| Author | Message | ||
     TG62 Member Username: Tg62 Post Number: 9 Registered: 09-2006 |
I have recently started buying in a serious amount of tobacco for keeping. I have preferred tins for obvious reasons but all of my preferred brands are in the round/square prise-open type tins. I have noticed that if you sniff near the tin lid seal you can definitely smell the contents. This suggests that the tins leak. I have some quite old tins (10 yrs) already e.g. 50g round Dunhills, oblong Erinmores etc. and those I can’t smell (maybe because the aroma has long gone…) and when I have opened old tins the tobacco has always been in a good state. So does anyone think that the tins are not what they used to be ? or is a certain amount of leakage normal ? I wonder if I should double-seal them in plastic bags or jars. Alternatively, applying nail varnish or wax around the outside of the seal. It’s all sounding a bit ridiculous but on the other hand my stash is beginning to represent some serious money and I would really like to enjoy them in 20 yrs time (or if I’m dead leave them to my kids to be flogged for a fortune on ebay). Any thoughts ? Is it possible that staking tins on top of each other in stacks on ten could pressure the bottom tins in the stack and weaken the seal ? | ||
| Harvey Click Member Username: Fafhrd Post Number: 552 Registered: 03-2006 |
If you can smell the contents the vacuum seal must not be good. For long-term storage I'd transfer to jars. --"I have recently started buying in a serious amount of tobacco for keeping. I have preferred tins for obvious reasons " If you're stocking up "a serious amount," why not buy in one-pound bulk and seal it in jars? Bulk is so much cheaper that I never buy tins anymore, except to sample a blend I've never tried. Of course some blends aren't available in bulk, but fortunately most of them don't interest me that much. | ||
| TG62 Member Username: Tg62 Post Number: 10 Registered: 09-2006 |
Thanks for the info. I'd like to but some are not available bulk (eg Condor, Erinmore, St Bruno flake). Also according to the Aging FAQ, once you open a tin you compromise the anaerobic process and effectively stop the aging process - surely this must also be the case when you open a bulk bag. I'm actually less interested in aging for improvement but rather preservation of what's there now. What sort of state is the tobacco that has been jarred-from-bulk in after 10 years ? | ||
| Felix Member Username: Felix Post Number: 67 Registered: 09-2006 |
TG62, if you're really interested in delving into storing/aging tobaccos, I'd suggest signing up for a subscription to Pipes and Tobaccos Magazine. The difference between vacuum-sealed and non-vacuum-sealed storage is the subject of a lengthy article in the current issue (Vol 11 #4 - Winter 2007) which will be the one you start with if you sign up now. Additionally, there's an article on aging tobaccos. And the cover story about harvesting, aging and cutting briar is also highly interesting if you care to know more about how your pipes begin life. | ||
| Misha Erementchouk Member Username: Merement Post Number: 9 Registered: 11-2006 |
I've heard not once that people were unhappy with square tins. Having said that, my own experience with square tins some years back, when I smoked Davidoff, was okay. I did not store them, though. I have a few tins of SG's blends that are 2-4 years old. They _look_ okay but what's going inside have no idea. | ||
| Harvey Click Member Username: Fafhrd Post Number: 558 Registered: 03-2006 |
--"Also according to the Aging FAQ, once you open a tin you compromise the anaerobic process and effectively stop the aging process - surely this must also be the case when you open a bulk bag." I wouldn't be too worried about that. I doubt any anaerobic aging takes place in bulk bags in the first place. Also, very little aging has already taken place when you buy a bag or a tin, unless you happen upon a tin with some years on it. But since the blends you like best aren't available in bulk, it's a moot point. | ||
| TG62 Member Username: Tg62 Post Number: 12 Registered: 09-2006 |
Felix. Many thanks. It looks really interesting. I had never heard of its existence. I'll subscribe tonight ! | ||
| Jeff Avery Member Username: Jeffya2 Post Number: 39 Registered: 08-2006 |
I have purchased about 15 tins from 6-10 years old & discovered that 1 was no longer sealed properly so removed it to store in Mason jars but it was toast even when re hydrated still was garbage so I opened them all & 3 more were bad.I will never leave them in tins again as I now believe that large seasonal temperature swings will play havoc on the seals. Never had any problems with long term storage without vacume for 7-8 years so far perfect.With a lot of $ in Bacci, tins for me are not worth the risk when Masons are a sure thing | ||
| Donald Parker Member Username: Hawkpipe Post Number: 4 Registered: 11-2006 |
Can anyone summarize the key points of the article? or tell us some more about aging and storing tobacco in general? This is a subject I know zero about... Thanks! | ||
| Felix Member Username: Felix Post Number: 75 Registered: 09-2006 |
>> Can anyone summarize the key points of the article? Well, that's copyrighted material so it's probably not fair to the author nor Pipes and Tobacco Magazine to post the conclusions on a public forum. But the first issue is free and then you can make a subscription decision. E-mail Melissa Price (melissa@pt-magazine.com) at the subscription department for your free copy and tell her you specifically want Vol 11 #4 - Winter 2007 which has the aging and storage articles. BTW, Greg Pease had THIS to say on the subject four years ago: "When putting the tobacco into jars, heat/vacuum sealing is not only not necessary, it's probably not optimal, as air is an essential component in the aging process. Just make sure the jars and lids are CLEAN, and seal-em up. To clean the jars, I recommend a couple drops of bleach along with hot, soapy water. Rinse them thoroughly, and let them air dry, inverted, to minimize the risk of mold spores finding their way in. It may take a while for the bleach smell to completely leave the jars, so give them a sniff before you bottle up the baccy. GL Pease, 2003-02-11" | ||
| TG62 Member Username: Tg62 Post Number: 13 Registered: 09-2006 |
Jeff, that's really interesting. I assume these were screw-down/prise-open tins as opposed to the ring-pull type ? I am in Europe and until recently have had the tins in my attic where the temperature varies from 0 to 30 degrees C depending on the season. I think you've probably hit the nail on the head with this explanation. I do have a wine cellar in fact and although the temp is stable it's quite humid so I think I'd end up with corrosion. One idea I might try is to immerse the tins in Paraffin Wax to completely seal them off. | ||
| Jeff Avery Member Username: Jeffya2 Post Number: 40 Registered: 08-2006 |
TG62 They were all the square & round dunhill styled pressed on lids with the seals still in place.Mine were in my wine cellar that does experience wide temperature swings especially in the Canadian winters. I think this is what released some of the seals | ||
| Joel Strecker Member Username: Lester_j_corke Post Number: 68 Registered: 02-2005 |
For everyone interested in cellaring/aging tobacco, here is a link that I read thoroughly before starting my cellar. It answered pretty much every initial question that I had. http://agingfaq.nocturne.org/glossary.php | ||
| Brent Favalora Member Username: Tpso Post Number: 1 Registered: 08-2006 |
I use electrical tape on my unopened tins, just in case the seal goes bad. should be all you need for long term storage. |