What to Cellar for Improvement?

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sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
20,709
49,014
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
this thread is very intrusting, I think many people on here smoke vaper or English, how do you feel about cellaring aros such as the many cherry or other blends?
Why not? I've cellared to ensure that I have the blends I like available to smoke. Cellaring aros for "improvement" is a bit of a stretch unless you like the flavors of a faded topping. Also, boozy toppings retard aging, so not too much potential there either. But cellaring to have what you like on hand is the best reason to cellar.
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,610
I buy the old straw about Virginia showing the most improvement, though I am first a burley devotee. I do believe burley can mellow in a nuanced way, and in the case of aromatics, the fading of flavorings helps the burley emerge. I suspect that the variables in tobaccos sourced from different places in different years make the benefits of aging highly unpredictable. Cosmic dismissed most of what I meant to say, but that's okay; I find the iconoclasm refreshing. I have had Latakia disappear entirely in a premium brand, no name mentioned, so I bolstered it with other condiments and smoked up the tin.
 

Servant King

Lifer
Nov 27, 2020
4,735
27,438
39
Frazier Park, CA
www.thechembow.com
I have heard that the strength of the topping on aromatics may peter out over time, but I haven't had a cellar nearly long enough to observe such an effect. As Jesse said a couple posts back, there's no one-size-fits-all answer here. With the possible exception of Sutliff Barbados Plantation, all of my cellared aromatics are on the mellower side of the spectrum in regards to topping, so I'm not sure how much "mellower" they'll get. Time will tell. I only cellar to possess what I enjoy while it's still affordable (and of course, available), not for aging purposes.
 

Grangerous

Lifer
Dec 8, 2020
3,464
14,322
East Coast USA
Paging @Grangerous. Once you open a big tin of an OTC such as SWR, can you store it in the original tub or should it be moved into jars? A 7oz jar would literally last me half a year.
Depends on the OTC and how you like your tobacco. I just load from a 12 ounce tub of Granger til gone and it stays fresh.

SWR comes a bit drier than either Velvet or Granger and shares the same type of container, which isn’t air tight once cracked. I recommended jarring your SWR if you are enjoying its present moisture.

Middleton containers for Carter Hall and Prince Albert? Those are air tight. No reason to jar those.

if you prefer drier tobacco, then just take it from your tin.
 
Jan 28, 2018
13,917
155,610
67
Sarasota, FL
I'd add that VaPer blends that are somewhat peppery Perique forward fresh, benefit the most from aging. The Perique transforms into a strong complimentary component that's more sweet and fruit with hints of spice. If you like VaPers and can wait ten years, cellar a bunch of SG SJF. Marvelous.
 

DanWil84

Lifer
Mar 8, 2021
1,691
12,663
40
The Netherlands (Europe)
Thank you all for your recommendations! I have seen talks about the PS offerings and how they age, to bad these aren't available here, also not under the STG flag. Also the old codger blends are non available here. I've seen the comments on cellaring Englishes, last order was a kilo of Presbyterian, I have 3 pounds of that now, so I might be good for 5+ years. I think its wise to go the Va(Per) route first for cellaring and order a tin of Burley here and there with it.
 

Mtlpiper

Can't Leave
Nov 30, 2019
349
2,532
Montreal, QC
If you're in the Netherlands you should be able to get Peter Heinrich's or Orlik tobacco (I assume). Both versions of Golden Sliced age well and they do a version of "Curly Block". Dan Tobacco's Salty Dog's is a plug that ages pretty nicely and is fairly cheap in Germany.

I enjoy lots of MacBaren offerings with age too. Dark Twist on the sweeter end and Vanilla Rollcake among others.

My cheap and cheerful cellaring tobacco is the Sutliff 507C (Virginia Slices) but not sure if that's available in your neck of the woods but it's incredibly cheap and very available where I am. I buy that ahead of time and squirrel it away for future summers.

Cellaring English's is not terrible, but it can vary... the Latakia component usually fades quite a lot and can change the character of a blend considerably (which can be desirable; I prefer Pirate Kake with some age and Nightcap).
 
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mikecronis

Starting to Get Obsessed
Nov 5, 2021
152
330
Most Peterson tobaccos improve with age I've found, particularly their Special Reserves. I have some from 2008 that aged very nicely, but I keep them in their tins then placed in cedar fridge-like humidors and they mellow perfectly.
 
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