Vacuum Sealing Mason Jars

[drastic_quench]

Originally Posted by dmkerr

Ok, next question - mostly on topic.

You've stored your baccy for the requisite number of years and now you're ready to start smoking it. Do you:

A) Smoke the crap out of it (in a big hurry) because once you break the seal, the tobacco starts turning to dust and fungus.
B) Smoke it at your leisure, retightening the seal after each bowl.
C) Remove it from the mason jar and place it in a different container.

Please provide the reasoning for your choice. Thanks in advance.

B, naturally. Opening the jar simply changes the atmosphere/aging. The jar is still a perfect container to the keep the tobacco moist and fresh. A jar with a screw top and rubber seal is really just a perfect resealable tin. You can trust with a simply clean jar, closed with a normal-force twist, to keep your tobacco A-OK.

[MarkC]

Originally Posted by dmkerr

Sorry - I mistyped. What I meant was... you have a mason jar full of tobacco that you've stored for, say, 3 years. You then open it. I realize it stops aging but is there any harm in taking out a small portion and then resealing the jar? Shouldn't it be just as safe as it was? Or am I missing something?

I don't see why not, although doing this repeatedly would certainly lead to dry out and degradation. In fact, I guess you could start the aging process all over again, but since you'd be starting from scratch, and there's an empty pipe right there...

I use small jars (half pint) for aging to hopefully avoid the issue. I can't get my head around the idea of buying 2 oz tins, and then using quart jars for bulk stuff.

[sounds7]

Originally Posted by dmkerr

Sorry - I mistyped. What I meant was... you have a mason jar full of tobacco that you've stored for, say, 3 years. You then open it. I realize it stops aging but is there any harm in taking out a small portion and then resealing the jar? Shouldn't it be just as safe as it was? Or am I missing something?

No harm but it will not be the same as if you hadnt opened it. Every time you open your jar you are releasing gasses which affect the aging process. It will still age but it ages differently than had you not opened it. G.L. Pease has written extensively on the aging of tobacco:

G. L. Pease - Frequently Asked Questions

"Question: So, I've opened an aged tin. Now what?

Pease: This is a little tricky. Once the seal of the tin is broken, the delicate balance present in that little ecosystem is permanently altered. You can't go back! So, once that tin is open, either smoke its contents fairly quickly, or transfer it to air-tight containers, like bail-top canning jars. The aging process from this point on will be different, but the tobacco will remain in fine condition for your enjoyment as long as it's kept in good condition. (The plastic lids on my tins will keep the tobacco in find shape for anywhere from a couple weeks to a few months, depending on the ambient temperature and humidity. Just keep an eye on it!) This is the reason, by the way, that I cellar 2-oz tins, rather than the 8-oz ones. Once I open that tin, I want to smoke its contents as quickly as possible to get the maximum enjoyment from my years of patience. It's like a fine wine - cellar it for a long time, but drink it fairly quickly."


Pease and his explanation are exactly why I store my tobacco (which has been opened) amongst many smaller jars rather than one large Mason Jar. I will never open all the jars of aging tobacco at once and can rest assured that i am not further altering the aging process. If the tobacco is in a sealed tin though, thats where it should stay until your ready to taste it. Afterwards to the jars. This is exactly what I did with that Solani Silver Flake you and I were discussing on the other thread. I smoked from one jar while the other jar was left alone for nearly 3 years. The results as I mentioned in that thread, were splendid!

[dmkerr]

Thanks, Drastic, Mark and Sounds!