Pipe Tobacco Storage - a quick intro
Pipe Tobacco Storage - a quick intro
Why? If you open your tin or pouch it’s going to begin drying out over a few days and taste and flavor will eventually suffer.
You can store pipe tobacco in most any airtight container almost indefinitely. The tobacco taste can develop over time. A blend that you find over strong or pungent when fresh may become smoother and nuanced with a year or two in the closet.
The generally recommended solution is some kind of canning jar with a good seal. Remember to label what it is and when you put it in there!
Pipe tobaccos age in usually positive ways over time. How long is useful? Depends on the tobacco type. Virginias benefit the most - mellowing and sweetening. A year or two is likely enough to see benefits. Beyond 5-10 years you may do more harm than good.
Some more comments by blender GL Pease and others here: https://pipe-club.com/tobacco_aging_faq/eng/aging.php
Your pipe tobacco should NOT live in a humidor. Just air tight, stable temperature, and dark.
Watch out for mould - fuzzy hairy bad smelling growth on the leaf. Better to pitch it if that happens.
In the attached pic you’ll see a couple different size jars. I like the little 2-oz jars for travel. I’m a very occasional smoker so it’s nice to be able to pack around a little jar for days, weeks, even months until I’m ready. Bigger jars go in my tobacco “cellar” (a box on a shelf) until summoned.
I can confirm a Ziploc style bag (such as the one you might purchase the tobacco in) will not work well for long periods of time. It's fine for a few weeks; but any longer, you either need an airtight jar or, honestly, keep it in an active humidor (inside the bag). The humid air won't seep into the bag, but it will keep the contents inside the bag from drying out. You also get the benefit of darkness and a stable temperature.