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Post by Legend Lover on Jun 25, 2018 13:36:57 GMT -5
So I've heard some tobaccos age well and others don't.
Of those that don't, is it that, over time nothing changes so there's little point in aging.
Or...
That the tobacco actually gets worse over time?
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Post by puffy on Jun 25, 2018 13:44:34 GMT -5
I once aged some Latakia blends for 5 years.To me they seemed to have lost a bit of their punch.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2018 14:00:20 GMT -5
Virginia’s age well and you’ll notice a big difference with 5 plus years.
Burley tobacco’s take much longer for proper aging, some say 10 years plus. But I’ve been smoking Burley blends so long that I notice after just 3 years of aging I pick up a more sweet nuttiness/cocoa flavor and smokes much smoother with no bite. I have a number of Burley blends with 20 plus years of aging.....,they become exceptionally smooth smoking with a more complex taste.
Now comes Latakia blends: I PERSONALLY find some Lat blends can actually lose some of its flavor after just 5 years of aging. Every Lat blend is different. Syrian Latakia for me ages better then Cyprian . A good example: I recently opened a 12 year old Black Frigate that to my taste smoked a bit flat. I was extremely disappointed
Blends with Perique and Orientals do well with 5 plus years of aging. Some smoke excellent when fresh.
The above is NOT a NATIONAL standard just my opinion from years of smoking a pipe. Every pipe smoker has their own preferences 👍👍👍
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2018 14:01:16 GMT -5
I once aged some Latakia blends for 5 years.To me they seemed to have lost a bit of their punch. I totally agree!!! Read my thread below...... |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2018 14:41:23 GMT -5
I'm not sure age helps but I disagree Latakia falls apart after five or even ten years. Virginias are sublime with age. Perhaps one of the top three tins I ever smoked was the discontinued Mac Baren Latakia Blend. Greatly misnamed as it was Virginia forward with Latakia as a condiment but the tin went down in a weekend.
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Post by Legend Lover on Jun 25, 2018 15:21:27 GMT -5
Good to know. Thanks again, folks.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2018 15:29:32 GMT -5
I'm not sure age helps but I disagree Latakia falls apart after five or even ten years. Virginias are sublime with age. Perhaps one of the top three tins I ever smoked was the discontinued Mac Baren Latakia Blend. Greatly misnamed as it was Virginia forward with Latakia as a condiment but the tin went down in a weekend. |
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Post by peteguy on Jun 25, 2018 15:50:17 GMT -5
PeaseI would read this, about 3/4 of the way down the page, for a starting point. Then you will learn as you go what works for you and what doesn't. I don't believe that you can lump everything together into "catagories". Some blends age well and some not so much. I have smoked some 30 year old Prince Albert that I thought was great. Was it really the tobacco or just the thought of smoking something that old that made it so? Dark Star and FVF are incredible to me with 7+ years. Stonehaven isn't as good with over a year on it to me.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2018 15:52:13 GMT -5
The hobby of pipe smoking is definitely subjective. The Syrian Latakia can handle aging far better then the Cyprian, from my experience. That's an interesting comparison I've never considered but will definitely keep in mind for future reference. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 25, 2018 16:12:58 GMT -5
PeaseI would read this, about 3/4 of the way down the page, for a starting point. Then you will learn as you go what works for you and what doesn't. I don't believe that you can lump everything together into "catagories". Some blends age well and some not so much. I have smoked some 30 year old Prince Albert that I thought was great. Was it really the tobacco or just the thought of smoking something that old that made it so? Dark Star and FVF are incredible to me with 7+ years. Stonehaven isn't as good with over a year on it to me. Good ones there for sure. I don't personally believe age helps Penzance; however, I don't think it falls apart with over five years of age either. My top five which are still readily available for aging purposes in no particular order are: 1. Mac Baren Va #1 2. Escudo 3. Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake 4. Sam Gawith Full Virginia Flake 5. Sam Gawith Best Brown Flake JMHO. I didn't include Dunhill Flake because it's pretty much gone now. Fortunately, I have a nice cache of others in the same gone category as well; nevertheless, those five would be were I'd begin if I had to start over today. |
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Post by Dramatwist on Jun 25, 2018 17:37:44 GMT -5
I see the Cyprian Latakia I've aged as more of a "mellowing" than a loss of quality. My opinion only, YMMV.
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Post by zambini on Jun 26, 2018 0:57:27 GMT -5
I don't have the storage capacity or the patience of most of the people here but I do notice that tins packed less than six months prior to opening taste more of the individual component tobaccos than those packed longer than that. I think that the oldest tin I've opened was aged maybe two years and it was as good as the other Skiff tins I've had before. I'm probably in the minority but given everything that goes into it, maybe long term aging isn't that big a deal.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2018 3:00:04 GMT -5
I don't have the storage capacity or the patience of most of the people here but I do notice that tins packed less than six months prior to opening taste more of the individual component tobaccos than those packed longer than that. I think that the oldest tin I've opened was aged maybe two years and it was as good as the other Skiff tins I've had before. I'm probably in the minority but given everything that goes into it, maybe long term aging isn't that big a deal. With many Virginia’s it makes a big difference. Also Escudo, I don’t enjoy it fresh but with 5 years plus the blend gets darker/more complexity and smokes smooth.....excellent!!! I know, it’s all about patience 👍 |
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Post by rblood on Jun 26, 2018 6:31:55 GMT -5
I see the Cyprian Latakia I've aged as more of a "mellowing" than a loss of quality. My opinion only, YMMV. My experience as well DT. I prefer Latakia with age - more mellow and harmonious with the sharp cornners knocked off. All a matter of taste. |
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Post by slowroll on Jun 26, 2018 11:27:50 GMT -5
Of course, nowadays the only Syrian latakia blend available, HH vintage Syrian, is already aged a ton. And it is sublime, especially with a little perique added.
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