Is There Such a Thing as Pre-Aged Virginia?

[kyriefurro]

Since I been enjoying the Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye I was gifted with, I picked up a tin of Peterson's Irish Oak. I enjoyed my first smoke of it quite a lot, but after the aged Bullseye, I could really tell difference in the non-aged Virginia. It could really benefit from a couple of years in the cellar.
Unfortunately, as a new smoker my "cellar" exists only in my imagination right now. Everything I have is in the "actively being smoked" category and even if I put something away it will be years before it reaches peak flavor. So my question is, aside from the odd vintage tin gathering dust on a B&M shelf somewhere, is there such a thing as an aged Virginia that can be easily acquired?

 

[hfearly]

Most of the McClelland "Christmas Cheer" Virginias that are released each year contain 2+ years aged Virginia. I.e., a 2013 Christmas Cheer would contain Virginias aged since 2011.
The really good stuff though comes from older tins that got "lost" behind the counter of smaller Brick and Mortar stores, as Sam already suggested. You'd be amazed at what one can find - make sure to ask the owner if he had any older tins that nobody's been interested in.
Also, consignment stores such as the one form Pipestud often feature 10+ year old tins - sometimes at surprisingly good prices.
Finally, you can "cheat" the age by baking your Virginia tobacco tins, I've done so many times over the past years and have reported about it a number of times (for example here: http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/never-say-never-erinmore-flake ), which easily gives you a quick way to get 4-5 years of simulated age on the tin.
All said, nothing beats the real aging, as the tobacco itself not only gets better but you will appreciate it SO much more after patiently waiting for it for 10-15 years. Nothing beats that childish joy when you finally get to open your precious!

 

[shaintiques]

Somehow I missed this baking thread, and wow I'm intrigued. And am of course going to try it and I think I will save the results for the next pipe club. 2 tins of Erinmore for example, one baked, one non baked next to each other for comparison would be really interesting.

 

[salewis]

I recently bought some McClelland's 2015 and 2020 both in bulk. These two tobaccos came as moist as FVF which means, of course, that these tobaccos were extremely hard to light. I am going to try the oven method to save these promising tobaccos.

 

[kyriefurro]

Meanwhile, the B&M hunt others mentioned is a great idea

That presupposes there's more than one B&M within 100 miles of me :|
On a related note, I wish the damned head shops would/could be honest about what they are. I swear to God, the next time I go out of my way looking for "tobacco pipes" and find a head shop, I'm gonna blow a gasket!

 

[kyriefurro]

I am going to try the oven method to save these promising tobaccos.

I was just doing so reading on this. There seems to be more than one way to do this, and leaving it sealed in the tin does not seem to be absolutely necessary. One way involves sealing the tobacco in a mason jar and putting it in a crock pot in a shallow water bath to provide uniform heat. Another involves sealing it in creme brule dish with a lid, wrapping it in tinfoil and baking as prescribed in the linked post. I might have to give one of them a try - assuming the housemates don't mutiny.
Well, I guess it can't be considered mutiny if it's their house, can it :lol:

 

[hfearly]

I swear to God, the next time I go out of my way looking for "tobacco pipes" and find a head shop, I'm gonna blow a gasket!

Tell me about it. I was exploring the Seattle/Tacoma area and 9 out of 10 "Pipe Shops" only sold those wonky glass or polycarbonate versions meant for herbal consumption...

 

[hfearly]

I was just doing so reading on this. There seems to be more than one way to do this, and leaving it sealed in the tin does not seem to be absolutely necessary. One way involves sealing the tobacco in a mason jar and putting it in a crock pot in a shallow water bath to provide uniform heat. Another involves sealing it in creme brule dish with a lid, wrapping it in tinfoil and baking as prescribed in the linked post. I might have to give one of them a try - assuming the housemates don't mutiny.

I just always leave them in the original tin, but transfer them to mason jars after 3 days of "resting" after baking. By the way - your house mates will go crazy and search for the freshly baked pie they smell

 

[kyriefurro]

Well, I gave into curiosity and stuck about half a tin of Peterson Irish Oak in a mason jar. I screwed the lid down tight and put it in a water bath in the crockpot on low for about four hours. We'll see how it looks when I get home from work tonight :D

 

[lostandfound]

Those "pipe shops", most likely have to call themselves by names that allude to tobacco related products, as per the law.
So that Newminster is pretty good huh?
Anybody know of anybody that carries MacBaren's Navy Flake in true bulk form?

 

[kyriefurro]

Those "pipe shops", most likely have to call themselves by names that allude to tobacco related products, as per the law.

It's not the names that get to me. It's the ones like the guy here in town who actually advertises on his website "purveyors of fine tobacco". He's got any tobacco you want - as long as it's Captain Black :lol:

 

[lostandfound]

Lol "purveyors of fine tobacco". That actually calls to mind an old school type tobacconist. If I walked in there and they were selling glass pipes and Captain Black, I'm sure I would have a major "WTF??? :crazy: moment, too.

 

[kyriefurro]

A belated thanks, Roth. If you have any others you know of, feel free to pass them on. I'll bookmark those two, as well as any others, for future reference. Unfortunately, it will have to be future reference. I've overspent my allowance for my new hobby for the next few weeks ::