jpberg
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Post by jpberg on Dec 21, 2018 17:14:41 GMT -5
I don’t trust square tins or bagged blends. Those get jarred. The round tins usually hold up forever. I understand some of the GLP round tins will rust from the inside out. And there's no way of knowing until you pop the tin or notice small red spot or spots on the outside. I've seen photos of this but have never experienced it myself. That makes me want to at least jar the unopened GLP tins...and there are quite a few of those. 😕 The old (maybe up to ‘03?) “tall boys “ are terrible. I opened a 10 year old BS tin in 2013 and it was completely compromised from the inside out. I lost probably 10 tins, and saved another 10. Not the end of the world mind you, but quite a bummer. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2018 17:44:59 GMT -5
I understand some of the GLP round tins will rust from the inside out. And there's no way of knowing until you pop the tin or notice small red spot or spots on the outside. I've seen photos of this but have never experienced it myself. That makes me want to at least jar the unopened GLP tins...and there are quite a few of those. 😕 The old (maybe up to ‘03?) “tall boys “ are terrible. I opened a 10 year old BS tin in 2013 and it was completely compromised from the inside out. I lost probably 10 tins, and saved another 10. Not the end of the world mind you, but quite a bummer. One phone call and a few pictures emailed to Smokingpipes your issues would have been rectified to your satisfaction. |
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jpberg
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Post by jpberg on Dec 21, 2018 18:18:48 GMT -5
The old (maybe up to ‘03?) “tall boys “ are terrible. I opened a 10 year old BS tin in 2013 and it was completely compromised from the inside out. I lost probably 10 tins, and saved another 10. Not the end of the world mind you, but quite a bummer. One phone call and a few pictures emailed to Smokingpipes your issues would have been rectified to your satisfaction. They would have replaced ten year old , no longer produced tins in kind? |
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Post by kbareit on Dec 21, 2018 18:28:38 GMT -5
I understand some of the GLP round tins will rust from the inside out. And there's no way of knowing until you pop the tin or notice small red spot or spots on the outside. I've seen photos of this but have never experienced it myself. That makes me want to at least jar the unopened GLP tins...and there are quite a few of those. 😕 The old (maybe up to ‘03?) “tall boys “ are terrible. I opened a 10 year old BS tin in 2013 and it was completely compromised from the inside out. I lost probably 10 tins, and saved another 10. Not the end of the world mind you, but quite a bummer. This is what concerns me with the 8 oz tins of Plum Pudding. They are the cardboard variety and wonder if they would hold up to long term storage. |
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jpberg
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Post by jpberg on Dec 21, 2018 18:35:28 GMT -5
The old (maybe up to ‘03?) “tall boys “ are terrible. I opened a 10 year old BS tin in 2013 and it was completely compromised from the inside out. I lost probably 10 tins, and saved another 10. Not the end of the world mind you, but quite a bummer. This is what concerns me with the 8 oz tins of Plum Pudding. They are the cardboard variety and wonder if they would hold up to long term storage. The cardboard Sutliff tins are a concern, or at least used to be. There were a bunch of (?) 2010 - 13 tins that had problems. I lost some Anniversary Cake tins after maybe three years. I think that the problem has been resolved, but Mason jars are still your best friend. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2018 18:53:41 GMT -5
One phone call and a few pictures emailed to Smokingpipes your issues would have been rectified to your satisfaction. They would have replaced ten year old , no longer produced tins in kind? You would have been given a Smokingpipes credit to your account, purchase what you want. It’s been done prior. |
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jpberg
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Post by jpberg on Dec 21, 2018 18:56:37 GMT -5
They would have replaced ten year old , no longer produced tins in kind? You would have been given a Smokingpipes credit to your account, purchase what you want. It’s been done prior. Really? I wonder how they valued the tins. I would’ve never thought to go after the vendor after such a long time. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2018 18:56:42 GMT -5
The old (maybe up to ‘03?) “tall boys “ are terrible. I opened a 10 year old BS tin in 2013 and it was completely compromised from the inside out. I lost probably 10 tins, and saved another 10. Not the end of the world mind you, but quite a bummer. This is what concerns me with the 8 oz tins of Plum Pudding. They are the cardboard variety and wonder if they would hold up to long term storage. Those 8.oz cardboard canisters for long term cellaring definitely get jarred. Cardboard absorbs moisture, which leads to mold eventually. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2018 18:58:05 GMT -5
You would have been given a Smokingpipes credit to your account, purchase what you want. It’s been done prior. Really? I wonder how they valued the tins. I would’ve never thought to go after the vendor after such a long time. Value would have been what you originally paid.....no extra for aging👍 |
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jpberg
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Post by jpberg on Dec 21, 2018 19:06:06 GMT -5
Really? I wonder how they valued the tins. I would’ve never thought to go after the vendor after such a long time. Value would have been what you originally paid.....no extra for aging👍 I guess after so long I didn’t think of going after them. I had an order from them in maybe ‘02 or 3, just some tobacco, and somehow a pretty expensive Tsuge 3 piece tamper ended up in the box. I emailed Sykes and Tony and asked about how to return it, Sykes told me to keep it. I figure I’ve been ahead since then. |
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Post by kbareit on Dec 21, 2018 19:43:21 GMT -5
This is what concerns me with the 8 oz tins of Plum Pudding. They are the cardboard variety and wonder if they would hold up to long term storage. Those 8.oz cardboard canisters for long term cellaring definitely get jarred. Cardboard absorbs moisture, which leads to mold eventually. That answered my question. The 4 8 oz tins are going to get jarred. I have 2 2 oz tins I don't have to worry about. |
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Post by pepesdad1 on Dec 21, 2018 20:30:17 GMT -5
Those 8.oz cardboard canisters for long term cellaring definitely get jarred. Cardboard absorbs moisture, which leads to mold eventually. That answered my question. The 4 8 oz tins are going to get jarred. I have 2 2 oz tins I don't have to worry about. Smart move...you don't want to lose that great tobacco to just neglect. |
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Post by jeffd on Jan 9, 2019 13:32:06 GMT -5
I have decided, for myself, my strategy.
I am having enough fun with smoking the darn stuff that cellering is not going to become, for me, another hobby. It is quite like music. Some people play guitar, but there are many who participate in other parts of the hobby - collecting guitars, repairing guitars, buying and trading guitars, building guitars, etc.
I have just purchased a small cabinet so I can store some and can see what I have stored. My rule is going to be a refusal to buy another piece of furniture for tobacco storage.
My cabinet is filled, I smoke it. Nothing in there over 6 months old, except if acquired old. When there is space in my cabinet I will order more, and not until. I now keep a list of "wanna try" and when space opens i will drag out my list and see whats what.
I have enough to mitigate price changes to some extent, and not worry about running out, and not enough to worry about anything going bad before I smoke it.
I am vulnerable to the often talked about coming tobaccapocalypse, and there is some concern. My recent trip to central England I learned just how anti pipe things can get. I spent a whole day to visit a tobacco shop indicated on my garmin (sat-nav as they say) in York only to find it closed a few weeks earlier. And a feeling on the part of most people that 1-I don't like smoke so its not a problem, 2-no difference between pipe smoking and any other kind of smoking, or vaping. !!??!!
But at present I am happy, and my new strategy works for me.
What I am getting at is not that anyone should do it my way, far from it, but that cellaring is a thriving fun activity related to pipe smoking that many enjoy and not a requirement to enjoying the pipe smoking life.
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Post by Legend Lover on Jan 9, 2019 13:59:30 GMT -5
I have decided, for myself, my strategy. I am having enough fun with smoking the darn stuff that cellering is not going to become, for me, another hobby. It is quite like music. Some people play guitar, but there are many who participate in other parts of the hobby - collecting guitars, repairing guitars, buying and trading guitars, building guitars, etc. I have just purchased a small cabinet so I can store some and can see what I have stored. My rule is going to be a refusal to buy another piece of furniture for tobacco storage. My cabinet is filled, I smoke it. Nothing in there over 6 months old, except if acquired old. When there is space in my cabinet I will order more, and not until. I now keep a list of "wanna try" and when space opens i will drag out my list and see whats what. I have enough to mitigate price changes to some extent, and not worry about running out, and not enough to worry about anything going bad before I smoke it. I am vulnerable to the often talked about coming tobaccapocalypse, and there is some concern. My recent trip to central England I learned just how anti pipe things can get. I spent a whole day to visit a tobacco shop indicated on my garmin (sat-nav as they say) in York only to find it closed a few weeks earlier. And a feeling on the part of most people that 1-I don't like smoke so its not a problem, 2-no difference between pipe smoking and any other kind of smoking, or vaping. !!??!! But at present I am happy, and my new strategy works for me. What I am getting at is not that anyone should do it my way, far from it, but that cellaring is a thriving fun activity related to pipe smoking that many enjoy and not a requirement to enjoying the pipe smoking life. Well put! |
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Post by sperrytops on Jan 9, 2019 14:50:25 GMT -5
I cellar 'em until I smoke 'em.
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priest2705
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Post by priest2705 on Jan 9, 2019 20:05:10 GMT -5
I'm loving this thread. I've honestly been wondering the same as OP. Being a new smoker, I'm starting to buy tobaccos, seeing what I like and buying enough to cellar a bit when I find something that I do like. So, this thread is an amazing resource for someone like me
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2019 20:08:56 GMT -5
Friend popped a 40 year old tin of Capstan Navy Cut that was amazing! Oldest in my cellar is a Wessex Virginia 10 year old. I do have some English blends around 5 years and all my aromatics are less then a year but plan on doing an age experiment with some. Puffing at the average rate of 0.3 oz, approx 3 bowls Daily (total approx 8.5 oz Monthly) I have little over 2 years worth with my 17 lb stash. I'm wondering if your "average rate of 0.3 oz" is a rule-of-thumb average or if you've actually weighed it out? Geoff, I see that this has been answered on page 2 of this thread. A few years back or so on another forum, the question was brought up as to "how many bowls approximately could you receive from a 50g tin?" I decided to pack a 2" high billiard bowl with some ribbon cut pipe tobacco, about an 1/8" short of the top. I zero'd out my scale and dump the contents onto the scale. It weighed approximately 3.3g. When you divide 50g by 3.3, this equals out to 15.2 bowls per tin, for what was at this time, about a $9 tin. I was also thinking, if you're a straight cigar smoker, and was smoking a non-Cuban (NC) or Cuban cigar (CC) at $9 a cigar, times the same count of 15, this would equal $135 total. Then you start looking at the joys of being a pipe smoker, and start that balancing scales thought, "I have a tin of darn good pipe tobacco blend in one hand for $9, and in the other hand, a bunch of good cigars for $135; I can smoke a bowl between 45min to and hour+, the same as I could with a good cigar..." Just sayin  I forgot, 3.3g is what I came up with  I haven't gotten into cellaring for age yet. I smoke, run out, buy more, repeat. I do have some depth of Billy Budd Blonde because I have developed a kind paranoia that it will become unavailable just because of how much I like it. That is the danger of my strategy. Others cellar for price control. Having a deep cellar means you can patiently wait for the bargains and sales, and mitigate to some extent the net net you end up paying. That makes a lot of sense to me as well. It seems that cellaring strategy, implementation, and tracking, is a fun corner the "hobby". JeffD, with the contents of that Billy Budd Blonde of Burley, Cigar Leaf, Perique, and Virginia, that blend sounds like a winner for the cellar to me... Note to self: Keep LSUTigersFan in mind for future pipe tobacco and ammo needs. Although, he might fire a warning round or two as I approach the front door |
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Post by LSUTigersFan on Jan 9, 2019 20:59:57 GMT -5
I'm wondering if your "average rate of 0.3 oz" is a rule-of-thumb average or if you've actually weighed it out? Geoff, I see that this has been answered on page 2 of this thread. A few years back or so on another forum, the question was brought up as to "how many bowls approximately could you receive from a 50g tin?" I decided to pack a 2" high billiard bowl with some ribbon cut pipe tobacco, about an 1/8" short of the top. I zero'd out my scale and dump the contents onto the scale. It weighed approximately 3.3g. When you divide 50g by 3.3, this equals out to 15.2 bowls per tin, for what was at this time, about a $9 tin. I was also thinking, if you're a straight cigar smoker, and was smoking a non-Cuban (NC) or Cuban cigar (CC) at $9 a cigar, times the same count of 15, this would equal $135 total. Then you start looking at the joys of being a pipe smoker, and start that balancing scales thought, "I have a tin of darn good pipe tobacco blend in one hand for $9, and in the other hand, a bunch of good cigars for $135; I can smoke a bowl between 45min to and hour+, the same as I could with a good cigar..." Just sayin I forgot, 3.3g is what I came up with I haven't gotten into cellaring for age yet. I smoke, run out, buy more, repeat. I do have some depth of Billy Budd Blonde because I have developed a kind paranoia that it will become unavailable just because of how much I like it. That is the danger of my strategy. Others cellar for price control. Having a deep cellar means you can patiently wait for the bargains and sales, and mitigate to some extent the net net you end up paying. That makes a lot of sense to me as well. It seems that cellaring strategy, implementation, and tracking, is a fun corner the "hobby". JeffD, with the contents of that Billy Budd Blonde of Burley, Cigar Leaf, Perique, and Virginia, that blend sounds like a winner for the cellar to me... Note to self: Keep LSUTigersFan in mind for future pipe tobacco and ammo needs. Although, he might fire a warning round or two as I approach the front door Bring beer! |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2019 21:12:55 GMT -5
Geoff, I see that this has been answered on page 2 of this thread. A few years back or so on another forum, the question was brought up as to "how many bowls approximately could you receive from a 50g tin?" I decided to pack a 2" high billiard bowl with some ribbon cut pipe tobacco, about an 1/8" short of the top. I zero'd out my scale and dump the contents onto the scale. It weighed approximately 3.3g. When you divide 50g by 3.3, this equals out to 15.2 bowls per tin, for what was at this time, about a $9 tin. I was also thinking, if you're a straight cigar smoker, and was smoking a non-Cuban (NC) or Cuban cigar (CC) at $9 a cigar, times the same count of 15, this would equal $135 total. Then you start looking at the joys of being a pipe smoker, and start that balancing scales thought, "I have a tin of darn good pipe tobacco blend in one hand for $9, and in the other hand, a bunch of good cigars for $135; I can smoke a bowl between 45min to and hour+, the same as I could with a good cigar..." Just sayin I forgot, 3.3g is what I came up with JeffD, with the contents of that Billy Budd Blonde of Burley, Cigar Leaf, Perique, and Virginia, that blend sounds like a winner for the cellar to me... Note to self: Keep LSUTigersFan in mind for future pipe tobacco and ammo needs. Although, he might fire a warning round or two as I approach the front door ...  You got it brother |
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Post by lestrout on Jan 9, 2019 21:27:25 GMT -5
Yo Phan - my calculus is a little different, since I'm driven by liking variety, so much so that I have over 1700 blends on hand. It's a good thing that I don't do burley or aros, or things might get out of control. I been busy demoting the rank of blends to get the primary cellar down to 300 blends, each of which contain a dozen tins or to to a few pounds. Tough work, but somebody has to do it.
hp
les
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2019 21:29:46 GMT -5
Yo Phan - my calculus is a little different, since I'm driven by liking variety, so much so that I have over 1700 blends on hand. It's a good thing that I don't do burley or aros, or things might get out of control. I been busy demoting the rank of blends to get the primary cellar down to 300 blends, each of which contain a dozen tins or to to a few pounds. Tough work, but somebody has to do it.hp les ...exactly  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2019 21:40:27 GMT -5
hmmm, may need to jar some of the tins after reading this thread . . . good info here! Thanks you all!
I had a lot of samples and bought a case of what would some would call baby food mason jars. Size was perfect for 2 oz but I really had to pack it down. I guess I will get another case and pack some of the tins too.
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sablebrush52
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Post by sablebrush52 on Jan 10, 2019 1:02:58 GMT -5
The conditions under which tobaccos are cellared play an important role in how well they age. I've smoked 35 year old Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture that was sublime, and 35 year old Sobraine Original Smoking Mixture that was garbage.
Latakia will fade over time, but many smokers actually prefer the mellower flavor of aged Latakia. Orientals age quite well. A 40+ year old tin of Ardath London Mixture was one of the best things I've ever smoked. Sure the Latakia had faded, but the orientals were stunning.
Eventually all tobaccos will go south, though burley seems to be the aging champ.
So while Latakia may lose pungency after 10 years, its presence in the blend may still be quite apparent at 20 years. After that it can fade to nothingness.
Virginias are good for decades, but after 40 years or so they can take on an unpleasant (to me) floral taste. Above that date they can turn to nasty sludge.
Toppings may fade over time. The 1941 Capstan Blue I smoked a few years back still tasted like Capstan Blue, if less flavorful overall, and the 1938 Capstan Blue was pure zombie sludge.
Aros are good for years, but eventually the toppings fade.
From what you wrote about bagging and sealing your tins and jars it sound like you're taking all the steps you can to preserve your investment.
The square and rectangular tins are not good protection for long term aging. They're leaking from the get go and the contents can dry out after 10 years. The circular tins hold up better.
If you find something that you not only like, but continue to enjoy over time, cellar that deep.
On the topic of aging, I don't agree that aging improves blends. Aging changes blends. Whether that change is an improvement is up to the individual smoker.
Blends from houses like Germain's can be enjoyed fresh. They don't need aging because they're already aged when released. Other makers, like C&D and Stokkebye, release their blends young and those do benefit from aging before smoking.
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Post by jeffd on Jan 10, 2019 11:17:45 GMT -5
There is an aspect of cellaring that would irk me. I don't how many do this though. How many of you decide what to smoke next based on your cellaring strategy. In other words smoke this accumulation down before I buy any more of that, or I can't smoke that so Ill stick to this and let that get older. Or I crave this but will smoke that before it goes bad. I can see that happening, where the needs of an organized cellar, both deep and wide, impacts what you decide to smoke. Which seems to me entirely backwards. The cellar should be in support of the smoking. But I am likely not seeing the whole picture here.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2019 10:39:32 GMT -5
I go pretty deep on straight virginia's. They age nice so the more the better. Everything else I rotate around as my cravings decide. This last year I have doubled the cellar to 26 lbs and trying to zero in on certain blends I want to focus on that may be affected by FDA/State law B.S. Right now I would say I am very wide in the cellar. Now it is time for me to go deep.
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Post by blackmouth210 on Jan 11, 2019 10:48:30 GMT -5
There is an aspect of cellaring that would irk me. I don't how many do this though. How many of you decide what to smoke next based on your cellaring strategy. In other words smoke this accumulation down before I buy any more of that, or I can't smoke that so Ill stick to this and let that get older. Or I crave this but will smoke that before it goes bad. I can see that happening, where the needs of an organized cellar, both deep and wide, impacts what you decide to smoke. Which seems to me entirely backwards. The cellar should be in support of the smoking. But I am likely not seeing the whole picture here. I don't have the problem you mentioned. I'm too disorganized in my cellaring. Which can be a blessing. I sometimes get a nice surprise when I find a tin or jar of something I forgot I even had. |
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glassjapan
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Post by glassjapan on Jan 11, 2019 12:25:48 GMT -5
There is an aspect of cellaring that would irk me. I don't how many do this though. How many of you decide what to smoke next based on your cellaring strategy. In other words smoke this accumulation down before I buy any more of that, or I can't smoke that so Ill stick to this and let that get older. Or I crave this but will smoke that before it goes bad. I can see that happening, where the needs of an organized cellar, both deep and wide, impacts what you decide to smoke. Which seems to me entirely backwards. The cellar should be in support of the smoking. But I am likely not seeing the whole picture here. Thankfully I don't have to take any of that into account when choosing what to smoke. My cellar is more deep than wide by choice. The only thing I have to take in account is when it's time to open a new tin. I will normally just open the newest tin of that blend in my cellar. If I ever get down to my last tin of something that can't be easily replaced, then some of what you're saying is going to come into play. Hopefully that day will never come. |
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Post by sperrytops on Jan 11, 2019 12:31:51 GMT -5
Discovering that long lost tin is always a pleasant surprise. When that happens to me (and it does) I feel compelled to open it and smoke it.
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Post by lestrout on Jan 11, 2019 12:35:28 GMT -5
Re S'brush's "Blends from houses like Germain's can be enjoyed fresh. They don't need aging because they're already aged when released. Other makers, like C&D and Stokkebye, release their blends young and those do benefit from aging before smoking." - not so much lately with the onslaught of hoarding demolishing every drop lately of Germain's, etc. but until recently, tins from across the Pond tended to be more aged when they worked their way through the supply chain (factory, exporter, shipper, importer, distributor, store). Many 'fresh, newly bought' Euro- and Brit-tins were already quite a few months old by the time they got into my hot, greedy hands for the popping. In contrast, C&D, GLP and such would be in my hands within days of manufacture, especially if I got them from SP.
hp
les
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2019 12:42:01 GMT -5
The conditions under which tobaccos are cellared play an important role in how well they age. I've smoked 35 year old Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture that was sublime, and 35 year old Sobraine Original Smoking Mixture that was garbage. Latakia will fade over time, but many smokers actually prefer the mellower flavor of aged Latakia. Orientals age quite well. A 40+ year old tin of Ardath London Mixture was one of the best things I've ever smoked. Sure the Latakia had faded, but the orientals were stunning. Eventually all tobaccos will go south, though burley seems to be the aging champ. So while Latakia may lose pungency after 10 years, its presence in the blend may still be quite apparent at 20 years. After that it can fade to nothingness. Virginias are good for decades, but after 40 years or so they can take on an unpleasant (to me) floral taste. Above that date they can turn to nasty sludge. Toppings may fade over time. The 1941 Capstan Blue I smoked a few years back still tasted like Capstan Blue, if less flavorful overall, and the 1938 Capstan Blue was pure zombie sludge. Aros are good for years, but eventually the toppings fade. From what you wrote about bagging and sealing your tins and jars it sound like you're taking all t he steps you can to preserve your investment. The square and rectangular tins are not good protection for long term aging. They're leaking from the get go and the contents can dry out after 10 years. The circular tins hold up better. If you find something that you not only like, but continue to enjoy over time, cellar that deep. On the topic of aging, I don't agree that aging improves blends. Aging changes blends. Whether that change is an improvement is up to the individual smoker. Blends from houses like Germain's can be enjoyed fresh. They don't need aging because they're already aged when released. Other makers, like C&D and Stokkebye, release their blends young and those do benefit from aging before smoking. Well stated |
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You got it brother 
