Age of Tobacco When Smoked

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carver

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 29, 2015
625
3
Belgium
HI all,
What's your take on aged tobacco ?

Because at the end of the day, a 3 years old tin of any given blend, isn't the same as a 3 years old tin of that blend 3 years before.

It's like wine, it ages well, but is it at such a point the same that a blend form a certain year isn't the same as the same blend another year ?

Is it something that many of you consider when smoking ?
Cheers.

 

madox07

Lifer
Dec 12, 2016
1,823
1,689
Personally I am not that big on aging. I do recognize the benefit of aging, but not that big into the process itself.
It's like wine, it ages well, but is it at such a point the same that a blend form a certain year isn't the same as the same blend another year ?
In a sense, it is like wine, as tobacco gets better with age considering that it is kept under the right circumstances. On the other hand, I don't think that tobacco has the same variance from year to year as grapes. Grapes, and thus the resulting wine, are very sensitive to meteorological conditions - temperature, rain, constant sunlight, constant soil minerals, etc. It may be an ignorant opinion, but I think tobacco is not as sensitive in this regard, therefore the quality of the harvest and the pipe tobacco is more constant from year to year. This is probably the reason why I don't put an emphasis on aging, myself.
There are more knowledgeable people on this forum on the topic of tobacco agriculture, and quite frankly I think this is a good thread. I am looking forward to opinions ...

 

kanse

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 9, 2016
548
5
I just received a CD Burley Flake 3 tin and I am trying to figure out the age on it.

Anybody have an idea how those tins are datestamped?

 

kanse

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 9, 2016
548
5
There are two.

One says TPSC 20001

The other 11 8-15

No isea what is what

 
On the other hand, I don't think that tobacco has the same variance from year to year as grapes. Grapes, and thus the resulting wine, are very sensitive to meteorological conditions - temperature, rain, constant sunlight, constant soil minerals, etc. It may be an ignorant opinion, but I think tobacco is not as sensitive in this regard, therefore the quality of the harvest and the pipe tobacco is more constant from year to year. This is probably the reason why I don't put an emphasis on aging, myself.
There are single crop tobaccos out there. McCrannies and McClelland's Christmas Cheer. There are others, but my old brain is drawing a blank at the moment.
You are right about most blends. Most are like blended drinks or wines. They blend the tobaccos and case them. The companies do this to keep from varying to much from year to year, for exactly the reason that tobacco does change significantly from year to year because of environmental conditions.
However, even the blended, cased tobaccos do change when aged also. Not as significant or as predicted as a single crop. But, it is enough to keep me setting some things back.
On the other hand, some tobaccos that are fantastic to begin with, just don't seem to age at all. I have several pounds of PS LTF with four to five years on them that are exactly the same as the day I jarred them up. It's fantastic stuff, but there is something (whether it's the cavendish process or PG's) that keeps this stuff from benefiting the same as all of my other tobaccos. Maybe it is just slower to progress or something. Maybe it needs twenty years to get the same benefit as a 5100 Red Cake.
So, as you learn some things about blends, as with wines, you can start to make predictions, take risks, and get some quality aged blends.
BTW - to the OP, thinking about the age, and comparing ages of the same blend is a passion of mine in this hobby. So, yes.

 

toobfreak

Lifer
Dec 19, 2016
1,365
7
I think most blends are probably a few years old by the time they're even made and sold. Sometimes I'll try something when I first get it and keep some to smoke but put the rest away to age. A lot of times, I put it all away into rotation. Some blends like Joie de Vivre are intended to age for many years before smoking. Sometimes I intend to age things like certain VaPers, but a lot of times it is just a consequence of keeping things in stock. So for me, I'd say at any given time what I'm smoking I've had for between 1-5 years, occasionally up to 8 years. Any longer than that I see no advantage and frankly, eight years from now I hardly know if I will even be alive let alone worry about having blends to smoke. Considering that they are legalizing mary jane, it is foolish to think that eventually things will not come full circle on pipe tobacco as well, it will never be outright banned. They banned booze at one time and look at the liquor stores today.

 
Mark Ryan told me at the New Orleans pipe show that Virginias need to go through three sweats before farmers will release them to be sold. That would be two to three years of being piled into these stacks that get swapped from pallet to pallet so that all of the tobacco gets rotated out from center to outside. Some will shovel the Virginia into piles and then have guys rotate them with shovels. This is to drive off the ammonia. But yeh, most tobaccos will have aged about three years before it gets tinned.

 

jvnshr

Moderator
Staff member
Sep 4, 2015
4,616
3,868
Baku, Azerbaijan
There are two.

One says TPSC 20001

The other 11 8-15

No isea what is what
That means November 8th 2015. TPSC 20001 is something tax related. Sorry for the mistake, Mac Baren uses MM YY dating system.

 

kanse

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 9, 2016
548
5
jvnshr

I wrote to C&D and that's what they told me too. Thanks, apparently my Burley Flake #3 has an extra year of age to it.

 

papipeguy

Lifer
Jul 31, 2010
15,778
35
Bethlehem, Pa.
I've had the opportunity to smoke blends form the 20's, 30's 40's and 50's. Each was a unique experience just because of the singular nature of smoking them. I found a 35 year-old tin of Macbaren Mixture (aka Scottish) in my parents basement while cleaning it out. I had left the tin there when I moved out in 1977. I can tell you that it was beyond heavenly. Virginias really do benefit from extreme aging under the proper circumstances.

I have found that aromatics and heavy latakia blends do not fair as well after 5 years. I have no experience with long aged burleys but suspect that they may not be as dramatic as Virginias.

 

cally454

Starting to Get Obsessed
Dec 31, 2012
205
0
The people who are in charge of replicating taste profiles are exceptional. To match vintage after vintage a natural crop with all the variables be it grapes or tobacco never ceases to amaze me.

 

jefff

Lifer
May 28, 2015
1,915
6
Chicago
I have never smoked an aged Va or VaPer that disappointed. Not to long ago I finished off a tin of the original Red Ribbon, from 83 that was wonderful. The oldest tobacco that i have ever smoked was 40 ish year old Escudo and it was sublime. If I could get my hands on 400 tins of that I might never smoke anything else.

 

carver

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 29, 2015
625
3
Belgium
so at the end of the day, time of production is as important as age when smoked. That's great stuff. thanks

 

jefff

Lifer
May 28, 2015
1,915
6
Chicago
I don't know. Blends change as tobacco changes and with something like Dunhill or Escudo, manufacturers change.
Personally I feel any quality Va or VaPer blend will improve with age.
At least up to 40 years.

 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,385
7,295
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
"I think most blends are probably a few years old by the time they're even made and sold."
Quite right Toob, I would say 50% of the tins of FVF I open have flakes covered with crystals. The same applies albeit to a lesser degree with St. James Flake.
Regards,
Jay.

 

crashthegrey

Lifer
Dec 18, 2015
3,812
3,590
41
Cobleskill, NY
www.greywoodie.com
I've had tobacco over 20 years old, and I've had "fresh" tobacco. Ropes, plugs, and flakes seem to be better, especially Virginia, with a good 5 or more years, for me personally. But the law of diminishing returns seems to apply, but everyone will have their own idea of what time frame that is.

 

jabo

Can't Leave
Jan 26, 2016
321
1
Most has aged a bit before you get it. I have found that Virginia's do mellow out with age. Most of my stuff never stands much of a xchance. But at my age, I ain't waiting 5+ years !

 
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