Gentlemen and Ladies, I am in need so some advise. Which is better for long term storage of snuff, freezing or refrigerating? I have always heard that freezing damages the water molecules within a substance which may alter the flavor. Thank you for your time and input. PS. Just in case this is run like a gun forum, ie XDS Talk, I did do a search on freezing and I did not see this question address so please I know I am an ass and I am lazy, if you have an answer please leave it but if not see the I know I am an ass and I am lazy part!

LOL, I like your style, @Banjo777. Don’t think it makes much difference, I’ve got a lot of bulk in the refrigerator and it is just fine. Long, long-term, like 5 or 10 years you would want to decant into air-tight glass and freeze it, in my opinion. OTOH, except for some of the artisan snuffs that run the risk of developing mold, just decanting into glass works just fine.

@Banjo777 Freezing does cause water molecules/crystals to migrate and that can damage the cell walls, but has no effect on the scent or texture of snuff. I’ve been doing it for years with no damage I can see, sniff or smell. YMMV so you might want to try it with a small sample before you freeze your entire stash. Make sure the containers are well sealed and let them come to room temp, still sealed, before you open them. Condensation can be an issue, especially if it’s humid.

SWS gets the freezer, De Kralingse the fridge all the rest are in airtight jars stored at room temp. My problem is I also am lazy and those two don’t get into rotation daily

Gentlemen and Ladies…PS. Just in case this is run like a gun forum, ie XDS Talk, I did do a search on freezing and I did not see this question address so please I know I am an ass and I am lazy, if you have an answer please leave it but if not see the I know I am an ass and I am lazy part!

This friendly forum is far from most you will see online- while there are different opinions on a host of things, in the time I have been a member I rarely- if ever see any bickering or “use the search”, though you will occasionally see a suggestion to see other threads - with appending links so its easier.

I have always put my fresh Toque into Kerr or Ball air tight jars in the freezer. Some over 7 years in there are as fresh as when they were put in. Recently a can that was put in food saver vacuum pack and found from the first Toque order I ever got was found in the dark depths of my freezer by my wife. I am currently enjoying it and have compaired to the fresh of same kind I just received. Toast&Marmalade 25g. From freezer…5.0 Toast&marmalade 10g. New…4.5 out of 5 Toque(and others) I will testify will lose scent if not kept in ideal conditions, Don’t just throw it in the drawer or you will end up with just plain stale Snuff.

The advantage of the freezer over fridge is that microorganismes (mold as well as bacteria) are more likely to be killed in the freezer than the fridge, due the above mentioned destroying of cell walls. However in both cases it is advisable to take measures to prevent desiccation. Jaap Bes.

I just store them in airtight jars in my cellar like my pipe tobacco, haven’t had any problems yet and every time I open a jar it’s as fresh as the day I got it.

For the rest of us… “desiccation” means extreme dryness or the process of extreme drying :-? @snuffmiller- how would one go about preventing the desiccation of frozen snuff?

Freeze dry it! IMO.

I put mine in the freezer for the simple reason that I have more room in my freezer.

@Snifs and nicmizer: Preventing desiccation is not so difficult. Just put your snuff in an airtight container before putting it in the freezer or fridge. DO NOT freeze dry!! Freeze drying is a way to preserve viable microorganisms! By quickly drying in liquid CO2 or nitrogen cell walls are not damaged by ice cristals. By sublimating the formed ice cristals the cells are hardly damaged and upon rehydrating start functioning again. Jaap Bes.

Thanks Jaap

My SWS and DK stay in the freezer. Everything else has been just fine at room temp. Even my OMs have seen no problems!

Neither. Until recently I’d never heard of refrigerating snuff. I’ve never done it and never will. I can’t comment on the artisan made snuffs, but commercially made snuff, in my experience, is kept in good order if drums or unopened tins are stored away from any heat or light sources.

People of Snuffhouse, I want to thank you for all the advice that each and everyone one of you took the time to give. I would like you all to know that I have decided to follow all the advise given. Some in the freezer, some in the fridge, some stationed permanently at watch repair and gun benches and some just tucked away in a cool dark place. I make purchases as the money becomes available or when my wife is silly enough to leave the room whilst I have the credit card next to the IPad. Either way I am finding myself with more snuff then one should have at one time…trouble is I want more. My kids enjoyed my wife reaction to my placing SWS figgy goodness into the freezer. She asked “is that not what you have been waiting for”, my answer yes, Why are you freezing it she asked. My response was simple logic, Cause if I open it, I will use it, if I use it I soon won’t have any, therefore, I shall freeze it, It came to me in the mail, it is my own, it is the one I love and it is precious! So once again Thank you all for your help!

I put my snuff tins in a food saver bag (air removed). I then keep it in the vegetable

crisper.  The food saver bags are reusable so take out what you want and remove

air from bag and store again. I only started to do this (6 months) so I have no long

term answers yet but I find it working very well.

Man I’m still on the fence about putting SWS in the fridge I may have to get a snuff fridge wife is not gonna like them in the main fridge… I may need a small fridge for the mancave. I’m super paranoid hereing the nightmares of mold on their SWS. Mine are just in zip lock bags in my basement mancave room. I’m careful when removing the snuff so hopefully I’ll be ok with it just in the bags… I live in Idaho and its dry here not humid at all. All seasons are pretty dry.

Another thing and question is can I kindly ask anyone that has had mold on their SWS snuffs,do you live in a humid climate?

My SWS Lundy Foot is in an airtight amber jar then contained in an airtight Pelican case. Stored in a drawer at room temperature (63-68 degrees) inside my home which is relatively dry inside. Never had a need to refrigerate but never had this stuff longer than 6 months before replacing with new stock.

The real key is only to let a clean spoon touch your stored snuff. No fingers and no spoon that might have touched you. 

@AlKindiSnuff, i have a small fridge for snuff. My wife wouldn’t put up with the sheer volume i have to put in and plus my young girls would definitely get to them!

Just before my job through me a curve this summer I bought another full fridge for snuff. The wife did not like the idea of it being in the one so I bought a second. Oddly she has no problem putting fruit and veggies in it now. A second fridge is really handy.

I keep everything in airtight jars at room temp. I’ve never bought any artisan snuffs, due to cost and not wanting anything finicky to deal with storing.

For the sake of science, i went a step further, most freezers are around zero degrees F, i decided to leave, ok i forgot a tin of menthal toque in my truck overnight last night, it was -24, it chrystalized and became clumpy, after warming it up in lab conditions, ie my pocket, it went back to normal and couldnt tell the difference  between the tin in my desk and the previously frozen tin. conclusion: Why do I live in Minnesota?!

A question for the Science buffs. So if I get a small tiny Refrigerator,what temp is good to keep mold from forming? My wife’s friends son has one of those small fridges he does not want. Would that be ideal coolness?

That is the size frig I use and it works just fine, but for long term storage (6 months or more) I use the freezer in the basement.

@AlKindiSnuff. Below 70 F makes it hard (not impossible) for mold to grow but temp is not the only issue. Humidity is as well. Keep it cool and dry and it should be fine.

Agreed. There is absolutely no need to refrigerate snuff if it is kept clean and well sealed and you’re able to store it at room temperature or lower. However, if you touch it with your fingers or if you’re worried at all then go ahead and refrigerate or freeze. It won’t hurt it as long as you have it sealed so it won’t incorporate other smells coming from the refrigerator or freezer. Keep in mind that no humidors are refrigerated. However, they do restrict airflow and control humidity and snuff is similar in how it needs to be kept.

Clean fingers/tools
Cool

Dry

Dark

Best:  use it all up quickly and buy a new tin.

I’ve been thinking about this some, as I have acquired a sizeable pile of snuff.

To throw a curveball, I have bought a few jars of OM PVT '15, each with a different wood shave, for the intent of aging - cherry, cedar, and maybe toasted alder.  And one plain.  I know the freezer will stop aging/mellowing of the wood scents, but want to balance longevity with flavor development.  Only time the jars were open was to check that the glass lips and lids were clean (as you would with canning), and sealed them up tight.  They (along with most of my snuff) is in a humidor, in a cool unheated room.

I have just picked up a dorm-room type mini fridge, but don’t know if it’s really needed… everything I have kept is decanted in lab grade (sterile) sample jars with sealed liners.

You know I have a good collection of snuff laying all over this house. I have some in the refrigerator,in the freezer,in a cool place, and some in the “how the hell did that get there”. In my business there is one sure answer to any regulators question… I installed it according to the manufactures specifications! Delete installed, insert stored ?

I store at room temp all the time. I just use a couple of snuffs at one time and when the tins get empty i order new snuff. This way i dont have to worry about long time stocking or anything else. I just buy more fresh snuff
when i need it. Since the german SnuffStore delievers in 1-2 days there is no problem for me.