When Will You Know Your Cellaring Is Done?

Right now I'm concentrating on working through the 30 tins I have open now. Once I work those down I'll start bringing things in again. The cellar is well stocked so there are no immediate concerns.

I cannot imagine I will ever have a complete cellar for several reasons. First, I have fear of running out of my goto blends. 5, 50, 500, how many is enough? I cannot answer that question. I also fear many blends won't be available once the FDA begins enforcing the recent tobacco laws. For example, many of the GL Pease blends were released after the March, 2007 deeming date. So I'm constantly, slowly stocking up on several of his blends. I tend to discover new blends via this website and tobaccoreviews.com. I.E. Great reviews by people like JimInks. I was born in 1974, and started smoking in 1997. I never smoked real Dunill London Mixture, Scotish made Red Rapparee or Balkan Sorbanie. So I'm always seeking older, out of production blends, via Steve's weekly website updates (Pipestud). For these reasons, my cellar will never be complete.

I began smoking a pipe in 1966, but did not begin cellaring until 2009, after I realized the virtues of 1. aging some tobacco, 2. having a hedge against the likely - now possibly imminent - disappearance of some favorite blends, or 3. against a hedge against changes in classic blends as production causes their quality to decline noticeably, to the point of no longer being recognizable as the orginal blend.

I am about all in, after four months since my return to pipes. According to Smoking Pipes I have tried over 75 brands, but I am sure it is upwards of 110 or more with them. I have some vintage, and with the exception of Vermont Country Store, if Pipestud ever gets another. Coming is a wooden barrel of Briggs Mixture, which wasn't described as a tobacco I might like, but... I looked it up and it's 80 years old. So it hit me on antique value and I may not open it.
Also, there is the big order that was posted in the "Mail" thread, which puts me in a good position.

Here's where JimInks comes into play again: His reviews of the Sutliff Match Tobaccos always include (if available) a comparison of the vintage one. Most of his reviews, thankfully, say the Matches are better. Great news. Less expensive.

So, I am still wanting to try VIP or Match (because it is flavored with Birch) and Vintage Vermont Country Store, because I love that old time stuff.

Lastly there will be some pounds from Sterling. My issue is finding my checkbook. I pay my bills in bed, as I type here... in bed

I think there's a way I can have my bank (which is in the newly formed country of California) send him a check. Looking into that. The samples were awesome.

OK, my furry friend Willy is telling me I have been going on too long again

Pretty much done here ... only extreme sales and deals draw me out now!

Me, too - or so I try to tell myself.  I don't cellar as such, I just accumulate.  Most of that is because there are just so many blends I want to try.  Of the 70 or so unopened tins I've amassed, almost none are duplicates.  

Having said that, I wish I'd bought a few more tins of 3 Oaks Syrian, picked up some Samovar, and some of the other blends that recently disappeared.

Done - I have everything I want now except for the stuff that isn't made anymore. Please send me all of the old Sobranie you have on hand. Thanks!

Artistik  -  Cellaring/aging is done usually between 3 months and 3 or more years... mostly up to you as you sample sealed jars along the way. Opening jars brings no harm done to your aging tobaccos, and in fact introduces a fresh breath of air to continue the marrying process. Sealed tins follow in the same aging foot steps more or less. Hope this answers your question most directly.

I'll probably slow down substantially once I have 10-15 pounds of each of my favorite blends in long term storage. I've already slowed down cellaring quite a bit since doing some heavy stocking early last summer around the Deeming Act BS. I like to ideally try and long term store an extra pound of my favorites about once a year or every other in order to stock for my future so that in 10-15 years I'm able to go back to 2015 Luxury Navy Flake, and one from 2016, 2017, etc. I date every tin I cellar for the same reasoning. Like wine, we could pull out the Christmas Cheer 2000, the 2010, etc. I'll slow down substantially though and mostly try new stuff here and there once I have about 10-15 pounds of each of my top maybe 20-25 blends. That being said I'm currently cellaring slowly and the dollar amount to finalize that tally is pretty staggering. Some of these guys I know could sell all their tobacco cellar and buy a couple used cars with the cash they'd make.

There was an early 1980's tub of Sobranie at the NASPC show for $400. 

When the wife looks at me and and "ASKS" "THAT is going to be that LAST tobacco you order for awhile,'ISN'T IT?'"

Shame on you,There is absolutely no room for HONESTY !