Oldest Smoked Tobacco...

[Oddball]

Over the last year I smoked some 1960s Dunhill, 3 Year Virginia, various 10+ year old Mac Baren HH bulk blends, some 1980ish Robert McConnel Scottish Cake, some variously aged(open in jars of McClelland) and some 11 year old Capstan, some 10+ year old Escudo,


I don't want to be a naysayer but the best aged tobacco I have smoked and enjoyed is usually stuff I open within a year or two of production and let sit in a jar for a few months after that tin popping first bowl.


I have never had an super old blend that blew my socks off.... I also don't know what I am missing, i.e. I didn't start until 2018ish. I also don't smoke every day and rarely smoke more than one bowl when I do.

I'm not saying old ass tobacco is no big deal, I'm just saying it's not the be all end all of a good smoke. for me. I still only buy aged tins when I go to a pipe show, so I'm all over the place...

 

[rmcnabb]

No way would I pay the prices I see for old tobacco. There is too much legitimately good new stuff being made. I just fantasize that they've stopped making (let's say) Ten Russians, and I'm buying the last few pounds in the world, and aren't I smart and lucky to be alive?

All of the fun at 1/10th the cost.

 

[BriarLinedMeer]

I'm a fairly new / infrequent / on and off pipe smoker, however I've been exceptionally fortunate to be able to build a cellar with lots of aged blends that I've been gifted or purchased off others in the community.

The oldest one I've smoked is (and I can't quite remember the name) US Armed forces, 1945 pipe tobacco, it was in a cardboard packet and tasted awful, would rather smoke dust.

I still have it in my cellar, I'll get a photo of the packet too.

The second oldest one was from a gentleman whom was selling his fathers cellar, but the tins had been kept in a hot shed, in plastic boxes, and basically all of them were ruined

It was Early Morning Pipe, and sadly as the seal had broken from storage conditions, it was super musky, and tasted off, I was rather upset as I would have paid a lot for it, I believe the tin was from the 60s/70s

He had many many other tins, but wanted too much for them, and as I couldn't guarantee quality, I declined, which sucks as I would have loved to see if any of them survived the storage conditions.

 

[BriarLinedMeer]

I'm a fairly new / infrequent / on and off pipe smoker, however I've been exceptionally fortunate to be able to build a cellar with lots of aged blends that I've been gifted or purchased off others in the community.

The oldest one I've smoked is (and I can't quite remember the name) US Armed forces, 1945 pipe tobacco, it was in a cardboard packet and tasted awful, would rather smoke dust.

I still have it in my cellar, I'll get a photo of the packet too.

The second oldest one was from a gentleman whom was selling his fathers cellar, but the tins had been kept in a hot shed, in plastic boxes, and basically all of them were ruined

It was Early Morning Pipe, and sadly as the seal had broken from storage conditions, it was super musky, and tasted off, I was rather upset as I would have paid a lot for it, I believe the tin was from the 60s/70s

He had many many other tins, but wanted too much for them, and as I couldn't guarantee quality, I declined, which sucks as I would have loved to see if any of them survived the storage conditions.

Here is a photo of the ruined tins

There were many many more.

 

[rmcnabb]

Jeez, that's a tragedy. Some nice things there.

 

[seabee1999]

The oldest I have so far is some bulk McClelland 2010 from 2010 oddly enough. Still have 3+oz of it in a jar at the house and smoke some on special occasions.

The oldest I’ve had was some Macraines Red Ribbon from 2006. That was excellent all the way from initial light to final puff.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

All of the fun at 1/10th the cost.

It doesn't cost anything extra to buy a tin and just wait till it hits 10 or so years of age.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Over the last year I smoked some 1960s Dunhill, 3 Year Virginia, various 10+ year old Mac Baren HH bulk blends, some 1980ish Robert McConnel Scottish Cake, some variously aged(open in jars of McClelland) and some 11 year old Capstan, some 10+ year old Escudo,


I don't want to be a naysayer but the best aged tobacco I have smoked and enjoyed is usually stuff I open within a year or two of production and let sit in a jar for a few months after that tin popping first bowl.


I have never had an super old blend that blew my socks off.... I also don't know what I am missing, i.e. I didn't start until 2018ish. I also don't smoke every day and rarely smoke more than one bowl when I do.

I'm not saying old ass tobacco is no big deal, I'm just saying it's not the be all end all of a good smoke. for me. I still only buy aged tins when I go to a pipe show, so I'm all over the place...

You have to smoke it fresh every now and then to appreciate it more when you do pop an aged tin. There's nothing wrong with never smoking aged blends... just like there's nothing wrong with never having driven a luxury automobile, or never have been on a Florida panhandle beach, or never having slept with an incredibly beautiful woman. But of all of those things, just waiting for a tin to hit 10 to 20 years of age is the easiest thing to be able to appreciate.

 

[rmcnabb]

It doesn't cost anything extra to buy a tin and just wait till it hits 10 or so years of age.

Bingo.

 

[briarbuck]

The oldest I have in the cellar is a '78 Mac Barren Dark Twist.

The oldest I have smoked was some Hal o the wynde that was made by Charles. Forget the exact date but it was from 80's? Was great for about a week and then turned into shitdust.

EDIT: I rehydrated some old Cope's Escudo. It ended up meh. So technically, that is the oldest.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

then turned into shitdust.

THAT ^ is the one danger of smoking aged blends. People cramming half gallon jars full of bulk blends in expectation of it aging. I prefer to use the smallest jars, so that when i pop one I can just smoke it all up before it turns to shitdust. Because, once you pop a really old blend, the clock starts ticking.

 

[Oddball]

@cosmicfolklore

I hear you pal.

I also always buy two tins. One for now and one for the 2030s...

I think the aged blends I have smoked are more mellow but that's not always my bag... Sometimes I want to be hit in the face with the smoke from spark to ash...

I've also hit all those other milestones, one of which on the reg btw

 

[Professor Moriarty]

I'm a fairly new / infrequent / on and off pipe smoker, however I've been exceptionally fortunate to be able to build a cellar with lots of aged blends that I've been gifted or purchased off others in the community.

The oldest one I've smoked is (and I can't quite remember the name) US Armed forces, 1945 pipe tobacco, it was in a cardboard packet and tasted awful, would rather smoke dust.

I still have it in my cellar, I'll get a photo of the packet too.

The second oldest one was from a gentleman whom was selling his fathers cellar, but the tins had been kept in a hot shed, in plastic boxes, and basically all of them were ruined

It was Early Morning Pipe, and sadly as the seal had broken from storage conditions, it was super musky, and tasted off, I was rather upset as I would have paid a lot for it, I believe the tin was from the 60s/70s

He had many many other tins, but wanted too much for them, and as I couldn't guarantee quality, I declined, which sucks as I would have loved to see if any of them survived the storage conditions.

You raise a good point. An old tin, even one carefully inspected, may have suffered a slow leak and consequent degradation of tobacco.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

You raise a good point. An old tin, even one carefully inspected, may have suffered a slow leak and consequent degradation of tobacco.

The tins like Escudo uses can be tested by attempting to pull the lid off with your bare hands. If the vacuum is intact, there will be no way to pull it off like that. Tins like C&D uses, you can just press on the top and tell whether it is still sealed. If no seal, you will be able to feel the tin give as you push down.
I go through my cellar a couple of times-ish a year and try all of the seals. But, if one leaks, there are ways to be able to tell.

 

[Professor Moriarty]

You have to smoke it fresh every now and then to appreciate it more when you do pop an aged tin. There's nothing wrong with never smoking aged blends... just like there's nothing wrong with never having driven a luxury automobile, or never have been on a Florida panhandle beach, or never having slept with an incredibly beautiful woman. But of all of those things, just waiting for a tin to hit 10 to 20 years of age is the easiest thing to be able to appreciate.

THAT ^ is the one danger of smoking aged blends. People cramming half gallon jars full of bulk blends in expectation of it aging. I prefer to use the smallest jars, so that when i pop one I can just smoke it all up before it turns to shitdust. Because, once you pop a really old blend, the clock starts ticking.

Is it better to age tobacco in the tin, or in a mason jar?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Is it better to age tobacco in the tin, or in a mason jar?

I don't think it matters. I prefer to age them in the tin, but I am one of those fussy people that wants to keep the tin, because I paid a lot extra to get the tobacco in the tin. But, if one were to be fussy like me, they had better do the due diligence to ensure they don't get a leak. But, honestly, I have hundreds of tins, so losing one or two isn't going to make me sad or angry.

On my jars that I put bulk in, I just remove the rings once the lid has sealed down. This will let you know if you get a leak in those. If you get a leak, the popped lid will be obvious. I have jars now that I set back in 2013 that still have a seal with no rings. They still ping when the air pressure changes, but never lose their seal. YMMV

 

[JSPiper71]

My local B&M called me up in the fall of 2022 and said a nice woman from the neighbourhood came in and gifted them an unopened tin of Edgeworth RR from the early 60’s. She was cleaning out her recently deceased father’s basement and came across this and an old tobacco cutter. Being a good customer and known for my pipe obsession, he deferred to me on what to do with it. We ended up doing a big event where we opened it up and gave everyone a bowl or two. I have a good portion of that tin and smoke it sparingly. The sound of the air whooshing in as we turned the key is a memory I will never forget. To think that tobacco had sat there for nearly 70 years and was in perfect condition is an amazing thing.

 

[JSPiper71]

Here is a photo of the ruined tins

There were many many more.

So sad!

 

[romaso]

I found a couple sacks of these from an old hardware store in Appalachia. Sent one out to a friend in Colorado. As you can see they are dated 1918. Not sure if they are aged sufficiently, though.

1918 may be the patent, not manufacture, date?

 

[Peterson314]

I'm going through some jars from 2019. I only smoked bulk then, so I've got some RLP-6 and MacB Scottish Mixture that are nearing the bottom of the jar. The Scottish Mixture is all over the place like it usually is, but really easy to find the pocket. The RLP-6 aged nicely.

I've also got 2019 LL-7 and BCA in the jar and I'm not trying to empty those. They are excellent! I really enjoy smoking those back-to-back with new stuff when I get a chance to sit down and do an A/B comparison.