(Probably) the wrong approach to cellaring

mtwaller · Aug 9, 2019

I’ve finally started cellaring tobacco, and I find myself doing it somewhat illogically. Over just the last week, I’ve bought quantities of blends that I’ve never smoked and might not smoke for at least a year or more. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to buy multiple tins of something I might hate. But, I’ve been focusing on getting small stores of blends that aren’t readily available all the time. I figure the easy to get offerings I have plenty of time to try out and stock up on. But some of the scarcer ones, if I want to get them, I should purchase what I can when they come up for sale. To that end, my fledgling cellar now contains:
4 SG Brown No. 4

4 SG Dark Flake

3 GH&C Ennerdale Flake

3 GH&C Rum Flake

5 Sun Bear
I suppose if I hate them, I could fairly easily resell them at a later date. Anybody else stock up on tins you’ve never tried? I can’t be the only one.

alaskanpiper · Aug 9, 2019

I have a ridiculous amount of shit I have yet to try. Same Logic. I have a 5 drawer dresser full of tobacco, and the entire top drawer is all stuff I have yet to try. It's a problem.

mtwaller · Aug 9, 2019

Good problem to have!

jaytex1969 · Aug 9, 2019

My cellar is mostly untasted blends. In two years, I've only found two blends I didn't like. They both had "kitchen spices" in them, so I avoid that small subcategory.
Everyone's philosophy and resources are different. I say rock on! All of those SG & GH&Co tins are like money in the bank, should you not like them.

mtwaller · Aug 9, 2019

Jay, my thoughts exactly on the unsealed tins for resale. I’ve never heard of any kitchen spice blends... I suppose I’d avoid them as well. Luckily I know I like pretty much every dark flake tobacco I’ve had thus far, figure those are a safe bet for me. I hear ennerdale has a very unique taste and aroma though, the toppings and flavorings might not be my cup of tea. But I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

scloyd · Aug 9, 2019

Anybody else stock up on tins you’ve never tried? I can’t be the only one.

I have a few that I've never tried.
2 Dunhill EMP

2 Dunhill Durbar

1 Dunhill London Mixture

1 Dunhill Standard Mixture Medium

1 H&H Viprati (gift from Secret Santa)

1 H&H Cerberus

and a few others.

lawdawg · Aug 9, 2019

I also have a blend I haven't tried - C&D Opening Night. I'll have to pop it soon. It's been sitting in my cabinet for six months or so. Also just opened a (previously untried) tin of Molto Dolce this week. Gotta say I really love it! It's the ideal vanilla aromatic. It's fun to keep a few surprises for yourself. Nothing wrong with that, especially with popular blends you know you could trade in the future.

jaytex1969 · Aug 9, 2019

Kitchen spice blends:
Angler's Dream (cinnamon)
Maltese Falcon (ginger)
Don't let my poor taste dissuade you. Many people enjoy these blends.

trubka2 · Aug 9, 2019

I have the opposite problem - I can't resist cracking every tin I get, so I now have over 100 4 oz. jars with open tins, bulk samples, etc. in them. When I finish a jar and decide to reorder is when I decide whether to get a bunch of tins or a bigger bulk order. But the fact that I enjoyed 2 oz. of something is no guarantee I'll still like it in a year or 5. Meanwhile, I've got all these jars all over everywhere, and the people at the little hardware store where I buy them think God only knows what.

All of those SG & GH&Co tins are like money in the bank

Man, I sure hope you're right!! That's what I keep telling my wife. With the drops the last couple weeks, it's been, "Yes, dear, I need the boxes to smoke this year, but I also need all the tins of the same exact stuff for later. No, it's not safer in the tins than in jars. A safe investment? Not as such, but... OK, I could just go back to smoking cigarettes then, how's that?"

C&D Opening Night. I'll have to pop it soon.

Do it! That stuff is fantastic with even just a few months on it. I keep reordering small tins of it so I can let my half-pounders age a bit more.

alaskanpiper · Aug 9, 2019

Maltese Falcon (ginger)

WTF? Maltese falcon has ginger in it?

workman · Aug 9, 2019

If you want to cellar, you've got to start somewhere. The only one who knows if it's right is you in a few years.

My approach is to keep a drawer with blends to smoke, some favorites and some that I haven't tried yet.

I cellar the blends I fall in love with.

nunnster · Aug 9, 2019

Every payday, I have a set amount that I spend on the cellar. I've really only been truly beginning to stock up in over the last 4 months or so, but....mostly everything I have, I have yet to crack open. Im trying to try littlerly everything and then stocking up on those blends (after I try them) that I really enjoy. But I will get stuck on a tin (for example, plum pudding. Not *that* long ago I Got a 2 oz tin and killed it rather quickly, then immediately got a couple 8 oz tins). So it's hard to pop open some of the other tins to see if they are worth cellering even deeper. Right now I'm eagerly awaiting some dark fired Kentucky (the only type of tobacco I dont believe I have tired yet) and some blackhorse (which might be a while before I get around too) along with quite a few other blends. But, my stock of tobacco is large enough to atleast last a year at this point so my PAD is kicking in, so next payday instead of tobacco I think a pipe purchase might be in order....as an addendum, the one tobacco I really want to get my hands on that has yet to hit my cellar is black freight. I want to join the club it seems to have a strong following lol. I just never see it when I'm tobacco shopping

skydog · Aug 9, 2019

I've definitely ordered multiples of a blend I haven't tried if the reviews were good and it seemed like something I would like. I usually crack into them and try them young before buying anymore though.

jaytex1969 · Aug 9, 2019

SP currently has 2 and 8 ounce cans of Black Frigate in stock.

ormazd · Aug 9, 2019

Maltese Falcon (ginger)

Interesting how people's taste varies. I've never noticed a hint of ginger.

haparnold · Aug 9, 2019

I have quite a few tins here and there of things I haven't gotten around to yet, but it's mostly disciplined-- I usually have a tin of something familiar and a tin of something new open at any given time. Since I have a decent backlog in the 'to try' bin, I'll mostly just reorder old favorites until I've smoked it down a bit.
All that to say, I have more blends I haven't tried than those I have, but as a percentage of my cellar by weight, untried blends are less than 20%. I order favorites in quantity, and new blends in single tins.

krizzose · Aug 9, 2019

I too just bought 5 tins of Sun Bear that won’t see the light of day for at least year. Hopefully I’ll like a whisper of elderflower

mtwaller · Aug 9, 2019

I find myself having the same problem with opening and jarring blends, now I have mason jars everywhere, some with tobaccos that I’m not overly fond of. It kind of stresses me out. There’s something calming about having 3 or 4 unopened tins of a particular blend stacked neatly away for later use. The ones that are easy to get, though, I’ll definitely be trying just one before I stock up. Opening Night is on my hit list soon, as are Yorktown, Oriental Silk (that’s gonna hopefully be my oriental fix until I want to crack open a Sun Bear), and Sunset Harbor. Recently tried Bengal Slices and Solani 633 and I’m not blown away by either of them. Had really high hopes for both. Suppose I’ll jar them and try again later.

redglow · Aug 10, 2019

I have a lot of tobaccos on hand that I've never tried. But, I've never tried a tobacco I didn't like.
I'm glad they're down there deep in the cellar. Someday, they'll come in handy. : puffy

:

shanez · Aug 10, 2019

I'm pretty sure the only truly wrong way to cellar is to not cellar at all.

(Probably) the wrong approach to cellaring

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