I don't remember seeing it addresses in the pipe beginner thread. I was wondering how do you age pipe tobacco(humidity, containers and such) and what can you expect from aged tobacco? I know...very noob questions, but i am a noob in the pipe realm...lmao.
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Aging pipe tobacco...
- Thread starter MikeHar
- Start date
javajunkie
BoM July '12
mason jars. clean mason jars, and just seal the shit down well and store away from light and heat. there is some debate over how much room for air (if any) to leave, but that mostly boils down to personal preference.
aging pipe tobacco yields similar results to aging cigars: flavors come together, some mellow and some come to the forefront, the flavor on the finish is cleaner, and most importantly you can buy in when something is available or affordable and it will wait for you to be ready. mind, i am only about a year and a half in myself, so this is limited firsthand experience bolstered by research.
aging pipe tobacco yields similar results to aging cigars: flavors come together, some mellow and some come to the forefront, the flavor on the finish is cleaner, and most importantly you can buy in when something is available or affordable and it will wait for you to be ready. mind, i am only about a year and a half in myself, so this is limited firsthand experience bolstered by research.
What's better, shelving a sealed 100g tin or putting the contents into a mason jar? I.e. how airtight do you want the baccy?
Im getting my first pipe tobacco order together and this is one of my concerns. I dont smoke that much, but when I do I want a good bit to choose from, so storage is pretty important to me. Heck, I started off with a 500+ct hybrid humidor when I got into cigars. I expect to do the equivalent eith pipe tobacco.
Im getting my first pipe tobacco order together and this is one of my concerns. I dont smoke that much, but when I do I want a good bit to choose from, so storage is pretty important to me. Heck, I started off with a 500+ct hybrid humidor when I got into cigars. I expect to do the equivalent eith pipe tobacco.
Aging or "Cellaring" pipe tobacco is very simple. As Javajunkie has said the main thing you need are clean mason jars, lids and rings.
The following is the average amount of bulk you can get in each jar. A 1/2 Pint (8oz) will hold 2oz of tobacco, Pint jar (16oz) will hold 4oz of tobacco, a Quart jar (32oz) will hold 8 oz of tobacco, A Half Gallon jar (64 oz) will hold 1 pound. Your mileage will vary with how tightly our pack it in, cut of tobacco, etc.
Most people don't open and jar tinned tobacco, some do its personal preference. The big worry about tins is rust, as they age they will sometimes expand from the fermentation process that is happening.
As to what ages well....
Virginia based blends age very well, the Virgina's become more flavorful and sweeter over time.
English Blends age also age fairly well, but as they years go on the latakia will soften both aroma and intensity.
Aromatic Blends may or may not age well, I have no experience with aging them.
The following is the average amount of bulk you can get in each jar. A 1/2 Pint (8oz) will hold 2oz of tobacco, Pint jar (16oz) will hold 4oz of tobacco, a Quart jar (32oz) will hold 8 oz of tobacco, A Half Gallon jar (64 oz) will hold 1 pound. Your mileage will vary with how tightly our pack it in, cut of tobacco, etc.
Most people don't open and jar tinned tobacco, some do its personal preference. The big worry about tins is rust, as they age they will sometimes expand from the fermentation process that is happening.
As to what ages well....
Virginia based blends age very well, the Virgina's become more flavorful and sweeter over time.
English Blends age also age fairly well, but as they years go on the latakia will soften both aroma and intensity.
Aromatic Blends may or may not age well, I have no experience with aging them.
javajunkie
BoM July '12
most people agree tins are solid for long term. if it is opened longer than a week, i jar it.
EDIT and meine herr dutchman ninja'd me. o)
BUT one thought about the size of jars is how much you want to have open at any time. if you only crack a "8oz advertized" jar, you have 2 oz (or 3 the way i pack them) ounces of tobacco exposed, and any others are still sealed and aging. as afing pipe tobacco is both an oxygenated and nonoxygenated process, having them sealed helps. or, to clarify, if you go a pound deep, smoking out of one jar and having seven sealed for the long haul makes more sense. to me at least.
EDIT and meine herr dutchman ninja'd me. o)
BUT one thought about the size of jars is how much you want to have open at any time. if you only crack a "8oz advertized" jar, you have 2 oz (or 3 the way i pack them) ounces of tobacco exposed, and any others are still sealed and aging. as afing pipe tobacco is both an oxygenated and nonoxygenated process, having them sealed helps. or, to clarify, if you go a pound deep, smoking out of one jar and having seven sealed for the long haul makes more sense. to me at least.
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Leave the sealed tins as is. Put the bulk tobacco in Ball mason jars. Store away from light and severe temperature changes. Use the Tobacco Cellar website to keep track.
When you guys say temp swings I'm assuming normal household temps are fine, I store mine in the closet which stays 65-75 depending on time of year
Yes normal room temps are fine. Cool, Dry, Dark are the elements of a good cellar.
Some tins are better for aging than others. The pop top can types of Rattrays, GL Pease and others tend to hold their seals better than the screw top circular tins, and the square top tins of blends like Peterson's Uni and Irish Flakes have a tendency to loosen over time. They can all hold their seal well, but it's generally a good idea to check on them every couple months to make sure there hasn't been any loosening, lest your baccy becomes dry and trash filler.
I've got a nice cool dark dry conditioned crawl space, but as the name implies I'd have to crawl!
javajunkie
BoM July '12
plausible deniability: you don't have to admit how much you are stashing. o)
Yeah she'd never look there
What about tobacco that you get in pouches? Along the lines of Captain Black, etc. I know it's probably not the best for aging but I also don't want it to go bad. Should that go into mason jars as well or is it ok to leave it as-is?
Hoshneer
Drew Estate NotRex
A lot of of the bagged tobacco or what I called drugstore tobacco has a lot of additives to stop it from drying out depending on the brand. You can always throw it in a jar or hell even a ziploc bag works usually.
Thanks for the advice guys. I have it in an air-tight tupperware for now. I got one (Missouri Meerschaum - Missori Pride) recently from a sampler that I was worried about. The pouch itself doesn't have a seal, it was just folded over a couple times. Is it fine if I leave that in the tupperware? Or should I move it to a mason jar?
Sorry if these questions seem redundant!
Sorry if these questions seem redundant!
[video=youtube_share;_tBAeobWrPI]http://youtu.be/_tBAeobWrPI[/video]
That video is......well...