Aging in jars question

christian1971

Ok so my plan is to put my tobacco in jars. Is it critical that the jars not be opened during aging? I was hoping to take a pinch out of the jar ocassionally, rather then dealing with a tin. Or would that defeat the purpose of aging, so keep the tobacco in the cans instead. I highly doubt It will age 5 years knowing me.

Gray4lines

So, many say that if you have 2 identical jars filled with the same blend, if you occasionally open one it will age differently than one that is sealed and not opened. Opening supposedly "restarts" the aging process by allowing oxygen back in (aerobic and anaerobic fermentation stuff).

That said, the tobacco will still age even if you open it. Maybe just age a little differently. If you really want to age stuff, then buy enough to fill 2 or more jars. Leave one untouched and use the other as you "open" jar. It only takes about 2 oz to fill a major jar (depending on moisture of tobacco...)

oh and aging in tins is A ok too. If it is an unopened, vacuum sealed tin, it will be fine to age in. Open tins, of course let a little air in and the tobacco will dry out. However, if you want to frequently smoke a certain blend, leaving in the tin and either replacing the plastic lid, or screwing on the tin cover will keep it moist enough for months and months (I have some close to a year in open tin that still aren't too dry).

J.S.

Gray has said most of it. I personally age in jars by buying different sizes. If it is a new blend for me then it goes in an 8 oz. jar to mellow for a few months. If it is something that I know I like and want to age then it usually goes something like this: 2 16 oz. jars. 2-4 8 oz. jars and 2-4 4 oz. jars. The 4 oz. jars are for smoking right away. The 8 oz. are for short term aging/storage. The 16 oz. are for longer aging and once they are open they will be further broken down into smaller jars. Once the seal is broken the aging stops and you are just storing it at that point. Repacking them in smaller jars can allow for the aging process to restart but until the jars seal it is not aging just storing. I hope this helps.