Pleasant Cellar Surprises

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tmcg81

Lifer
May 8, 2020
1,037
16,236
NJ
I think the biggest surprise to me every time I take a peek at my stash is the age of a lot of my tins. I've only been smoking 6 years, but I bought like 75% of my cellar 5 years ago. Time apparently marches forward and tins keep getting older.

That said, I'm always surprised by the amount of MacBaren HH Burley Flake i have. Sometimes it seems like I have enough and other times it seems like I don't have nearly enough.
 

Peterson314

Part of the Furniture Now
Sep 13, 2019
550
4,642
Atlanta, GA
I pretty much know what's in my cellar for my unopened tins, what I get surprised by is stuff in my mason jars. The surprise is usually, crap! I still have some of this. Which then means I'll spend the next several smoking sessions trying to smoke through a non-favorite tobacco to eliminate it from the tobacco cabinet.
I'm focusing on emptying jars. The struggle is real.

I just finished off Stokkebye's Optimum. Perfectly cromulent smoke, but I won't re-up.
 

FLDRD

Lifer
Oct 13, 2021
2,351
9,573
Arkansas
I'm surprised at how much I bought, how quickly it added up, and how many times I must have re-purchased a "favorite" when I find so many repeats.
Ditto on taking the advice of noting that it only increases in price. It's real.
And now I'm witnessing a consolidation that will likely eliminate items that were once readily available.
Yeah, buy now - enjoy it even more later.
 

Infantry23

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 8, 2020
888
2,600
44
Smithsburg, Maryland
I also look at the number of jars I have open and "in rotation" and try to work my way through them. I haven't opened a new tin of any tobaccos for awhile. I *have* smoked some stuff that has come in baggies before I jar them, but no tin cracking for me for the foreseeable future.
 
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sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
21,023
50,395
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
That's why it baffles me why people will pay a fortune for aged tins. It doesn't take long to get some years on them.
Depends on the tin. Might be something discontinued that someone really loved and no longer has. Hard as it is to believe, not everybody is sitting on 600lbs, collected over 30 years.

I bought a few tins of vintage Haddo’s because I liked how the blend matured, but stopped after finding too many bad tins.

And while I’d love to enjoy State Express London Mixture or 759 once more, the tins are pricey and the contents are not what they used to be.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
45,311
119,641
Depends on the tin. Might be something discontinued that someone really loved and no longer has. Hard as it is to believe, not everybody is sitting on 600lbs, collected over 30 years.

I bought a few tins of vintage Haddo’s because I liked how the blend matured, but stopped after finding too many bad tins.

And while I’d love to enjoy State Express London Mixture or 759 once more, the tins are pricey and the contents are not what they used to be.
I opened up a 2008 tin of Christmas Cheer a few weeks back and sadly time wasn't kind.
 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
21,023
50,395
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
I opened up a 2008 tin of Christmas Cheer a few weeks back and sadly time wasn't kind.
That's the downside of aging. Sometimes you hit a home run. Sometimes you get hit in the head with the ball.

I was rarely thrilled with the Christmas Cheers. They always left me wanting. The 40th was more like what I'd hoped the Christmas cheers would be.

I still have a couple of the 97 Cheers left as well as some later vintages. The last time I smoked one of the '97s was several years ago, and it was OK, but not thrilling. I might as well smoke up the rest as they're not getting any better.
 
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Yambo

Might Stick Around
Jan 11, 2023
89
136
43
Spain
I have some Dunhill EMP and 965 tins, plus a Nightcap, all from 2005-2006. I stopped smoking latakia around 2006 and in the last year I've opened one EMP and one 965. The surprise is how good they were. I'm not much into latakia, and I've always thought that latakia heavy blends don't improve much with aging and can even get worse with so much years in them. Not always, it seems.

I was thinking about trading them, but now I might keep some of them.

On the other hand, I'm currently smoking from a tin of Mc Clelland's Royal Cajun Ebony dated 1996. It's very good indeed, but I guess I expected more.