Volatilization, oxidation, other chemical processes take place, and the stuff changes. My belief is that once an aged tobacco is opened, it should be smoked fairly quickly, to enjoy it at its best. So, buying the 8oz bags, breaking them up into smaller quantities, and sealing them in jars is a reasonable alternative to the tins.
If you store a half dozen or dozen tobaccos in the same place, they will all acquire a little taste of all the others. And if the aroma in the area is not real tasty when mixed with tobacco, you will have a problem. None other than Charles Rattray himself first wrote, in his “Disquisition for the Connoisseur” that vacuum sealing tins is NOT ideal.
I’ve certainly experimented with mason jars, and other types of containers, but for me, the 2-oz tin is the ideal package. If stored in a cool, dry place, it should keep the tobacco in perfect condition for many, many years. I’ve had tobaccos dating back to the 1940s, and they were delightful. Now that we’ve covered the negative, let’s examine a more positive topic.
It’s possible a small amount in distilled water will serve the purpose without affecting the smoking quality. I routinely use a very small amount when rewetting moistening disks, and I haven’t noticed any bad effects in English-type blends. It is not uncommon to read of someone “losing” a pouch of Borkum Rif or Amphora behind the couch for a decade, and finding it to be just as good (or as bad!) as when new. The other evening, I opened a sealed pouch of vintage Amphora which has to be at least eight years old.
It is also a good idea to occasionally disassemble the pipe and entirely clean it with a flavored pipe-cleaning solution. Whether the tobacco will dry out or not depends on the humidity where it is stored. If relative humidity is 65 percent or somewhere near that, the tobacco should not become dry out much. If you live on Pipe Tobacco the edge of the Mojave Desert, you will likely have a problem unless your storage area is humidity-controlled. Not many high-grade, cellar-worthy tobaccos are sold in this form (in the USA, anyway) these days, but it’s an interesting question. This has been the subject of much experimentation and debate over the years.
Grown on farms where fertility and rainfall is prevalent, you can only expect the highest quality product in each bag. Good Stuff designed their 5lb bags with a re-sealable zipper in order to provide the best flavor preservation possible by sealing them tightly and keeping air out. The day has come to experience one for the highest quality blends in it class as a special treat to your sense of taste. The delectable Arrowhead Original Pipe Tobacco delivers a palate of wondrous smells that are underpinned by an amalgamation of ripened Cavendish, Burley and Virginia tobaccos. Grown to perfection on the fertile lands of Virginia, this product inundates the senses in a sensational smoke that emanates from gently burning natural Pipe Tobacco.
All of our Gambler Pipe Tobacco blends, including Regular, get consistently great reviews here on our site. Note we also carry several Gambler Cigarette Tubes and filters, and it’s available in a wide variety of flavors if Pipe Tobacco in Cans you don’t want to go to the trouble of flavoring them at home. There is a difference between an air tight tin and a vacuum sealed bag with all the air evacuated out. A sealed tin still has a small amount of air left in it.
High heat, extremely dry conditions and UV from sunlight are definite no-nos. To be completely honest, Cornell & Diehl has been very hit or miss with me over the past year or more. Some of their blends are very enjoyable, however, the ones that Pipe Tobacco miss, tend to miss big. Specifically, I am referring to most of their Small Batch and special release series. Understanding this to be the case, I opted for a regular production blend that I’ve been wanting to try since the start of the year.