Cellaring- How Long is too Long?

[HalfMadHatter]

Blends dissapearing, brands going under (Dunhill, mcClellands) tobacco crops suffering as all the tobacco is grown many for cigarettes now so not quality tobacco. Tobacco varieties disappearing (Syrian lat) WW3. I suggest go hard it's not getting any cheaper. I lucked out and took this advice about 8 years ago and probably have more than I'll smoke. And I'm 46. When jarring be careful, I went with the lazy way of stuffing tobacco in and screwing on the lid and a few ive opened have been dried out and aging never happened. Hot water bath then put the lid on and you'll have an airtight seal. The button should pop in. Avoid gasket jars except for what you're actively smoking they don't hold moisture in long term

This basically echoes the reason I'm doing it now even while I have so long to go. Do you heat up just the Mason jars by themselves and then put the tobacco in and cap while hot? I've canned before so I understand the concept. But obviously it's quite different with this

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Like what sort of concerns?

Increasing prices, increasing taxation, dwindling g supplies if raw tobacco, banning online sales. Not much good news. But all you can afford and store it.

 

[sablebrush52]

Not a bad suggestion, but I have a question? If we took 10 tins of the same blend, aged them for 10 years, would all 10 tins taste the same or would their be minor, or perhaps major, variations in how each tin tastes? I don't know the answer but it is intriguing. My point is that perhaps not all 10 year old tins of tobacco will exhibit the same effects from aging.

I can only speak from my experience, but the answer to whether or not the same blend, bought at the same time, stored next to each other in the same environment will age differently, and that the difference will be significant, is yes.
The effects of aging are unpredictable. Sometimes the result is very pleasing, other times not at all. It’s a crapshoot.
I never bought specifically to age, but to have blends I like available, since they have a way of disappearing without warning, or getting reformulated without warning. Aging is just a byproduct.

 

[Elric]

Anecdotal...
For our monthly pipe club meeting last week, I dug a 2015 tin of Esoterica Margate (English) and a 2016 tin of Torben Danske Black Velvet (aromatic). Both were still fairly moist and both smelled and tasted good. I was told by one member that the Black Velvet tasted better than the newer Black Velvet he recently smoked.

IN MY OPINION, some of the aromatics that I have smoked do get better over time as the flavors meld together more. The toppings and casing can change by becoming more muted and that will change the taste and aroma.

You raise a very good point. I should have qualified "cheap aros" (e.g. those that hide unfavorable tobacco under the sauce) vs. those made with higher quality base ingredients. I happily stand corrected.

 

[pappymac]

You raise a very good point. I should have qualified "cheap aros" (e.g. those that hide unfavorable tobacco under the sauce) vs. those made with higher quality base ingredients. I happily stand corrected.

There are a number of good tobacco companies that produce aromatics with high quality base ingredients. Most of the aros I like were actually produced by Kohlhase & Kopp over in Germany.

 

[Elric]

There are a number of good tobacco companies that produce aromatics with high quality base ingredients. Most of the aros I like were actually produced by Kohlhase & Kopp over in Germany.

Agreed. I've was always partial to DTM Sweet Vanilla Honeydew due to the wonderful base Virginias, but I haven't smoked it in years. Now I have to dig a tin out of the cellar and see how it (and it's memory) holds up.

 

[Auxsender]

Worst comes to worst I can just sell them off later for minimal loss or to break even or profit. That's not the goal but always an option

…IF you can find a buyer.

 

[Auxsender]

Not a bad suggestion, but I have a question? If we took 10 tins of the same blend, aged them for 10 years, would all 10 tins taste the same or would their be minor, or perhaps major, variations in how each tin tastes? I don't know the answer but it is intriguing. My point is that perhaps not all 10 year old tins of tobacco will exhibit the same effects from aging.

I suspect that if each tin were made during the same run/batch and stored in the same place for the same amount of time, the subjective experience of smoking them would be identical.

 

[MattRVA]

I’d say slow down a little. I made the mistake of buying loads of tobacco when I started. It’s good to have but unnecessary. You’re so young you might not even be smoking in 10 years. Get to know the blends you have now and give yourself a year at least before you start spending a lot of money on tobacco. That’s my advice. Welcome and I truly wish you the best.

 

[andrew]

This basically echoes the reason I'm doing it now even while I have so long to go. Do you heat up just the Mason jars by themselves and then put the tobacco in and cap while hot? I've canned before so I understand the concept. But obviously it's quite different with this

Actually it's essentially canning your tobacco. The difference is the heat involved. You just need the jars to be somewhat hot, not burn your hands hot, as it cools they'll suck in. Easiest way is fill all the jars, put in oven briefly to warm jars, pull out and seal.

 

[sablebrush52]

I suspect that if each tin were made during the same run/batch and stored in the same place for the same amount of time, the subjective experience of smoking them would be identical.

Nope. Been there done that. Aging is unpredictable. That includes same batch, stored together for years, way different results.

 

[Auxsender]

Nope. Been there done that. Aging is unpredictable. That includes same batch, stored together for years, way different results.

That’s deeply counterintuitive to me but I would tend to believe you because you’ve lived it. I have not.

 

[krizzose]

Increasing prices, increasing taxation, dwindling g supplies if raw tobacco, banning online sales. Not much good news. But all you can afford and store it.

I agree - get what you can now. I’ve got what should be a lifetime supply, but I’m sure there will be some popped tins and loose jar lids. There will probably also be a few tins that are just past their prime by the time I open them. If it’s still possible/affordable to do so in 10 or 12 years, maybe I’ll buy a several pounds of bulk Virginias as a hedge. If not, I’ll cross my fingers when I pop open old tins

 

[Chasing Embers]

If there's tobacco left when they lay you in the ground, it was cellared too long.

 

[greysmoke]

Most of my cellar is from 1998 to 2012, and it’s mostly Latakia. I now have more tobacco than I’ll ever need. FWIW I find that it always improves with age, but there’s a curve. Like wine, at some point it begins to diminish. Even so, I don’t have a single tobacco of any age that I can’t enjoy. Squirrel away an extra tin now and then. It eventually adds up.

 

[crashthegrey]

Until it is not good.

 

[woodsroad]

Blends dissapearing, brands going under (Dunhill, mcClellands)

Dunhill stopped blending decades ago.

McClelland, on the other hand…

I recently found a jar of Rose of Latakia from 2013. I was really looking forward to a flashback smoke of McC wonderfullness. Instead, I found that the Latakia had faded, and the resulting bowl was unremarkable. Not bad, mind you, but nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[Chasing Embers]

tobacco crops suffering as all the tobacco is grown many for cigarettes now so not quality tobacco.

Tobacco's primary purpose has always been mainly cigarettes and chewing tobacco. The pipe tobacco industry has just benefited from it. Dark Fired Kentucky is mainly grown for chewing but works well in smoking blends.

 

[andrew]

Dunhill stopped blending decades ago.

Yes I'm aware, Dunhill stopped blending and Murray's took up production, then STG, and now Peterson. The point being Dunhill stopped producing tobacco, so if you were an original Dunhill smoker, you would probably be dissapointed in the murrays version and probably extremely dissapointed in the current stg/peterson incarnation. The point being cellar while you can get it because you dont know what tomorrow brings.

 

[andrew]

Tobacco's primary purpose has always been mainly cigarettes and chewing tobacco. The pipe tobacco industry has just benefited from it. Dark Fired Kentucky is mainly grown for chewing but works well in smoking blends.

Yes that's common sense. But this is why mcClelland retired, because they could no longer source tobacco that met their standards, which means tobacco farmers are more than likely growing all their tobacco pretty much for chew and cigarettes, whereas before I guess some grew exceptionally good leaf meant for Pipe tobacco. Canada used to be a huge tobacco source, we produced many cigars, but then I guess there were other crops more valuable to grow