This post got me curious. I would have said about 25-30 blends max but checking the spreadsheet revealed wow it's 55 blends (minus last Escudo Flakes this AM) so 54 blends at 33+ pounds and with a couple orders out that will be 36+ pounds when Estervals and Smoking Pipes come in. I don't intend to slow orders too much until I'm above 60-70 pounds or so. Acquisition is mixed as a newbie so about 50/50 focus on what I really enjoy now and (as has been said) popular flakes, blends etc... for trades/swaps as my tastes morph going forward in preparation for further regulation.
How Deep is Your Cellar?
- Thread starter desrtrat68
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Well, there are a couple of complications that attend this type of discussion. One, as I've learned about various tobaccos of different types, my tastes have definitely changed. Two, some tobaccos improve dramatically as they age, making them more desirable in the end than could be known in the beginning.
Smoking as many different tobaccos of as many different types as possible is the best (only) way to answer this question for one's self.
Smoking as many different tobaccos of as many different types as possible is the best (only) way to answer this question for one's self.
I'm leaning towards a two or three types of tobacco now.
I'd guess about 50 blends in tins and jars, but not a great quantity of any one ... a few tubs too, but not all full. I smoke a bowl or two a day, three if I'm living large (ha-ha), and sometimes days off. These will probably hold me for five to eight years, I'd surmise, but I have occasional bouts of TAD, but only a few tins or baggies at a time. Unless pipe tobacco is banned altogether -- which contrary to the current regulatory climate seems unlikely -- I don't see running out for years. I like to mix blends and/or condiments, so that provides variety, if that became a problem. I'm sorry to see the possible end of the pipe smoking legacy, but if we don't mind our P's and Q's, people may not be here at all, or in any form we'd want to see. But I tilt toward optimism and expect better, maybe because such optimism is crazy.
I’m 46 yrs old. I’ve definitely enough to last the rest of my lifetime without buying another gram of ?. I’ve approximately 150+ tins and many, many pounds of stuff in jars. My wife will likely be pissed when I shuffle off and she has to get rid of it all?. Occasionally I’ll restock on a blend I like, but I’m fairly certain my big purchasing days are over. 
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Mine will just say more for me! Likely she will give my urn the finger to drive the fact home.
In my mind there is a sharp distinction between cellaring wide and cellaring deep.
Early in my pipe smoking experience I cellared wide, a few tins each of maybe 70+ blends.
The last ten years I have zeroed in on a handful of Virginia and Vapor flakes and gone deep (in proportion to my consumption).
Like @chasingembers i have narrowed my focus and now primarily smoke maybe 6-8 blends, with 3 blends making up 75% of my smoking.
Similar to @sablebrush52, I see a window of opportunity and I did several “shotgun” orders of a variety of HU tobaccos from Estervals after discovering the exceptional quality of Han’s blending genius. However, the Estervals orders were an exception to my buying habits and were more crimes of passion than a coherent strategy, as my personal cellar does not need any more tobacco width or depth this lifetime.
Currently there is some sense of a consensus that there is a slowly closing window and if I was starting to accumulate a cellar in today’s climate I’d cellar deep as was possible and prudent financially before the hammer drops.
Early in my pipe smoking experience I cellared wide, a few tins each of maybe 70+ blends.
The last ten years I have zeroed in on a handful of Virginia and Vapor flakes and gone deep (in proportion to my consumption).
Like @chasingembers i have narrowed my focus and now primarily smoke maybe 6-8 blends, with 3 blends making up 75% of my smoking.
Similar to @sablebrush52, I see a window of opportunity and I did several “shotgun” orders of a variety of HU tobaccos from Estervals after discovering the exceptional quality of Han’s blending genius. However, the Estervals orders were an exception to my buying habits and were more crimes of passion than a coherent strategy, as my personal cellar does not need any more tobacco width or depth this lifetime.
Currently there is some sense of a consensus that there is a slowly closing window and if I was starting to accumulate a cellar in today’s climate I’d cellar deep as was possible and prudent financially before the hammer drops.
15-20 blends with 1-2 lbs of each (1/2 bought new from B&Ms; some bought--even 10 years ago-- from reliable sources already "cellared" for 5+ years). Then maybe another 5-10 blends that are recent acquisitionsI'm either revisiting or trying out (old favorites, recently reformulated, and a couple blends that have been raved about here).
My cellar is wide but not deep. Very early on I started buying a few of my favorite blends in bulk but later figured out that variety was more important to me than consistently smoking a small selection. I then started buying just one or two each of every blend that sounded good. Im sure I have at least 100 unique blends but 90% of those are just one or two tins.
I'd like to add that my purchasing in the past six months has become very narrow selection wise. I'm buffering the blends I like best. I've posted several trade threads in an effort to rebalance things as well and will post a few more over time.
My cellar is much deeper than it is wide. I have 43 flakes,plugs and a rope. I have over 200 pounds. I have one blend that was over 200 tins,, not sure if it is under or right at it. others that are 100-175. Most of my half dozen bulks are 12-14 pounds each.
My cellar would be much wider if it were not for my allergy to red virginia's as I cannot smoke them. The only blend I have that has any red is Solani 660 Silver flake and it is a small amount which is why I can smoke it as a first of the day. I know what I like and I know what likes me. I can smoke aged tobacco for the next 20 plus years with what I have.
My cellar would be much wider if it were not for my allergy to red virginia's as I cannot smoke them. The only blend I have that has any red is Solani 660 Silver flake and it is a small amount which is why I can smoke it as a first of the day. I know what I like and I know what likes me. I can smoke aged tobacco for the next 20 plus years with what I have.
Well, I need to update my spreadsheets. I've been delinquent since we moved recently and things are still in boxes. My wife thought I needed more room for my tobacco, ffishing gear, Scotch and wine, so the new house is more than twice the size of the place I was perfectly happy in for 43 years. At last count, I had over 1700 blends on hand. I've been trying to demote a bunch of early favorites to a trim Top300. A Cellar item has a lifetime supply of a few pounds. I'm pretty sure the total tonnage is less than one still.
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I've been at this for about 10 years. The first couple of years I tried dozens and dozens of blends to get a feel for what I liked. Thankfully I was able to get a lot of samples from some nice folks on various forums.
After a couple of years whenever I figured out the type of lens I liked Iwent deeper into those. Like Hoosier, I have probably about 60 or different blends on hand, but the bulk of my cellar is about a dozen blends.
After a couple of years whenever I figured out the type of lens I liked Iwent deeper into those. Like Hoosier, I have probably about 60 or different blends on hand, but the bulk of my cellar is about a dozen blends.
I have tried to kept the tins of everything I've tried and it has made a nice display piece in my smoking room. This isn't everything but its alot.
Right now I have probably 20 small 2 oz jars of Blends that I will probably never ever smoke again but I just don't have the heart to throw them out.
Of all these Blends in the picture, I have only really cellared a handful.
Right now I have probably 20 small 2 oz jars of Blends that I will probably never ever smoke again but I just don't have the heart to throw them out.
Of all these Blends in the picture, I have only really cellared a handful.
I’m 40 and I purposely cellared just enough tobacco to last me until I need more. Most of it is in tins but some of it is not.
over 200 blends, about 60lbs...but I haven't counted in a while...
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