A Habit for the Wealthy? Aged Smokes?

[Sloopjohnbee]

Anyone ever come across anyone who exclusively sticks to aged tobacco - like someone who wouldn't smoke a blend without a minimum of 2 years on the tin/jar?

I noticed this type of suggestion - encouraging that per bowl it isn't much $$ on the Pipes 2 Smoke site some years ago when they offered tins for sale

Pipestud seems to do well - I wonder if there are people out there who like cigar smokers only smoke top crop select

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

The very vast majority of what I smoke at this point is more than 2 years old. That's the concept of cellaring. I'm not paying a premium for it, it's tobacco I purchased over 2 years ago.

 

[Sloopjohnbee]

The very vast majority of what I smoke at this point is more than 2 years old. That's the concept of cellaring. I'm not paying a premium for it, it's tobacco I purchased over 2 years ago.

I know you like eight state - would you suppose that in 2 years it will change that dramatically?

 

[sablebrush52]

The very vast majority of what I smoke at this point is more than 2 years old. That's the concept of cellaring. I'm not paying a premium for it, it's tobacco I purchased over 2 years ago.

Ditto.
If you're referring to aftermarket buying and smoking only vintage or OOP tobacco blends, that's definitely an expensive route to take. Yet many of these gentlemen have found their treasures through patience and persistence at a fraction of what vintage tobacco dealers are charging. They're not buying from dealers.

2 years is a pretty low bar to set. Most of my cellar is 8 to 20 years old with a few tins in the 30 year range.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Unintentionally, most of my tobacco is from 2015 and older all the way back to the mid '90s. Never paid more than $5/ounce for any if it, and the majority of it was less than $3/ounce. No wealth needed for that, just time.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I could only smoke aged blends, but I wouldn’t think that makes me rich. Pipe tobacco has been the cheapest form of tobacco out there for years. A mere middle class pleeb could easily backstock enough tobacco to relish a life of pipe luxury.
However, some blends I prefer fresh. So, I pay C&D to have someone hand deliver them to me fresh out of the mixer.

 

[Sloopjohnbee]

Ditto.
If you're referring to aftermarket buying and smoking only vintage or OOP tobacco blends, that's definitely an expensive route to take. Yet many of these gentlemen have found their treasures through patience and persistence at a fraction of what vintage tobacco dealers are charging. They're not buying from dealers.

2 years is a pretty low bar to set. Most of my cellar is 8 to 20 years old with a few tins in the 30 year range.

Ah the joys of being an old fart - hopefully I'll be privileged enough to be knighted into the old farts club as well

 

[ofafeather]

Also, depending on what you’re buying and from where where you often get some age built right in. Don’t expect the most popular blends from the most popular sellers to be aged but B&Ms and smaller online retailers often have older stock. You might pay more but that’s just typical pricing, not for the aging.

 

[Sloopjohnbee]

I could only smoke aged blends, but I wouldn’t think that makes me rich. Pipe tobacco has been the cheapest form of tobacco out there for years. A mere middle class pleeb could easily backstock enough tobacco to relish a life of pipe luxury.
However, some blends I prefer fresh. So, I pay C&D to have someone hand deliver them to me fresh out of the mixer.

someone should add a criteria - best smoked fresh
what are some good fresh blends?

 

[Chasing Embers]

So, I pay C&D to have someone hand deliver them to me fresh out of the mixer

There was a point in time when you could call them and Craig Tarler would custom make a blend for you, or even have any blend made by them pressed into a cake.

 

[Chasing Embers]

what are some good fresh blends?

Any of them. They're made to be smoked immediately but some think that aging causes a night and day change. Other than mellowing, I've never noticed drastically changing flavor.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

someone should add a criteria - best smoked fresh
what are some good fresh blends?

Most cigar blends I prefer fresh. Habana Daydream comes to mind first. Heck, I buy a pound and then just smoke it from the bag. I don’t usually bother jarring it unless I know it’s going to be a slow smoking week for me.
Stonehaven also. I don’t like the aged version of that at all and have given away my entire stock of that one. I’ll catch it fresh in a drop from time to time.

 

[burleybreath]

My aged tobacco got that way by accident. I bought too much over the years, so now, perforce, it ages. But I have no doubt there are well-heeled smokers around that deliberately seek out aged tobacco and are willing to pay any price. After all, somebody, somewhere, is buying Werner Mummert pipes and paying the price. But I am not.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I don't believe most blends are a night and day difference with aging but the mellowing makes a significant difference in the smoking experience. I think Virginias, VaPer and VaOr age particularly well. I like how Perique mellows and becomes more fruity and less peppery. 2 years of age on Sun Bear had a significant positive impact, perhaps night and day difference. Wessex Campaign Brigade Dark Flake at five years is marvelous to me, fresh I don't care for much at all. St James Flake at 9 years doesn't taste at all like fresh, it's incredible.

 

[bullet08]

Some of my tins are 3 years old. I cellar those on purpose. Never bought an aged tin. Way I'm smoking, some of these will be rather old before I get to open them.

 

[hauntedmyst]

someone should add a criteria - best smoked fresh
what are some good fresh blends?

Personal opinion, but most Esoterica English tobaccos smoke best fresh. Penzance is far better fresh than aged. GH Flakes are good both new and aged, just different. To me, Sam Gawith FVF is far better aged with 5+ years on it. Buy a variety of things to age. Tastes change and time change so cellar deep and wide. If you hate it in 5 to 10 years, no worries, just sell it.

 

[ofafeather]

Don’t know if they are best smoked fresh but Orlik Golden Sliced and C&D Black Frigate were fantastic fresh. Bijou and Regents Flake were amazing at 5 years.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Bijou and Regents Flake were amazing at 5 years.

From 5 years ago was the great C&D mold incident. Nothing flavors like spores!

 

[ofafeather]

From 5 years ago was the great C&D mold incident. Nothing flavors like spores!

So far I’ve been lucky with my 2016 tins. Don’t know how long my luck will hold but if there’s a problem C&D will replace it. Anyway, mold does make for some fine flavor. Nothing like a good bleu or Roquefort blend. ?

 

[Grangerous]

I’d be thrilled if age does no harm. I have cellared many cans of Granger —4 cans to each sealed cardboard box, stacked high in a cool and dry place and dated with a sharpie indicating the month and year of purchase. (Packing slips inside)

The can I’ve just cracked open is from 2016. I have boxes marked as recent as 2021.

Naturally, as others have pointed out, anyone doing the same is most always smoking tobacco with some age on it.

Let me see? As Cosmic so eloquently put it, a… “mere middle class pleeb could easily backstock enough tobacco to relish a life of pipe luxury.”

Primarily, I enjoy the freshness of a newly cracked can. I just never want to run out.