I need to address a couple of things. First, the bulging tins are not an issue, other than an aesthetic one. There have been no reports of mold in any of my products, and we are watching the new ones especially closely. Some tins are going through some, shall we say, enthusiastic fermentation, but every example that we've opened has been not only fine, but wonderfully so. Think of it as a little jump-start on the aging train. But, these blends have gone through thorough QC, and we're not concerned about a little pressure. Now, if that pressure becomes too great and the tins explode, that's another story. Personally, I wish the tin of Regents in front of me right now was bulging like that...Patience is not my strong suit.
The second thing regards the notion that my tobaccos "need at least a year of aging." I suppose there are those for whom this is true, at least with some of my blends, but it kind of frosts my cupcakes when people make sweeping proclamations like that without even having the benefit of having opened a fresh tin of the tobacco under discussion and tasted it. And it happens every time I release something new. ALL of my blends are built with aging in mind, yes, but that doesn't mean that they "need" to be aged. Frankly, I'm sure Regents and Temple Bar, just like Sixpence before them, will become richer, more nuanced, more complex in the years to come, and that is as it should be, but they're delicious, rich and aromatic (in a naturally good way) out of the gate.
Of course, I recommend cellaring these. Of course. But, I don't recommend cellaring ANYTHING without first smoking a tin to see if it's going to trip your trigger over the years to come. And, frankly, exploring these blends at various stages of their development is half the fun of the whole "cellaring" thing; at least it is for me (and I've been at this for more than a couple years), so acquiring some to smoke, some to age (lather, rinse, repeat) is the most sensible approach.
As for "aging before selling" is concerned, the only difference between my tins and those from across the pond is the time it takes t
Here's the problem. Someone new to the game will look to those who have been around the block for guidance.
tins result from a little extra early fermentation going on, and the tobacco in those 
