Usinq Mason Jars for Bulk Tobacco :: Pipe Tobacco Discussion (2024)

is there a trick to storing tobaccos in mason jars to keep it from geting dry?

Mason jars should be air tight if the lids are in good shape, so it shouldn't dry out. Some people will run their jars through the dishwasher before using and put the tobacco in while the jars are still hot from the drying cycle, as they cool, they will develop a vacuum seal in the jar.

Thanks i am new to the storing and tobacco in bulk i have some i stored up about a week ago and it seamed like it may have a dried out a bit. could be just me and paranoia this is the most ive had on hand at once and have alot of cash in it lol

Just use a clean jar at room temperature and screw the lid on tight. Don't worry about it. For tobacco to age it must have some air. I just fill my jars to the top and press most of the air out of them with my knuckes as the jar becomes full. Then I screw the lid on tight and everything is just fine for as long as you desire! In my opinion, it is not necesaary to do anything more than I have decribed here and I have had many years of experience with the "simple-method" as I have described. I have never had undesirable results. The enemy of tobacco is air. It is the "frequent-opening" of any airtight conainer that presents a problem over time if the airtight container is not full of tobacco. That is why I transfer from the large mason jar to a smaller mason jar for daily use. If you follow this procedure, you will not have any problem with tobacco becoming to dry.

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Captainbob: I left about 1/4 inch between tobacco and lid.... Good idea ? Bad idea ?

P ack it in and then use one of the attachments for my Foodsaver to vacuum seal the jar.

I still say this is gonna be a epic fail maybe there is a difference between ball and mason.

jaysin, I was just on PipesandCigars website and they have some good info on mason jars in FAQ's.

I still say this is gonna be a epic fail maybe there is a difference between ball and mason.

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They're both made by the same company, the only real difference is the raised design on the jars.

Mick,no difference between Ball and Mason jars. Not necessary to seal the jar with wax. Leaving a quarter inch of space at the top is just fine. It is more a matter of how tightly packed your jar is. I fill the jar to the top and then press gently. Fill again and press gently again. You can repeat it. However, the fuller the jar, the more air you will be squeezing out of it. You do not have to overdo it. And, then leave some space at the top as you mentioned. You will be pleased with the results.

If you only put maybe an ounce or two into a big jar and seal it then it will dry out a little because of all the air in the jar. I usually love this effect. You really don't have to worry about this unless you open the jar everyday for a year... then you may have to re-hydrate.
You want to have more tobacco in the jar than air, otherwise it will get slightly drier, but not crispy unless you jarred it allready really dry. And the frequency in which you open the jar will let moisture out and it will keep drying out little by little every time you open the jar.
Happy Smoking ::

If you are getting into it regularly there are stick humidifiers you can fill up with water and it takes about a month or so till you have to refill them.
http://www.eacarey.com/humistat.html?AdID=682--1049

I have stored tobacco in Mason jars for up to 7 years without heat sealing the jars and it was still moist when I opened the jar. You cant go wrong with a Mason jar.

Some people will run their jars through the dishwasher before using and put the tobacco in while the jars are still hot from the drying cycle, as they cool, they will develop a vacuum seal in the jar.

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This is what I did last weekend, my first time out. I'm worried tho, I didn't press the tobacco down as the good captain suggests. I filled to just below the rim. As the jars sealed themselves (around 4am! The popping did not please my wife! LOL!) gravity or the sealing process lowered the tobacco level. Will this be ok? I did twelve pint jars. Should I open and repack??

I transfer all my bulk tobacco to 4oz air tight containers. I leave the remainder in the zip lock bag it came in, in another air tight container. I sample the tobacco when I get it to see what shape its in. Then If I need to add moisture to it, I use a small humidifier that you would use for cigars and add that to the air tight container. The Tobacco is left in the zip lock bag then put the lid on. The humidifier is outside the bag, not mixed with the tobacco. The moisture will make it's way to the tobacco slowly. You don't want to over do it because of mold. I check the condition of the tobacco every 2 weeks. When it's just right, I remove the humidifier from the container.
I buy air tight containers from Bed Bath and Beyond. They have glass bottoms with plastic lids that have 4 pull down clamps that grip the sides. The lid has a seal that makes the container tight for as long as you desire. I buy the large one for one pound bags and smaller ones for splitting the bags to usual amounts that I can take with me.
Another good container I've used over the years to store hand rolled cigars is large peanut jars with screw on caps. They have a rubber seal that makes it a cheap but effective tobacco storing container. Add your humidification unit if needed. Just for a short time to freshen it up then remove it.

Should I open and repack??

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No

Shoot, especially seeing as how the lids did their little pinging serenade there should be no reason to redo the little darlings.

Set em' back for future enjoyment, no fears (-:

Hmmm... Haven't noticed a "pinging serenade", but it could have happened while I was out. Loaded 8 jars two weekends ago. Came to about 3.5 Oz/jar of a ribbon/flake cut (think 1-Q style stuff, some red cake, etc). Ran jars through dishwasher on sanitize (not the lids ;-) ), let them cool a bit, load, tap the jar on the table to settle, load, tap, repeat, till about 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the top. Seal tightly shut. Store in a dark drawer in my filing cabinet.
I guess I'll see in a few months how they fared ;-)

The issue i had was this after 4 days they did not do the "pinging serenade" as you put it when out of coursoty i checked the top of the tobacco was a tad dryer then when i put it in. so i resealed them using the instructions of a master blender instructions found in the faq section on pipes&cigar puting them in a hot water bath just useing hot water from the tap. that did seal them up

Set em' back for future enjoyment, no fears

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Well there is the fear of explaining to my wife why I need more jars... more space... more pipes... more tobacco... more tools... more.......

I think you guys are making this way too complicated. Buy mason jars, stuff baccy inside (however much or little as you want), seal lid tight, place on closet shelf and forget about it till you want to smoke. I have been doing it this way with no ill effects for the past couple of years. Its hard to screw up the process really lol. I haven't noticed a difference in one aging faster than the other due to air or anything. The only thing that matters really is if you are going to age then don't open it untill you are done aging as opening and reselling can sometimes slow the process. So in short: buy, fill, seal, store, open, smoke.