Bulk or Tins?

[SSGT.]

First and foremost, Handsome is a beautiful dog who looks like he was trouble in his younger years.

I have both bulk and tins in my cellar. If there's a bulk option, chances are very good I'll do that. The exception would be if there's a blend offered both that I've been curious about and happen to run into at a B&M. I'll buy a tin to see and support a local business.

The reason is pretty boring and pedestrian most of the time. The bulks are cheaper per ounce usually. It's much more affordable for me to buy a pound or two of bulk than the same number of ounces in tins.

Tins are easier to resell, that's true. But I buy tobacco for my enjoyment. It's like not driving my motorcycle so much to keep its resale value higher. And there's always empty jars around. Tins are also usually a bit more moist than bulks, if that makes a difference to you. I'm sure there something to aging in tins compared to bulk. But I am enjoying some almost 5 year old Sutliff Victorian that's been aging patiently in Ball canning jars and it tastes wonderful.

Thank you, we have two more males and two two females just like him but Handsome was our first and the first of all we have trained trained to win a tracking competition . And most of his pups go to Texas Department of Corrections and Angola Louisiana seems to be fond of his son Devil Anse's pups.

Sorry but with the kids grown and raising their own we kind of have thrown ourselves into the hounds and are almost as proud of them as we are the grandkids.

I agree with you on the resale thing, I could careless about my tobacco's resale value I not in tobacco sales I buy it for my own pleasure. Haven't tried the Sutliff Victorian I did enjoy a tin of their Dark Silk I just finished last week. I'm still searching for a favorite and have several jars of different blends right now I lean towards C&D's Morning Drive and Belmont Station.

 

[multitool]

I can see pros and cons for each type. I like bulk because you can buy large amounts for a slightly cheaper price (usually). From what I understand, back in the "good ole days", there was much more bulk blends than there are now a days. I wish more blends/makers offered their blends in bulk.

 

[JOHN72]

Most of my modest cellar is tobacco in tins. I would say 80%. The rest, in glass jars, and in their original pouches. I like the container, or plastic box, to avoid dust. At the rate I smoke, in 15 years, more or less, I think I will run out of tobacco.

 

[Swiss Army Knife]

If I can buy it in bulk, I do. Maybe it was growing up on Costco but there's something special about buying a big old bag of something for cheap. Otherwise I'll buy tins obviously but here's hoping Cornell & Diehl will sell me Carolina Red Flake in a five pound bag.

 

[Hutch Piper]

I just started cellaring 3 years ago and I’d say the majority of my cellar is in tins (ex: Peterson blends, Orlik GS, GL Pease blends). But I do buy in bulk whenever possible (ex: C&D Bayou Morning and Pegasus) to save on costs. I also just love seeing all of that tobacco in jars - just inviting me to dig in and smoke it.

Like others have said, I really am not concerned about the retail value of my bulk cellar. They are for me to enjoy for the rest of my life. If I get sick/pass away, my wife knows what pipe smoking friend it is to go to. He’ll know what to do with it.

Just FYI - I’ve been to one pipe show last year and several tables were selling jars of tobacco. If you have a bunch of it and want to unload it, that’s a good way to make a dollar.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Honestly, you guys throwing away perfectly good tins to store the contents in jars... if you ever have to sell any of these, just know that only a braindead moron would buy a tobacco in a jar. While we do have quite a few of these in the forum, it is always safer to bank on something that appeals to a wider audience.

I get it, especially with GH&co using skanky tins that fall apart before you can even get home with it, and people scared shitless over square or rectangle tins... but the round tins, why in the hell would you even want to get rid of these.

re-selling these.... How do I know what is even in the jar, how it was treated, and stored? After years of reading how so many of these jive turkeys on here will scoop a pipeful out of the jars that they consider "still aging" that I just don't trust ANY of y'all.

 

[anotherbob]

Enjoying a Morning smoke with my OL'Buddy Handsome after jarring a bag of Nutty Irishman and a tin of Founding Fathers and had a thought since bulk is cheaper, and I'm going to put the tin in a mason jar anyway what is the tin benefit other than the nice picture on the label? Any thoughts?
View attachment 329262

tins don't need to be jarred up. But honestly if I can get it in bulk I always will. What's the little pochies name?

 

[warren]

Mostly tins, easy to transport and store. Bulk requires more storage area than I am willing to dedicate. Cost? Immaterial. Convenience is paramount.

 

[BlueMaxx]

I’m afraid to look.....but I have more than I need both ways.
I should have bought stock in Ball jars.

 

[JOHN72]

I am not sure, but maybe I will transfer the original bags to some aluminum coffee tins, which I use every x months. These tins are very airtight. I don't want to invest in glass jars, which one day will pile up for nothing. Once they are empty.

 

[BlueMaxx]

I am not sure, but maybe I will transfer the original bags to some aluminum coffee tins, which I use every x months. These tins are very airtight.View attachment 329756

Throw some Burley Morning Pipe in there and you’ll be off to the races!

 

[DesertDan]

I have both tins and bulk in jars in my cellar.

 

[GardenStateoftheArtBriar]

bulk when available - tin when required

 

[SSGT.]

tins don't need to be jarred up. But honestly if I can get it in bulk I always will. What's the little pochies name?

When we first got him and filling out the AKC papers my wife asked me what we were going to call him, and I said I don't know but isn't he a Handsome Devil it fit so that's his official name but we call him Handsome

 

[anotherbob]

When we first got him and filling out the AKC papers my wife asked me what we were going to call him, and I said I don't know but isn't he a Handsome Devil it fit so that's his official name but we call him Handsome

I had a cat we called Bo which was short for diablo. Which was funny because he was the single gentlest gentlemanliest of cats. (unlike the sweety psychopath in my profile pic).

 

[Sig]

Like others have mentioned, many blends are only offered in tins.
I personally have about 90% bulk and 10% tins in my cellar.
The blends I like the most are fortunately offered in bulk....SOTE, Va#1, Pegasus, PS Luxury Navy Flake...
Many people say that the tinned version of a tobacco is better than the bulk version.
All my bulk is put in the cellar for at least a year before I smoke any. This is for no other reason than I already have other jars of said tobacco from years past.
If I buy a new to me blend in bulk, I will smoke it up, and order more to cellar if I like it.
My absolute favorite tobacco, MacBaren Virginia #1 tastes great new, but better with some age.

 

[rmcnabb]

I'm sort of a cheapskate about the things I lavish vast amounts of money on. There are so many outstanding bulks that I don't see the point of tins, personally. Some favorites (Drucquer's, some Rattray's etc.) only come in larger 200g "soup can" tins so I get those. But looking at a stack of pound bricks of Marlin Flake or Full VA Flake just makes me rich, real deep down rich. Once I have probably 50 pounds of my favorite bulks I'll feel comfortable filling in the corners with tins of things like Escudo or Early Morning Pipe

 

[thebriarbear]

I tend to prefer tins, only because when you break down the cost per bowl, the most expensive tins aren’t very expensive at all (at least in the US).

I also am a once-per-day kinda guy and primarily smoke Virginias. I’ve bought my fair share of bulk Virginas and the only one I still buy a ton of is 507C. With age, it rivals any tin IMO.

 

[AroEnglish]

I asked the same question to myself and answered it by only buying bulk tobaccos. I'm sure I'm missing out on some great tinned blends but ignorance is blissfully affordable.

 

[KruegerFlap]

If a blend is available in bulk I will typically pick that in order to save money.