Several open cans and dried out portions

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  • ace
    Member
    • Apr 2008
    • 28

    Several open cans and dried out portions

    A few months ago, I thought I should only have a couple cans open at any one time. My reason: I didn't want the snus to get old and dry up.

    Then someone here said: "Do you really think you're affecting the freshness of the snus by breaking the little perforation around the can?"

    Well, that made a lot of sense, actually. Until recently. I like a Catch Eucalyptus at night. So it takes me 24 days to finish a can. I just finished a can last night. Those last few portions were really dry and stale. I opened the new can and was reminded of that wonderful "new snus smell."

    So what's the problem? My theory: it is the constant opening and closing of the can, introducing new air into the can, which causes the snus to go bad. So today I start a new experimental method. I will open a new can and place 6 portions in a separate container. When those are used, I will get 6 more, and so on. So the original can will only have been opened 4 times.

    I hope this will allow my portions to stay fresher, but we'll see. I just wanted to share this idea, in case anyone is experiencing anything similar.
  • eli
    Member
    • Apr 2008
    • 243

    #2
    I keep 6 or 7 cans open in the fridge at a time and have had no problems with snus drying out, loose or portion.

    Comment

    • ace
      Member
      • Apr 2008
      • 28

      #3
      Originally posted by eli
      I keep 6 or 7 cans open in the fridge at a time and have had no problems with snus drying out, loose or portion.
      To be a nit, they are probably not open. They are probably closed. You mean you keep 6 or 7 cans in the fridge with broken perforation. That sounds fine to me. My theory is not about broken perforation. My theory is about cans (like my Catch) that are opened and closed on many different days.

      This might be overkill, but let me try to define some terms. If a can (even one with broken perforation) goes all day without ever being opened, then call that a "sealed day." If a can is opened one or more times during a day, call that an "exposed day." Over the lifetime of one of your cans, how many exposed days does it go through? My can of Catch goes through the maximum: 24.

      Each of your 6 or 7 cans probably goes through less. Maybe you get a craving for one kind, so you go to that can, have 3 or 4 portions of it that day, then put it back and not touch it again for a week. Or maybe you only have 1 that day, but another day you have 6. If you use your snus like that, then your can will only have 6-8 exposed days before it is all gone. If my theory is right, then it will keep better than my Catch.

      But who knows. I probably have too much time on my hands right now.

      Comment

      • eli
        Member
        • Apr 2008
        • 243

        #4
        actually I usually pull out two or three cans a day. A strong portion for the morning drive+coffee, and then I switch it up between loose and portions thought the day, usually keeping them on my desk at work throughout the day. Then back int he fridge at night.

        However, that said, i'm interested in the results of your experiment it sounds quite interesting.

        Comment

        • ace
          Member
          • Apr 2008
          • 28

          #5
          Well, it'll be a few weeks before I can notice if there's a difference. But I'll post on it either way.

          Actually, what you said is quite relevant. So you have only 1 strong portion a day? That means your can of strongs (Skruf?) has 24 exposed days, just like my Catch. You don't notice any freshness difference between the first portion and the last?

          Comment

          • Premium Parrots
            Super Moderators
            • Feb 2008
            • 9758

            #6
            Whether sealed or not they should last several months in the fridge. If you keep them in the freezer they should last a year or more without any problem. Try to keep them in a thick plastic bag. Sure if you keep opening the tins they will dry out quicker. But you can open them 100 times and if they are kept in the fridge or freezer they will last alot longer than at room temperature.
            PP
            Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of the people I killed because they were annoying......





            I've been wrong lots of times.  Lots of times I've thought I was wrong only to find out that I was right in the beginning.


            Comment

            • eli
              Member
              • Apr 2008
              • 243

              #7
              Originally posted by ace
              (Skruf?) has 24 exposed days, just like my Catch. You don't notice any freshness difference between the first portion and the last?
              Well N&J, Just opened my Skruf this morning. And it's one or two a day (those N&J are hard to resist, so delicious!). My N&J lasted three weeks, and there wasn't much noticeable difference from the first portion to the last, although I bet if I'd put that first one right next to the 24th I'd probably had been able to tell... hard to judge when the change is so gradual and day to day completely negligible. But by the third week when I finished the can there wasn't an unpleasant level of dryness (the portions were still squeezably moist)

              Comment

              • ace
                Member
                • Apr 2008
                • 28

                #8
                Originally posted by eli
                But by the third week when I finished the can there wasn't an unpleasant level of dryness (the portions were still squeezably moist)
                Yeah, mine too. Maybe I should clarify that. My last few portions are not unpleasant at all. They are squeezably moist, as you say, and I generally do not notice the difference from day to day. But when I see that 24th portion next to the 1st portion from the new can, it is a world of difference. The new portion is visibly fresher (if that means anything) and has a much stronger scent.

                To me, it makes sense. The odor and moisture of the portions gets absorbed by the air in the can. When that air becomes saturated, absorption stops. But when you open the can, you release that air, exchanging it for fresh air, which can then absorb more odor and moisture. Anyway, we'll see.

                Oh, and maybe I should clarify for the other poster: I do keep my cans refrigerated nearly always. In fact, I never carry the Catch can with me, so it is always refrigerated.

                Comment

                • madridpris
                  New Member
                  • Dec 2007
                  • 9

                  #9
                  I'm not a big portion fan and only use it when mudslides would be inconvenient (in meetings). In the morning I take out from the fridge only the portions I need for the day (2 or 3) so they don't dry out or go sweaty. I never have more than one tin on the go so it lasts about a week.

                  However I´ve noticed with loose that the really big difference is temperature because off-flavours develop. I pre-bake the night before (about 15) and take them to work where I have a USB fridge. Seems to do the trick

                  Comment

                  • Scott64a
                    Member
                    • May 2008
                    • 27

                    #10
                    In following the original logic of this thread, why not individually wrap each portion with a food saver?

                    This way, you can take them out of a fresh can, seal them, and only open one when you want it. I suppose another alternative would be to use CLEAN unused film containers and line the suckers up. Opened only once; when you wanted what was inside.

                    This might be a good way to test your theory, though it seems you have figured it out by the exchange rate between air and moisture in successive openings over 24 days.

                    My my, you are quite the scientist.

                    Let us know your findings!

                    Comment

                    • ace
                      Member
                      • Apr 2008
                      • 28

                      #11
                      Originally posted by Scott64a
                      My my, you are quite the scientist.
                      Actually, I'm a mathematician, to be more precise.

                      And I'll tell you one more thing to illustrate my obsessive style about these kinds of things. I told you I will be removing 6 portions at a time from the main can. How did I decide on 6? I calculated the average number of exposed days per portion, if I were to remove n portions at a time, and then minimized that over all n that divide evenly into 24. It was a tie between n=4 and n=6. Since 6 at a time involves fewer transfers from the main can, I went with that one.

                      Originally posted by Scott64a
                      I suppose another alternative would be to use CLEAN unused film containers and line the suckers up. Opened only once; when you wanted what was inside.
                      Why film containers? I easily have 24 empty snus cans stacked up in my closet! That would actually be perfect, if it were not so impractical. (Despite how crazy my previous paragraph might sound, I am interested in practical solutions.)

                      Comment

                      • KarlvB
                        Member
                        • Feb 2008
                        • 681

                        #12
                        ace, I follow your line of reasoning but I think if you really want to test your theory you should include different brands and portions e.g. white (General), regular (Ettan) and "in-between" portions (Knox)

                        I've had the Catch portions and I have noticed a slight difference between the first and last portions...but not a pronounced difference....I am referring to CatchDry Eucalyptus which are by far the driest portion I've had...At the time I thought I was imagining it as a portion with less moisture should be far less subject to moisture loss/changes in flavour etc....

                        Moreover, IMHO that difference hasn't been as noticeable for Gotlands Gray and the Montecristo Portions over the same time period and with the same number of opening and closing of the cans......My current rotation is GR#2, Montecristo Portions and Gotlands Green.....I use about three portions per day - one from each can.....

                        Also I find that some brands tend to "settle" into their flavour over a time period........we know that snus is kept in cold storage for a period after production to ripen and develop its characteristic flavour so maybe this process continues/slows down? Any opinions from the scientists?

                        Comment

                        • ace
                          Member
                          • Apr 2008
                          • 28

                          #13
                          CatchDry are the minis, right? I use the regular size Catch White Eucalyptus. I don't find them particularly dry, but I do remember finding minis (of various brands) pretty dry when I was using those a few months ago.

                          As for testing other brands and styles of portions, I should say that I also have 1 strong portion each morning -- usually Skruf, though right now it's N&J. Today was #23 from the N&J can, and I am noticing the same issue. So I will be the doing the 6 at a time trick with those also.

                          During the day, I go back and forth between loose and Lucky Strike portions. Since the semester ended, it's been mostly loose, with only 1, maybe 2, portions each day. And, not surprisingly, I am starting to see my Lucky Strike freshness affected in the same way.

                          To be honest, though, I am much more interested in improving my portion freshness, than in confirming my theory. If this experiment works for me, then I won't really care if it leaves unanswered questions about the theory.

                          Comment

                          • RPatrick
                            Member
                            • May 2008
                            • 48

                            #14
                            So the original can will only have been opened 4 times.

                            I hope this will allow my portions to stay fresher, but we'll see. I just wanted to share this idea, in case anyone is experiencing anything similar.
                            I have noticed drying over time with both snus and american snuff products.

                            The dryness of stored snus portions is directly related to the humidity of the air in the can, regardless of how many times the can has been opened. A can that is full of snus or snuff will maintain a higher humidity inside than a can that is down to only a few portions.

                            If you want to address the issue, you could find things that would be safe to put in the can that will keep the air inside moist. Using a small apple wedge would work if you can deal with any flavor changes that may occurr. Maybe there are other inert humidifying products that are available.

                            On another note, freezing is a sure way to dry out snus. Every time something is frozen, it is going to lose moisture to the air around it. The moistest possible snus will have never have been frozen.

                            Comment

                            • ace
                              Member
                              • Apr 2008
                              • 28

                              #15
                              Originally posted by RPatrick
                              The dryness of stored snus portions is directly related to the humidity of the air in the can
                              I think this is exactly right. But the humidity in the can is affected by opening the can. Take a half-full can, close it up and let it sit. After some time, the humidity of the air in the can will stabilize at a higher level than the air outside. If you then open the can, you will very quickly bring that level down, which allows further drying.

                              Originally posted by RPatrick
                              A can that is full of snus or snuff will maintain a higher humidity inside than a can that is down to only a few portions.
                              You're right, I'm sure. I have wondered how much of a factor this is. If my new method does not produce satisfying results, then I may have to come up with something that deals with this issue. I don't really like the apple wedge idea, because it's not just moisture loss that bothers me, but also loss of flavor/scent.

                              Comment

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