How Long Before a Sealed Tin is Unsmokeable?

michaelmirza · May 11, 2016

We all know sealed tobacco gets better with age, especially Virginias. But I wonder, is there a bell curve to the change in quality, or is it simply the older the better, period? At some point will moisture give way to mold, or the lack of moisture turn leaves to dust? Just some newbie thoughts I had while browsing some of Pipestud's impressive vintage tins like Grand National from the 1980s and Rattray's from the 1970s.

mso489 · May 11, 2016

It depends on the tobacco, the tin of course, the storage area, and probably some luck. Virginias age best, I've heard. Lats mellow, aromatics fade. The tin needs to be all metal for long storage, and well sealed, and round tins store better than square ones, it's said. The storage area has to be a moderate cool temperature. Given all that, I think you can expect a five to ten year improvement with mostly Virginias, sometimes longer. That's where luck comes in. Now hear from the real students of this ....

jacks6 · May 11, 2016

How long is an open tin good for? 8O I don't believe I've ever let one sit around long enough to find out. :rofl:

dochudson · May 11, 2016

Depends.. IMO, 5 or 6 years tops after that most taste the same

deathmetal · May 11, 2016

But I wonder, is there a bell curve to the change in quality, or is it simply the older the better, period?

I can't find the thread, but the analysis was that aging peaks at about two years.

mikestanley · May 11, 2016

I recently opened a tin of Astleys #109 Virginia Flake from 2004. The tobacco within is fantastic. A tin of Black Mallory English mixture from @2000 has been a joy. No sign of withering. Heck, in 2004 I sampled Edgeworth Ready Rubbed from a key top tin from 1948. Drying yes, anything less than very enjoyable, no.I could go on but I think you get the idea. If the tin stays sealed, it ain't going to spoil.
Mike S.

condorlover1 · May 11, 2016

I've smoked stuff from the 1920s & 1930s and providing the tin is sealed with no holes the contents is usually OK it just looses all flavor very quickly there after. Dan and my friend Andre and myself have smoked a few things from the 1930s and frankly you would have been better off smoking an owl pellet! 8O

michaelmirza · May 12, 2016

Mikestanley and condorlover1, thathank you! That's the info I was after. Sounds like there are a lot of factors that go into it, as mso489 said. Now I'm deciding whether or not to bid on that tin of Grand National.

perdurabo · May 12, 2016

In other words, this cellar shit only gets you so far.

michaelmirza · May 13, 2016

Condorlover1, I randomly thought of your owl pellet comment last night and then laughed out loud. My wife asked what so funny, then didn't appreciate the humor. But I certainly did.

misterlowercase · May 13, 2016

Most of the old cutter tops are very difficult to precisely date because they made them all the way up until the late 1960's,

so in most cases it's a rough estimate of timeframe based on various clues...
...in the case of pre-1959 cutter tops that were imported into the USA however, it was required to have a tax stamp which included a date-coded series number, allowing precise dating, like this one from 1949:

That was an old tin of Scots Cake that I was lucky enough to find,

and when I decided to distribute some samples, most everyone agreed that it was pretty damn good stuff!!!
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/smoking-some-65-year-old-scottish-flake-a-group-review
: puffy

:
I've had flat old stuff too though and there are myriad variables involved and it's always a gamble and you just never know until you smoke it and even if it's the best shit you've ever smoked there are some people who'll never believe you and continue to insist that the good richness of such superannuated old stuff is a romantic self-deluding myth... : puffy

:
...like John Loring said,

they'll call you a goddamm'd liar!

I smoked another bowl last night, and today I started off with it in a 1928 Dunhill 126 Shell that married delightfully with the medium-light matured virginia blend. I don't know what the blend tasted like in 1955 but notwithstanding the packaging it's a wonderful smoke today.
And if you showed me the tin & told me the story, I would swear you were a g-d- liar ...
http://www.loringpage.com/attpipes/tobacco-rustedtin.html

:

shutterbugg · May 13, 2016

How Long Before a Sealed Tin is Unsmokeable?

It depends. In the case of a Lakeland, even before the tin is sealed.
Otherwise, if the tin isn't bulging, the tobacco inside will be good long after most of us here are worm food.

mikestanley · May 13, 2016

Bulging tins, in my experience are a sign of good things. Don't worry about bulging cans unless they contain food...then its bad.
Mike S.

jefff · May 13, 2016

I recently opened a 10 year old tin of GLP Fillmore that had a decent bulge to it. Not only was it wonderful, it smelled like a McClellands blend.

hawky454 · May 13, 2016

Just reminded me of a dream (more like a nightmare) I had last night. I dreamt that I finally came around to opening a tin of Opening Night by C&D and the flakes were covered in mold, I'm talking completely blue, powdery mold. I woke up in a sweat... That's all.

jefff · May 13, 2016

I have a few tins of that in the cellar. In my opinion C&D Va's need time in the tin.

How Long Before a Sealed Tin is Unsmokeable?

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