some pipe tobacco questions

hey all,

i've always been interested in pipes (literally since I was about 2), and have a decent collection of pipes and different tobaccos. my interest and actual smoking of the pipes is sporadic at best. i've recently become interested again (something about fall-like weather I guess), and went to check out my tobaccos in the basement the other night. some are all dried up (they are many years old), so I assume those are lost, but some are still moist (in cans, bags, jars). what is the best way to store these going forward? i see mason jars mentioned in a few threads. anything special you're doing to "can" them or just using those for airtight storage?

Mason jars if in bulk. Leave them in the tin if the tin has not been opened.

You don't need to do anything special with them, just tighten up the ring and you'll be good. I keep tinned tobacco in it's factory tin until it's opened.

Once opened, the round tins you need a coin to open will keep tobacco moist for quite a few months. The round snap on lid tins will keep for a couple of months, this can be extended if you close the lit with a layer of aluminum foil under the lid. The square vacuum tins will never hold a seal once you pop them so jar them up right away. All bulk gets placed in jars right away too. Ziploc bags are not really suitable for more than a couple of weeks. Obviously if you live in a dryer climate your stuff my start to dry out sooner.

If some of the tobacco you have now is too dry, you can rehydrate it by putting it in a bowl and laying a wrung out paper towel over the bowl. Just be sure the tobacco is well below the rim of the bowl so the paper towel can't touch it. Check on it occasionally until the moisture is where you want it.

cool, thanks fellas.

Some of the dried tobacco may not come back if it has been a long time. It may have lost a significant portion of the essential oils, which once lost cannot be recovered, but the re-hydration commander mentioned is effective restoring the moisture content.

One note about jars is to make sure they are clean and dry before use, I don't sterilize but I do clean and sanitize in the dishwasher and give them ample time to dry. Also don't recycle jars that contained items with a strong flavor or aroma, such as pickles or pasta sauce.

I thought I read that tobacco could be rehydrated by putting in a jar with a few drops of bourbon, rum or other favorite liquid. Am I mistaken?

CaptainK said:

I thought I read that tobacco could be rehydrated by putting in a jar with a few drops of bourbon, rum or other favorite liquid. Am I mistaken?

Click to expand...

No your not, that is another way of re-hydrating pipe tobacco.

I made a pipe tobacco humidor jar, I used a jar with a tight fitting lit and affixed a small round homemade humidifier to the top, works great.

Those are very good for regular use, but I wouldn't put any humidification in a jar for long term storage. After a couple of years it could get funky and you need a gas impermeable seal for long term storage.

how does one make a homemade humidifier?

If you mean to rehydrate tobacco the damp towel method above works well. If you mean a humidor for storing open tins you can use a cigar box, Tupperware, or Styrofoam cooler with a humidification packet for the cigar box. The cigar box you'll have to check more regularly but I think it is the more attractive option if it left out where regularly seen. A tight fitting bail top jar is what I use on my desk for loose tobaccos, I've never needed to worry about a humidification device with those. If your storing for the long term, a period of years, just the unopened tin or clean mason jars for loose without any added humidification is the way to go. I only worry about added humidification with open tins in very dry winter months and that's only because I usually have several open at a time.