A Rumination on a Full Stockpile of Tobacco

[Briar Lee]

This morning as the rooster crows to herald another morning, I sit and smoke my new to me Moonshine Pipes Devil Anse full of Dunhill Early Morning Pipe, and realize I’ve reached a peak tobacco stockpile.

It appears the much dreaded $49 a pound tobacco tax, if not eliminated forever, is no longer a clear and present danger and an excuse to add to my huge stash of tobaccos.

I have multiple pouches and cans of old standard tobaccos such as Prince Albert and Half and Half, pounds upon pounds of sweet tasting aromatics, stinky Latakia rich blends, twangy Va Per blends, and citrus sweet Virginias. There are nearly countless little cans and small sample bags of various match blends I’ve ordered online.

I even have three Cotton Boll twists, that might induce a nicotine coma if smoked without discretion.

I have so many pipes I can smoke one once and change pipes and smoke another, and do that all day, every day, and a month or two will pass before I get back to the same pipe.

My Devil Anse is nearly finished, and I found a can of Royal Yacht that’s been opened and needs used, before it goes flat. I think it fitting I smoke that in my Kaywoodie Yacht, so I’ll dig that one out of a box.

I may have more tobacco than I’ll ever smoke, but that’s a better problem than not having enough.

Maybe I’ll slack up a bit on buying more tobacco and pipes, and all the accoutrements necessary for them.

But there’s an unsmoked Lee third generation stamped star Three Star in it’s box on eBay, and it has carving on it.

I didn’t realize any Three Star had carving.

I might buy that one and hold off buying another one for awhile, you know?

 

[telescopes]

Or, you will start a needless bidding war For a pipe that will sell far beyond its value.

 

[Briar Lee]

Or, you will start a needless bidding war For a pipe that will sell far beyond its value.

Or, you will start a needless bidding war For a pipe that will sell far beyond its value.

It’s true that late stamped star Lee is only valuable to advanced Lee accumulators, because it’s unsmoked and has a box.

If I bought it I’d smoke it, and if I smoked it I’d clean it, and very soon the stars would rub off.

Then it would be just another $20-30 Lee.

Better to wait for another to come along where somebody else took the $10-20 hit on deprecation.

For $22 I can buy a full pound of Daughter’s and Ryan Dutch shag blends, choice of Regular or Gold.

Shag tobacco is just the thing for all these enormous, super sized pipes I’ve bought recently like my Jack H. Wienberger Freehand.

You can smoke anything in a small or medium sized pipe, even Gaslight.

It’s a first world problem about all this, for sure and certain.

 

[WVOldFart]

My friend, I believe it is your upright duty to smoke every single ounce of the tobacco load. On your 150th birthday you finally finish your tobacco stash and realize your work is done. It's a dirty job but someone has to do it.

 

[gamzultovah]

But there’s an unsmoked Lee third generation stamped star Three Star in it’s box on eBay, and it has carving on it.

Yep, I saw that and said “Nope! I’m not gonna do it!”

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I consider two of my cobs "Devil Anse " like. I do appreciate them, but they smoke hotter than the Peterson and Chevliar Armand Algerian. I take them out camping.

 

[sablebrush52]

Right now I'm in the whittle down phase. I still make the occasional purchase, but it's less than I consume. I'll likely fall off the perch with some poundage left, but I'd rather it not be a truckload.

 

[originalnutcracker]

Up here in Canada we feel the bite of anti-tobacco legislation and taxes. I look at my enormous stockpile of tobacco and smile quietly…../

I’m almost sure you guys down south will follow to some extent.

Paying $30/oz makes that stockpile from years gone by a great investment (for me). perhaps some jackass will ban the sale altogether …../

 

[condorlover1]

I have often wondered about this subject. My interest will be how I move my stash to the U.K when I depart these shores. Without being political I do worry about my adopted home sometimes. Only yesterday I saw a pickup truck with a 'Jefferson Davis for President 2024' sticker on the bumper! Yesterday I was in Winn Dixie and I asked for a 5 pack of BIC lighters and was told that my only choice was a rechargeable electric lighter for $4.45 since the branch was trying to reduce its carbon foot print!

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

I have often wondered about this subject. My interest will be how I move my stash to the U.K when I depart these shores. Without being political I do worry about my adopted home sometimes. Only yesterday I saw a pickup truck with a 'Jefferson Davis for President 2024' sticker on the bumper! Yesterday I was in Winn Dixie and I asked for a 5 pack of BIC lighters and was told that my only choice was a rechargeable electric lighter for $4.45 since the branch was trying to reduce its carbon foot print!

My sincere condolences on both counts...

 

[telescopes]

I have often wondered about this subject. My interest will be how I move my stash to the U.K when I depart these shores. Without being political I do worry about my adopted home sometimes. Only yesterday I saw a pickup truck with a 'Jefferson Davis for President 2024' sticker on the bumper! Yesterday I was in Winn Dixie and I asked for a 5 pack of BIC lighters and was told that my only choice was a rechargeable electric lighter for $4.45 since the branch was trying to reduce its carbon foot print!

I think you will find there are idiots everywhere Today, on a bus in the middle of Portugal, the tour manager was discussing immigration. A group from Texas asked her to discuss a different subject as immigration is an off limits topic. WTF. We are in Portugal. Anyway, I think you will find that in the UK you have just as many nanobots who will seemingly act in a way that doesn’t make sense.

 

[condorlover1]

@telescopes : That is true. In the U.K we are living proof that sadomasochistic behavior means never having to say you are sorry!

 

[sablebrush52]

@telescopes : That is true. In the U.K we are living proof that sadomasochistic behavior means never having to say you are sorry!

Isn't that Public School stuff the road to Parliament?

 

[Grangerous]

$30 an ounce. That’s so so wrong, folks.

 

[bullet08]

Some. But not too much. I was planning on a bowl a day, but it seems it might be less. Still need more tobacco.

 

[mso489]

People who smoke mostly all day have a different supply stream. I only have a bowl or two a day, some days none. And I buy only a few tins or baggies at a time, and the occasional pound or tub. But tobacco accumulates. If I don't buy another order of tobacco, it will be years before I'd have to re-order. Every time I dig through my stash I find blends I don't even remember. Often times, good blends very well aged.

 

[Briar Lee]

In the brilliant sunshine of this glorious fall day, I pause to fill my pipe and find that the largest of my pipes, gobble up one third of an ounce per smoke.

Some of my online purchases include a little bag with exactly one ounce, like this one:

Medium sized pipes will stretch an ounce out to nine bowls and smaller pipes may get over a dozen. I’ll bet Harry Hosteman got over 20 per ounce in his little Dr Grabow.

If all I smoke is from a 1 1/2 ounce package of Half and Half I’ll want a back up pouch if I run out. I smoke at least two pounds of tobacco a month.

I have at least a year’s worth laid back.

I know what’s going to happen.

I’ll run out of those little two ounce cans of something like Gaslight and I’ll order a couple more, and a couple more of Captain Earle’s Ten Russians and so on, and toss in a bag or two of candy flavored aro bombs and then go shopping for two or three ounce match blends to get the order up past the $99 free shipping.

And I just bought a Preben Holm Matt Special. I’ve always wanted a Preben Holm.

With the hundred dollars extra taxes I’ll save I can pay for that estate Preben Holm in a month or so.

Then I’ll hold back buying another pipe, for a month or two, I swear.

I’ll listen to Porter Wagner songs on YouTube now. They don’t cost a dime.

Thank goodness I didn’t get addicted to the grape, but only the leaf.

SKID ROW JOE

 

[condorlover1]

Isn't that Public School stuff the road to Parliament?

No it is basic training for working in the Foreign & Colonial Office!

 

[Searock Fan]

For what it's worth, here's a tip for those who squirrel away vintage tins of tobacco. Every now and then you should check them by looking at the bottom of the tin. If you see any rust spots that could mean the vacuum seal is broken and she's dry or drying out. I would suggest you go ahead and open it and start smoking it up. If it's completely dry you can rehumify it, It'll probably be smokable but never as good as it was.

 

[Worknman]

Yea not only do I have enough tobacco but I think I'm gonna have to sell some of it so that I can buy some more. ?