aged Virginias

magicpiper · Dec 17, 2018

Happy Holidays All,
I was recently gifted several tins of McClelland Christmas Cheer. They vary by year, mostly between the mid 2000's to 2017. The one exception is a tin from 1992. I'm curious as to how long can you age those Virginias before they stop aging or begin degrading. Other than being able to say I have an unopened tin of 1992 Christmas Cheer, is there any benefit to allowing a 26 year old tin to remain unopened and unsmoked? I'm not a collector by no means. I cellar for future use.

sablebrush52 · Dec 17, 2018

Well, you have a great friend! The 1992 was the first Christmas Cheer release, and it goes for sick amounts of money when a tin is offered for sale. As to your question about aging, it all comes down to whether you like how Virginias change with aging. In the case of the Red and Orange Virginias used in CC, the flavors intensify over time and the blend can take on a sweetness that it doesn't have when fresh. The biggest part of that change happens in the first 5 years and then becomes more incremental over time. So your 1992 is ready to be enjoyed if you want, or it will keep for a few decades more before peaking and heading south. Just keep the tins stored in a cool dark dry environment to keep anything bad from happening before you decide to open that tin.

ashdigger · Dec 17, 2018

Sell it or smoke it.....its ready. Like Sable says it definitely gets better, but slowly. The thing to keep in mind about OLD/AGED baccy is that when you open it, it starts to degrade. The oxygen will start to affect it negatively. So, and I admit this is shameless, send it to me for proper disposal.

magicpiper · Dec 17, 2018

Thanks for the feedback. Just wanted to make sure I didn’t have a tin that was no longer gaining anything by being aged any further. I suppose I’ll just smoke it. I’m turning the corner on 40 in a few months. Maybe that’s as good of a time as ever to smoke a 26 year old tin of McClelland.

mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast · Dec 17, 2018

I’m turning the corner on 40 in a few months. Maybe that’s as good of a time as ever to smoke a 26 year old tin of McClelland.

Yup. It is. You could always send it to me to make sure it's okay. I wouldn't want you to get sick from an old tin of tobacco. I care about your well-being.

magicpiper · Dec 18, 2018

Thanks...Good to know Mother Nature is looking out for you.

hiplainsdrifter · Dec 18, 2018

Sell it and buy 20 tins of something newer. Or a new gun. Or a fancy dinner out. Or a vintage Ashton Sovereign. Or a camera. Or a new fly rod. Or...

hoosierpipeguy · Dec 19, 2018

I agree with hiplainsdrifter. At least,that's what I would do if I could get stupid money for the tin.

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