I hope this happens to pirate kake because that stuff is quite the "camp fire" lat bomb to me!Virginias age very well.
The big debates on aged tobacco seem to center on Latakia. While the vividness of Lat diminishes over time, this is a matter of personal taste. Older Lat is softer but still plays a role. What appears to emerge with ageing is the quality and balance of the blends. A "lat bomb" that has no quality foundations with other leaves may taste flat over over the years whereas other Latakia blends will allow other components to emerge while still maintaining the flavour of Latakia.
In particular I find that Greg Pease's Latakia-heavy blends age beautifully. Several years ago I smoked a 10 year old tin of GLP's Odyssey (the original tall tin) and it was sublime. The VAs were even sweeter with time and the Lat had mellowed and found a new voice.
few of us will really know much about any of this long-term aging business because cellaring tobacco is a relatively new phenomenon
Well maybe. depending on what you mean by "long-term." Nearly any classic blend that's still being produced today can be compared against a vintage tin with some age on it. Five to fifteen year old vintage tins are reasonably easy to find via buying and trading with others. It will cost you some money but gives you a chance to compare new vs old to get some idea of what aging will do to a blend you like.
To be honest, I don't get the whole old tobacco thing...Just as I don't get the aged wine thing....
Bring me the new stuff...that old crap is most likely expired. You people are going to get a nasty case of botulism...?
Not all wines age well. Buy some vintage bottles with some age. If you have a palate for appreciating wine, you would change your statement. How many properly stored blends of aged tobacco have you tried? I primarily smoke Virginia blends and I've found the vast majority improve with age.
Cellaring isn't solely about aging either. It's also to insure having access to blends that may go out of production. I wish I would have been able to purchase more McClelland blends. It's hedging against substantial price increases in the future. It's to protect against the efforts of the anti smoking Nazis.
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Relax dude, it was a joke.
Going forward I will take into consideration that humor or sarcasm may be lost on some people here. Don't take offense because I do realize that this type of communication medium is limited to the writing talent of the individual poster. My talent is not in writing.
Look, I know why some of you cellar your tobacco and to be honest, I do it as well, to some degree. I don't need a lecture on the subject. I don't think anyone here really does. I also understand the whims of market fluctuation and the effect regulations have on consumer behavior. In fact, maybe better than many considering in the past I have been disagreed with regarding market trends and consumer behavior. It seems that some posters here think that pipe smokers are somehow immune to market panic and it's predictable effect on tobacco users. That's a nice and noble concept but it's also an example of how some people have a habit of talking out of their ass.
Me exactly. Had a couple of favorites disappear in the 90s. Not out of production, the distributor stopped delivering in my area, and online ordering was still a few years away. After that I started buying all I could and putting it away for future use.It's also to insure having access to blends that may go out of production.