Opening A Tin? Show Us!

[spearheadbill]

I got the opportunity to get a tin of this McCrannies Red Ribbon 1983 crop tinned back in 1999 for a very fair price. The smell of light vinegar but much deeper and rich than say the 5100 and other McClellands iterations. I’m going to wait until tomorrow to sample it with my benefactor @kcmontie
Perfect moisture and the inside of the tin is pristine.

 

[Dr. Van Loafer]

With Thanksgiving and Christmas descending I have decided to open up a tin of Seattle Pipe Club's Plum Pudding Bourbon Barrel Aged tobacco. I have not had this particular instance of Plum Pudding, but have thoroughly enjoyed Plum Pudding in the past, considering it in my top five favorites. This was a tin I bought back in 2021, so a few years of age on it, and of course it was blended by Sutliff.

Scent: Upon opening the tin the powerful smell of bourbon wafts over the tin, overwhelming everything else, along with a robust vinegar smell. I was a bit turned off by this at first, but the strong vinegar (dare I say ammonia) dissipated after five minutes and allowing the blend to breathe a bit. After that I could detect some smokiness and a plumy sweetness near the back. After letting the blend sit in a jar for a few days that vinegar smell is nearly gone, the smokiness scent (latakia) has become more prominent and the bourbon scent has drifted into the background.

Presentation: The tobacco is layered in broken chunks (not slices or a cake) in the tin with a stave of a whiskey bourbon barrel. The broken chunks are very compressed and rather durable; you can "mess" around with them without them breaking apart. The color is mostly dark black with some specks of brown (lighter and darker). The bourbon barrel stave is a nice touch and adds to the allurement of the tobacco. Upon taking all the pieces out of the tin, the bottom of the tin does have some black speckled residue that is stuck to the bottom. I have not seen this before, so perhaps this is is a result of aging and/or the addition of the bourbon topping (see last photo).

Moisture: The moisture level is perfect from the tin, not too wet or dry, could be smoked right from the tin without any dry time. And because the chunks are dense this might be a good blend to travel with as the moisture might be retained better in a non-sealed environment.

I have not yet smoked the blend, but plan to do so this week. I am excited to see how this variation compares to the original Plum Pudding and what the addition of the bourbon topping does to the blend.

 

[Benedict Munsinger]

Robert McConnell Ready Rubbed
Profile: Virginia-forward
Cut: Ready rubbed (broken flake)
Components: Virginia, Burley
This blend is based on the classic 1979 Dunhill Ready Rubbed. The backbone is made up of well-matured Virginias, nicely rounded out with quality African Burley. There’s a soft, pleasant nutty note in the flavor. The look of the tobacco also stays true to the old-school classic. Solid blend — definitely not my first tin, and for sure not my last.

 

[BigR]

Not a tin, but a mylar pouch of Ravenwood Brandywine Bridge. Has a sweet plum scent with some bread notes. Website says that is has a Japanese plum casing.
Fairly moist, so I'll give it some dry time before trying a bowl.

 

[Dshift]

 

[Mrs. Pickles]

 

[Auxsender]

View attachment 434012
View attachment 434013View attachment 434014

What in the Sutliff Crumble Cake is this?
Never heard of it before.
Google doesn’t even know what it is.
I’m so intrigued.

 

[DonutLuvr]

What in the Sutliff Crumble Cake is this?
Never heard of it before.
Google doesn’t even know what it is.
I’m so intrigued.

One of those Instagram/Facebook blenders. I follow them on IG, and a few others on FB. My only hold up on trying them out myself is - I don’t want to initiate a private message to begin a purchase transaction.

Just point me to a shopping cart so I can add it to my cart, buy it and be done. Less interaction the better for me sometimes. Anxiety can be fickle like that

 

[Auxsender]

What in the Sutliff Crumble Cake is this?
Never heard of it before.
Google doesn’t even know what it is.
I’m so intrigued.

Thanks to @DonutLuvr, I figured it out. Damn.
Another blender to throw my money at.
A blessing and a curse.

 

[Mrs. Pickles]

Thanks to @DonutLuvr, I figured it out. Damn.
Another blender to throw my money at.
A blessing and a curse.

The guy who made this was on the Pipes Magazine pod cast back in June.

Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 671

Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 671. Our featured interview tonight is with Anthony James. Anthony is a micro-blender of pipe tobaccos. He started smoking pipes in 2020, […]

pipesmagazine.com

Turns out his blends are excellent. PM me your address and I’ll send you some.

 

[Dr. Van Loafer]

The guy who made this was on the Pipes Magazine pod cast back in June.

Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 671

Welcome to The Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 671. Our featured interview tonight is with Anthony James. Anthony is a micro-blender of pipe tobaccos. He started smoking pipes in 2020, […]

pipesmagazine.com

Turns out his blends are excellent. PM me your address and I’ll send you some.

Wow - I am impressed on the flake cut! Is it a virginia?

 

[Mrs. Pickles]

Wow - I am impressed on the flake cut! Is it a virginia?

Pretty neat these guys are pressing and cutting their own flakes/slices, yeah?

These are the components according to the blender:

Red VA, Bright VA, dark fired Kentucky, Krumovgrad oriental, black cavendish, dark fired Brazilian wrapper cigar leaf, Perique

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

One of those Instagram/Facebook blenders. I follow them on IG, and a few others on FB. My only hold up on trying them out myself is - I don’t want to initiate a private message to begin a purchase transaction.

Just point me to a shopping cart so I can add it to my cart, buy it and be done. Less interaction the better for me sometimes. Anxiety can be fickle like that

Bummer. I walked away from pretty much all social media about six years ago with no regrets. But by doing so I am shut out from buying stuff from people who only sell on FB or Insta. Oh well.

 

[BigR]

Bummer. I walked away from pretty much all social media about six years ago with no regrets. But by doing so I am shut out from buying stuff from people who only sell on FB or Insta. Oh well.

I'm the same. I got rid of all social media I had.

 

[spearheadbill]

I just opened last year’s tin of 2024 Ravenswood Blends “Eleventh Day of Christmas”

 

[BigR]

I just opened last year’s tin of 2024 View attachment 434245View attachment 434246Ravenswood Blends “Eleventh Day of Christmas”

Have you tried it yet? I've got two tins of the 2025, but haven't opened one yet.

 

[BigR]

Opening this Ravenwood Christmas 2025 Cinnamon Struesel in mylar. Bag note has a sweet, citrus smell with bready notes. I get more of the cinnamon on the retrohale. Not much sweetness, and to me has sort of a short bread cookie taste. I do still get some tobacco flavor, but it's light. Room note is nice. Burns pretty good, with only a few relights. Burns down to gray ash.

 

[spearheadbill]

Have you tried it yet? I've got two tins of the 2025, but haven't opened one yet.

It’s delicious!

 

[Benedict Munsinger]

In my current rotation, the Robert McConnell Heritage line continues to hold strong, and Shakespeare fits right in as a straightforward straight Virginia option. Kohlhase & Kopp's blenders used the original Dunhill Ye Olde Signe recipe from the STG archives as their starting point—though for trademark reasons, it's been rebranded and refined since its discontinuation in 1983.
This is a ribbon-cut blend of dark Virginia tobaccos (primarily from mature leaves sourced in regions like Carolina and Zimbabwe, based on the grassy-hay notes typical of those varietals in McConnell's production). No added flavors or toppings, just pure Virginia character—medium body, nicotine around 2/5, with a tin note of hay, earth, and a touch of citrus from the fermentation process.
Burns evenly in a pipe, no bite if packed loosely, and leaves a clean aftertaste. It's a solid all-day smoke for those who want simplicity without complexity. Reviews on TobaccoReviews average 3.1/4, with most praising the balanced sweetness and lack of harshness, though a few notes it fades slightly towards the bottom of the bowl. For a no-frills Virginia, it delivers consistently.