I cracked some 1998 Fribourg & Treyer Golden Mixture in May of Last year and have been smoking a couple of bowls a month since then and I must say for a brighter leaf it goes down smooth and sweet as all get out, a stunning and billowy puff.
Oldest Smoked Tobacco...
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I tried the 1926 Velvet courtesy of ashdigger. It was okay. I also tried some Punchbowle that was probably from the 70s? It was gross. I found a tin of George Washington that was from the late 70s or early 80s. Tasted like sour frog ass. So for me most of the time it more miss than hit. Maybe one day I’ll come upon an old tin that doesn’t suck..
A random small tobacconist had a tin of Squadron Leader, no clue how old. I had recently started smoking a pipe and I probably had no clue how lucky I was, and I probably smoked it way too fast and ruined it. I have ancient unopened tins of Velvet and PA but I wonder if it would be wise to try and smoke them
I have an overabundance of tobaccos, so there are some tins which have been ignored for decades, as I mostly smoke codger blends.
Rummaging through my "cellar", I recently came upon ten unopened 100g tins of assorted McClelland Virgina blends, dated 1986-1993. I am surprised how old they (and I) are -- I bought them all new from various pipe shops -- with $4.90 price tags
.
The first two I cracked open had gone bad. Oxygen leakage I suspect. Tobacco was bone dry and inner tin surface heavily corroded.
The third, Mixture No. 1, described as mild; with Virginias, Orientals, and just a smidge of Latakia, was in excellent condition. 33 years in the tin! Sugar crystals and fermentation! Not a hint of the characteristic "vinegar odor" of McClelland blends.
Smoking it now. Brings back fond memories when I formerly smoked such blends regularly.
Excellent smoke but not anything I would buy on today's market for hundreds of dollars.
Rummaging through my "cellar", I recently came upon ten unopened 100g tins of assorted McClelland Virgina blends, dated 1986-1993. I am surprised how old they (and I) are -- I bought them all new from various pipe shops -- with $4.90 price tags
.The first two I cracked open had gone bad. Oxygen leakage I suspect. Tobacco was bone dry and inner tin surface heavily corroded.
The third, Mixture No. 1, described as mild; with Virginias, Orientals, and just a smidge of Latakia, was in excellent condition. 33 years in the tin! Sugar crystals and fermentation! Not a hint of the characteristic "vinegar odor" of McClelland blends.
Smoking it now. Brings back fond memories when I formerly smoked such blends regularly.
Excellent smoke but not anything I would buy on today's market for hundreds of dollars.
Thanks to so many of you posting responses. Keep them coming!
25 year old tin of McClelland's Dark Star. I remember it biting the hell out of me when fresh, but after forgetting about it for 15 years, then re-hydrating and jarring it, it STILL is hard to get it to burn, but it's nice and smooth and tastes like toasted marshmallows.
I have a couple bowls a year, but it's still far from my favorite VA blend. I'd say I probably like even good old Capstan blue better. It reinforces for me that the old stuff wasn't necessarily better, and certainly isn't worth the money folks will pay for it today. To me, I mean... To each their own though.
I have a couple bowls a year, but it's still far from my favorite VA blend. I'd say I probably like even good old Capstan blue better. It reinforces for me that the old stuff wasn't necessarily better, and certainly isn't worth the money folks will pay for it today. To me, I mean... To each their own though.
ngl, I had to look that up:
“Tonquin Bean
Botanical: Dipteryx odorata (WILLD.)
Family: N.O. Leguminosae
Synonyms: Tonka Bean. Coumarouna odorata.
Part Used: Seeds.
Habitat: A forest tree native to Brazil and British Guiana and called there ‘Rumara’.
Description: The odor of coumarin, which distinguishes the Tonka Bean, is found in many plants, especially in Melilotus, sweet vernal grass, and related grasses.
And this as well:
Coumarin one of the most commonly used ingredients in fragrances—it can smell like almonds, vanilla, and freshly cut hay. While it's found naturally in many plants (especially the tonka bean), today fragrance makers create coumarin in a lab.
You forgot about W.H plug I gave you the other year from one of our Florida Pipe Club get togethers at Edwards Cigar or whatever the place is called.
I smoked a 'cutter top' tin of some cube cut tobacco from 1919 that was pretty great and I have smoked various other 'cutter tops' from the 1930s through to the 1950s. Mostly when I come across them I give them or pick them up for a chum of mine on here who enjoys them far than I would ever!
I will revise slightly what I said here.
I bought dried out old tins of Blue Boar Rough Cut and Kentucky Club Mix in the distant past. Both dating back to the 1940's. They had to be rehydrated so they aren't really aged the same as good fully sealed aged tobacco is. There's no telling when they dried out so they may have only really aged for 10 or 15 years before drying out.
Same is true with cigars. Have smoked Pre-Embargo Cubans before that had dried out in the past and they don't hold a candle to a Pre-Embargo Cuban that has been maintained well in an old collection.
Tobacco needs moisture and air to truly age and release nitrogen.
Royal Jersey cavendish from 2005. I opened it in 2023. It sealed so tight that I had to break the lid.
The tobacco remained moist and smelled of soy sauce. The flavor is very rich and deep. I enjoy it very much. The remaining half was given to my friend.
The best thing I've had recently was some rehydrated 1980s Condor flake - it was excellent, and somehow had managed to retain flavour (a gift from @simong). The oldest stuff I have is from the 1930s, but I'm waiting to open it at a time I can share it. I've got some bits and pieces from the 1980s and 1990s which, when I've opened tins of them, have still been great.
Recently found a tin of Marlin Flake from when I first started smoking, but it had lost its seal and even rehydrated was really flat. Not sure I was even that much of a fan of it at the time though.
Recently found a tin of Marlin Flake from when I first started smoking, but it had lost its seal and even rehydrated was really flat. Not sure I was even that much of a fan of it at the time though.
I had some 20 year old GLP Cumberland that I smoked and compared it to current day Cumberland. It was noticably better in my opinion, probably because of the Virginia content. However, 20 year old Edgeworth Ready Rubbed didn't seem any better.
I’ve had the pleasure of a few tins from the 40’s. Cutter tops, which is what you want with tobacco that old. Only wish I took photos of all the vintage tins I’ve opened over the years. The oldest tin I had was a 1oz tin of Copes Escudo, from the 30’s. They didn’t vacuum seal those & as a result it was totally shot. Mummy dust.
I have often repeated the story of Gidea Park Tobacco Stores run by two old biddies. In the early 1980s one died and the family sold up the shop. They had 'cutter top' tins coming out the arse for a few pounds each. I purchased a few and I should have purchased them all but my Father told me they would be no good! Not all advice given by your parents is right! 
Kentucky Club from the 60's out of the box pass last year. Before that it was McClellands Blackwoods Flake from 2003 that I got from pipestud a couple years ago. Graduated high school that year lol.
A few years back I bought a cutter top tin of 50 Churchman's No1 cigarettes. I'd say the tin probably dated from about the late 1960's to the early 1970's.
The can was a bit rusty but the cigarettes inside were perfect. Not dry at all. The smell when I opened the can was delicious, very fruity. They were untipped and quite strong but they had a great flavour.
The tin looked just like this:
I've got a tin of McCranies Red Flake, vintage 1983, but I haven't opened it yet.
I bought a couple of 100g tins of Orlik Golden Sliced that were manufactured in 2001. The flakes have gone very dark and they smell & taste like a pretty strong vaper. Very tasty
.
I've still got one of the unopened tins and about 25g left of the tin I opened.
I bought a couple of 100g tins of Orlik Golden Sliced that were manufactured in 2001. The flakes have gone very dark and they smell & taste like a pretty strong vaper. Very tasty
. I've still got one of the unopened tins and about 25g left of the tin I opened.
I've been wanting to get my hands on vintage cigarettes any pointers ? I've googled till I'm blue in the face , cant seem to find them are there key words I'm missing out on? Feel free to DM me if you have any sources or advice. Thanks in advance.