A Habit for the Wealthy? Aged Smokes?

[Perique]

More than one thing can be true at the same time, whether you’re on a budget or a “Wealthy” pipe smoker. 1) buy the best pipes and tobacco you can afford, whatever that may be. 2) you can’t put a price tag on your happiness. 3) cellar today because years hence tobacco will certainly be more expensive, and what you’ve laid down will have evolved. Not to mention the world class blends we have lost just over the past several years. Buy. Cellar. You will not regret. If you can afford $50, that’s $50 not regretted. If you can afford $5000, that’s $5000 not regretted.

That said, are many blends outstanding right out of the freshly ordered tin? Absolutely. As are many wines. But those select few you lay down with patience for 5-10-15 years… are they worth it? Yes. The good news is, also as with wine, you don’t need a large bankroll. You just need experienced taste. Pound for pound, pipe smoking remains the most inexpensive “luxury” hobby, by a long shot. (Types this while pouting over this month‘s wine bill )

 

[saltedplug]

A great thread, full of love for tobacco, its acquisition and aging.

 

[OzPiper]

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

As the Master Blender for Suntory Whisky said at a tasting I attended a few years ago "the only way you get a 21 year old whisky is with patience and time"

 

[sablebrush52]

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

I’m definitely in the club, having qualified on both counts.

 

[judcole]

I do not - and will not - buy blends at premium prices, any more than I chase down "Unobtainiums". (I deplore how pipe smoking has turned into one more manifestation of consumer culture.)
A vast majority of the Virginia blends I smoke, however, are aged. I don't have anything at 20 years, but I have lots at 5 to 10.

 

[beezer]

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 would pretty much count myself as this guy today; however, it's only because I cellared in earnest when I first started buying pipe tobacco back in 2013-2015. I smoked what I bought fresh back then and continue to smoke the same stuff only today most has 7-8 years of age on it.

I have never purchased an aged tin ever. Everything in my cellar was purchased fresh at the time. Like a farmer, I am reaping the fruit of my labors today by having a well-stocked aged cellar.

 

[Mr. Beauregard]

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.

I'd like to hear some details of your 20+ year old tins, and your experiences with the baccy therein. Maybe some pics to whenever you decide to pop one? From my interwebs research there doesn't seem to be much info on leaf with that amount of age. Hoping to get my stash close to that level one day.

 

[sablebrush52]

I'd like to hear some details of your 20+ year old tins, and your experiences with the baccy therein. Maybe some pics to whenever you decide to pop one? From my interwebs research there doesn't seem to be much info on leaf with that amount of age. Hoping to get my stash close to that level one day.

You don't have to wait 20+ years to get the best of a blend that improves with age. The bulk of change happens in the first 5 years and then it's more incremental. Frankly, some tobaccos go tits up after a number of years.
Most of my 20+ year old tins are Rattrays, Black Mallory, Red Rapparee, Accountants Mixture, some are McClelland Christmas Cheer, Blackwoods Flake etc, and I have someEscudo, Haddo's Delight, Raven's Wing, Bohemian Scandal, and Renaissance, that I'll get to one of these days... The Latakia will have softened some, which I like, and the Orientals will have deepened, which I also like. Most of my stock is 7 to 8 years old and is more than ready to smoke. FVF with 8 years on it develops a wonderful sweetness, almost caramel-like.

I have a tin of Murray's Elizabethan Mixture that I'm keeping to share with a special friend when the next Vegas show happens.

There's not much else to tell. Aging is happening because I bought tobacco faster than I could smoke it, partly to avoid increased costs, partly to be able to smoke what I like without worrying about a favored blend becoming extinct. Aging wasn't a prime concern. Compared to many, my "cellar" is quite small, but realistically it's big enough.

I'm glad that I cellared when I did, before changes in the industry brought about changes in the blends that I like to smoke, changes that I do not like. I get to smoke blends that I imprinted on.

The point is that if pipe smoking is something you enjoy and want to continue to enjoy, build up a stash. Piipe tobacco isn't getting any cheaper, and it isn't getting any better.

 

[chopper]

Aged or not aged? Two blends come to mind.

AJ's Vaper. Did not like it fresh.
Recently I tried a bowl after 3-4 years jarred. It's so good that I regret not buying a few more pounds while I had the chance.

Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake.
Nice fresh.
With a year or two of age the jar note is simply delicious [dried fruit with a hint of citrus] but for some reason I prefer smoking it fresh.

 

[telescopes]

@BarrelProof got me to thinking about mixing and blending various tobaccos from different makers. I’ve jarred up several of these made up blends. I’d love to see a thread of various ”recipes” that smokers have used that are worth replicating. Almost all need time to age and marry the flavors. I use G&H dark flake to add body to a few of my favorites. Currently I am smoking a blend of 2 parts C$D Mocha, 1.75 part 1Q, and 0.25 parts… Frosty Mint. When it settled, it became a very pleasant and peaceful blend.

 

[krizzose]

I’ve been pipe smoking just over 10 years, and I made some wise purchases in my first couple of years, and so I have quite a few blends that are that old and a few years younger. The bulk of my current smoking stock is at least 3 years old. But I’m also smoking a lot of blends that I didn’t find until recently, so those are obviously much fresher. But I’ve certainly tried to build up stocks of the new blends (or old blends new to me) that I like primarily so I’ll have them if taxes/laws make them too expensive or unobtainable, but secondarily because in 3, 5, 10 years from now they’ll probably have improved to some degree.

With that experience of comparing aged and fresh, I personally would never bother paying aftermarket prices for aged tobacco. Another way of saying that would be I wouldn’t buy a 10 year old tin of OGS on the secondary market when I could just buy a fresh tin at retail now. The difference, while not insignificant in my experience (I have a 2013 tin open now, and it’s great) is just not worth it to me.
That’s not to say a new smoker wouldn’t get good value from buying an aged tin to see if he wants to stock up on fresh tins of the same blend.

 

[jmsmitty6]

For me, just as important as sampling blends and buying multiple tins for cellaring as others have suggested, I'll just add that for me certain manufacturer's blends will age better than others. Meaning some are really great right off the bat and others will definitely improve with a couple of years. Esoterica blends are really great right out of the tin, while something like OGS just hits the sweet spot after 2 years. I did not recognize that immediately and it was only after comparing it to cigar manufacturers did it resonate with me.

As an aside, this is a fantastic thread with really knowledgeable people giving great advice.

Jason

 

[lawdawg]

Like many of the others here, I for the most part only smoke aged tobacco, but more as "a habit for the lazy" rather than "a habit for the wealthy." When I pop a tin of a favorite blend, it's usually been in the cellar for a few years at this point. The only time I smoke "unaged" tobacco is when I'm trying a new-to-me blend.

I do not - and will not - buy blends at premium prices, any more than I chase down "Unobtainiums". (I deplore how pipe smoking has turned into one more manifestation of consumer culture.)
A vast majority of the Virginia blends I smoke, however, are aged. I don't have anything at 20 years, but I have lots at 5 to 10.

I agree 100%. There are lots of very good readily-available blends out there that would become "unobtanium" overnight if they were discontinued. Full Virginia Flake would go from "coveted" to "Penzance-level price gouging" in short order.

The same thing has happened with bourbon over the years, and watching Johnny-come-lately shelling out $1,000+ for Pappy Van Winkle is hilarious but also a bit frustrating.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

The same thing has happened with bourbon over the years, and watching Johnny-come-lately shelling out $1,000+ for Pappy Van Winkle is hilarious but also a bit frustrating.

Oooo, sounds interesting. I am not much of a drinker, but the idea of $1000 liquor appeals to me. So, you say that buying this stuff will frustrate others? Good good.

 

[lawdawg]

Oooo, sounds interesting. I am not much of a drinker, but the idea of $1000 liquor appeals to me. So, you say that buying this stuff will frustrate others? Good good.

Yes! If you would really like to frustrate others with maximum effect, then pay as a high a price as possible, and be sure to never actually drink any of it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Yes! If you would really like to frustrate others with maximum effect, then pay as a high a price as possible, and be sure to never actually drink any of it.

I don't even like liquor, but there's just no sense having "fuck you" money if you never use it.

 

[cigrmaster]

Some of my favorite blends that I smoked fresh back in the day were
Capstan Blue Flake
Mac Baren Old Dark Fired
Solani 633
Solani 660 Silver Flake
Peterson Navy Rolls
Peterson Flake
Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky. it is sublime with 15-20 years old, but is still a nice smoke fresh in my opinion.
Astleys no 44 Dark Flake
Wessex Brigade Campaign Dark Flake
Wessex Brown Virginia Flake\Samuel Gawith Best Brown, Full Virginia and St James Flakes.
Fribourg & Treyer Cut Virginia Plug

There are more I am sure. I don't know if these blends smoke like they did back when I smoked them fresh, but I think they will.

We all started with fresh tobacco, not many have come on the site with a complete cellar and nothing but Eltang and high end Castello's. We all had to take a journey to get where we are today, I am currently re doing my pipe collection with different artisans since I never buy tobacco any more. I have to buy something so it's pipes right now.

 

[zitotczito]

78% of my stuff is 4+ years old and 63% is 5+ years. I bought heavy when I first started and now my tobacco is getting as old as me.

 

[kschatey]

Many tins of the "mainstream" blends that I purchased in my first year of pipe smoking a couple years ago were already nearly a year or more old when they arrived as are many of the more obscure/not-popular blends.

 

[condorlover1]

Wait until you get into 'cutter top' tins of tobacco. Thats when it gets really fecking fun!