That's a very good point, Bob, and perhaps I need to adjust the lenses of my rose-coloured glasses a bit. 8) I freely admit to being a bit biased by my long-running fascination with aged tobaccos; it stems at least in part from my voracious appetite for Virginias, which are a lot easier on my tongue in mass quantities when some of that edge is taken off and the flavours fill out. And I do enjoy the contemplative qualities of wondering from whence a tin came, how it survived for many years, and especially comparing them to fresh tins.
That being said, I would've been a bit disappointed in Dorisco had I only sampled recent tins, regardless. It averages $12 a tin, a shade over my (perhaps personal) $9 benchmark for "boutique" blends. If you want to price yourself in the league of Dunhill or Davidoff or similar offerings, you need to be worth it, in my book. There certainly is some credence to it not changing, for sure, and I could perhaps adjust the flavor up by one or even two points (as I've had tobaccos that have not stood the test of time well at all). It did certainly taste nearly the same, so kudos where they are due. And many smokers actually find their favoured blend in Dorisco, so hopefully they will read my assessment as a positive rather than a negative. Again, tasting is remarkably subjective; while I try to be very clear and unbiased in what flavour notes I may be able to convey, the overall smoking experience is something that appeals to me in a certain, personal way. Trying to categorize and quantify such can only be an attempt to give one perspective, and hopefully doesn't turn anyone away from trying things out for themselves--that's really the goal; to experiment, smoke as much as we can, and hopefully one day find that holy grail blend of our own.
Thanks for the feedback!
