Why Buy Tins?

[bullet08]

It's simple. If something I like is in bulk, I get bulk. If bulk isn't available, tin will have to do. I know there are substitute, but most of 'em aren't close enough. I smoke what I like. Pipe isn't my main source of nicotine. Pipe is more of dessert on top of nicotine.

 

[sablebrush52]

Tins age better

Do they? Square tins fail more often than round but those seals aren’t as reliable as a Mason Jar. I’ve also opened tins with rust rings beneath the paper insert.

Greg Pease used to evangelize leaving the tobacco undisturbed in its original tin, but changed his mind on the matter after finding some "disappointments" in his cellar. He now recommends jarring ASAP. Aging is a crapshoot. Tins fail, jars fail.

Nobody actually can say with any authority exactly what the result of aging a particular blend will be. Nobody.

You can buy a stack of tins, or break up a bulk order into a bunch of jars, store them all side by side over years, and have them age differently and taste differently from one another. That's my personal experience, as well as that of others. There's no guarantee what will come out of the tin or jar when opened.

Quality blenders release their blends after aging them to get the flavor profile they want. Further aging moves the tobacco away from the blender's intent. On the other hand, not all blenders are quality blenders.

Aging does not "improve" tobaccos. Aging changes tobaccos and whether that change constitutes an improvement is for the individual smoker to decide.

While I do have a lot of aged tobaccos in my cellar, it's not because I bought them to age. I bought them so that I would have a very much enjoyed blend on hand, because you never know when some blend you like is going to be taken for a ride and never seen again. That they aged is a consequence of buying faster than using.

Watching the further consolidation of pipe tobacco manufacturing is not a happy event, but it's also not something that I have to deal with because I set blends aside for future use.

 

[anotherbob]

Can't you almost always find a bulk blend that's very close to a blend only available in tins?

no and even if you can it's not the same. Just like with food and cooking that little difference can be slight and subtle yet make something a galaxy apart.
And if you can find something that resembles Erinmore in bulk it's brand new.

 

[anotherbob]

sometimes tins have really cool art too.

 

[andrew]

When you see the ROI on a bunch of McClellands that's possible it changes your perspective on possibly selling tins. I'm not planning on it but they've pretty much 10× in value from when I purchased them. You never know what life will bring. My wife knows this is worth money and how much if I die in an accident tomorrow. So I'm smoking my bulk first mostly. Hopefully I'll be around to enjoy my tins in my later years. I have alot of tobacco. I enjoy smoking my bulk as much as tins so I figure save the tins mostly for last

 

[sardonicus87]

It's simple, it's worth a few extra bucks to me to buy tins to not have to deal with divvying up pounds into manageable amounts that I'd want to open at any given time, and that I'm wanting to try everything and don't want to deal with trying to get rid of lbs of stuff I might end up not wanting or that might not age well by the time I get to it. For me, tins make more sense, that's it, they're super convenient.

Plus, a 2 oz tin will keep just fine but a 1-2 oz sampler bag from bulk then doesn't get the same level of discount as buying a pound or more of it, then what many aren't mentioning is the cost of mylar bags or jars or whatever, so for 2oz from bulk, you may be saving a few pennies after adding in the cost of something to store it in.

I've had tins bought from B&Ms of all types (square and round) of unknown provenance but known manufacturing dates as old as 4-5 years prior to when I bought them and the seals were still good. Could a seal fail? Sure, but I haven't had one fail yet. That's the risk I take, and one I'm not terribly worried about based on my experience.

You're not missing out by not buying tins, there's nothing inherently magical about them.

But buying from bulk makes sense only if you're buying actual bulk (except cases where something is only sold in bulk and you just want a few ounces). When you get 1-5 lbs in bulk though, then you have to do something for long-term storage unless you only smoke that one blend and smoke so much you'll rip through the whole thing in a month.

And I'm not against buying in bulk, I bought 1 lb each of HH Burley Flake and Navy Flake from Mac Baren. Long term storage, all I did was separate the flakes into 2 oz amounts and vacuum sealed them and stuck them back in their boxes. Is this proper for long term storage? No, not by a long shot, but better than nothing for keeping them. Still took an hour and a half to store up the two boxes. But these are two blends I like that I will smoke a lot of, might be gone within 2 years. Now in this case, this does save space over buying 1 lb worth of tins.

 

[sardonicus87]

When you see the ROI on a bunch of McClellands that's possible it changes your perspective on possibly selling tins. I'm not planning on it but they've pretty much 10× in value from when I purchased them. You never know what life will bring. My wife knows this is worth money and how much if I die in an accident tomorrow. So I'm smoking my bulk first mostly. Hopefully I'll be around to enjoy my tins in my later years. I have alot of tobacco. I enjoy smoking my bulk as much as tins so I figure save the tins mostly for last

Yeah but that's a gamble... compare how many tins wind up having a good ROI vs how many are a loss or have bad ROI.

Far more blends end up being not flippable than being flippable for a decent return.

 

[stevecourtright]

I buy tins exclusively because they sing to me in the dawn hours just after my daily breakfast of a Belgian Waffle and a glass of Bourbon. They also keep me silent company when I am splitting wood for the fireplace, which when reduced to the perfect size and shape are positioned with care next to the stack of unread National Geographic magazines. At other times they help me choose between pointing my 10" reflector telescope at the nebula in Orion or Saturn just before the rings disappear. Sometimes they present a reassuring comfort while I memorize the first page of the Hobbit or Moby Dick (unabridged). Once they provided a steady influence to my film camera when I discovered a new variety of terrestrial orchid in a prairie remnant next to an abandoned railroad in the heart of the Midwest. Bags of loose tobac has never, never, never done anything to match my satisfaction with my tins.

 

[BlueRidge]

I have a lot of various sized mason jars at this point. I'm more picky on what I buy now and prefer tins but some times you just don't have a choice, like the recent restock of G H & Co. Rich Dark Honeydew. also see Peretti and Watch City and the like. really not a big deal?

 

[andrew]

Yeah but that's a gamble... compare how many tins wind up having a good ROI vs how many are a loss or have bad ROI.

Far more blends end up being not flippable than being flippable for a decent return.

I never bought them to resell. I bought them because I liked them. It just changes your perspective when they go up in value ten times and will probably be more and you have literally years of tobacco to smoke before you even get to them as you aren't picky about what you smoke. It's like an unexpected nest egg

 

[Doctor Chopper]

Presentation matters....

 

[Zeno Marx]

I've bought some tins, but I'm scared to open them because I know I might be losing in resale value

Unfortunately, this has become the bane of every hobby now. I see it everywhere these days. People buying things, but are afraid to touch them and use them because it hurts resale value. I don't have an answer, and I try not to judge harshly. It's just sad to me, as in a bummer. Kids who buy comics afraid to read them and slog them around in their backpacks because they can't dare crease or tear them. Same for sports/baseball cards. People buying records and won't take them out of their package or break the gatefold to check them out (and then go listen to crappy MP3s instead). The list goes on. And then it becomes an exercise in investments rather than joy/pleasure and reading or listening or tasting. I know I can get a lot of pushback on this, but the last thing a kid needs to be thinking about is investing and market values. Playing. reading. Being as free from the bonds of money as possible. Learn joy etc. It really wasn't like this not that long ago. I do it too though now.

 

[MisterBadger]

Unfortunately, this has become the bane of every hobby now. I see it everywhere these days. People buying things, but are afraid to touch them and use them because it hurts resale value. I don't have an answer, and I try not to judge harshly. It's just sad to me, as in a bummer. Kids who buy comics afraid to read them and slog them around in their backpacks because they can't dare crease or tear them. Same for sports/baseball cards. People buying records and won't take them out of their package or break the gatefold to check them out (and then go listen to crappy MP3s instead). The list goes on. And then it becomes an exercise in investments rather than joy/pleasure and reading or listening or tasting. I know I can get a lot of pushback on this, but the last thing a kid needs to be thinking about is investing and market values. Playing. reading. Being as free from the bonds of money as possible. Learn joy etc. It really wasn't like this not that long ago. I do it too though now.

Amen to that... and I find there are are folk here who won't smoke a new pipe for the same reason. It seems to be missing the point entirely.

 

[Hutch Piper]

Yea, definitely defeats the purpose of enjoyment.

 

[sablebrush52]

Unfortunately, this has become the bane of every hobby now. I see it everywhere these days. People buying things, but are afraid to touch them and use them because it hurts resale value. I don't have an answer, and I try not to judge harshly. It's just sad to me, as in a bummer. Kids who buy comics afraid to read them and slog them around in their backpacks because they can't dare crease or tear them. Same for sports/baseball cards. People buying records and won't take them out of their package or break the gatefold to check them out (and then go listen to crappy MP3s instead). The list goes on. And then it becomes an exercise in investments rather than joy/pleasure and reading or listening or tasting. I know I can get a lot of pushback on this, but the last thing a kid needs to be thinking about is investing and market values. Playing. reading. Being as free from the bonds of money as possible. Learn joy etc. It really wasn't like this not that long ago. I do it too though now.

Fortunately, I don’t have that problem. Those $100 tins of McClelland, or those $500 bags of Stonehaven are just $16 tins and $35 bags, and I smoke’em.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I buy tins sometimes, even if available in bulk, mostly because I don’t care. Buy what you want, however you want.

Space is something that I will never run out of, and what the hell else am I gonna spend money on? Personally, to me, tobacco is dirt cheap no matter how you buy it.

Sometimes I buy a pound before I’ve ever tried it, because throwing away a pound of dirt cheap something or other doesn’t bother me at all.

It’s ok to be a cheap. Do whatever you want. But, we are not all the same.

 

[dd57chevy]

The only thing I would add regards the fact that you are new to pipe smoking . Do whatever you want , but it might be advisable to try ten to fifteen different varieties this coming year .

I know a guy who has 3/4 of a tub of Carter Hall that may end up getting thrown out after wising up & buying pouches & tins . Wasn't me , speaking for a friend...............

 

[Zeno Marx]

Fortunately, I don’t have that problem. Those $100 tins of McClelland, or those $500 bags of Stonehaven are just $16 tins and $35 bags, and I smoke’em.

Way to be. I catch myself doing it with McClelland #2015, but I get caught in the gymnastics of it all, as I really don't enjoy aged tobacco as much as I do tobacco right out of the store jar or shipping box. So I'm smoking this aged #2015 and thinking, "I really don't like this as much as my new Luxury Navy Flake. I know I could get a nice penny for it, and that person would likely enjoy it a lot more than I do now. Next time I grab for it, I need to not and just smoke something else." And I'm too lazy to sell it, so I have this conversation with myself each time. I really don't consider it one of my virtuous moments.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

But are the tins more likely to fail than the jars?

 

[ziv]

The only thing I would add regards the fact that you are new to pipe smoking . Do whatever you want , but it might be advisable to try ten to fifteen different varieties this coming year .

I know a guy who has 3/4 of a tub of Carter Hall that may end up getting thrown out after wising up & buying pouches & tins . Wasn't me , speaking for a friend...............

Fifteen different varieties... now, that might be a problem.

I have tried twice as many in the 3 months that I've been smoking. Being new, I want to try as many blends as possible (not all of them, of course, - I have already learned that I do not enjoy aromatics or burley). Makes more sense to me to try out bulk blends which are cheaper compared to tins. And no, I don't buy them in tubs or big bags, like your friend.