Ok,I went crazy the last month buying pipe tobacco. And I've got more coming. No way at the rate I'm smoking will I finish off those tins asap. All are opened and have been tried. So how long will they last, as far as freshness goes?
What To Do With All This Tobacco?
- Thread starter indianafrank
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Stock up on these and also the 1 pint ones. How long it will last depends on the container. If it is in a ziploc then you shouldn't have it there more than a week. If it's in a tub with a plastic lid I would say the same, no more than 1, 2 weeks. If it's in a metal tin I've read you can leave it there for a couple of months, but eventually your best bet in all cases is to put the tobacco in mason jars.
I buy quart jars by the case, (1 dozen} for $12 at local cut rate supermarket. They come with the lids and rings... 8)
Heavy duty aluminized Mylar bags, at least the ones I've been using, will keep an opened tin from drying out for months, at least. They have a ziplock that is also very robust but I think the fact that the bag material is an excellent vapor barrier is just as important, if not actually more so, than the ziplock seal itself. I have a small Rubbermaid tub with about 20 tins of aromatics in it and the smell inside was intense. And that was with unopened tins. After bagging all of them but not heat-sealing them the smell in the tub is--zero. I've added a number of bags with opened aro tins in them and the aroma from them is likewise zilch.
I'm not sure I agree with the timeframes some have suggested, but you certainly want to get them into some mason jars sooner rather than later. Ziploc bags are fine if it will be for a short amount of time (2-3 months at most). Just be aware that the tobacco will dry out in standard ziploc bags. Also, I open every tin I get unless I got it specifically with long term storage in mind. So feel free to continue to open and sample anything that suits your fancy provided the ones already opened are sealed in airtight containers.
HERE is an article that talks a bit more on the subject. It doesn't mention anything about plastic bags, but they are not to be trusted for long term storage.
Hope this helps!
-Jason
HERE is an article that talks a bit more on the subject. It doesn't mention anything about plastic bags, but they are not to be trusted for long term storage.
Hope this helps!
-Jason
Well sure the bags you see at the grocery story are worth squat as far as storing tobacco goes, tinned or otherwise--even in the short term, but the difference between those and 5 mil aluminized bags is extreme in terms of the relative performance in the job we need them to do. If one is tempted to be dismissive of mere "plastic" then it might be instructive to remember that the flexible seal of a Mason jar lid is just as much an artificial material as any plastic bag.
A year ago I bought a few 5 mil aluminized bags with which to experiment. In one I put an opened aro tin. In another I put an unopened aro. In a third I put four ounces of Lane 1Q. I then ziplocked the bags but did not heat seal them. All three tobaccos are today just as moist as they were a year ago and the exterior smell of the bags is still nada. My expectation is that heat-sealing the bags, as I have subsequently done with 15 pounds of bulk, will extend that moisture and vapor retention indefinitely. Stored in an indoor temperature controlled environment, in a closed Rubbermaid tub, I'm confident that deterioration of the bag material will be inconsequential in a decade.
There's one thing that affects old farts such as moi. The older the fart the more likely that he/she is prone to dropping things. Dropping and breaking a Mason jar full of tobacco, for me, was annoying enough to make me begin considering less fragile alternatives. Another somewhat more ominous factor is that I am almost certainly not going to need to store tobacco for two more decades.
A year ago I bought a few 5 mil aluminized bags with which to experiment. In one I put an opened aro tin. In another I put an unopened aro. In a third I put four ounces of Lane 1Q. I then ziplocked the bags but did not heat seal them. All three tobaccos are today just as moist as they were a year ago and the exterior smell of the bags is still nada. My expectation is that heat-sealing the bags, as I have subsequently done with 15 pounds of bulk, will extend that moisture and vapor retention indefinitely. Stored in an indoor temperature controlled environment, in a closed Rubbermaid tub, I'm confident that deterioration of the bag material will be inconsequential in a decade.
There's one thing that affects old farts such as moi. The older the fart the more likely that he/she is prone to dropping things. Dropping and breaking a Mason jar full of tobacco, for me, was annoying enough to make me begin considering less fragile alternatives. Another somewhat more ominous factor is that I am almost certainly not going to need to store tobacco for two more decades.
I think it depends on the tobacco in the tin. If its a flake, cake or plug then it will be fairly moist so it should go for a while. I've got a tin of HH Latakia Flake that's been open several months now and its still fine. If its a heavily cased aromatic it should be able to for a while as well. If its a ribbon cut Latakia or Virginia blend then it probably won't go as long. I would just check them periodically and if they appear to being drying out and you're not going to finish the tin relatively soon then a ziplock bag can get you by for a short period of time as well. If its going to be much longer than definitely go with a mason jar.
Mason™ jars are the best, but my experience with metalized pouches supports what member Darwin says.
The Iwan Ries product description says the pouches are a short term solution,
but in reality, they keep tobacco fresh for years.
The Iwan Ries product description says the pouches are a short term solution,
but in reality, they keep tobacco fresh for years.
Most are in tins. I will try and smoke more often though. I can't justify moving the tobacco from a tin to a bottle or mylar bag, if I'm still going to be opening and closing whichever, to smoke.
Thanks again everyone!
Thanks again everyone!
Once you get the opened tins in jars, you can age them, for years if necessary. Virginias are reputed to benefit
the most from aging, or to be among the tobaccos that do. Aromatics not so much, even if Virginia based.
Burley doesn't have much of a reputation for aging well, but I think it's debatable, but I'm a burley guy. The
standard round tins while sealed will age for years. Not guaranteed forever, but will probably get better for
at least five/ten years. My major point related to this thread is, no big rush. Get things stored properly and
smoke the tobacco at your leisure. You don't have to step up your pipe smoking just to meet a deadline.
You are in a good place.
the most from aging, or to be among the tobaccos that do. Aromatics not so much, even if Virginia based.
Burley doesn't have much of a reputation for aging well, but I think it's debatable, but I'm a burley guy. The
standard round tins while sealed will age for years. Not guaranteed forever, but will probably get better for
at least five/ten years. My major point related to this thread is, no big rush. Get things stored properly and
smoke the tobacco at your leisure. You don't have to step up your pipe smoking just to meet a deadline.
You are in a good place.
Both the Esoterica style bags and any other bags; in short, anything other than a jar with a screw down lid with a sealing rubber gasket, will not truly protect cellared tobacco. Just because it stays moist doesn't mean that it doesn't deteriorate. Before Pease sold 8 oz tins he sold 8 oz bags, which were multi-layered, to protect his tobacco from gamma rays?-I don't know what, but particles that would penetrate other barriers. He stood by these bags, but no one else has made any such claims. Bags are not for storage but instead for getting the tobacco to you in the same state as was when it was put in them. Even short-term, bags are not recommended but they are useful as the tobacco won't be in them long enough to deteriorate.
If I'm in the mood to enjoy a tin's artwork, I sometimes keep the tobacco in it for a few days, but put it in a jelly jar very soon thereafter; I empty most tins at opening.
Even so, 16 oz tins are rare; most blenders ignore correct storage for their bulk. Think of the Gawiths bulk that sits in paper boxes, albeit with cellophane, for months. As I understand it, distributors only order from the manufacturer yearly. So if you get a box that was from the back of the pile/shelf, the tobacco can be as old as a year.
If I'm in the mood to enjoy a tin's artwork, I sometimes keep the tobacco in it for a few days, but put it in a jelly jar very soon thereafter; I empty most tins at opening.
Even so, 16 oz tins are rare; most blenders ignore correct storage for their bulk. Think of the Gawiths bulk that sits in paper boxes, albeit with cellophane, for months. As I understand it, distributors only order from the manufacturer yearly. So if you get a box that was from the back of the pile/shelf, the tobacco can be as old as a year.
So true, Mike!
I've read that most plastic-like bags are excellent moisture barriers, but some organic volatiles can "walk right through them."
Again, I've had good luck with the Iwan Ries bags -- as much as 5 yrs. -- but glass is the way to go.
I am intrigued by the idea of metalized bags. I did find a source for them at $.12 apiece but in 1000 quantities. Any one find a better source. Or, anyone want to split up an order? NEVER MIND! 
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