A few more storage questions

Hi everyone! I recently got into snuff and have my first large order coming from MrSnuff (about 35 different 25g tins and a few 10g and 15g tins). With so many new snuffs to try I won’t be getting to everything for a while and will need to store it. After doing some research here on the forum on how people store snuff I had a few additional questions I was hoping you could help me with. 1. How do you recommend I store the unopened tins? I know some people open them and decant into a different container for long term storage, but I would rather store them in the original tins. I have a foodsaver and also a lot of 1/2 pint mason jars. Would you recommend that I just vacuum seal them in foodsaver bags to store them, or just place each individual tin in an individual 1/2 pint mason jar, or vacuum seal and then put in a mason jar? I was wondering if there might be too much air space in a 1/2 pint mason jar as to make it somewhat ineffective, and I was wondering if vacuum sealing it in a foodsaver bag would hinder any potential aging that may occur. 2. What is a good temperature for storage? Should I keep them in the refrigerator or is a room temp or 60-80F good enough? 3. I plan on purchasing some jars to decant the snuffs that I open and am currently using into from here: http://www.specialtybottle.com/salvejarsambermi.aspx What size jar would be right for 25g of snuff? Thanks again everyone, this forum has been very helpful!

@HBurlingameIII‌ Are you somewhere south of SF? Sounds like it from your handle. Anyway. Storage. Depending on the tin type; threaded, friction, vac sealed, tap box, etc. your storage needs may vary. I’ve found that the SG vac sealed tins do well on their own, unopened, for several months. Once opened I put the contents into the little 4 oz mason jars which I keep in an igloo cooler. Artisan snuffs should be refrigerated in their original container, since they don’t have any chemicals to retard molds. The main thing is to preserve the freshness of scent and moisture, and mason jars do the trick fairly cheaply. Those specialty bottle jars are expensive compared to the wee mason jars. If you can maintain 70/70 degrees F/relative humidity, and keep them dark in a relatively airtight environment (igloo cooler) you can keep them reasonably well for years. They won’t be as fresh and fragrant as from an unopened tin, but for a large collection they are a workable solution. I also use a foodsaver system for when I find a great deal and get a pile of snuff. I double up the bagging so I end up with a bag in a bag filled with unopened tins. It works okay for opened tins, just not as well as the little jars. You’ve got a great plan going. Look into a medium igloo ‘ice chest’. I got a few 38 gallon ones from Walmart on sale during the fall/winter months when they were trying to turn inventory. I paid <$20 each.

@chefdaniel‌ Thank you for the info. I have a large temperature controlled freezer/heater that I could re-purpose for storing snuffs at whatever temperature was desired, so I may just set it at 70 and put them in there. Humidity on the other had I cannot control, and I am in the desert, so air-tight I think is a must for me. Still I am not sure what would be better/more convenient. Each tin in a 1/2 pint mason jar, or vacuum sealing each tin. Also, how many grams of snuff can the 4oz mason jars hold? Thanks!

@HBurlingameIII Welcome to the forum. @chefdaniel has given you excellent advice but I would add that if you are thinking of keeping your snuffs in their original tins then you need to consider the moisture level of the snuffs. I once purchased a tin of WoS Best Dark and after removing the green tape sealing the tin I discovered that the tin had rusted through from the inside due to the moisture of the snuff it contained. I would think that tins are safe enough for dry snuffs such as toasts but I would be very careful with any moister snuffs. That episode with the Best Dark convinced me to decant all my snuffs into glass jars with the exception of any that were fairly dry and that I thought I would use up quickly. Also if you have ordered any F&T snuffs there have been suggestions here that those containers oxidise - http://snuffhouse.org/discussion/comment/25640#Comment\_25640 All the best on the start of your great adventure into the world of snuff.

@chris‌ Thank you for the info chris, if I do decide to decant are jars like this http://www.specialtybottle.com/salvejarsambermi.aspx appropriate for long term storage or should I find something with a metal lid instead of plastic?

@chris‌ is correct on the WoS or any tins that are made of thin materials that are easily corroded or rusted. With those I always decant as soon as they show up. I went to great expense to find tins that are a) threaded, b) steel, and c) coated with an inert ‘varnish’ to prevent corrosion for Old Mill Snuffs. SG Tins, IMHO, are the best with Toque coming in a strong second among the metal containers. GH plastic tubs are great if handled well. Moisture and salt can wreak havoc on metal containers quickly. Glass is best all around. If in doubt, decant into glass immediately on receipt and keep in a dark cool environment like that good old igloo cooler. If you’ve room, put in the fridge…in glass jars if possible. My collection of Molens 100 gram tubs are in their original containers, as are my Abraxas and SWS, all in the fridge. I pull them out, decant into little glass bottles and put the rest back in the cooler.

There are also a variety of nice looking jars with different types of lids from here: http://www.sks-bottle.com/340c/G2.html They have plastic caps, metal caps, phenolic caps, and teflon lined caps, but I am not sure what would be best. I am still not sure if it is necessary to decant though. For rust to form there needs to be both moisture and oxygen present, and if I place the original unopened containers in an air-tight environment there shouldn’t be much of the 2nd ingredient.

@HBurlingameIII - Those jars look similar to the ones I use and all of mine have plastic lids with a plastic / cardboard inner layer in the lid to create a good seal. I have had snuff stored in them for some two years and they all seem to be in excellent condition so I think that the plastic lid is not a problem so long as it is well sealed. I am no expert on rust but there must have been enough air and moisture in the Best Dark tin for it to rust from the inside and WoS seem to fill their tins to overflowing. So if you can get glass jars at a reasonable price then I would go for those.

Cork finished glass is nice looking, effective and easy to carry in the right size. Pain in the butt to pinch from, but most spoon up nicely. I keep several of the 20 and 30 ml bottles in the fridge for on the go. They warm up in my pocket quickly and I haven’t had a spill problem yet. When I decant Abraxas and SWS I use wee 5 ml versions since they never leave the house…too great to snuff on the run.

Thanks again for the replies both of you, I appreciate it!

Guys and Gals,

sorry for a dead thread reactivating, but I dont know how to open a new thread in here. Maybe my skills are just too bad for this.

But the topic I m asking for now seems to fit in here rather well. So… storage is such a thing I almost think about rather often. Especially when it comes to nasal tobacco. I hate to order every two months when my storage is empty. So use to store snuff for almost a long time. First it were ceramic flasks then it was plastic boxes i. e. Tupperware like things. But nothing really satisfied the need.

About two years ago, I bought a vacuum-sealing-device for about 20 EUR on The Bay. It is the perfect way to store tins for ages. I realised that the absence of oxigen and, the more or less same temperature in my cellar, keeps tobacco fresh for very very long time. No drying out and no loss of aroma anymore. Some weeks ago I opened a bag with Bernard Amostrinha and the tobacco was as fresh and pleasant like on Day One.

Just curious if some of you guys also use such a device to keep your snuff fresh? How does it perform for your?

Mine works with plastic bags that can but cut open carefully and used seberal times to avoid garbage.

Kind regards

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@Humppa Indeed, bought 3 small vacuum sealing boxes that serves perfectly for keeping my babies moist and aromatic. Basically they have a vent, so that one can blow out the air completely with included pump. Fantastic thing to have if someone got large variety of occasional sniffs, but not really to store daily snuffs ime. Personally I like to tape those tins around for the night or whatever, more practical.

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I have 2oz bail wire jars with silicone seals I transfer open containers into. Anything with a screw top lid I leave right in the container, havent had any issues so far.

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Keep in mind that the Wilsons and Gawith tins can corrode from the inside by moist snuff like Best Dark,Kendal Brown Original etc.

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