the tin...
Large Solani tins aren't sealed whatsoever...
Then of course you must take into consideration that ANY tin could've been dinged enough in transit to render it useless for aging; that's why you must inspect them all upon arrival.
If in doubt about the tin's integrity, then throw the tobacco in a mason jar.
I tend to avoid that for the most part, however, because I think something is lost when you open the original tin without a pressing reason... You stop the aging process and it may take years to resume again, or it may never again produce the same microflora that you started out with...
In general, keep it in a dark and dry and cool to room temperature location. Consistency of temperature is key; you want to avoid any extremes or big fluctuations.
Original tins are ideal if they aren't damaged or unsealed or prone to failure. (This is your judgment call)
Virginia tobacco will supposedly improve for decades when dealing with quality blends. These are rich in sugars and will benefit the most from aging.
Burley tobacco supposedly doesn't change very dramatically, becoming perhaps a bit more mellow and refined.
Oriental tobacco probably improves to some extent, though I am not familiar with what aging does to that type.
Latakia softens and marries within a year, and will continue to get milder. It may or may not be over the hill in 5-10 years, depending upon the composition of the blend and the smoker's tastes. (Some like ancient lat blends)
Perique tobacco softens and its spiciness fades, for I have seen a dramatic difference in as little as one year in some cases. This is another time when your mileage may vary. It will, however, remain good for many years.
And, finally, aromatics. I personally think that these are not worth cellaring because if you like them for the topping/casing then that is the first thing to go. Exceptions may be made for some blends with quality bases of Virginia or Burley that would probably benefit from allowing the tobacco to shine through. Some of the drugstore aros could also probably use some time to evaporate some of their excessively artificial flavours, but you may/may not like what you are left with...
We are in agreement across the board.
As a storage method, I prefer the original tins because they are more aesthetically pleasing and because they allow the aging process to continue without interruption.
Roth outlines the most pragmatic approach, however, whereby one flags the "troublesome" tins which are immediately jarred and then keeps the "reliable" tins intact for long term storage.
I personally have some "troublesome" tins that have remained intact, and I know that I am playing Russian Roulette with the contents because they could potentially be dried out/moldy/rusty by now. When I was new to this game, though, I didn't think that some of the tins might be problematic. Since that time I have taken a closer look at the integrity/reputation of my tins and that determines their eventual fate...
In addition to Roth's last paragraph, I should add that if you specifically intend to age a blend then you should think twice about opening it again until you are ready to smoke the entire contents. Keep separate jars for the "working smokes" in your rotation and for your aging stock, or otherwise you will just ruin the aging process when you constantly open and close the jar to fill your pipe...
If you are of the opinion that you have to try a wide range of blends, yet you don't want to smoke through a whole tin, then I would suggest that you find some smaller mason jars and put away about 2/3 of your tin right away. Then you can keep the other 1/3 in the original tin enclosed within a freezer bag or tupperware container and you can rest assured that most of your tin will be preserved well for the future while you continue to explore a variety of tobaccos...
As a storage method, I prefer the original tins because they are more aesthetically pleasing and because they allow the aging process to continue without interruption.
Roth outlines the most pragmatic approach, however, whereby one flags the "troublesome" tins which are immediately jarred and then keeps the "reliable" tins intact for long term storage.
I personally have some "troublesome" tins that have remained intact, and I know that I am playing Russian Roulette with the contents because they could potentially be dried out/moldy/rusty by now. When I was new to this game, though, I didn't think that some of the tins might be problematic. Since that time I have taken a closer look at the integrity/reputation of my tins and that determines their eventual fate...
In addition to Roth's last paragraph, I should add that if you specifically intend to age a blend then you should think twice about opening it again until you are ready to smoke the entire contents. Keep separate jars for the "working smokes" in your rotation and for your aging stock, or otherwise you will just ruin the aging process when you constantly open and close the jar to fill your pipe...
If you are of the opinion that you have to try a wide range of blends, yet you don't want to smoke through a whole tin, then I would suggest that you find some smaller mason jars and put away about 2/3 of your tin right away. Then you can keep the other 1/3 in the original tin enclosed within a freezer bag or tupperware container and you can rest assured that most of your tin will be preserved well for the future while you continue to explore a variety of tobaccos...
I throw my sealed tins in large plastic containers and store them under my bed. My open tins are stored in plastic tupperware like containers that have a really good seal so that an open tin can last for a month or two. My bulk tobacco gets stored in high quality plastic jars with bale tops that have silicone gaskets. I do not use jars with rubber gaskets because I have had them deteriorate after a decade. I buy my jars at walmert, the ones that hold two pounds cost 8.97, ones that will hold 1.5 pounds are 7.97 and they just came out with really big ones that will hold 4 pounds and those are 12.97. I only cellar va and vaper flakes in either the square or round tine so they can last 40 plus years from what I have read if the seals are intact.
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