Pipe Tobacco is no Good Anymore/Better Than Before

[anotherbob]

BTW, I think this may be the first time in the history of this forum that turn-ons, dick measuring, and nauseous have all been mentioned in the same post...but I could be wrong. Maybe a mod could confirm this?

And here I thought you actually read the things I write on here. Does explain why I often feel confused by your comments and assumed you were just trying to put a sprinkle of chaos into the mix.
Thanks this actually explains a lot.

 

[wyfbane]

I haven't seen anyone extolling the virtues of their cellar or post count for that matter, also didn't realise that this was a competition. What I do see is pipe journeymen who have seen a lot and then some and at times loose their filter on many posts simple because the same is regurgitated ad nauseam and the search function seems to be forgotten by so many on here. On blends, well yes they have changed, are they lesser.......maybe but they are still there to be enjoyed and we are all lucky that is the case as it's far easier for blenders to walk away in this difficult climate rather than try to exist.

That said pipe smoking is about you, your pipe and what it means to you and this is fast becoming a lost art which is clearly highlighted by newcomers inability to light their pipe let alone smoke it in a nirvana like state of contemplation. This is no slight against you or your posts but I would urge all new and even some older pipe smokers to look inward not out and enjoy this wonderful pastime.

You are right that it is not a competition and it never should be seen as such. And I second your statement that it is a personal thing. And sometimes relayong a personal thing on a forum can be difficult to convey with the tone and emotion one intends.

Also, being online, it is nearly impossible to gauge one's dedication to the hobby nor the resources they choose to invest.

I will say this, coming on here in 2013 there were definitely some guys who inspired some serious cellaring. Peck and Harris knew how to (unintentionally) make a man want to go buy 100 tins of tobacco... lol

I know I overspent as i got into this. Egregiously. But since I am mechanically DISinclined to the nth degree, I look at my pipes and tobacco as my Harley, my 1967 mustang fastback, my 1964 Buick Riviera, and any other toy us boys tend towards as middle age creeps in.

So I show my cellar and pipes as my friends do their hot rods, bikes, boats, etc. I mean no arrogance. They just make me happy and are heirlooms to my kid the same way a vehicle is. And just like a guy with a hot rod, there are many more expensive/extensive/rare collections out there. No reason to feel bad about it. Be happy with yours.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I don't understand why people get their feelings hurt when someone else has more tobacco than them?
People get pipes that I would love t have, but I can be happy for them.
Back when Harris and Peck were inspiring us all to cellar deeply, I didn't get butt hurt, I just added tobacco to my budget and went to work building my own.

Right now, with changes coming or have come to almost all pipe tobacco companies except C&D, folks should be cellaring deeply if they are going to be heartbroken if they lose access to a blend.

 

[Zamora]

I don't understand why people get their feelings hurt when someone else has more tobacco than them?
People get pipes that I would love t have, but I can be happy for them.
Back when Harris and Peck were inspiring us all to cellar deeply, I didn't get butt hurt, I just added tobacco to my budget and went to work building my own.

Right now, with changes coming or have come to almost all pipe tobacco companies except C&D, folks should be cellaring deeply if they are going to be heartbroken if they lose access to a blend.

That's how I feel. The simple fact is with any hobby there will always be people who have more money to spend on it / have been into it longer, so of course they'll have a bigger supply. I wish I had the money to cellar more deeply than I can, but I'm grateful I can afford what I can so I'm just riding the wave. It doesn't bother me at all that some people can buy more of one blend than everything I have combined

 

[sablebrush52]

There are many who feel McClelland is (was) overrated.

Absolutely. McClelland had a decided house style. Some people hated all of it, some people loved all of it, some people loved some of it and hated some of it.
Regardless, their tobaccos were recognizably McClelland.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

That's how I feel. The simple fact is with any hobby there will always be people who have more money to spend on it / have been into it longer, so of course they'll have a bigger supply. I wish I had the money to cellar more deeply than I can, but I'm grateful I can afford what I can so I'm just riding the wave. It doesn't bother me at all that some people can buy more of one blend than everything I have combined

Boot straps, bucko. There are ways you can better your situation. Ever consider organized crime? Get yourself a tracksuit, and get strapped. Crime pays pretty good. Of course, the tattoos suck. But, after a few years pushing bitches or slinging rock, you could have a pretty good cellar. And, then there's politics... but, I don't know if I could stomach those sons of bitches.

Ha ha, anyways... I feel for you. Some people spend thousands a month on bourbons, and some spend $25 a month on Jack Daniels. There's different levels of enjoyment.

 

[sablebrush52]

Is cellar envy even a thing? It’s not like finding a cure for cancer, or pulling people out of a burning building.
All it is, is buying tobacco to have on hand for future enjoyment. Nobody is going to give you a ticker tape parade for doing it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

There are many who feel McClelland is (was) overrated.

It's never bothered me what other people think of my favorites. And, yes, before they bought the farm, most McClelland posts were inundated with Ketchup jokes. Gawith was granny panties, and Sutliff was the great goopies. No one had a melt down when someone disliked something... well, a few did, ha ha. But, we were less concerned about feelings back then.

It's these new kids, dropping grands on the hoarders. They've never had it, and feel left out.

 

[telescopes]

I have a cellar. It is enough - I doubt I will reach its end. If I do, well, that's fine. I'll go back to making my own beer or smoking cigars. If tobacco were to disappear, I could easily moderate the amount of tobacco I generally smoke and the cellar would go further. Any more, and I'll be looking at popped tins and mold.

 

[Zamora]

Boot straps, bucko. There are ways you can better your situation. Ever consider organized crime? Get yourself a tracksuit, and get strapped. Crime pays pretty good. Of course, the tattoos suck. But, after a few years pushing bitches or slinging rock, you could have a pretty good cellar. And, then there's politics... but, I don't know if I could stomach those sons of bitches.

Ha ha, anyways... I feel for you. Some people spend thousands a month on bourbons, and some spend $25 a month on Jack Daniels. There's different levels of enjoyment.

If the FDA and other country's equivalents have their way that will be the only way to get tobacco.

It's never bothered me what other people think of my favorites. And, yes, before they bought the farm, most McClelland posts were inundated with Ketchup jokes. Gawith was granny panties, and Sutliff was the great goopies. No one had a melt down when someone disliked something... well, a few did, ha ha. But, we were less concerned about feelings back then.

It's these new kids, dropping grands on the hoarders. They've never had it, and feel left out.

And C&D had too many blends available lol. Seriously it interesting how most of the C&D and Lakelands bashing stopped after STG did what they did.

 

[Zamora]

I have a cellar. It is enough - I doubt I will reach its end. If I do, well, that's fine. I'll go back to making my own beer or smoking cigars. If tobacco were to disappear, I could easily moderate the amount of tobacco I generally smoke and the cellar would go further. Any more, and I'll be looking at popped tins and mold.

Cigars are definitely a great way to help stretch a cellar further. Much more expensive, but that industry is also much healthier and stuff doesn't get discontinued nearly as often

 

[Richard Balkan Hearted]

I wasn't around back then to know any difference, I've smoked stuff from the 60s, 70s, 80s and so on recently.

The idea of a choice aged OOP tin in my cellar is much more appealing than the idea of opening and smoking said tin. I still buy one from time to time but frankly, I have had so many just down right delightful smokes from fresh tins, I really enjoy what I can get now.


I am still trying to experience the aged tobacco Nirvana. It still hasn't happened. There have been some great smokes of things but they were maybe slightly better than current production tins that are never sold out...


All that being said, I have started opening some of those older tins recently to try and find a little Shangri-La.

The best smoked I've had in the last 12-18 months was probably a toss up between a tin of Sunday Picnic or one of Regents flake. Both 22-23 vintage, both went from meh to wow with a little air time in the jar post tin popping.


I really enjoy this hobby.

Awesome thought’s brother…please try HH Serian Latikia Blend prior to 2017. Fun to compare it with cyprian Latakia availbe now. Its sooo billowy, and smooth and tasty ( like the difference of Vernor’s and Canada Dry ginger ale). Worth the experience and not too tough to find with fellow pipe smokers with cellars! Respectfully Richard

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

Red Virginia is being subbed with lesser Virginia’s in many blends. Many blends have less Perique than they did 10 years ago. It just depends on the blender. Many blends have gone downhill, but not all. I know that the Gawith blends were way better back in 2017 and prior.

 

[JOHN72]

Only the tobacco? The industry as a whole is lowering quality and raising prices. In the Middle Ages, you could only eat seasonal foods. Damn the invention of plastic and other chemical materials, which are ruining the oceans.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

There are many who feel McClelland is (was) overrated.

When I rise to power, those people will be sterilized.

 

[hoipolloiglasgow]

I’ll also add, that some companies are using less casings/toppings as well. With that said, there are still many fantastic blends out there.

 

[woodsroad]

There are many who feel McClelland is (was) overrated.

Being overrated is way overrated.
If there is one thing I’ve learned in my decade+ here, it’s don’t trust anyone’s opinions until they’ve earned that trust.

BTW, who else here stocked up on Mixture 79?

 

[woodsroad]

People still prime tobacco by hand. I may have missed it but I don’t know of another way. Lugs are the bottom leaf, cutters are the mid section and tips are the small leafs up top of the stalk.

Machine harvesting.
It’s not new, and in the US, it’s almost universal.

 

[VDL_Piper]

Some where someone has a cellar full of "sauce" and they have played havoc with the tobacco market, bloody hoarders.

 

[bullet08]

It's like old Coke or new Coke. It's what you are used to. Many kids are fine with new Levi's. I hate all those stretch jeans. 70s were better.