Who Buys Tins to Age Ten Years or More?

[cigrmaster]

Elric, have you noticed a big difference between say a 4 year blend too one of your over ten year old ones?

 

[krizzose]

McClelland’s closing spurred me to start cellaring in earnest. I had a fair bit put away by then, but I got much more systematic about it afterward. My primary purpose was to get as much as what I wanted as fit my budget as quickly as possible so I’d have it in hand in case deeming or online purchase bans shut things down. Aging is a coincident benefit (but only for my Virginias). I’m now at the point where I have several blends hitting 10 years, and a bunch of stuff around 8. I went deep (for my modest smoking pace) on a lot of blends, and the next 10 years or so I’ll be smoking very well-aged blends most of the time. But more important than its age is its presence in my cellar.

 

[cshubhra]

When I started out, I bought more than I could smoke and aspired to have a cellar with a typical age of 8-10 years.

When I first picked up modern pipe smoking in 2017, I would often get tins from Smoking Pipes with quite significant age on it - I got a few tins of Nightcap from 2012, a tin of Capstan Blue from 2013, etc… So all those tins which I got from Smoking Pipes in 2017 are all 10+ years aged.

Indiscriminate buying (Much more than I can hope to smoke in a reasonable amount of time) since 2017 has created a large cellar (Much larger than I aspired to build) and the average age of the tobacco I smoke is going up in age constantly. Most of the tobacco I have will be consumed with 10-15 years of age.

I have reduced my buying significantly and only buy new (to me) blends, something which I had bought 1-2 tins earlier and now to go deep, and maybe a few I want to go deeper than what I currently have.

Of course I have to continue buying 1-2 times a year to replenish the tobacco I am consuming.

I think in summary I would typically smoke blends with an average of 15 years of age.

 

[DanWil84]

Somehow this forum sparks my interest in doing things I normally don't do or said I won't do, go figure.

I have 4 200 gram tubs of Peter Heinrichs tobacco (special curley (vaper), dark strong (kentucky), English and golden sliced (VA)) bought this year. As I'm smoking through things that are available to me regularly I'm going to open these only when they reached 10 years in my cellar without smoking them fresh.

 

[coys]

I haven’t aimed to build a cellar until recently, but as I’ve found a few core Virginias are my favorites and as I’ve seen them go in and out of stock at times, I wanted to maintain a little inventory.

At my current pace I think many of those tins of favorites like Carolina Red Flake, Union Square, and Peterson Flake will reach 3-5 years before I open them.

Maybe they will improve and maybe not, but at least it is a hedge against politicians banning online sales, raising taxes, or blending houses closing their doors.

 

[cigrmaster]

coys. the worst thing that can happen is the blend you love gets discontinued. I have had it happen and it totally 6 sucks. The next worst thing is prices go through the roof. I always bought a test tin before I ever loaded up on a certain blend. I would suggest smoking at least a half a tin to make sure you really like it.

Another weird thing that happens is you try a tin and it just doesn't do it for you. Put it away for maybe 6 months, re visit and see what you have. I did this exact thing with Mac Baren Old Dark Fired. Tasted weird and crappy and I put it away for 6 plus months, tried it again and fell in love. I have been smoking it in one pipe for 10 years, my Rad Davis Zulu. Maybe it was the pipe, I have no idea but once I loved it, I bought 65 3.5 ounce tins and now I only smoke 10 year old ODF.

Pipes and pipe tobacco are crazy things. You never know what will hit you right and there is no predicting it.

 

[coys]

coys. the worst thing that can happen is the blend you love gets discontinued. I have had it happen and it totally 6 sucks. The next worst thing is prices go through the roof. I always bought a test tin before I ever loaded up on a certain blend. I would suggest smoking at least a half a tin to make sure you really like it.

Another weird thing that happens is you try a tin and it just doesn't do it for you. Put it away for maybe 6 months, re visit and see what you have. I did this exact thing with Mac Baren Old Dark Fired. Tasted weird and crappy and I put it away for 6 plus months, tried it again and fell in love. I have been smoking it in one pipe for 10 years, my Rad Davis Zulu. Maybe it was the pipe, I have no idea but once I loved it, I bought 65 3.5 ounce tins and now I only smoke 10 year old ODF.

Pipes and pipe tobacco are crazy things. You never know what will hit you right and there is no predicting it.

I totally agree, and I’ve had experiences where I loved a blend at the first light and still do, and some where a blend that had me ordering more after one bowl was no longer holding my interest after that first tin.

I think I’ll perhaps buy two tins of something and if I finish both and still want more, consider loading up. If I’m not loving it I’ll put the second tin away for a year or so and check again.

This is another reason I’m grateful for an outlet for trading tins, we can not only correct little errors but also pass a tin on to someone who will love it.

 

[Andre_T]

I'd say I have well over 10 years of tobacco cellared, but I still buy every special release I think I'll like ( which is quite a few). I usually buy three tins. One is opened right away like a kid on Christmas, the other two go in the closet for me to open later. Given that the cycle continues with every VaPer and VaOr release, I logically know most of them will sit ten years or longer. So, while not necessarily my primary intent, I know I'm buying now for a long-term benefit.

My opinion on special releases is that they remind me of special releases of comics in the 90's. Seems to be one every other week.