Today we are talking about storage cigarettes.
Whether it is for personal use or barter; the topic of storing cigarettes (tobacco products, etc) comes up frequently in discussions about bartering. But, I haven't seen anyone yet, that actually tried to store cigarettes.
Doing what I do, I decided to test out storing cigarettes a little over a year ago (December 2013).
The results were as follows:
Actually the vacuum sealing was an epic fail. LOL. Could pretty much tell that from the start. Crushed the cigs & thinking it through it would be a huge waste of money, particularly with the cost of the Food Savers bags. Though the cigarette was still fairly fresh.
The cigarettes that were vacuum sealed in the canning jar fared much better. But still the added cost of using jars really doesn't make it worth it. The cigarette itself was as fresh as it was when it went in.
All in all, if I was going to choose to store cigarettes for barter (not convinced of that at all), I think I would just stored the cartons as is. If there is a shortage, I would say most people who would be that desperate for a cigarette, wouldn't care about the freshness.
Now, storing tobacco seeds is a different idea all together. I do know there are people who are storing & or growing tobacco already. If you wanted to think of storing tobacco as a cash crop or for bartering I think storin seeds would be more practical.
Personally, I have purchased tobacco seeds. Honestly, I don't even know if these seeds are for smoking. We will see how that goes later. Growing tobacco isn't high on my list at this time. It is going to be one of those on my list of things to do. It does take practice to grow these types of products. Plus, I want it to be in a completely secure location to protect the animals.
If you have stored tobacco products I would be interested in your observations.
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ReplyDeleteMy mom use to store her cartons of cigarettes in the refrigerator for months on end. She said they stayed fresh this way. I've also heard of putting the carton into food saver bags and freezing them. I think I remember a friend who use to freeze her cartons of cigarettes but so much time has passed since then that I can't verify this.
ReplyDeleteIf I were going to save cigarettes for barter - I'd save them in bags and freeze them. I think cigarettes are going become extremely valuable to smokers when times get rough.
As always - GREAT POST! Bobbie
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Delete<3 u!
Delete~Perky~
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DeleteActually with anything that goes in a refrigerator, and will go stale sooner. Or even worse pick up foul smells from other things that you've stored in your refrigerator. So it's not the best idea to store cigarettes in a refrigerator. Even on short-term basis.
DeleteWouldn't it be better to just vacuum seal tobacco? It's also cheaper to buy. If you wanted you could store papers and filters also. In time of need I'm sure people will barter the same.
ReplyDeleteThat is a really good idea. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteThat's exactly what I do. I buy 50 lbs of bulk tobacco, put it in metal ammo cans that I've drilled and put in a ball valve that I can hook a hose to with a vacuum sealer.... it's just as fresh by the time I go through 50 lbs is the day I get it. I also buy the filtered cigarette tubes and have machine to make them. A pack of cigarettes costs me $0.45 to make doing it this way. And you can't tell the difference between mine and a Marlboro
DeleteI think better to store it as is. Nothing bad will happen to quality. But they have to be stored in dry place. ..
ReplyDeleteThere is an option also to stick with good online shop and buy duty free cigarettes online for sffordable price...
ReplyDeleteThank you for this info. This is something I have wondered for quite some time.
ReplyDeleteEven though I don't really smoke, purchasing several cartons of cigs is on my SHTF shopping list for "Day 1" action if one last trip to the store is an option. I mostly saw them as a good barter item down the line. I had also considered using my vacuum sealer and wondered if it would keep them fresh.
With that being said, were the cigs you vacuum sealed in the bags still smokable even though they were crushed? Similar to the logic that someone craving a cig wouldn't care if it was slightly stale, I would assume the same would be true for one that was crushed. I'm wondering if it would be too tight for airflow though.
Did you try them?
Thanks for your time.
- Captain Tal
The best way to store tobacco for long-term storage is to buy bulk tobacco along with filtered cigarette tubes, and make your own. I buy 50 lbs of tobacco that I put in ammo cans that I drill a hole in them and install the ball valve to hook up a vacuum sealer to. I put a packet of 65% Boveda humidity control packets that not only will give humidity but will absorb excess humidity depending if it needs to add or subtract humidity in with them. Doing it this way will make tobacco last indefinitely. I Don't do It for barter, I do it because the price of cigarettes are so high add about $8 a pack, and I can make my own for less than $0.50 a pack doing it this way. I have both manual machines and electric machines to make cigarettes. That way up if that power goes out or even in a s*** hits the fan scenario I can still make my own cigarettes with my manual machine. By the way nobody can tell the difference between the tobacco I buy and a Marlboro red if I make them in a full-flavored tubes or Marlboro Light if I make them in a light-flavored tube
ReplyDeleteCan you explain your vacuum sealing process more
DeleteOnline smoke shop Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with extra information? It is extremely helpful for me.
ReplyDeleteTwo things for the guy with the ball valve. Old explain this setup with pics if possible. Also what tobacco and tubes are you using?
ReplyDeleteGreat tips regrading boveda humidity patches . You provided the best information which helps us a lot. Thanks for sharing the wonderful information.
ReplyDelete