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Ageing without hoarding

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
I've had a quick top up of the samples too, and it looks like there's still around 150g of tobacco there too, so the first tins won't be opened until next year. There's more samples of some genres than others though, and I'd expect the first tin of English to be cracked open fairly soon in the year. Probably one of the Chieftain blends.

I'm still quite surprised how moderate my consumption rate has remained. In the past, when I've had more than an ounce here, I've gone at it quite hungrily. Not so this time. More justification for not overshopping, I think. That said, it hasn't diminished my consumption like snuff hoarding seemed to.

I think I will miss the excitement next year. Aside from the myriad of unpleasant things that 2020 brought, I have really had a lot of fun rebuilding the pipe array, exploring different tobaccos, and establishing a "cellar". That's all done though now. Yes, I could keep going, but it would be sheer greed, and just lead to resentment again. I have that t-shirt in several colours already. I'll therefore probably need to find a new "project" in the new year, so that the "hobby" reverts back to smoking, and not shopping.
 

brandaves

With a great avatar comes great misidentification
I've had a quick top up of the samples too, and it looks like there's still around 150g of tobacco there too, so the first tins won't be opened until next year. There's more samples of some genres than others though, and I'd expect the first tin of English to be cracked open fairly soon in the year. Probably one of the Chieftain blends.

I'm still quite surprised how moderate my consumption rate has remained. In the past, when I've had more than an ounce here, I've gone at it quite hungrily. Not so this time. More justification for not overshopping, I think. That said, it hasn't diminished my consumption like snuff hoarding seemed to.

I think I will miss the excitement next year. Aside from the myriad of unpleasant things that 2020 brought, I have really had a lot of fun rebuilding the pipe array, exploring different tobaccos, and establishing a "cellar". That's all done though now. Yes, I could keep going, but it would be sheer greed, and just lead to resentment again. I have that t-shirt in several colours already. I'll therefore probably need to find a new "project" in the new year, so that the "hobby" reverts back to smoking, and not shopping.
Another hobby will inevitably mean more money anyway...my problem is sticking to just one money sucking distraction.

Personally I find that a consumable hobby such as ours (tobacco gets smoked) is more fun then a stagnate one...not to mention that the rewards for cellaring can be great!
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Another hobby will inevitably mean more money anyway...my problem is sticking to just one money sucking distraction.

Personally I find that a consumable hobby such as ours (tobacco gets smoked) is more fun then a stagnate one...not to mention that the rewards for cellaring can be great!

Not necessarily. My musical instruments that I haven't learned yet, or having another go at writing the novel I stalled on, won't drain cash. I have other such stuff I can indulge in too, which isn't shopping orientated either. Shopping is a hobby all of its own, but not one that fulfills me. Rewards only come from cellaring tobacco, once it's consumed. Therefore the fun bit (for me) will be emptying the bottom drawer, not filling it :)
 
Not necessarily. My musical instruments that I haven't learned yet, or having another go at writing the novel I stalled on, won't drain cash. I have other such stuff I can indulge in too, which isn't shopping orientated either. Shopping is a hobby all of its own, but not one that fulfills me. Rewards only come from cellaring tobacco, once it's consumed. Therefore the fun bit (for me) will be emptying the bottom drawer, not filling it :)
And, of course, you can smoke a pipe while engaged in those other hobbies. It is also fun to refill the bottom drawer!
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
And, of course, you can smoke a pipe while engaged in those other hobbies. It is also fun to refill the bottom drawer!

A pipe is excellent for pacing, and taking a break from, the learning and other activities which need plenty of thinking about. As to refilling the the bottom drawer, I'm not even sure I will be yet. It all depends what benefits I discernibly gain from having done it this time.
 

AimlessWanderer

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Well, it seems that some of my tobaccos already have a bit of head start. I discovered that Dunhill, Peterson and some Gawith tins have date codes on, so of course, I had to see what dates were on mine.

While some of my Gawith tins were only a couple of months old, and two are without stickers (the dates might have been on the cardboard sleeves, which have been slung out), the RED is from Nov 19, the CH Flake is from Sep 19, and the Full Virginia Flake is from Mar 19. They therefore have a 12-18 month head start.

There's four Peterson’s here, and the Irish Flake is essentially fresh, but the Irish Cask is from Nov 19, and the Uni Flake from Aug 19. Again, giving them a 12+ month head start. The Sherlock Holmes is from Dec 19.

The Dunhill 221b Baker Street and Ye Olde Signe tins are from Dec 17, so they should be nicely cooked already. :)
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
So is that 5 years old or 5 years in your cellar you're going for?

Well, 5 years in the cellar, so I could try/smoke some tobaccos 5 years old. I do have 5 years worth in the cellar, particularly in English, straight Virginia, Virginia/Perique, and blends with Burley or Kentucky. Not so for Aromatics and Lakelands.

If over time, I start noticing significant benefits from keeping tobaccos that long, I'll keep going with 5 years in the drawer. Otherwise, I'll let it dwindle back down.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
More tins inbound. Again, guilt free.

Earlier in the shopping stage, I was wanting tins of a few Germain's, but they were only available as loose or pouch. Tins were sold out pretty much everywhere. Not having got set up with jars yet, I skipped over them and picked up stuff more readily available instead. If I'm reading the market right, Germain's seems to be moving from tin to pouch, so despite been fully stocked, I've still been keeping an eye out for those specific tins. When I finally found some, I decided to pounce, as I might not get another chance later.

1 x Rich Dark Flake
1 x Brown Flake
1 x Royal Jersey Perique
1 x Goldleaf *

* This one is actually speculative, as while I do have a sample, I haven't tried it yet. However, based on how much I've liked the others, I consider it a very safe bet.

I nearly added Medium Flake and Eighteen Twenty too, but reeled the urge in on those. I have plenty of English in already, and Medium Flake is topped, so I want to smoke through the sample I have first, before deciding if I want a full tin. The first three on the list were the main ones I was wanting a tin of anyway, and I'm happy to let them linger in the drawer and go right to the back of the queue for enjoyment later. While I find some Virginias uninspiring, Germain's has always impressed, in a simple and unpretentious way.
 
In regards to Firedance being an aromatic. I found to be similar to calling Esoterica Pembroke and aro. You can taste the blackberry brandy in the brown flake but I wouldn't call it sugary or goopy of what I think of when I think aromatic. I was curious and added a tin to a recent order. I've smoked it a few times in a morta. Quite enjoyable.

Also to you saying you get less smokes out of a plug versus other flakes, ribbon etc. Cube cutting or cutting your own flakes should be like regular flakes and burning slower than ribbon or shag. Now finding a jar the plug fills without wasting a ton of space is another matter.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
In regards to Firedance being an aromatic. I found to be similar to calling Esoterica Pembroke and aro. You can taste the blackberry brandy in the brown flake but I wouldn't call it sugary or goopy of what I think of when I think aromatic. I was curious and added a tin to a recent order. I've smoked it a few times in a morta. Quite enjoyable.

Also to you saying you get less smokes out of a plug versus other flakes, ribbon etc. Cube cutting or cutting your own flakes should be like regular flakes and burning slower than ribbon or shag. Now finding a jar the plug fills without wasting a ton of space is another matter.

Cheers John,

So aromatic in the way that Lakelands are aromatic, orr something like University Flake? They're the aromatics I like best, and what I'm hoping for from Firedance. Gawith Hoggarth Red is of the same ilk, and I really like that too. We don't have Esoterica over here. I only have one tin of a Cavendish carrying aromatic, as while I don't mind them occasionally, I wouldn't try to age them, as I've heard they don't fare so well.

I know what you mean about plug wasting space. It is always going to be a square peg in a round hole, in that respect. I have found cube cut plug to be swallowed up more in a pipe, compared with the equivalent in flake. That's with just two samples. It did give longer lasting smokes though, so would probably even out if smoked in smaller bowls.
 
Cheers John,

So aromatic in the way that Lakelands are aromatic, orr something like University Flake? They're the aromatics I like best, and what I'm hoping for from Firedance. Gawith Hoggarth Red is of the same ilk, and I really like that too. We don't have Esoterica over here. I only have one tin of a Cavendish carrying aromatic, as while I don't mind them occasionally, I wouldn't try to age them, as I've heard they don't fare so well.

I know what you mean about plug wasting space. It is always going to be a square peg in a round hole, in that respect. I have found cube cut plug to be swallowed up more in a pipe, compared with the equivalent in flake. That's with just two samples. It did give longer lasting smokes though, so would probably even out if smoked in smaller bowls.
Esoterica Pembroke is an English blend tipped with cognac. Not much else to it. Still tastes like an English but has a bit more to it. I never hear it referred to as an aromatic.

Firedance is best brown flake with blackberry brandy. The brandy isn't in your face and the star of the show. I could taste it more at the beginning of the bowls but it dies off and I only get at the end of a draw.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
The full ageing list updated with the incoming tins.

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I don't know how familiar/available these are to people in other places. It might be that some of these are as alien to you guys, as Esoterica, GL Pease and the drugstore blends are to me.

They're all tinned blends by the way. Anything else I have is for smoking in the short term, and hasn't gone on the list.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Esoterica Pembroke is an English blend tipped with cognac. Not much else to it. Still tastes like an English but has a bit more to it. I never hear it referred to as an aromatic.

Firedance is best brown flake with blackberry brandy. The brandy isn't in your face and the star of the show. I could taste it more at the beginning of the bowls but it dies off and I only get at the end of a draw.

Thanks John. I have a few like that (on the above list), and have found several others that are only available loose, which I also like. If I think it might ghost, after an initial smoke in a cob, I classify it as an aro, just so I don't smoke it in one of the other dedicated pipes. It'll either get smoked in the two I use for aromatics, or one of the "general use" pipes.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
As more tins are coming in, and the ageing drawer is full, next year's rations have had to come out and go in the pipe drawer to make room. One from each genre. English/Latakia, Aromatic, Lakeland, Virginia, Perique, and Virginia Burley.

This is what 2021 has in store for me, when I've finished the samples.

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AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
I realised earlier today, just how much diversity I've exposed myself to this year. As well as the initial batch of 40 different 5g samples, I've worked my way through maybe 10-15 or so 10g samples this year. On top of that, I have another dozen or samples I haven't tried yet, and over 15 of the tins I've laid away are blends I've never smoked either. In total (albeit in very small quantities), I've probably bought 80+ different samples/tobaccos this year. That's about 7 or 8 times more than all the blends I'd tried in the previous 7 years. :eek6:

Of course, some were just two smokes worth, and there's still 1/3 of that 80 I haven't tried yet, but I still find it quite staggering how much exploration has been done this year, at relatively little cost.

I've also decided that I'm going to celebrate the New Year by cracking open one of the tins, even if I haven't (I won't have) smoked all the other samples. While 2020 has been a year of exploration of pipes, tobaccos, inks, shaving soaps, and various other things, I think 2021 is going to be a year of reduction and simplification for me. That means using up all the various samples, and working towards cutting things down to just what I really want around me. Favourite inks, soaps, blades, pipes, and other hobby items, and letting the tobacco array gradually focus down, rather than endlessly diversify.

No point in spending all that time looking for favourites, if I don't spend time focussing on and enjoying them.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
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