longer term storage of tobacco.

[Andy W]

Hi All,

I have been reading lots of stuff on the web about storing/laying down tobacco.

I fancy giving this a go and thought I would stick to tins as this should be fairly straight forward.

I am just looking to see if any of you store tobacco for a couple of years and any advice you can give me.

many thanks, Andy

[Eddie]

50g tins fit well into a 250ml kilner jar. I don't age it as such, but as I buy too much and smoke slow then I need something that stops the toby drying out

[Pipe Dude]

50g tins fit well into 50g tins

Just keep them in the tins and check the seals occasionally for leaks. If they're letting in air then stick them in a kilner jar, otherwise they're fine in the tins.

Virginias improve up to 20 years.
Latakias improve up to 5 years and beyond that is virtually undetectable.
Don't bother aging aromatics.

Always buy two tins of the same blend - one for now and one for laying down - until you know what you want to lay down lots of.

[MrTobacco]

I would say put opended tins into either ziplock bags or airtight tupperware tubs. But im with you on ageing, the longer the better. Got some old tins of Dunhill Light Flake, they have 10 on them and i really want to crack them open.

The guys a Germains help out by aging them a little for you

[larrysson]

As has been already advised by Pipe Dude, keep sealed tins tinned. Once opened, I have found the best storage method is a Kilner jar with rubber ring. Make sure you sanitize the jar before you put the tobacco in. A cheaper alternative are empty Douwe Egberts instant coffee jars. I would not suggest ziplock bags...they are not air tight. Tupperware works ok, but IMO, plastic and tobacco are not a good long term storage solution. I have stored pipe tobacco in glass kilner jars for over ten years and the tobacco is still in very good shape.

[Andy W]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I have a few tins stashed away and I am sure it wont be long before I get some more. I will also take some advice and get some kilner jars.

[captain duff]

Unopened tins can be kept as they are indefinately so long as the vacuum seal holds and they don't start to rust etc. If I open a tin then I'll keep tobacco in it if I think I'll smoke it reasonably quickly (weeks/couple of months at most), any longer then that and the tobacco will dry out (or you need to be on top of things with those little mini humidifer discs etc.).

Round screw tins are slightly better for keeping things reasonably airtight (with square/oblong I use rubber bands to help), but as has been mentioned transfering to airtight food storage jars is the best solution. The glass kilners (with rubber seals and the pull tight mechanisms that can be used again and again) are great and a medium size one (aimed at jam makers and the like!) can be got from large supermarkets etc for a couple of quid. They stack well too. I did try a douwe egberts coffee jar once but couldn't get rid of the lingering smell of coffee whatever I used to clean it!

[scruffy]

Do the kilners need humidifiers in the lids, or does the tobacco just go in - close the jar and that's it - leave it for a few months?

[captain duff]

Do the kilners need humidifiers in the lids, or does the tobacco just go in - close the jar and that's it - leave it for a few months?

If it's moist enough when you put it in then it will stay that way unless you open the jar a lot to allow the humidity to escape as the kilners are air tight. If it does start to dry then yes, use a humidifier - however even the small ones for cigar jars are I think too large for pipe tobacco (that really needs to be kept at a lower humidity than cigars anyway), so I use the following 'blimpies' that work out at less than a quid each as they are the right size to do the job properly in a kilner (or original tin for that matter):

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Blimpie-Mini-tobacco-humidifier-x10-/250866408218?pt=UK_Collectables_Tobacciana_Smoking_LE&hash=item3a68cd9b1a

An alternative design is here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NO-MORE-DRY-TOBACCO-2-x-HUMI-DISCS-TOBACCO-TIN-POUCH-FREE-POST-/370573382763?pt=UK_Collectables_Tobacciana_Smoking_LE&hash=item5647e5146b

In both cases I'd recommend using a mould resistent humidification solution just as you would for a cigar humidor (I use the same solution for both in fact).

[scruffy]

Thanks CD