I am a noob too i store them in Ziploc bags after i break the seal. But then i don't store it very long. For aging jars are best IMHO!

 

Long term you want mason jars but I have open tins that I just put in a ziplock as you suggest & they smoke fine.

 

Hi guys,

I'm still kind of a noob at pipe smokign, but lately, I've picked up a few different blends in tins. Two of them are in large, round kind-of screw top tins, one's a Sam Gawith square tin, one is a Mac Baren square tin, and one is the short G.L. Pease cylinder.

How well do these hold moisture after opening? I've had one of the round tins opened for almost a month, and the SG and Mac Baren tins have been open for about a month as well. So far, they seem to be alright, moisture-wise, but I can tell they're more dry than they were when I opened them. Do I absolutely need mason jars, or can I store the open tins in zip-loc bags and call it good?

Thanks!

In my experience, the round screw tins when closed tight hold moisture pretty well for a long while. The C&D/GLPease/McClelland type tins with the plastic tops (if they fit pretty tight) aren't bad but things will dry out if you don't smoke through them fairly quickly (totally depending on how moist the tobacco is in the first place). In fact, I like to leave a lot of McClelland stuff in the opened tins with just the plastic lid for a couple of weeks before I really get into smoking them (ie, unseal and close them then leave it for a while to breathe a bit) because a lot of their VAs come in very dense flakes that are deceptively moist.

From what I've experienced I'd definitely say that the square tins are the worst at holding moisture once popped - I don't store tobacco I'm smoking in them unless I know I'll get through it pretty fast.

IMO a good rule of thumb is to store anything that is at a moisture level you like (whether just opened or having been open a while to dry) in a jar. Or maybe put the tins in a zipper bag as suggested - I haven't done that but mostly because I always have empty mason and bail jars around. To me, too wet is when you squeeze the tobacco and it clumps and sticks together easily, and too dry is when you squeeze and it feels like dried herbs and breaks up easily. You want it somewhere in-between - again a lot depends on the blend, experiment with moisture levels within this range of not-too-wet and not-too-dry.

 

The quick answer is they aren't airtight. As soon as you open it, the process starts. I would go to wally world and get a case of mason jars. I get a package of 14 of the for $7. So it's not like you are spending a ton of money on it. Keeping them in zip lock bags or the tins aren't asking for trouble for a little bit but then you just went though the whole purchase. Now for .50 a jar (or whatever the price is) you can make sure it's always spot on and you never have to worry.

Hope this helps...

 

Great advice guys. Can only echo the above.