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sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,632
44,863
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Gasp....I thought gentlemen only use the fold and stuff method for flake tobaccos.
A lot of smokers like the fold and stuff method.

I'm not one of them. Generally, flakes are too moist out of the tin to offer the deepest flavors. I've used fold and stuff a few times combined with DGT, but I'm not patient enough to wait a day or two to smoke a bowl.
 

ofafeather

Lifer
Apr 26, 2020
2,769
9,044
50
Where NY, CT & MA meet
I actually prefer the Ready Rubbed. It’s definitely just flakes that have been tumbled. To be fair, I’ve only been smoking both the Flake and RR from 2013, for the last 8 years. The additional surface area and larger tin (more oxygen) seem to have been kinder to the RR and since I rarely fold n’ stuff, it’s just easier.
Yeah, the RR isn’t fully rubbed out. Not quite a broken flake but definitely not a ribbon cut either. I’m with you in that I typically rub my flakes out and, while I appreciate the ease of prep of the RR, there’s something about starting with whole flakes that I really enjoy. Plus, in spite of their inherent flaws, I can’t deny the appeal of the streamlined square and rectangle tins, which I think MacBaren is the only one still using. I was appalled by the new tins for Peterson PPP. 50g in a 100g round tin. Ugh.
 

Johnny_Pipecleaner

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 13, 2019
583
2,984
Mill Valley, CA
Sorry to dredge this one up, but I'm having a hell of a time finding bulk Capstan blue. A year or two ago I bought 500g from overseas, probably Synjeco or Estervals, but now they only seem to offer 50g tins.
This is one of my top 3 tobaccos. Does anyone on planet Earth still sell bulk? HALP!!!
 
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cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
Sorry to dredge this one up, but I'm having a hell of a time finding bulk Capstan blue. A year or two ago I bought 500g from overseas, probably Synjeco or Estervals, but now they only seem to offer 50g tins.
This is one of my top 3 tobaccos. Does anyone on planet Earth still sell bulk? HALP!!!
The only place I have heard of bulk Capstan Blue Flake is Estervals.

I fell in love with the Capstan Blue Flake when it first came out in 2013. I ended up putting around 150 tins or so in the cellar. When the 2013 Gold Ready Rubbed came out a couple years ago or so I bought 25 tins. It is a nice mild first of the day smoke. If you grab a chunk, you can still fold and stuff it. The great thing about the Blue Flake is it is a nice soft flake that is really easy to fold and stuff. I smoke it right out of the tin with no drying time. For my tastes I like a bit of moisture in my flakes.
 

ram74

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 7, 2013
242
355
Sorry to dredge this one up, but I'm having a hell of a time finding bulk Capstan blue. A year or two ago I bought 500g from overseas, probably Synjeco or Estervals, but now they only seem to offer 50g tins.
This is one of my top 3 tobaccos. Does anyone on planet Earth still sell bulk? HALP!!!
Estervals posted on their website that they stopped selling the lb boxes because of customer complaints. Does anyone know what the issue was?
 

Johnny_Pipecleaner

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 13, 2019
583
2,984
Mill Valley, CA
The only place I have heard of bulk Capstan Blue Flake is Estervals.

I fell in love with the Capstan Blue Flake when it first came out in 2013. I ended up putting around 150 tins or so in the cellar. When the 2013 Gold Ready Rubbed came out a couple years ago or so I bought 25 tins. It is a nice mild first of the day smoke. If you grab a chunk, you can still fold and stuff it. The great thing about the Blue Flake is it is a nice soft flake that is really easy to fold and stuff. I smoke it right out of the tin with no drying time. For my tastes I like a bit of moisture in my flakes.

Do you find it gets a lot better with age? I've heard some blends benefit more with age than others.

I also like a little moisture in my tobacco, gurgle be damned. The cost of an extra pipe cleaner or two is well worth the added flavor.

Estervals no longer offers the 450g bulk, but the tins are on sale for under eight bucks. Shipping is $40+ though so I think the savings is around $30 for 450g versus buying it in the US with free shipping. Of course the savings goes up if buying several pounds, but I don't buy/smoke that much. I'll probably just buy from a US site to avoid the waiting/gamble of international shipping. Unless I decide to also grab some hard to find Rattrays and Meistermischung 88 ...
 
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JOHN72

Lifer
Sep 12, 2020
5,136
51,569
51
Spain - Europe
It had its price for three years at 7.30 euros, until September here in Spain. Now you have a price of 7.50 euros only in a tin 50g. I am currently close to stocking 250 tin. Right now it's my priority. My objetive is to store 500 tins.I think a thousand tin would be perfect. 50 kg of tobacco. Now or never.
 
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Johnny_Pipecleaner

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 13, 2019
583
2,984
Mill Valley, CA
johnny, it smokes really nice for a fresh blend but yes age changes it to something I really like. Some people like more fresh stuff, I like aged stuff better, neither are wrong.

You do know that a 3 gram bowl costs around .96 cents . Try buying a decent cigar for that,

I've had it 1-2 years aged and it is oh so tasty. I was just curious if 5 or even 10 years is worth the wait.

And yes, quite a deal when you put it that way.
 

lawdawg

Lifer
Aug 25, 2016
1,792
3,802
I see no reason to nitpick too much over price. Buy the tobacco you like. Overall, smoking a pipe can be a very cheap endeavor, including buying the most "expensive" tobacco.

The $5 price difference between a $12 tin and a $17 tin is negligible on your personal finances unless you're one of the guys who smokes like ten bowls per day every day, and you want to smoke the priciest blends all the time. Particularly if you really like a blend, does it really matter whether it costs 50 cents per bowl or 70 cents per bowl? If you smoke a tin of a much-loved blend over a month, what difference is $5.00 spread over a month? It all just seems like such a small issue.

But if you don't want to buy any Capstan, then that's just more for me puffy
 

Terry Lennox

Can't Leave
Aug 11, 2021
379
2,130
Southern California
I agree that a few extra dollars is worth it to try a legendary blend. Just have the experience. Gain the knowledge. Who knows, maybe you won't think much of it and save yourself years of buying tins to cellar. Me? I've got 13 tins in the cellar from the 2013 release. I find that with Capstan Blue it really helps once you jar an open tin. The trajectory of the aging process changes and speeds up once out of the tin. Six months to a year in a jar is like 3-5 years of aging in tin. Gets much darker. Stewed fruit and molasses after only a year in jar. Cheers.
 
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