How Many Open Tins is Too Many?

[RookieGuy80]

It really depends on you. There's not many hard and fast rules here. I'd recommend jarring the open tins and having as many open as you'd like. At 2-4 smokes a day with a few open, I would personally be worried about the tobacco drying further than I like it before I could smoke it all. But again, that's me personally. It took a couple of dried out tins for me to learn how much was too much.

When I was in your shoes, learning technique as well as what I like (more on that in a bit), I tried to keep it to 5 tins/jars in my rotation at a time. I had an English, vaper, codger, burley, and aromatic open in the rotation. Over time they changed, of course. Once I got the hang of smoking, I'd bump up one of those. Let me try all the codgers and matches! There's a million English blends, gotta try them all! I wouldn't recommend that route, I wouldn't do it like that again if I had to do it over.

All that to say you'll find your way. I wouldn't recommend going extreme in either direction right now. But otherwise, find your path.

 

[ThermionicScott]

I used to idealize having only 3-5 open blends at any time. Just one English/Balkan, one Virginia blend, one burley, and maybe a wildcard or two, that I would finish up before opening anything new. But as my technique and ability to taste tobacco improved, I started to regret finishing a couple of blends that I could no longer go back to. Some blends that I knew were wonderful, and would like to experience again, and other blends that initially disappointed me, but would like to give another chance.

So my new model is the "tobacco library." I bought a bunch of jars and started opening more tins. Now if I'm not thrilled with a particular blend or just want a change of pace, I don't pressure myself to finish it, I just move that jar to the basement and smoke what does move me.

 

[eljimmy]

So this is an old picture, there has been more added. I like variety and trying new blends. Jarring is best if you take this route.

 

[Sigmund]

If I get a new blend I open it. Do you leave unwrapped gifts under the tree at Christmas?

 

[Steddy]

Do you want to find a core rotation and stock up? Do you want to try most/all of the manufacturers? Do you want to try a lot of different blends?

What would make you nuttier, option 1 or Option 2:
Option 1: Wanting to try a lot of different blends but only wanting to have a few tins open? It will be years and years before you get around to sampling everything you’re interested in.

Option 2: Wanting to try a lot of different blends and opening then jarring a lot of different blends. In a couple years you could end up with 100 jars you’ve sampled from.

I started out with option 1 and quickly realized I wasn’t trying all the blends I wanted to try in a timely manner.

Or maybe you find a few you like right away and just stick with those. At the moment I am too curious for that but I could end up smoking a handful of favorites with the occasional new blend to try.
I have only been smoking a pipe for three years and consider myself a new pipe smoker. I also reserve the right to change my perspectives at any moment!

Enjoy the process!

 

[PaulDM]

Pipe tobacco is pretty inexpensive (in the US). A $15 dollar tin will last many weeks or months if you are smoking 2--3 bowls on weekends. I say have fun with it, open as many tins as you like, but make sure to properly jar and store what you have so they last.

 

[andrew]

In the beginning, I had lots of stuff open. Now that I'm more seasoned, I like to have an English, a Virginia, and smoke it until it's done. I find blends lose flavor after being open a long time. I smoke a bowl a day at most. And English blends I don't love like I used to, so it's more a once in a while thing. I also find having a small amount open you learn to really get the different nuances of the blend. But as they say, do what you want.

 

[dottlejockey]

I can't even count how many jars are filled with open tins anymore. And a large selection of open tins, too. What can i say, i like variety and if i have new things on hand to try they get opened quickly and sampled before being put on the shelf to return to later.

There is no hard and fast rotation. Just whatever i'm in the mood for, usually the selection starts by tobacco type, then gets narrowed down by which pipe and particular blend tickles my pickle at that given moment, taking into consideration whether i'm running on empty, just ate, how big of a meal, with coffee, whisky, wine, water, etc. It's a process. lol

You do you.

 

[jackattack]

I have this many open. I'm starting to think this stuff might be addictive...

 

[Oddball]

I think a better question to ask is: Why am I keeping that stuff that I popped, smoked one bowl out of, and didn't like?

Which leads me to: Maybe I should give it another shot.

Then: It's usually either Good and I keep and order more or Bad and dump for some other tin I want to pop and try...

I have 3 dozen jars open. and half a dozen tins that I have in various stages of recently opened but need either more jars or to clear out old jars before jarring.

 

[VDL_Piper]

I have two tins opened one English and one Virginia that's it. I do have jars dedicated to my core blends which I tend to purchase in bulk such as MB Burley Flake/Pure Virginia/Latakia Flake, P.Stokkebye's Cube Cut/Bulls Eye/Navy Flake, Sutliff Buttered Rum and 515 but rarely do I have more than two tins opened.

 

[buroak]

I would rather risk too many open tins than too many pounds of disliked tobaccos stockpiled in my cellar.

Use your early promiscuity to find what you like. Then, settle down to the smaller number of blends you like best. Put back reasonable quantities of those in your cellar. At your pace of smoking, a few pounds will have you set for a very long time.

 

[Doctor Chopper]

I have a dichotomous answer.

When starting, I opened plenty of tins to try things out. When I discovered water tight tubs to keep tobacco from drying out quickly it certainly made it easier.

As I progress, I find that I have less tins open as I open 1-2 from each type of tobacco and go through them much faster.

In the end, have open as many as you want and can afford! This should be enjoyable, not another source of anxiety.

-Doc

 

[dublinpiper90]

I have 35 to 40 lends jarred up, tins 2-3 with a few jars on reserve in case I want to come back to a blend I’ve told myself I don’t wanna go over 75 jars of different blends of course I have some Small jars and half pints that works great

 

[jackattack]

I have a dichotomous answer.

When starting, I opened plenty of tins to try things out. When I discovered water tight tubs to keep tobacco from drying out quickly it certainly made it easier.

As I progress, I find that I have less tins open as I open 1-2 from each type of tobacco and go through them much faster.

In the end, have open as many as you want and can afford! This should be enjoyable, not another source of anxiety.

-Doc

This is why I ended up with a many open as I have. I'm new to this and want to know what the different styles of tobacco taste like.

 

[Peterson314]

If I get a new blend I open it. Do you leave unwrapped gifts under the tree at Christmas?

Yes.

Not only do I (probably) have more unopened tins than opened, but I have bought bulk before, not smoked a crumb, and thrown it in a jar for the future. ('twas/'twis Newminster 400)

 

[BayouGhost]

I usually have 3-4 open in 4 oz mason jars at a time for a quick grab and also tend to mylar tins that I try. I have one English, one Vaper and a Burley/KY and maybe a pure VA at the ready. If I order more to try and I like them I mylar and then open the mylar back up when one of my open jars runs out and buy a few more tins for long term storage and write the year on them if they don’t have a date label. If you have more than a baker’s dozen open, I would suggest jarring or mylar.

 

[proteus]

I have this many open. I'm starting to think this stuff might be addictive...
View attachment 324805

Nah that's not a lot. You're just getting started...

 

[LeafErikson]

I have this many open. I'm starting to think this stuff might be addictive...
View attachment 324805

That’s a very reasonable amount.

 

[hall222]

What they said