stone
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Post by stone on Apr 2, 2019 6:19:13 GMT -5
I am learning a lot as I spend time here..... Thank you! I am a fanatic about storing and aging my cigars and I keep them right at 68% using silica beads in giant marine coolers but I don't have a clue how to keep my pipe tobacco? I know that pipe tobacco requires such different maintenance but I don't know what the preferred method is.
In NE Ohio we have humidity that ranges between the 10% and 90% depending on the time of year. I have baggies, I have mason jars, and I have tins and I have it all in a place in my house where the temperature doesn't fluctuate wildly but beyond that I don't have a clue.
I would like to be able to keep it at a dryer RH so that I don't have to dry it every time I want to smoke but will that cause a loss of oils/flavor like it does with cigars?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Post by insignia100 on Apr 2, 2019 6:21:51 GMT -5
It is believed that the tobacco ages better when wet (much like, from what I've ready, cigars should be aged at 70+ RH), then dried just before used. If too dry when "cellared" you may not get favorable aging. I'd just stick what you've got open in mason jars, and leave anything still sealed alone until you go to smoke. Pipe smoking is all about the process, so don't sweat having to wait a few minutes to dry your tobacco before smoking it.  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2019 6:28:10 GMT -5
If I jar long term, I try to make sure the tobacco is not overly moist. Down the road and change of temperature where your storing your blends mold can form, it’s happened to me twice. Now I jar my tobacco’s more on the dry side, to my liking. GOOD LUCK👍
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stone
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Post by stone on Apr 2, 2019 6:50:10 GMT -5
If I jar long term, I try to make sure the tobacco is not overly moist. Down the road and change of temperature where your storing your blends mold can form, it’s happened to me twice. Now I jar my tobacco’s more on the dry side, to my liking. GOOD LUCK👍 I know pipe tobacco moisture is measured different than cigar moisture which is RH as opposed to MBW but is there an RH which equates? I can program some silica beads and store my pipe tobacco in that RH if that is feasible?
As I said, NE Ohio humidity fluctuates wildly and we wont see anything below 70% -80% until mid summer. Once I turn the house AC on it will drop in the house but if I opened up all of my loose tobacco now it would be in a high RH environment. |
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Post by McWiggins on Apr 2, 2019 7:11:37 GMT -5
It's not as complicated as cigars. Moist or dry, its tends to be all good and of personal liking. No need to add anything to keep it at a certain humidity level. Just put it away in small mason jars. One of the better options it to put your tobacco into half pint wide mouth jars. If you have have five jars of one blend for instance, mark one as the one you are smoking from. Only open that jar and pull tobacco from. Tinned tobacco, just put it aside and leave it alone until you are ready to smoke it. If the tin is square, it might be best to give them a bit of extra protection like sealing them in food saver bags.
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stone
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First Name: Jeff
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Post by stone on Apr 2, 2019 9:35:44 GMT -5
It's not as complicated as cigars. Moist or dry, its tends to be all good and of personal liking. No need to add anything to keep it at a certain humidity level. Just put it away in small mason jars. One of the better options it to put your tobacco into half pint wide mouth jars. If you have have five jars of one blend for instance, mark one as the one you are smoking from. Only open that jar and pull tobacco from. Tinned tobacco, just put it aside and leave it alone until you are ready to smoke it. If the tin is square, it might be best to give them a bit of extra protection like sealing them in food saver bags. That's funny, I find cigars so easy. I programmed my beads 10 years ago and I set a dish of distilled water, with a few drops of colloidal silver in it, in the cooler for a few days every six months or so to recharge the beads 
But..... I also have a remote RH sensor in each cooler which transmits to a master unit to tell me when to put the dish of water in the cooler  |
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Post by Legend Lover on Apr 2, 2019 10:27:13 GMT -5
It's not as complicated as cigars. Moist or dry, its tends to be all good and of personal liking. No need to add anything to keep it at a certain humidity level. Just put it away in small mason jars. One of the better options it to put your tobacco into half pint wide mouth jars. If you have have five jars of one blend for instance, mark one as the one you are smoking from. Only open that jar and pull tobacco from. Tinned tobacco, just put it aside and leave it alone until you are ready to smoke it. If the tin is square, it might be best to give them a bit of extra protection like sealing them in food saver bags. That's funny, I find cigars so easy. I programmed my beads 10 years ago and I set a dish of distilled water, with a few drops of colloidal silver in it, in the cooler for a few days every six months or so to recharge the beads
But..... I also have a remote RH sensor in each cooler which transmits to a master unit to tell me when to put the dish of water in the cooler You're a man after my own heart. I haven't cellared much, but, from what I've found here, all you have to do it put the tobacco in a jar and forget about it until you want to open it. |
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Mac
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Post by Mac on Apr 2, 2019 13:24:01 GMT -5
Actually, 68% RH @ 70 º for pipe tobacco is about perfect smoking humidity for me. But I'd store it in Mason or Ball jars for aging. I use small hygrometers I can pop in a tin or jar, and slowly dry it down, so I have the full two ounces or 50 grams ready. Multiply this by a half dozen, and I have a good amount of ready to smoke tobacco at all times.
Most tobaccos are shipped on the moist side, Esotericas being at the top range, over 90% RH. Dunhills 80%+, etc.
Enjoy!
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