In practical terms I think how much to cellar really depends on what you like to smoke, how much of it you smoke, and how long it'll keep.
Virginias will last a good 20 years and generally only improve with age, and while Burleys don't improve a lot from aging they should last just as long so feel free to stock up on as much as you think you can smoke in the next 20 years.
English blends with Latakia last a good long time too, though the flavor strength of the Latakia will diminish significantly around the 10 year mark so I wouldn't cellar more than you plan on smoking in 10 years time.
Aromatics are where things get tricky, because there are some aromatics that are heavily laden with propylene glycol (Lane and Sutliff blends, Captain Black, Cult Blood Red Moon, etc.) that acts as a preservative and will help them retain the flavor of their topping for a good 2 or 3 years. Other blends with less or no PG from companies like Peter Stokkebye or Cornell & Diehl may only last a year before the topping flavor starts to vanish, or worse goes rancid.
I once had a well sealed jar of C&D Autumn Evening that had turned utterly rancid and sour smelling and tasting after just a year in the cellar, and all my Peter Stokkebye blends I cellared away were almost flavorless after a year sealed up in Ball jars. So, results will vary significantly when it comes to aromatics but in general I'd say 3 to 5 years for the wetter stuff and about 1 year for the aromatics with less preservatives.
Lastly there's Lakelands, which as a sub-class of aromatics can vary a lot too. I've read reports of the tonquin topping on Samuel Gawith 1792 Flake almost completely vanishing after 5 years in the cellar, but I also have some Bosun Plug and Grousemoor Plug that have 9 years of age on them and still seem to be just as flavorful as a freshly made batch. If you can I'd say go for plugs instead of flakes or ribbon cut blends when it comes to Lakelands, since they seem to retain their scenting much longer. At worst you're probably looking at 5 years for flakes and ribbon cut blends, but plugs should keep a good 10 years easily.
Hope that helps!
) at my current smoking rate. I still buy occasionally, mainly new releases, to pad my stock of certain blends, and to bounce around the ever-evolving KBV stable. The McClelland experience got me cellaring in earnest over the past several years. Luckily that has made the very sad end of Mac Baren and Sutliff irrelevant to my needs, though still a tragedy.
