How Many Blends Do You Cellar?

[dread]

Harris, what bulk blends do you cellar? I am about to start building up my cellar in earnest and I'm focusing on bulk blends first, though I have a good start on my Escudo and Elizabethan. I have discovered that I tend to like what you like, so I'm interested in the bulks you chose. I agree with the general sentiments of others here that it takes a while to figure out where you should focus for your tastes. I have a bunch of tins that I figure I'll only open of the zombies attack and I can't get any more, otherwise I have a list of less than ten that I'm going to really focus on.

 

[gtclark]

For the new smoker I would be cautious about cellaring too much until you have tried a whole bunch of blends as your tastes can change after a couple of years. I used to love my English blends and I never thought I would lose my taste for them, but it happened.

This is the best advice for the new smoker. Of course you should buy a few tins of blends you like, but given the option of buying multiple tins of the same blend or different blends, err on the side of variety. My tastes have changed a lot in the last decade or so, and I've been disappointed many times when I've lost my taste for a blend on the second or third tin.

 

[lestrout]

I continue to struggle with nearly 1300 blends on hand, trying to winnow the cellar to my Top200. When a blend attains cellarable status, I'll only go as deep as 2 pounds or equivalent, since I do like my variety. Only in a few cases might I rack up more, and a few blends are in the 5 pound range. Right now my preoccupation is to demote a few to stay within my cap, but fascinating new blends keep popping up in the market.
hp

les

 

[cigrmaster]

dread, I stock the following bulk blends. Samuel Gawith Best Brown, St James, Full Virginia and Stonehaven.

Although it comes in tins, Solani Silver Flake comes in tins that are not vacuum sealed so as soon as I get it in, I take it out of the tins and store it like my other bulks. I also just realized that I also do the same thing with Wessex Gold Brick as that comes in a cellophane wrapper so I put that in jars as well.
If you like Mac Baren ODF, buy the bulk because the tins are rusting after just a couple of years. I am probably going to take all mine out of the tins and jar it because of this fact.
Les, you are my hero, 1300 blends boggles my mind. I would love to see your cellar one day, how about showing us some pics.

 

[dread]

Thanks Harris. I did know that about ODF a from before and the bulk is just as good as the tins I've found. I am planning on stocking up on two of the ones you listed, need to try the other two still.

 

[brudnod]

As an experiment I bought a pound of P&C's Best of the Rest a couple of years ago. I was planning to give it 5 years then try it out. The aroma was quite interesting so who knows? I'll let you know in a few years...

 

[huntertrw]

"How Many Blends Do You Cellar?"
With regards to peckinpahhombre's much-vaunted cellar we will not know the answer until the installation of his new Cray supercomputer (shown below) is completed. Ordinary PCs simply cannot complete the calculation.

 

[cigrmaster]

Dread, which two are you planning on cellaring and which two have you not tried yet?
huntertrw, too funny. :lol:

 

[escioe]

Going forward, I'd say maybe 10 or so, with a focus on just a few in particular: Full Virginia Flake, Stonehaven, and Chelsea Morning.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I'm at around 40 lbs at the moment, with about ten different blends.

 

[ctron]

i have about 15 blends and maybe 10lbs if that in the cellar. I'm still in the stage of trying blends so a lot of the blends I only have a tin or two of.

 

[av8scuba]

@lestrout - I can't imagine seeing 1300 blends in one place at one time, let alone trying to decide what is next in the rotation. Maybe I'm just still too much of a newbie. Wow! ::

 

[huntertrw]

lestrout:
Perhaps peck would allow you to purchase time on his new Cray so that you might manage your considerable cellar, too.