The Psychology Of Cellaring

[ashdigger]

I buy what I can when I can, but it's not with the intent of wiping out stocks. I barely purchased anything since August of 2016 and I found out this February 2017 how to figure out how much was left.
If my buying a blend I want, when I want it or can find it, makes me a dick...... then wear a cup, because life is tough.
Have a great life wallowing in misery about not getting your "fair share".

 

[jefff]

I tend to think that if it's all gone before I get some, my life will still be pretty damn good.
And I am right.. 8)
This is really a 1st world problem.

 

[ashdigger]

^^^^ This

 

[aldecaker]

Davet made much sense early on. If your house gets burgled, and you then install an expensive alarm system, does that make you a cringing paranoiac, or a rational person who learned from a shitty experience?

 

[davet]

I just wish that folks would have a thought for their fellow smoker before clearing the shelves of suppliers in one fell swoop.

I don't clear the shelves buying, I don't have that kind of money in my tobacco budget, but where do you draw the line? If there are only two tins left do you only buy one? Three, four? If you're grocery shopping and beans are one sale does this apply? If I miss out on something I just resolve to try again next time. All of these unicorns that people fawn over, even if they haven't tried them, always seem to leave me unimpressed when compared to the hype. Some of my favorite and regular blends are available in bulk, affordable, almost always in stock.

If something is out of stock try something else, you may find a new to you "unicorn". :mrgreen:

 

[weezell]

Tobacco cellaring: common sense & makes perfect sense to me.

In my situation, it is a plus. I only have a few years (maybe) to continue to work. Health issues are catching up to me. What I stock now is what I will smoke for the rest of my life so I want to make sure I have an adequate supply to meet those needs...

 

[iamn8]

I'm sorry, but you people and your cellars just make me sad and I'll continue to see you as impaired in some way. I'm not judging, but obviously you require professional help of some kind. At least most of the voices in my head believe that's so. While you bask in the aura of your disorder, I'll be smoking, observing, and taking notes.

 

[pipehunter]

This topic remains fascinating, even (maybe even especially) all the diversions.
One of the issues that causes so much debate, I think, is that we are really looking at five different phenomena under the same label or topic. There might be more, but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
1. Cellaring, in the classical sense of a root cellar or a wine cellar. People acquire (or grow) a product that they plan to consume later. This could be apples, onions, Burgundy, tobacco, or numerous other commodities. Some thought is given to the storage conditions to preserve (and in some cases) improve the product so that it will be ready when there is a desire to consume it. And some products are bred or designed with this cellaring in mind (i.e. apples that taste meh when picked but are delicious after six months in the root cellar).
2. Collecting. This is the straightforward gathering or accumulating of related items, usually with the idea to view them as a whole (and often, but not always, to show or shame them with other people). I have thirty-odd pipes by Ingo Garbe, each in a slightly different shape. Some people have at least one tin of Christmas Cheer going back to the first vintage. Others collect verticals of Bordeaux.
3. Hoarding. To amass things for security or preservation, often to assuage some form of anxiety. To some degree, I think this is what the OP was referring to, although I disagree that cellaring in the classical sense springs from the same anxiety.
4. Speculation. I mean this is the commercial rather than intellectual/philosophical sense. Laying out money in a commercial venture of considerable risk in order to reap outsized gains. Buying a bag of Penzance for $40 and selling it for $150 or whatever. Some may view this as arbitrage, but I think it is more properly speculation, as the risks are considerable (even if not that likely). For instance, how many people doing so are doing it in accordance with whatever laws or regulations apply to dealers in tobacco products?
5. Hedging. Limiting exposure to expected or contemplated losses. This could be hedging against certain products becoming unavailable in the future (whether because of FDA deeming regulations or blenders retiring or whatever) or hedging against expected increases in taxes or inflation.
As a fair number of posts have pointed out, many of us acquire tobacco for reasons other than #3. But I still think the OP brings up an interesting point, which is that many of us (especially those naturally predisposed to addictions or compulsions) may flirt with hoarding more than we care to admit. And some of us may even be having a full blown affair....

 

[mawnansmiff]

"We live in a day and age where there has been a war on tobacco waged and tobacco isn't winning."
And that 'war' has in itself turned smoker against smoker which I think is very sad and depicts human nature at its worst.
No creature on the planet displays selfishness and greed like the human being manages to do.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[pipehunter]

Jay, while I think the indictment of humans as a whole is entirely valid, I just don't see as many acts of unfettered selfishness as you do with respect to people buying pipe tobacco. Sure, someone at sometime has cleared out the last 100 tins of some tobacco from an internet shop, but I hardly think it's a regular occurrence. The few times I've seen it, the amount of tobacco available was so low that I would blame that and not the purchaser, although I'm sure more egregious cases exist.
Look at blends with Syrian latakia. Three Oaks Syrian is still in stock at P&C. HH Vintage Syrian, Artisan's Blend, Arcade, Wilderness, etc., are all in stock at Smoking Pipes. Someone looking to hoard or speculate could have easily cleared the shelves on those, as we'll never see any more Syrian latakia blend, but that hasn't happened....

 

[aimlesswanderer]

There's been some wonderful replies in this thread, and some very amusing ones too. Many thanks to everyone who has replied.
One thing that I think is quite poignant is there were a significant number of replies vehemently defending cellaring (or at least that's my interpretation), when it wasn't actually being attacked.
I tried to write the OP as balanced as possible, with my only real criticism being towards people getting swept along with the flow, and lured into cellaring by being made to feel insecure or as on poster put it ...

it doesn't take long to feel left out or like you are the lone idiot who is going to regret it

I think there is a difference between building up a personal stock, and advising others to do the same, and what could probably be best described as panic buying. I have no doubt there are both rational and irrational buyers building up their cellars.
Online communities still seem biased in this direction too. You don't see people actively promoting NOT cellaring, and selling the virtues of living in the minute, taking life as it comes, and being free, unencumbered and flexible in your lifestyles. Although, I can't see many sponsors queueing up to only buy what they actually need :P not to mention the response they would get from the "other team".
Whatever your personal approach, whether your stash will last 10 hours or 10 lifetimes, I hope it's happy, peaceful, and worry free. I'm going to fire up a large bowl of Skiff Mixture, and read this all again from the beginning. Thanks again for kicking the ball around on this.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

And that 'war' has in itself turned smoker against smoker which I think is very sad and depicts human nature at its worst.

I don't know any pipe smokers that are against each other. It's obviously turned you against pipe smokers that cellar tobacco. Human nature at it's worst is when humans get way too deep about buying some tobacco.

No creature on the planet displays selfishness and greed like the human being manages to do.

This couldn't be farther from the truth. It's profound to me that pipe smokers cellaring tobacco makes you feel this way. You should get out more.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

This all reminds me of a guy who was sort of a lounge king at The Briary when I first started hanging out there. I wasn't there when he started, but from folks that were, he started off as a normal customer, getting his first pipe and smoking a bowl in the lounge. Then one time he came, he bought some very expensive Formers, Castellos, then he started bringing expensive bottles of whisky, bourbon, or some such $40-60 alcohols (I am alcohol ignorant, believe it or not, I'm sober, ha ha) to shower the room with gifts, and hold court. He quickly became the lounge favorite, buying expensive pipes, tobaccos, handmade racks, humidors, boxes of expensive cigars and sharing them. This is where I came in. He had been the lounge king for about a year. Everyone just told me that he was some bigshot lawyer.
Now, some folks feel compelled to be the winner, the richest, the most generous to a fault, impressive, successful, etc... It's just in their natures. Win, win, win... They come on here (the forum) and see folks with cellars, and they may feel compelled to accept a few of those many credit card offers we get in the mail and stock up like Peck, Harris, etc... I think this guy was like that.
One day, the lounge king's daughter came into the Briary with boxes of stuff, the pipes, racks, etc... she said that her dad had been an unemployed truck driver and was living on disability (or some other form of fixed income) for two years. We all were floored. He had been wearing brand new $1000 suits, $100-200 ties, etc... He was in the hospital with a breakdown, and could we help out by buying back some of this stuff, so that her dad could start getting back on his feet.
No one forced him to buy any of that stuff. We don't set around and brag about our $5000 pipes. Heck, I don't even own a pipe in the class that he had started collecting. But, being in a store that had them, may have set him off... maybe.
But, in wanting to be the biggest, best, most successful, he jumped straight to the finish line without playing the game.
I have also felt in that situation. I dropped by a new foreign motorcycle store a few years ago. The salesman threw a set of keys at me to test drive some Triumph motorcycle that costs more than all of my cars combined. It's like you have to force the words out that you are too much of a loser to even test drive something like that. I couldn't believe they wanted me to test drive it. I just wanted to see what a foreign bike looked like. I wasn't there to buy.

I've also had Skip hand me off to Dunhill salesmen that were visiting the Briary, and I get into these conversations like I am being sold a $1200 pipe. A plain old Dunhill at that. And, in the midst of conversation I realize that I don't even have enough at that moment to be listening to this.

It is in these points in life that you have to muster up enough enough character to just be who you are, own it, and tell them that "I am not the customer for these types of things."
I can see where hanging out in a forum with guys showing off pictures of their cellars would start to work a person down.

"I can't afford to buy $100 a month in tobaccos... where is that credit card offer that came in the mail?"
This could be a very bad thing. But, I am not going to put men down who buy Triumph motorcycles, Former or Dunhill pipes, or wear custom tailored suits. It's just not for me.

Bashing it, or faking it and putting yourself in a financial mess are the two low character roads, IMO. Just be glad for the guys who can and do, and enjoy being yourself. Be damned proud of yourself, which doesn't involve being flippant to those who are not.
On the other hand, I may not ever be able to buy a Porsche or Triumph, but if I save up for long enough, I can have me the Triumph of pipes. I do own a few Beckers, since I don't buy a bunch of cheap pipes, I can buy one pipe a year after saving up all year. It is my one luxury I allow myself. In my race to build up a rotation that I think many of us go though, I did buy bunches of cheap estates. But, I'd rather have that one or four fantastic (to my eye) pipes than bunches of cheap pipes that I could care less about. But, that's just me.

I can also afford to buy my budgeted allotment of tobaccos each month. I am no Peck or Harris. I am on the threshold of retirement and fixed income living myself. So, I am grateful that I could stow back what I have, and the "plus" is that it's aged a bit, and will continue to do so.
But, if you are the working man, one Dr Grabow or one cob smoker who just buys what he needs, your perspective is welcome here also. Nothing wrong with that. In fact some of my favorite forum members are cob and codger smokers. My favorite person to set down with in town and smoke is the Fire Chief who smokes PA in a Grabow all day long. He knows more about how to smoke that one pipe, than I will ever know about any of the pipes in my rack. His words are usually solid gold to me. Valuable stuff that any newbie or experienced smoker could benefit from.
Just my $0.02

 

[jackswilling]

Beard scratching

Navel gazing

Feeling compelled to write and write and write

About simple mundane issues

My biggest problem is cellaring firearms, ammunition, reloading equipment and supplies.

Now that is a real problem.

BTW, I detected no vehemence

 

[cranseiron]

No creature on the planet displays selfishness and greed like the human being manages to do.
couldn't be farther from the truth.
Holy crap man! Examples of power grabs, genocide, conquest, etc. abound in human history. Example: the American Indian. The conquering culture defeats the Indian, provides reservations for the Indian to live and hunt, gold is discovered on said reservation, the dominant culture reinvades and drives out the inhabitants, yet again, to get the gold. Pretty strong example of greed. How many example like this exist? It's difficult to count them all as they are so numerous.

 

[bigpond]

@Pipehunter,
Your post was entirely well reasoned which is consistent with several (perhaps all) of your previous posts. Such behavior will not be tolerated. Consider this your first warning.

 

[pipehunter]

^Great post, Cosmic!
edit: Point taken, bigpond. I am duly chastised....

 

[warren]

Cosmic: Your $0.02 is worth much more than that.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"Example: the American Indian."
Eric, what perfect timing to mention that, for me at least. As it happens I am coming to the end of one of the many books I bought on American history (as I was so ignorant on the subject) titled 'American Colonies: The Settling Of North America' by Alan Taylor (a highly recommended read BTW) where astonishing examples of how all the European colonists manipulated the indigenous peoples to suit their ends and line their pockets.
The continent was plenty big enough for all those people to live side by side if they so wished but no...I see something to be had and I'm determined to have it before you get your hands on it.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[toobfreak]

No creature on the planet displays selfishness and greed like the human being manages to do.

It always amazes me when I read things like this. Obviously, the writer and his sympathizers have not spent much time watching shows like Planet Earth where with animal pitted against animal, even plant against plant, it is survival of the fittest in taking and eating food, taking a mate and just about every other matter of life!
Of course, these are all SURVIVOR situations--- here, no one is implying their very life depends on stocking some tins of tobacco.
Mankind has done some terrible rotten things over the centuries. To be plainer, some small minority of people have done some really bad things, a few of which have been listed above. What always gets me though is how people sometimes look at life with blinders on only seeing what they choose to see, ignoring all of the great things, really wonderful, amazing, selfless things that have been done as well in far greater number!
People like Inventors, scientists, laborers, soldiers, firemen, police and so many others who have fought and died and given years of their lives and sometimes much much more selflessly, at great personal cost, with often no reward or even recognition in helping others, and did so simply because they knew it was the right thing to do.
And then when I read some complainer declares how evil people are labeling an entire population and species because of the actions of a few, and over such a puerile matter as this, it really just makes me want to puke.
We are all stocking up to varying degrees. You'd be a fool not to prepare a little or a lot for what might lay ahead. Some people prepare more than others, no one is telling anyone how much or how little. Personal choice. Some people even stock up extra for friends, for trade, or even to make a few extra bucks.
Just imagine: if people are at each other's throats now over a little tobacco, wait until there is a real crisis, earthquake, EMP, terror attack, asteroid strike, and there is no food, water, or electricity.