How Long Would It Take You? Or TAD Intervention

mikethompson · Jan 16, 2018

Here's an interesting game should you have the time or inclination - if you stopped buying any tobacco at all for life, how long would it take to empty your cellar?
My modest cellar matches the modest number of times I get to enjoy my pipe.
Currently I have:
9 1/2 tins @ 50g

6 tins @ 57g

3/4 tin @100g
So roughly 892g of unsmoked leaf. This is where it gets interesting. For math sake, say each bowl I am I smoke is 3g. I have no idea how much it really is, but play along anyway.
That means I have enough for about 297 bowls. What if I told you I would be incredibly lucky to smoke a bowl a week?
That's enough for 5.7 years! 8O
The funniest part? I'm still looking to build up my cellar

sablebrush52 · Jan 16, 2018

Many of us have far more stashed than we're likely to smoke. I'm good for about 20 years or so. I'm going to hold off on any more purchases, unless there's a white whale that I can get at a reasonable price.

btwes7 · Jan 16, 2018

33,931 grams. Approximately 11,310 bowls @ 3 grams per bowl. 30.98 years at one bowl per day.

Chasing Embers · Jan 16, 2018

At a bit over 200 pounds, my cellar will outlive me.

cigrmaster · Jan 16, 2018

Like Jesse I have enough for 20 plus years. The only things I buy now are aged tins that I feel are at a fair price.

npod · Jan 16, 2018

Honestly ... Seriously ... Math is not required. The cellar is a very personal thing. Everyone has their own and that's the way it should be. If he was alive, my Grandfather would laugh his arse off if he saw my "cellar". I have enough tobacco to last the rest of life, even at modest smoking intervals. The idea of cellar(ing) is relatively new.
The Dunhill scare really threw me for a loop. I ended up purchasing enough of my favorites to last years. And now that I have them tucked away, my TAD still drifts to new blends.
Here is a question back. Math and equations aside. Who will get the tobacco when I die? Seriously. I'm middle aged now and now children. I often wonder if there is a way to will my gems. And furthermore, would I want my gal really knowing the retail price of the loot on a spreadsheet?

mikethompson · Jan 16, 2018

Its not meant as a serious existential discussion, just out of interest is all.
Btwes, I'm curious why you have so much stashed away but only smoke a bowl a week. That's TAD for you though!

Chasing Embers · Jan 16, 2018

I'm curious why you have so much stashed away but only smoke a bowl a week.

I only smoke 1-2 bowls per day, but have so much cellared becausecof ever increasing tobacco prices. Buying it up while I can still afford it, and while it's still legally available.

cigrmaster · Jan 16, 2018

When I began to cellar I knew I would probably never smoke it all. I have shown my oldest daughter places to sell aged tobacco and what prices are currently. In 20 years if I am gone, she will know what to do with it and will be able to realize some nice profit.
The saying of buy all you can now because prices will never be lower continually rings true. When I bought most of my cellar in 2012, prices were definitely lower in many instances than what they are now. For example I bought all of my Mac Baren Old Dark Fired 3.5oz tins for 9.99-10.99 and now it sells for 18.49.
Also your favorite blends could be discontinued so stock up now. One of my favorites(Rotary Navy Cut) was recently discontinued. I stocked up big time on it because I knew that could happen. It happened to Three Nuns(which was very popular) so it can happen to any blend.

rx2man · Jan 16, 2018

I have over 60 pounds which is not a lot compared to others on here but I think its more than I will need. Some of that 60 pounds is also very basic C&D tobacco's specfically for blending later. I do wonder if I should not be cellaring some of my aros. AS in they will not age as well as my straight VA's. I also have a few pounds of raw tobacco leaves from leaf only that I have used some of to make a pretty good "navy" (rum) tobacco. Getting more off subject have seeds I want to plant and give that a go as well. Dont like the idea of being taxed to the point where baccy is no longer affordable. The ultimate 1 finger solute to "the man" lol.....grow and process your own.

litup · Jan 16, 2018

The Pipe Tool has a tobacco calculator that figures this out for you. You just need to plug in your age, life expectancy, how much you smoke, and how much tobacco you have. I'm at about 24 pounds which should last me about 10 years.

cortezattic · Jan 16, 2018

A back-of-the-envelope calc reveals that I have enough to last until I'm 80 yrs. old. But a lot of what I have are not among my current favorites -- though I'm sure I will return to most of them from time to time. So, for now I will only buy enough to replenish my current favorites.

saltedplug · Jan 17, 2018

Math is not required. The cellar is a very personal thing.

Just as you eat until you're full, so too do you buy tobacco until your cellar feels full. But given that tobacco is a luxury, it is subject to hoarding. Although cellaring may be hoarding, you're the only who cares, and most with a fat cellar don't call themselves names. In fact, this is the only place where I talk about a cellar. No one else cares.

irishearl · Jan 17, 2018

I've never cellared, though in the past few years have thought I would if I could really afford to do so. However, that's really not an option. Now theoretically, if I wanted to lay away a "lifetime's" supply given current age-20 years optimistically-at current rate of smoking, (12 pounds per year), would need to put away 240 pounds. Estimate an average of $40 per pound conservatively for the blends I smoke and you're talking $9600. Don't think I've ever paid much more than that for a car. :wink: No, unfortunately, can really only afford to continue my current pattern of buying enough to smoke for each month monthly.

saltedplug · Jan 17, 2018

Could you buy two tins a month to cellar? Yes, $9600.00 is a lot of money, but one or two tins put by a month would be only $10.00 or $20.00 and would add up.

irishearl · Jan 17, 2018

Saltedplug-I appreciate your comment. However, I'm a puffin' fool. I always have bought bulk because of the amount I smoke vs. price of a tin in that I smoke roughly 1 pound a month. So, am afraid a couple of tins would sort of be a drop in my bucket. :D

saltedplug · Jan 17, 2018

Some guys like smokingpipes Low Country bulk. $19.03/lb. You might go through the bulks on that site and pipesandcigars. They bill themselves as a haven for bulk smokers.

voorhees · Jan 17, 2018

I have no idea the actual weight of my cellar. Unopened tins are easy to calculate, but open tins in jars? No idea. I buy in spurts when I feel the need to and usually buy tins that will go the distance.

5star · Jan 18, 2018

Last time I did this calculation I came up with 5-6 years, based on the most that I’d likely smoke each day. But it might actually last twice that long. Because of a bad case of the flu, I haven’t smoked anything since Christmas Eve. I do like to try blends new to me though.
Speaking of ‘acquisition disorders’, I just read an article by a fellow about his music collection. It’s made up of CDs, vinyl, and mostly digital downloads. This fellow figured that he wouldn’t be able to listen to all of it in his lifetime even if he was plugged in 24/7. He still adds more. Various ADs seem to be common nowadays.
- Mac

mso489 · Jan 18, 2018

I'm a moderate smoker, a bowl or two a day with days off. I don't have pounds of tobacco, or only several. I might lay in another tub or two, since there are tub tobaccos i enjoy. That would be my version of hoarding. I would guess this will last me about five years, and a little more if I slow down a bit more. But I do tend to buy a little more from time to time, several tins, pouches, or bags of bulk at a time, or a tub or bag. Plus gift tobacco. So I doubt I'll run out any time soon.

How Long Would It Take You? Or TAD Intervention

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Site Sponsors

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Lifer

The Bard Of Barlings

Lifer

Captain of the Black Frigate

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Captain of the Black Frigate

Lifer

Part of the Furniture Now

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Part of the Furniture Now

Lifer