Short Term Pipe Tobacco Storage
There has been much written on the subject of long term pipe tobacco storage but not much on short term so I though I'd take the time to address the subject.
For the purposes of this discussion I'll be considering the storage of 4 ounces or less. In the past it was vogue to place apple slices, orange peels and other similar items in a pouch for the purposes of keep tobacco fresh ... this is not a good idea.
The fruits will start to break down with heat and light and spoil your tobacco. You'll be smoking and handling all forms of bacteria and fungus, some visible and some not. An unpleasant thought at the least. Pouch humidifiers work so much better if kept clean. Distilled water works best and will lengthen the disk's life.
How about the ziploc lock bags that we sometimes receive our pipe tobacco in? They are fine for a few days if kept sealed and out of direct light. If you live in a dry climate a pouch humidifier with be just what the doctor ordered ... so to speak.
Leather and vinyl pipe tobacco pouches work much better as well as being more dignified. Make sure the one you select has a supple rubber or latex liner. The cheapy kind usually has a plastic liner that will eventually crack and split.
In general roll up or snap type pouches work better than the zipper variety. The zippers on those let air pass and get just plain foul after a while. Keeping your tobacco in your pocket is OK for the very short term. Remember this .... when the temperature of tobacco rises so done the humidity.
When the temperature falls so does the humidity. Yes, I can give you the scientific explaination but I'll save you the boredom for the sake of brevity. That being said, assuming your tobacco was at perfect humidity when you set out in the morning, it will become to too damp when left in your pocket or anywhere else above "room temp" for any length of time and will lead to a hot, wet smoke.
All is not lost ... either lay out a bowl's worth of tobacco prior to smoking if convenient or simply pack the bowl about 10 - 15 minutes before your smoke break. Now what if your tobacco got cold and is now a bit on the dry side (again a hot smoke)? Almost a no brainer ... warm it up in your hand or pocket.
For the purposes of this discussion I'll be considering the storage of 4 ounces or less. In the past it was vogue to place apple slices, orange peels and other similar items in a pouch for the purposes of keep tobacco fresh ... this is not a good idea.
The fruits will start to break down with heat and light and spoil your tobacco. You'll be smoking and handling all forms of bacteria and fungus, some visible and some not. An unpleasant thought at the least. Pouch humidifiers work so much better if kept clean. Distilled water works best and will lengthen the disk's life.
How about the ziploc lock bags that we sometimes receive our pipe tobacco in? They are fine for a few days if kept sealed and out of direct light. If you live in a dry climate a pouch humidifier with be just what the doctor ordered ... so to speak.
Leather and vinyl pipe tobacco pouches work much better as well as being more dignified. Make sure the one you select has a supple rubber or latex liner. The cheapy kind usually has a plastic liner that will eventually crack and split.
In general roll up or snap type pouches work better than the zipper variety. The zippers on those let air pass and get just plain foul after a while. Keeping your tobacco in your pocket is OK for the very short term. Remember this .... when the temperature of tobacco rises so done the humidity.
When the temperature falls so does the humidity. Yes, I can give you the scientific explaination but I'll save you the boredom for the sake of brevity. That being said, assuming your tobacco was at perfect humidity when you set out in the morning, it will become to too damp when left in your pocket or anywhere else above "room temp" for any length of time and will lead to a hot, wet smoke.
All is not lost ... either lay out a bowl's worth of tobacco prior to smoking if convenient or simply pack the bowl about 10 - 15 minutes before your smoke break. Now what if your tobacco got cold and is now a bit on the dry side (again a hot smoke)? Almost a no brainer ... warm it up in your hand or pocket.
Labels: short term, tobacco storage
posted by Shang Ning | 5:37:00 PM
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