Newbie with McClelland.... Smoke Now, Stow Away or Both?

[mikeysmokes]

I was able to snag tins of FM, FMotT, Royal Cajun and Contest Blend.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

I guess it depends on how much you got. If you're able to stow a few tins of each away to age, then by all means do so. If not, well you might as well smoke them. But jar them up immediately after opening so you can visit them on occasion and keep them fresh.

 

[lazar]

The Contest Blend and the Royal Cajun will age best of the four.

 

[perdurabo]

Smoke em.

 

[mso489]

If it were me, I'd hold some and smoke some. In fact, that's what I'm doing with my remaining McClellands. There's no grand plan, but I'd like to have some for the future, perhaps distinctly improved with aging. I don't have enough that it would be a financial sacrifice even if the price goes way up. I'll enjoy some now, some later.

 

[Briar Baron]

Yes, hedge your bets, half now and half in the cellar.

 

[mikeysmokes]

Everything is a 50g tin except FMotT which is 100g. My sister ended up getting a second tin of contest blend and a tin of Bombay extra to add to the cause.

 

[skeeter456]

Smoke em if you got em

 

[saltedplug]

There are two schools of thought about holding/aging. Yes and no. Yes, it gets better, no, fresh is fantastic. That there won't be more McClelland I don't think changes that thinking.

 

[mikeysmokes]

I think all of it I'm going to jar and then sip on. FMotT and Contest Blend obviously I have a little more leeway with. Because I've never even had any of these before I believe I'm putting an extra emphasis on the unavailability aspect. Plus development of my palette and being able to compare fresh vs cellared is intruiging when considering mark-ups on some of these tins already.

 

[briarbuck]

Open 1 and cellar the rest. My 2c

 

[pipesticks]

Yep, open one now and learn to nurse it. Special occasions or a bowl on Sunday kind of thing.

No more McClelland forever and forever is a long time if you're 35....not so much if you're 75 :D

I'm gonna let my sealed tins age a few years and attack it when I hit 60.

 

[brendhain]

I find the heavy English/Balkan blends age well. The heavier the better they age.
McClellands tend to be very sweet/sour in taste. What happens when they age? Does the sour get more pronounced or less?

 

[elvergun]

Open 1 and cellar the rest.

This!!

 

[npod]

Smoke at least one now for sure. Enjoy what you have. It's not possible to cellar McC anymore, so enjoy what you have for what it is.

 

[Civil War]

Both, I'd hold some and smoke some.

 

[bazungu]

I was wondering of how well Frog Morton will cellar, I have a can on the way but I am not sure if this sort of light latakia/aromatic blend will age well? Will it become too mild and lose character? Perhaps its better to just smoke it fresh and enjoy instead of opening it in 20 years and find it is totally tasteless.

 

[bluegrasspipe]

Open 1 and cellar the rest. My 2c

I agree with Jerry Garcia.. :D

 

[cortezattic]

@bazungu

It's my understanding that Latakia will fade with age, but that could be a good thing for some blends. Aromatics probably wont do well if the casing sauces kill the microbes needed for the aging process -- and in any event, the flavoring may not be suitable if in fact the leaf does age. Check out the Pipe Tobacco Aging &etc... FAQ

http://web.archive.org/web/20090213122643/http://agingfaq.nocturne.org:80/index.php

 

[pilotage16]

I will be smoking my frogs in the next few years. My McClelland Virginia’s will be spending the next decade hiding in the cellar. Smoke a tin now and save the rest.