Vacuum Sealing Mason Jars

[KevinV]

After looking up old threads and doing some searching online I found a good way to vacuum seal up Mason jars for next to nothing.

I have a Ziploc hand vacuum pump that I got at Wal-Mart a while back for under $4 for the pump and a set of bags. If you poke a hole in the top of a Mason jar lid with a thumbtack and then loosely place a small strip of tape (I used some clear Scotch storage tape) over the hole, you can then pump the air out of the jar. The tape gets sucked down over the hole and the lid stays vacuum sealed to the jar.

It shows no sign of giving up the seal, and putting the screw top ring on should keep it tight as usual.

All I had on hand was a small jelly jar, but I plan to pick up an assortment the next time I'm at the store.

Hand Vacuum Sealer

Lid With Sealed Hole

An Airtight Seal

[sounds7]

I think if there is a hole that is only covered by tape that there will be air exchange over time. I am having good results with just hand tightening lids because the gasses given off by the fermenting of tobacco creates a nice seal that is if I don't keep opening the jar for tastes. (My biggest problem)

[apevia]

Depending on what your putting in the mason jars (assuming tobacco) I have heard of one way to do it, but am not sure how tobacco would hold up. Putting the jar in pot boiling water while closed will give it a nice tight seal, only for a few seconds. Once again, not sure how tobacco would work in this case. My family does it with homemade salsa all of the time.

[louistogie]

Nice I've been reading some old threads to. Do you guys clean the jars out before putting tobacco?

[Mad Hatter]

Originally Posted by louistogie

Nice I've been reading some old threads to. Do you guys clean the jars out before putting tobacco?

I don't Louis but maybe I should.

Op - The best way I can think of to insure a semi-vaccuum seal w/o stoving, boiling or whatever, would be to place the jars in a closed up vehicle on a hot summer day. After they're nice and toasty open the lid to let some of that hot air out, reseal and then take inside...... not saying that's what I do but if I was going to I'd probably do it that way. Some guys boil the jar and then put their tobacco in while its still hot and seal it. All I know is it would be a pity to get down the road and learn you did something terribly wrong and all your tobacco isn't at all the way it should be.

[drastic_quench]

There's no need to do anything to your jars other than make sure they're clean. The screw top lids are airtight, and you don't need a vacuum seal for tobacco as it doesn't help age it any. In fact, tobacco needs some air in there to age. So not only is there no benefit, there can actually be a negative impact.

Half pint mason jars are a nice size for those who won't smoke through a full size jar quickly after opening.

And finally, there's no need to over-stuff jars.

[tzaddi]

Here is a link to one of my threads where I have created a blend and then by stoving or as some call it "hot-packing" I can accomplish the mason jar seal.

Cigar Birthing

I realize that this is not exactly what some are asking about but it does add a bit to the discussion.

[KevinV]

Originally Posted by drastic_quench

There's no need to do anything to your jars other than make sure they're clean. The screw top lids are airtight, and you don't need a vacuum seal for tobacco as it doesn't help age it any. In fact, tobacco needs some air in there to age. So not only is there no benefit, there can actually be a negative impact.

A hand pump won't pull all the air out, but it does remove enough to create a vacuum. If a vacuum seal was a bad thing, you wouldn't find the manufacturers doing it to their tins...they'd just screw them shut and be done with it. And if it's not aging in the tins, what's it doing?

Here's an excerpt from the Mac Baren Knowledge Base...

"First, 100 g of tobacco is weighed and placed in the bottom of the tin. The paper roundel is then folded over to protect the tobacco and finally the lid is put on. All the way round the inside edge of the lid is a rubber membrane and when we complete the packing process by extracting about 40% of the air out of the tin, the membrane ensures that the vacuum created remains inside the tin. Consequently the moisture level in the tobacco does not change for a long time – decades, in fact. The tobacco does not lose its moisture until the tin is opened or the rubber membrane begins to degrade (after many years). So as well as looking attractive, a tin offers the major advantage that unopened it keeps the tobacco fresh for many years."

[KevinV]

Originally Posted by tzaddi

Here is a link to one of my threads where I have created a blend and then by stoving or as some call it "hot-packing" I can accomplish the mason jar seal.

Cigar Birthing

I realize that this is not exactly what some are asking about but it does add a bit to the discussion.

Very cool...thanks for the link.

[drastic_quench]

Here's G.L. Pease on vacuum sealing:

Vacuum sealing is great for vegetables and coffee, but is pointless for tobacco. Tobacco needs some air to be locked in with it , at least to begin with, in order for it to age. A perfectly vacuum sealed container will likely keep the tobacco "fresh," but it may not really age the way we expect it to. I'm more than a little suspicious about the heavy plastic "bags" used by most of these machines. They hold moisture in just fine, but they really don't prevent gas exchange, and I'm not sure they're truly able to stand the test of time. Tins are best. Jars are a close second. The special high barrier bags we used for a while for our 8oz packaging have several layers, each designed to be impenetrable to a different sort of molecule. I've conducted extended tests with this material, and am satisfied that the tobacco will age nearly, if not as well as in the tins, at least for the short term. They are only slightly evacuated to facilitate packing and sealing. For best long-term aging, though, I still recommend tins.

Vacuum sealed tins seem like a gimmick to me. There's no benefit.

[nate560]

All I have ever done is make sure the jars are clean I use half pint jars good for 2oz. Fill them up put the lid on and screw tight never had a problem. Just opened a jar of FVF from 2000 still moist much darker alot of sugar build up folded and stuffed very nice to say the least. IMO no need for wax, tape or what ever make sure there clean lid tight and look forward to some good stuff down the road only my opinion.

[Mad Hatter]

I think a vaccuum sealed tin is simply proof that its airtight, the same reason I'd want a vaccuum seal on my mason jars and a tighter seal at that so I don't hear a chorus of pings and pops when the room temp rises above or falls below 65 degrees

[dmkerr]

Originally Posted by drastic_quench

There's no need to do anything to your jars other than make sure they're clean. The screw top lids are airtight, and you don't need a vacuum seal for tobacco as it doesn't help age it any. In fact, tobacco needs some air in there to age. So not only is there no benefit, there can actually be a negative impact.

Half pint mason jars are a nice size for those who won't smoke through a full size jar quickly after opening.

And finally, there's no need to over-stuff jars.

This is my feeling, too. I have no experience with vacuum sealing tobacco in mason jars so I don't know if there's any negative impact but I can tell you that tobacco stored in non-preheated mason jars comes out very nice indeed!

[Arizona]

Interesting post. Thanks for sharing Kevin, let us know over a period of a year or two how this "tape" process holds up. As mentioned it's probably not a long term storage proposition cuz the tape will age and fail, but for a year or two as you smoke your way through your stockpile it should be fine.

I use largemouthed Large Mason jars for my tobacco. I smoke one blend so it's been easy to do this. I pack them firmly and just put the lid on tight. I mark the top of the lid with the name of the tobacco inside and the date. I put them in a cool dry place and forget about them. I have around 15 large jars packed in this way. That should be a few years worth of smoking for me. Over time I add to this and plan on having dozens of these jars stored away soon. Big Brother will continue to tax our pleasures more and more, so it's a hedge against paying more and more for tobacco.

[AcworthAl]

Originally Posted by dmkerr

This is my feeling, too. I have no experience with vacuum sealing tobacco in mason jars so I don't know if there's any negative impact but I can tell you that tobacco stored in non-preheated mason jars comes out very nice indeed!

Agree. however, if you really want to vacuum seal them, FoodSaver makes an attachment that seals mason jars. I have one, but have not tried it with tobacco. I put the stuff into the jars, screw the lids on tight and it seems to work fine for months.