How Long do Lakeland Toppings Last When Cellared?

[rectifythis]

I'm going to throw in another potential variable to "the sauce" that hasn't been mentioned: not only is there variations in crop from year to year with tobacco leaf, but the same holds true with manufacturers of essential oils and extracts, which are presumably used by GH. For example, I have used the exact same brand and line of essential oil, medicinal grade, and I can definitely detect a variation in scent as well as strength from batch to batch. While I do indeed advocate for a "saucier" GH, I accept whatever they provide because I still find them to be one of the highest quality tobaccos on the planet. Most of my tobacco fund ends up in the Gawith hands as opposed to C&D. I appreciate them and hope they are around a very long time.

To the OP, I notice that lakeland over time (at least those produced in the last few years) softens/weakens and doesn't gain strength. For example, Bob's square cut from 2022 was very strong floral lakeland when I jarred it, it was very prominent in the smoke. A bowl this year and much of that has receded/mellowed to the point where the tobacco is mostly shining and not the lakeland. Same with SG Grousemoor.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Dude, you’re just trolling at this point. GH needs to set YOU to ignore…

I made one insulting inflammatory post, I apologized sincerely, and the rest of my posts were made with sincerity with civility. I have been on here for a long time, and have graciously served as a moderator here for five years till I stepped down of my own accord. Reread my post. I am not trying to aggravate or disrupt.
Again, I will bow my knee and apologize for my initial post and ask for forgiveness.

I urge you to look back at past posts between us before judging me too harshly.

I have a sense of humor that sometimes is seen as brusk, but I do not typically come across as incendiary as my first post in this thread that is hurtful, and I regret it.

I have set GH to ignore. I do not want to cause further disruption here. And I apologize to you, personally, if you are also hurt or enraged by my initial post.

But, with all sincerity, there has to be a reason that all of us taste these new products as being different. It’s not just me. Past problems with QC, is good enough an explanation for me. I was lucky enough to have always gotten the over sauced stuff. I will give this no further thought.

 

[Zamora]

That's definitely a good perspective and one worth considering. I do recall Rachel Gawith herself saying that people who buy up pounds of tobacco in one or two goes then never buy again don't help them stay in business. What they really need is people who buy small amounts frequently so they continue to get sales and income every quarter, not just one big sale then no more.

By buying up a whole ton of tobacco and cellaring it away in case the company goes out of business or discontinues a blend it creates a bit a self fulfilling prophecy, where the company becomes just a little closer to going out of business or discontinuing a blend because they've ostensibly lost you as a customer once you've made your big purchase and bought up all you need for the foreseeable future and won't be buying again.

It's also a heck of a lot easier to budget for just buying a few ounces at a time.

I never thought about it that way but it makes sense, repeat business is always better

Some to cellar away, some to smoke in the meantime. That's how I try to balance it.

"One to ash, one [or two] to stash" is a pretty common method

Now that was just rude. Yes, we know the sauce proportions have changed, and yes we know the company's representatives would rather not say that they've been changed, but that's no excuse for name calling nor is it what this thread is about. I never got to try Gawith's pre-2018 blends, but I do very much enjoy their current blends and am happy that representative of their company posts on here at all; especially when they have to deal with crud like that.

There may be a reason that Jeremy Reeves, Gregory Pease, and Russ Ouellette don't post much at all here anymore.

I had no idea any of them ever did, I think a lot of people post on forums (in general, not just here) without thinking certain people might see

 

[GrampaJoseph]

TLDR; …just read all of this thread to-date and have a brief recap for those who only want the answer to the original question:

Indefinitely - from those with actual firsthand knowledge, the Lakeland essence in SG & GH blends cellars and ages very well, and may even come forward a bit with aging.

 

[Snook]

Came here for more info on Lakelands and all I get is goddamn internet drama.

 

[Chasing Embers]

There may be a reason that Jeremy Reeves, Gregory Pease, and Russ Ouellette don't post much at all here ananymore.

Several reasons. The smokingpipes.com folks readily reply here when a conversation is directed at them. Russ only posted on here when P&C was still a site sponsor, and Greg doesn't do a lot of social media. None of them ever talked down to their customers.

 

[edger]

Tempest in a teapot. Too many members with too much time on their hands. Boring and why I come here less and less often.

 

[georged]

The largest named number was a Googolplex until a mathematician began counting the number of variables in creating pipe tobacco blends.

That a small shop somewhere in the world persists in wrestling with that fact and swimming against the riptide-strong social current that's trying to rid Planet Earth of tobacco as a categorical thing Big Brother-style, is ALL that matters to me.

And, it seems to me, all any pipe enthusiast should care about.

 

[telescopes]

If anyone thinks that @gawithhoggarth is rude, you. need to go to PSD and read Earnie’s Posts. Watch City is anything but …. Well, read it for yourself. I actually quite enjoy Rachel’s replies. In an era where everyone tippy toes around possibly offending someone, what a joy it is to see someone who doesn’t give a shit. I am ordering more G&H just for that.

 

[johnkerk]

Anyone here have experience in this sort of endeavor?

The only one that I have opened so far is Bob's chocolate Flake. It is not as sourced as before in fact it is a bit muted. However the tobacco improved a lot, and there is crystals on it they are big square crystals it is a very nice to smoke but does not resemble to original at all. The chocolate is gone but the funny thing is the Lakeland is still! I think the reason is that the essence lasts but cocoa does not.

I wish I had more data then this still an fantastic blend but different.

 

[NookersTheCat]

Jesus christ I guess I should just stop smoking a pipe... now I find out that all the GH tobacco I've been enjoying is fake and I haven't really been enjoying it because "iT's n0T tEh pRe-2018 GH!!¡?!" What a futile exercise this hobby has become... WHAT MORE GROSS TRAVESTIES OF JUSTICE SHALL I UNCOVER NEXT??!? 🫠

 

[johnkerk]

Jesus christ I guess I should just stop smoking a pipe... now I find out that all the GH tobacco I've been enjoying is fake and I haven't really been enjoying it because "iT's n0T tEh pRe-2018 GH!!¡?!" What a futile exercise this hobby has become... WHAT MORE GROSS TRAVESTIES OF JUSTICE SHALL I UNCOVER NEXT??!? 🫠

Hey that's great, I mean I hate to see you go. Mind if I plunder your stash for some of the fine Gawith? ( Evil Grin )

 

[NookersTheCat]

Hey that's great, I mean I hate to see you go. Mind if I plunder your stash for some of the fine Gawith? ( Evil Grin )

Apparently I have no fine Gawith to be plundered.. all that 5 year old st. James growing crystal veins the size of toothpicks are just garbage because they're from AFTER 2018 lolol

 

[Chasing Embers]

WHAT MORE GROSS TRAVESTIES OF JUSTICE SHALL I UNCOVER NEXT??!?

Here's one.

Post-2015 Samuel Gawith, Bob Gregory’s Story | Dutch Pipe Smoker

dutchpipesmoker.com

 

[johnkerk]

Apparently I have no fine Gawith to be plundered.. all that 5 year old st. James growing crystal veins the size of toothpicks are just garbage because they're from AFTER 2018 lolol

It's funny you should say that, you need to see the crystals on the BCF! I will circle back on this post and take a high rez picture of it! I have spikes on Black Irish Twist, not like toothpicks but they are small more like hairs. I don't know how much longer I can resist, the only one I busted into was the BCF because of the large crystal growth. I somehow held off on opening the Black Irish Twist but as I type this my hands are shaking...LOL!!!

 

[NookersTheCat]

Here's one.

Post-2015 Samuel Gawith, Bob Gregory’s Story | Dutch Pipe Smoker

dutchpipesmoker.com

What can I say, I don't really have a dog in this fight. I didn't get into GH/SG tobaccos until a year or 2 ago besides for some st James i got for free from SP in 2020.
My experience is as a 32yo electronics engineer running/taking over a family electrical contracting business I've worked full time at (besides school and a few year stint somewhere else) since I was 12.

Does it seem like this Rachel lady has a chip on her shoulder and glosses over customer concerns? Yeah probably. I find that disconcerting because I know that if you're gonna be a (good) boss you realize every one of your customers is YOUR boss. That's how I work every day and find it hard to suffer people who don't. But I'm also in an extremely competitive business. If I had a product people wanted and couldn't get anywhere else maybe it'd tempt me to tell some of my more abusive customers to wank right tf off sometimes too lol.
But on the other hand I also know what it's like to work with old grouches (esp family) who treat ya like a doormat every day of your life while ignoring critically dire aspects of modernizing the business in order for it to survive then instantly blame the problems that causes on the very people trying to implement them/help the most.

At the end of the day I'll buy the few (mostly bulk) blends i enjoy and not think much more about it since I have nothing else to compare it to

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

In regard to the whole GH thing... Everybody else has chimed in so here's more:

If you read through the past GH threads you'll see weird and untrue answers to questions... Unsolicited rude remarks, and a bunch of shooting from the hip, from the GH lady. If you haven't read this stuff, then you really should before forming an opinion.

I get it... I was in sales of all kinds for years. Now I do a little small business. I have often hated the customer. They are frequently complete assholes. I've run off plenty of customers out of pure disdain, but when I have I've paid the price (lost a customer). Sometimes I didn't care, sometimes I did, but I knew what I was doing when I did it.

You go around pissing your customers off and you'll see you would have been better off just not talking to em.

I don't buy from people who have disrespected me... Some will buy anyway.

It's a shame that Cosmic felt like he had to apologize... He was just talking shit. Everybody knows that.

To the ones who feel like these people from the tobacco industry are famous celebrities... Grow a pair. Maybe yall have low T or something.

 

[NookersTheCat]

To the ones who feel like these people from the tobacco industry are famous celebrities... Grow a pair. Maybe yall have low T or something.

It seems to me (again someone with no dog in the race) that this is the same thing the people on the other side are doing with this Bob Greg guy lol. Maybe he was pushed out. Maybe he got pissed up on scotch and assaulted someone in the lunchroom lol.. when it comes to private companies it comes down to he said she said.
And as I said since I don't have a time machine all I can do is judge present products on their present metrics. Maybe some of this stuff isn't fair. Maybe due to the shrinking nature of our hobby we're gonna have to either choose to play with not fair more often or pick up our marbles go home and start vaping. I'm in the contracting business.. if I stopped dealing with customers and suppliers and architect firms and local govts etc etc that didn't treat me fair I'd be out of business. Principle is a great thing but it doesn't pay the heating bill.

P&C never reimbursing me for a $150 pipe i returned wasn't fair. But at the end of the day they're the only people left with Magnum opus in stock and it's one of my top blends so guess who's getting my money still til its discontinued? Lol
Maybe I can make up the $150 selling my extras on tinbids to the stubborn codgers who stuck their head in the sand and refused to believe stg was closing any factories up til last week the world is a wild place

 

[wyfbane]

LOL.....same spokeswoman. Still like a good drink as and when. Very much connected with the company. Thank you @cosmicfolklore for finally accepting I am the owner!

And if stating the facts is deemed rude or treating people like crap then you have a weird view of the world.

But similarly I have just chosen to ignore those few who have seemed to make it their mission to denounce everything I say. I have not been hateful to members but if you are going to give it and be rude and disrespectful, then be man enough to take it when given back.

Again nothing has changed with the actual sauces. The only difference is that post merger and under new management, more quality control was put in. This meant that where in the past you would get one person scenting that was maybe rather heavy handed and did not follow the recipes exactly, compared to another who was less so and someone that concisely followed instructions, batches would differ considerably, it is now much more controlled and the same level of sauce applied each time to give more consistently. So those saying it used to be much more heavily sauced, then yes there was probably the odd batch that was, same as there will have been batches with much less sauce, some batches where the recipes were followed exactly, others were it was not......now there is much more consistency. But the actual recipes, the actual toppings used have not changed. The staff are mostly the same, the machinery is the same, the processes are the same.......

I get an image of an old dude on the night shift just peppering the shit out of the tobacco with "the sauce". Tired and curmudgeony, he knows its the good stuff and he is going to give it to us.

I miss that guy. Find that guy and put him back on the night shift. The people that don't like the sauce like it 0% sauce. The majority of lakeland lovers prefer the night shift guy... that I just made up... but you know what I mean.

 

[wyfbane]

Poor OP still has had no one answer to what the effects of aging has on their tobaccos.

I answered it. Sort of. lol