Can you Cellar too Long?

[Annaresti Red]

Title edited for caps and brevity. Please look to Rule 9. Easy peasy.

Hello,

I know the general answer is - maybe.

But, let's say I have a wide variety of sealed tins in a sealed tupperware.

Is there such a thing as waiting too long? Does it happen with aromatics? What about other types of tobacco?

I've also heard a pretty lively debate on storing in tins or pouches versus storing in Mason jars.

And, in you're personal experience does does one work better than the other or are there issues with one/ the other?

Thanks!

 

[sablebrush52]

Some of my very old tins have failed after 10 or more years.

Do you like Latakia with punch or faded mellowed? Personally I prefer faded mellowed. So I don't worry about leaving some English blends to mellow for a decade or more.

Aromatics can hold up for years, though they might lose a little intensity of flavor.

As for tins, pouches, jars, etc, I use it all, but I trust round tins, jars, and heat sealed heavy weight food grade Mylar for long term storage. Square and rectangular tins have been less reliable, especially after 10 years, and I've had the occasional canister fail as well. But part of that may also be who did the tinning, what level of quality did that maker use? It's not all the same.

 

[cigrmaster]

I have been fortunate that I have not lost flavor or lost a seal in over 20 years. My belief is that my constant temp of 74 degrees and the same humidity has kept my stash from mold or from lost seals from these horrible things that can happen to pipe tobacco.
I never worry about theses things as it has never happened to me,if it did I would do something.

My worst tobacco experience is when I lost 3/4's of a box of 1998 RYJ Churchills to those nasty cigar beetles, that totally sucked big time. That happened around 2008 or so and were nicely aged. Yes I wanted to cry.

 

[stogie37]

I concur with @sablebrush52 & @cigrmaster - I prefer (the vast majority of the time) the mellowing effects of even extended age on my blends, English or otherwise. I also keep my tins in a 76 degree, dry and dark location - and rarely “play” with them. I have lost a couple; a tin of 2004 Dorchester was almost black and tasted flat even though the seal was intact, and a late ‘90’s tin of Astley’s No.1 was almost flavorless. However, with a substantial portion of my cellar being laid down in the late ‘90’s through 2012, a couple of tins out of hundreds is acceptable if mildly disappointing. A few of the really old tins (to me) like Rattray’s tins from the 70’s & early 80’s are showing a little bit of surface rust and probably need to be smoked or sold - but those have passed the “cellaring” stage and have achieved honored relic status I’d cellar away, use sensible and consistent caution and then enjoy! A side note, my cigar collection began in the same era and I notice MUCH more mellowing and have experienced more disappointments as tea-like is not always what I’m looking for in a Partagas Lusitania or RYJ Churchill

 

[mso489]

It's like aging wine. It often goes well, but sometimes it doesn't, and the end-date for improvement is in the hands of the angels. Five years in most cases is entirely safe and usually an improvement. Ten I suspect sees some drop-off in improvement. In some cases, fifty years probably wouldn't be too much, but that is a lucky chance. And despite the behavior of Forums members, there's not a thing wrong with opening that tin right up and smoking the contents, right from the pipe shop or shipping box.

 

[craig61a]

If you die off with more than 10 pounds of tobacco in your cellar, then you’ve cellared too long…

 

[woodsroad]

To quote the Tootsie Pop Turtle:
“The world may never know”

 

[fireground_piper]

If you die off with more than 10 pounds of tobacco in your cellar, then you’ve cellared too long…

I think about this sometimes. The last tin from your cellar opened when you die naturally. The pinnacle plan executed to perfection right to the end with no waste.

 

[K.E. Powell]

I've said this elsewhere, but to me, a Parfait jar or something similar is the way to go. You know you got an airtight seal every time, and they are made spacious enough so that you don't have to fill the jar to the brim. That matters, because that little extra air is necessary to aid along in the aging process. It's rare, but sometimes, a tin can get damaged or just have a crap seal. With the jars, I know I have something that is correct. They also, to me at least, look nice.

As for length of time, yes, there are a few situations when you can cellar too long, but if you are storing things properly (e.g. not in direct sunlight, airtight seals, proper temperature etc.), it would take a rather long time for that to happen. It's more a matter of diminishing returns: a couple of years can do wonders for certain tobaccos, especially virginia and (good) burley blends, but you're not going to notice much difference between a tobacco aged 6 years from, say, 7 or 8. Tobacco is meant to be smoked. So, unless you have a very beloved blend that is out of production that you're saving for a special occasion, I say start smoking after a few years, assuming your goal was to bring out as much extra flavor from cellaring as possible.

 

[renfield]

Just like beers and wines, at some point tobacco in a cellar will go over the hill.

Whether that means it just quits “improving” or actually starts getting less enjoyable depends on the blend and smoker.

Aromatics generally don’t benefit from age. Usually the flavored casings and toppings will fade.

For long term (years) storage mason jars are hard to beat.

 

[bullet08]

Always a possibility. Did they find any tobacco in Egyptian pyramid?

 

[warren]

It there are more than a couple of tins on the shelf when I die ... I'll have failed.

 

[anotherbob]

It there are more than a couple of tins on the shelf when I die ... I'll have failed.

don't punch any grizzlies until you're almost out of tobacco then. You probably already know that though.

 

[Swiss Army Knife]

I've got a handful of Murray's era Dunhill tins that I lucked into. Couple tins of Light Flake, a tin of Elizabethan, Early Morning Pipe and Nightcap.

I've cracked the Light Flake and it's one of the best tobaccos I've ever smoked. I haven't touched the other three. I'm guessing ol' Lizzy will be great, but is it worth opening the two Englishes? I got them all for a song and every time I look at those tins part of me just sees the several pounds of tobacco I could buy if I flipped them instead. Anyone have experience with this kind of thing?

 

[ashdigger]

I’ve had tins from the 1920 be absolutely divine.

I’ve had tins from 2017 fail and the contents turn to mummy dust.

I’ve had ten year old tins be a figgy fruity and fantastic.

I’ve had a ten year old tin taste like a spit roasted hippie that was marinated in Hawaiian Tropic and then shit on by raccoons. I’m looking at you Haddos Delight.

It’s a gamble. Do your best.

 

[jpmcwjr]

I've said this elsewhere, but to me, a Parfait jar or something similar is the way to go. You know you got an airtight seal every time, and they are made spacious enough so that you don't have to fill the jar to the brim. That matters, because that little extra air is necessary to aid along in the aging process. << Snipped bits out >>

What is your source for the bit I italicized? Even if you pack the tobacco to the top with some force, there's still a fair amount of air in between the flakes, shag, ready rubbed, etc.

 

[ThermionicScott]

It seems to me that the amount of air space is a "lever" you can pull in how fast your jarred stuff ages. Maybe leave more oxygen for Virginia blends, but pack the jars of English blends a little more full?

 

[krizzose]

Preparing for possible spoilage is a good excuse to buy more tobacco.

 

[Honkytonk Man]

Apparently so.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

I have a small jar of Balkan Sobranie from the 70's. It was pretty dry but rehydrated well. Very enjoyable smoke.
I'm sure you can cellar for too long, but I'd reckon the biggest risk would be containers losing seals. Proper storage can greatly reduce any risks.