How to Prep Mason Jars for Tobacco Cellaring

[Slow Triathlete]

Hello everyone,

Well not too long ago I had some bulk tobacco (LJ Peretti's Park Square) that I wanted to put into mason jars for long-term storage and I thought that I would take pictures throughout so that I could explain the process to anyone out there who may not know how to do it. Kind of a tutorial I guess.

With that said, this is how I do it and others may do it differently. This method has worked for me for several years and I have not seen any adverse effects from it.

Step 1.

First off I usually seperate out the tobacco that I want to jar into equal amounts. In this case it was from a full pound so I wanted to seperate it into 4 equal amounts of 4 ounces. I just weighed it out on a kitchen scale that I have and placed it on paper towels on top of plates. That way I wouldn't have to wash the plates afterwards. I'm lazy like that.

[Slow Triathlete]

Step 2.

Then I usually put out everything on the counter that I will need. This includes: Tongs, 4 mason jars with lids, a pot of boiling water, and a bunch of paper towels to dry things off.

[Slow Triathlete]

Step 3.

Take the lids off of the jars and set them to the side for right now. Then place the jar into the boiling water. Be gentle because it's glass and it will also splash boiling hot water all over the place if you're not.

I usually boil the jars for about two minutes spinning them occasionally so that all sides are submerged for a while.

[Slow Triathlete]

Step 4.

Throw the lids in. I usually only boil these for about 30 seconds because I'm always worried about the rubber gasket on the top of the jar warping from the excessive heat.

[Slow Triathlete]

Step 5.

Take the jars and lids out. USE THE TONGS HERE!! The jars and lids are boiling hot and will burn you very quickly if you don't use the tongs.

I usually take the jars and lids out with the tongs and then dry off the outside of the jars (don't worry about the inside. The heat will cause any moisture in there to steam out very quickly). Also, dry the lids thoroughly because they are made of metal and will rust if water is left on there.

[Slow Triathlete]

Step 6.

Stuff the tobacco into the jars. Be very careful because the jars are still hot. I usually hold the jar with a hot pad and then scoop the tobacco in with the other hand.

You will want to leave a bit of air in the jar so that the aging process can continue correctly. I pack mine down pretty good but always leave a bit of space at the top. I've found that 4 ounces fits nicely into these widemouth quart jars.

[Slow Triathlete]

Step 7.

Throw the lid on and make sure that it is tight. Then I put the jars back in the boiling water for about a minute.

The heat of the jar creates a vacuum inside and seals the jar. That is why I make sure that my jars are heated up good before letting them cool.

The last step is pretty simple. Now you need to label the jars. I use address labels and just put them on the top of the lid. I write what the blend is, the date it was jarred, and how much is in there.

That's it. I hope that this helps out.

[Dukeuni]

This is some great information and pictures. Thanks for doing the work!

[replicant_argent]

Well done for the pipers, thank you.

[Pat1075]

very cool thank you