Time to Taste the Benefits of Cellaring?

[Highlandpiper]

I have recently started cellaring tobacco tins for two reasons. 1. Prices are never likely to drop so I see it as an investing for my retirement when funds will be less available.
2. To experience what I read is a new depth in taste complexity of my favourite blends.


I have read a number of sections in this forum about how long tobacco can be stored but was interested to know what the minimum time people gave experienced for that taste benefit to be manifested.

 

[RustiePyles CPG]

I have recently started cellaring tobacco tins for two reasons. 1. Prices are never likely to drop so I see it as an investing for my retirement when funds will be less available.
2. To experience what I read is a new depth in taste complexity of my favourite blends.


I have read a number of sections in this forum about how long tobacco can be stored but was interested to know what the minimum time people gave experienced for that taste benefit to be manifested.

Anywhere between 4 and 100 years. But about 5 years seems to the general consensus.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

With Virginias, you should see a distinct difference around 2 years. 5 years is prime, it changes after that but minimally.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I try mine at 5 years, 10, and 15. I really don't think that before 5 much will have happened before 5, plus once you get a substantial sized cellar, letting something ride is quite easy. I do not have a target date for devouring everything of that blend. I just pull one, smoke that whole jar/tin, and try to guess as to how time will further change the rest stowed back. I may even have some in the cellar that I haven't even tried, and I look forward to the serendipity of finding it again. when you have both diversity and depth, you can just continue smoking different blends all the time.

 

[bullet08]

3rd, 5th, and 10th years. Usually buy enough to sample at those times and a bit extra. I don't smoke them right out of the shipping box.

 

[Highlandpiper]

Thanks everyone....again. Good information there and exactly what I need. I like the plan of trying at stages, means I purchase more and enjoy longer.

 

[Oddball]

OR.... and this may be heresy, try some whenever you want. I opened a tin of 1 year old SG Skiff, and it was notably different than the fresh tin I had recently gone through.

I don't doubt more age would change it more, but each blend is unique in aging, just like all of us. I do think some benefit from longer times but some are ok new or even after a few months.

 

[bullet08]

OR.... and this may be heresy, try some whenever you want. I opened a tin of 1 year old SG Skiff, and it was notably different than the fresh tin I had recently gone through.

I don't doubt more age would change it more, but each blend is unique in aging, just like all of us. I do think some benefit from longer times but some are ok new or even after a few months.

Problem is, when you don't smoke as often, those tins start to pile up. And soon, you won't make those 3rd or 5th year tins and time won't stop to wait. Not sure why, but one bowl a day is more than enough for me.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

OR.... and this may be heresy, try some whenever you want.

Well, yeh... no rules to any of this. It's not like I have a calendar alert telling me when and what to smoke, ha ha.

 

[karam]

Don't set up unreal expectations, it'll be tobacco, possibly good, great even, but so can tobacco right from the tin.

 

[SBC]

Some tobaccos show a quick improvement in the jar, which isn't really "aging" or "cellaring." I think I've seen it called "opening up" or whatever. But 3 months in a mason jar can taste noticeably better than straight from the tin. Not sure what the explanation is - I highly doubt it's microorganism activity in that short time.
Maybe I'm imagining it...but then I've read other guys imagine it too.

 

[PA Piper Mike]

I don't put too much consideration into my cellaring. I have so much tobacco these days that unless I double or triple my bowls/week, I'm probably set for life. So my mindset at the moment is, I'll smoke it when I get to it. And some of my tins will probably end up not being smoked for 10-20 years.

My main 2 reasons for cellaring are to combat price increases, which I am starting to notice, and since I can afford to buy it now, might as well stock up...and 2, the off chance that my favorite blends cease production. The fact that many of the blends I have cellared are known to better with age is just a fantastic bonus.

That said, I do have a few Virginia blends that have been sitting for 2-3 years now and am very curious as to how they will taste in the next year or 2. I'm trying not to get too excited about it because I don't want to be over-hyped when I finally crack those tins/jars.

 

[sablebrush52]

You can start to see noticeable differences in 6 months. Waiting a year or more may bring more changes and by about 5 years, on average, the rate of change slows and becomes more incremental.
Some of this is certainly dependent on whether or not the blend was given any appreciable time to age and meld before being released for sale. Top blenders do this because they want their product ready to smoke and taste like they expect it to, but not all blenders do this.

 

[ThermionicScott]

Some good thoughts about "cellaring milestones" in this FAQ: The Pipe Tobacco Aging, Storage and Cellaring FAQ: Aging - https://pipe-club.com/tobacco_aging_faq/eng/aging.php

 

[ThermionicScott]

Just speaking for myself, though, I don't think my palate is sensitive/trained enough to notice any benefits from aging. So my focus is on tobaccos that are known to be good from the get-go, and if age improves any of them while they wait to be smoked, it will just be icing on the cake.

 

[rmbittner]

I have recently started cellaring tobacco tins for two reasons. 1. Prices are never likely to drop so I see it as an investing for my retirement when funds will be less available.
2. To experience what I read is a new depth in taste complexity of my favourite blends.


I have read a number of sections in this forum about how long tobacco can be stored but was interested to know what the minimum time people gave experienced for that taste benefit to be manifested.

First: I have no problems smoking fresh blends. I‘ve done it for my entire smoking life (42 years).

But if I’m wanting to taste the effects of “a little age” on a tin, I give it a minimum of three years in the cellar. Others with far more experience than I will recommend a minimum of six months, but I think that’s more about the blend melding in the tin rather than anything having to do with aging, per se.

 

[lraisch]

Some tobaccos show a quick improvement in the jar, which isn't really "aging" or "cellaring." I think I've seen it called "opening up" or whatever. But 3 months in a mason jar can taste noticeably better than straight from the tin. Not sure what the explanation is - I highly doubt it's microorganism activity in that short time.
Maybe I'm imagining it...but then I've read other guys imagine it too.

I have experienced this often enough that I am convinced there is a genuine change after opening a tin.

The longer a tin has aged, the more noticeable the effect. It seems that two or three days after opening, the flavor improves markedly.

I describe this as the tobacco "breathing" just as a bottle of wine may need to be opened for awhile and is said to "breathe".

 

[OzPiper]

Some tobaccos show a quick improvement in the jar, which isn't really "aging" or "cellaring." I think I've seen it called "opening up" or whatever. But 3 months in a mason jar can taste noticeably better than straight from the tin. Not sure what the explanation is - I highly doubt it's microorganism activity in that short time.
Maybe I'm imagining it...but then I've read other guys imagine it too.

Just aeration/oxygenation
Similar to decanting wine.

 

[kcghost]

You need to pay some attention to what you are cellaring. Aromatics generally don't age well, VA's workout best at about 7-10 years. English's work out around 5-7 years. But the caveat is you need to pop a tin of a certain tobacco every couple of ears to see where it is flavor wise.

 

[karam]

Some tobaccos show a quick improvement in the jar, which isn't really "aging" or "cellaring." I think I've seen it called "opening up" or whatever. But 3 months in a mason jar can taste noticeably better than straight from the tin. Not sure what the explanation is - I highly doubt it's microorganism activity in that short time.
Maybe I'm imagining it...but then I've read other guys imagine it too.

I agree, I think I recall @hoosierpipeguy saying he opens a tin, lets it air for some hours and then closes it for 1-2 weeks before smoking. I've done this myself and there is a very noticeable improvement in the taste of the smoke. I tend to think of it similar to letting food rest before eating. This is a source of endless contention with my wife who maintains that pipping hot food tastes better than warm. Especially with meat I find if you don't let it rest for 5-10 minutes you're missing out a good 50% of the taste.

Now regarding microorganism activity, I again agree with you Scott! Having grown microorganisms for a living in my academic career I can confidently say there's no way any change is due to bacteria or fungi working. Bugs want to grow and multiply, they need food and water to do so, once they deplete a source they either die or go dormant. How long does a fruit take to rot down to dust? 3-4 weeks? That's it, not years. I think what's occurring are very slow chemical changes, mainly oxidation, until oxygen is depleted in the tin/jar and replaced by CO2, nitrogen.