Tobacco Recommended for Short Term Aging

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bluto

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 24, 2018
737
8
I know you guys are talking decades for aged tobaccos , but what can I pick up today which will be very good , nearing perfection , in just a few years ?
Got a camping trip planned for a special time and a nicely aged flake or plug around the campfire would be ideal
What to get ..
Edited by jvnshr: Title capitalization (please check Rule #9)

 

morgansteele

Can't Leave
Mar 23, 2018
313
427
Don't overthink it, Bluto. All tobacco is ready to be smoked. And, whether there's a benefit to the changes due to age is up to the individual smoker. Having said that, I do cellar so I can smoke from tins with at least a little age on it. This is for the marrying of flavors. But, this can be as short as a month or so. Not much better than camping and smoking a pipe, so I'm envious. Have fun!

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,623
44,833
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
A few years? Just about anything. Greg Pease, who know a bit about tobacco, has said that most of the aging occurs within the first five years and even a couple of years can make a significant change. One of my favorite blends right out of the chute is RO GP-11, part of Russ' Perique Series that he created with Mark Ryan. C&D Yorktown is another one that's fine straight off the shelf. Any of the Esoterica blends are ready to go when they're released.

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,568
27,074
Carmel Valley, CA
All the above. I've read that after six months, the rate of change slows, but is still substantial for the first couple of years. So within a few years, you get the most change, and there's less advantage to keep the clock running after that, but folks swear that 10, 15, or 20 years is the bomb.

 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,249
108,349
Just start buying blends you like. The aging will take care of itself as your collection grows.

 

bluto

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 24, 2018
737
8
Alrighty then , sage advice , stated another way there is nothing I am missing by opening a tin too early , good to know.
Gonna go with a good flake or plug cut , maybe a sam gawith and a Seattle pipe club plum pudding special reserve (SPCPPSR )
Salt those away just for my trip.

 

ray47

Lifer
Jul 10, 2015
2,451
5,610
Dalzell, South Carolina
I smoke a lot of C&D burley blends and they can be a bit harsh when fresh. I find that 6 months undisturbed greatly improves them. Peter Stokebbye blends seem to be good when fresh, but they improve with just 2 months of aging.

 
there is nothing I am missing by opening a tin too early

Not really. If you are aging it, you must have at least tried it beforehand, unless you are like me, and just buy pounds of things for my first trial of them. But, I have never had a blend that I thought sucked, and would age it to make it better. Well, except MacBaren's Virginia #1, but the problem is that it sucked fresh, and still sucks with five years on it. I bought five pounds early on. I find that it is smoke-able, and I will smoke it. I just don't enjoy it nearly as much as other blends.
I have started smoking from my cellar, and I try to grab things that have at least five years on them before opening. I never smoke the last tin or jar of something, as I will tap one when it is 5 years old, then I will open another at 7, then 10, then whenever after that. At least, that is the plan.

 

erhardt85

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 14, 2017
200
61
39
Cornell and Diehl blends and GL Pease blends are fantastic with 3-5 years of age. As are most blends. I would say English tobaccos peak much earlier, of course, but everything will age nicely in a few years time, with the exception of maybe McClelland which seems to take much longer. If it's in a vacuum sealed tin, exposing the tobaccos to air and putting them in a jar will age them faster and better in my opinion. Of course a lot of people would argue this point. For example, however, I find Dunhill tobaccos significantly better in the one year range if opwned and jarred, leaving the top third for air. I haven't spent enough time smoking pipes to see the effects of five years in a jar like that versus in the tin so I can't speak to that. I would only use that method with vacuum sealed tins and bulk. The c&d tins age beautifully and fairly quickly in the tin.

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,568
27,074
Carmel Valley, CA
If it's in a vacuum sealed tin, exposing the tobaccos to air and putting them in a jar will age them faster and better in my opinion. Of course a lot of people would argue this point.
Not really to argue, but what controlled experiment(s) have you conducted? Same with the statement on Dunny tobaccos.

 

bluto

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 24, 2018
737
8
Thinking star of the east , flake , is another good candidate .

 

bluto

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 24, 2018
737
8
My thinking is opening a tin lets ammonia and chlorophyll escape , resealing in a micro oxygen environment then allows more aging , compounds break down.
So it’s probably more about what’s missing than what’s gained .

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
A few of my favorite flakes that are tasty with little age are the following:

Capstan Blue Flake

Fribourg & Treyer Cut Virginia Plug

Solani 633

Peter Heinrichs Curly Block

Dan Tobacco Salty Dogs

 
May 4, 2015
3,210
16
The Most Improved Award, in my opinion, goes to the Stokkebye Luxury line (Bullseye Flake, Navy Flake, Twist Flake.) I find them nearly un-enjoyable brand new because they just taste too young and raw, but they become something entirely different after about 1.5-2 years.
Most other blends I'm happy with fresh and with a bit of change from age on them. Aging doesn't make things universally better - just different. Whether that difference is an improvement is subjective, but with those Stokkebye offerings I find it not to even be optional.

 

tkcolo

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 30, 2018
240
328
51
Granby, CO
Everyone says LBF improves with age. I'll let you know when I can keep some long enough to age. It's very good fresh. Dunhill Dark Flake was another surprise. A year old tin was so good, it was gone in a week and I bought 20 more. I'm trying to leave the tins unopened. It's hard to imagine PH Curly Block getting better. My fresh block is fantastic.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Burley keeps well, but it doesn't improve as much as Virginias, so if you like burley, get burley-based blends. If you like mostly Virginias, just buy two tins, and age one and smoke the other as soon as convenient. Most aromatics are ready-to-go; I much prefer the tobacco-forward ones, but it is whatever you like. Codger blends are always blended to smoke right away. PC does a line of tub tobaccos, their Midtown Series, good aromatics, and one non-aro, Chestnut, that I like a lot. In a pinch, open anything. This aging bit is not the point. And as Chasing says, when you accumulate a few tins, aging will take care of itself. In my case, being a moderate smoker, and liking to buy a few tins now and then, I age blends without thinking about it.

 

dottiewarden

Lifer
Mar 25, 2014
3,053
57
Toronto
You can often pick up tins with a few years on them by visiting your local B&M. The dust gathers while everyone's shopping on line.

 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
A way to look art this is that there is no such thing as short term aging, as aging is counted in years, not months. Aging is done to let the slow creep of time exist as outer while the sequestered inner slowly deteriorates to produce aging's effects.

 
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