Your Favorite Blends to Age

[seldom]

If you have aged tobacco for a long period of time, what has aged (not just stored) the best? How long did you age it? How did it change? I'm interested in responses from people who have actually done this.

I'm sure this has been done but perhaps there is some fresh input on aged tobacco. I'm considering creating a small long-term stash maybe starting with Peter Heinrich's Curly Block and others easy to obtain here in Europe.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

The longest I've actually aged something myself is 3 years, the tobaccos were Full Virginia Plug & St James Plug. They both went much darker in colour and maybe taste a little fuller in flavour.
I bought some Orlik Golden Sliced from 2001 off ebay and that had gone really dark and tasted very nice but I can't say how the aging process has changed it as they don't sell it in the UK anymore and I've never tried it fresh. I do know it tastes lovely though?.
Another I bought off ebay was a 40 year old tin of Erinmore Flake which I wasn't impressed with. The recipe has obviously changed in the intervening 4 decades as it tasted like a strongish Lakeland rather than the juicy fruit I got from the modern stuff. The tin was airtight and the tobacco had some moisture so maybe the long period of time didn't do the strong topping any favours. All I know for sure is I was disappointed with the contents, it was ok but I wish I'd spent my cash on something else. I gave a couple of samples of it to some fellow forum members and I'm waiting to see what they think.
Still I learnt a lesson (I bought the tin when I was quite new to piping) so maybe it wasn't a complete waste of money.

 

[ray47]

Probably FVF, but to be honest, the only thing that has aged in my house has been me .

 

[mikestanley]

I put away several pounds of Union Square back in 2009. It has become my favorite Virginia Flake. I currently have a jar of FVF from 2008 and one of BBF from 2004 open. IMHO, yu simply cannot go wrong letting good tobaccos sit for ten years or so, especially a Virginia Flake.

Mike S.

 

[ovidsmuse]

Escudo, Irish Flake, almost everything from GL Pease but especially the San Francisco blends, Squadron Leader, Balkan Sobranie, and Presbyterian. Smoking a Union Square I jarred in 2013 from I think a 2010 "Tin". The pease stuff really improves with even 2 to 3 years and a few hours drying before the first smoke.

 

[Dandy Pipesmoker]

Well, the aging thing is really a metter of personal taste.
Some blends will certainly improve a little with age (mostly virginia based blends), losing a little sharpness and getting more balance between the compnents. In my experience in the first 1 to 5 years something interesting happens, then it slows down a little.
You can keep most blends in the cellar for many years or decades in pretty good conditions for having the possibility to taste your favorite tobaccos in case they should dissapear from the market.

But personally I don't think it's necessary to age so long to have a great smoke. Some blends are so good and refined when the factory put them in the tins, or maybe just a little better after let's say 2-3 months that the difference between the fresh and the aged is noticeble but nothing magic happend.

It's a well worth experience to try an aged 10+ years Virginia, but I would not build a cellar just for this purpose.

But of course everyone has his own tastes and experience.

 

[Dandy Pipesmoker]

Maybe better explained with some examples:

I have smoked some really wonderful 30+ Years old Virginia flake (Capstan, Escudo), a good but not exeptional 30+ Erinmore Flake, some 20+ Dunhill's Murray era (Nightcap, Elizabethan, London, Flake, Early Morning, Deluxe Navy Rolls) that were incredible, but more because they're not avilable anymore than for the effect of aging (ok maybe DNR and Elizabethan also for the aging).

But today we have so many good fresh blends to try and enjoy!
Keep some in the cellar for the future and smoke the fresh ones without too much thinking about.

 

[JimInks]

I'm always recommending aging straight Virginia blends, especially those where bright Va. is dominant. Mac Baren Virginia #1 and Virginia Flake, Sutliff 507-C Slices, Capstan Gold, and Hamborger Veermaster greatly transform into amazing smokes with a five years or more of age. The effect of age on FVF, SJF, Best Brown, Union Square, etc., are well documented. About the only dark Va. I notice little change in is Capstan Blue, but I age it any way.

 

[BROBS]

great answer above..

basically I have noticed with most VA's, especially flakes and broken flakes, even after 1 year they are significantly darker and often with crystallization.

 

[smokeyweb]

I love aged SJF. After just a few years it becomes nice and dark, less tangy, and takes on a sweet stewed fruit flavor.

 

[mso489]

Virginias, Virginias and Virginias.

 

[hawky454]

One of the greatest transformations I’ve noticed is Stokkebye’s Luxury Twist Flake. Not a fan of this stuff fresh but with 6 years on it it becomes sublime. It literally transforms into another blend. I imagine 10 years it will just be phenomenal.
also Luxury Navy Flake, Bullseye Flake

Anything thers I’ve had great success with:

FVF - when the flakes turn black the smoke turns gold

SJF - same as FVF

Cabbies Mixture, Kendal Cream, 1792 Flake, Lakeland Dark, BBF/Kendal Plug

Peterson’s Perfect Plug - muah!
Warrior Plug, Salty Dogs Plug

GH&Co’s BB2, Dark Flake Scented, Dark Plug, Kendal Flake & Ennerdale Flake

St. Bruno, Condor, Escudo, Erinmore Flake...

Mac Baren PVF, Navy Flake, Mixture Flake...

Man, there are just so many that are worth cellaring.

Oh just thought of a couple more:

Gl Pease Temple Bar, JKP abd Triple Play

All McClelland VA’s.

(sorry, came to just list a few but I just couldn’t stop myself but I’m forcing myself to stop here otherwise I’ll be listing my entire cellar).

 

[docrameous]

+1 on Luxury Bullseye Flake, FVF, Orlik Golden Sliced and new to me, I'm going to guess Cask 4.