Ageing without hoarding

[steveclarkus]

I'll be adding that sample, and any others I don't care for, to a frankensmoke blend. Basically just mixing them all with some plain shag tobacco to dilute them out.

I read my review of 1792 in tobaccoreviews.com in 2009 and it appears I liked it then. Gave it 3 stars. I guess I’ll give it another go sometime this year.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Just on a tangent, I think after it all boils down, aging tobacco IS hoarding, since you are not buying for immediate consumption. In this case I don’t consider it a negative term tho lol. Hoarders Unite!!

Nah, hoarding (to me) is getting hold of as much as you can, and the collection becomes an addiction in itself. Mine will be a very selective five year stash, gradually acquired, and the total will be smaller than what some hoarders buy in a month Acquisition without disorder

And if I don't notice a distinct improvement on opening the first few tins, I'll stop it

Nothing against the guys that do that, but I've no intention of following suit. (done it once, never again),

 

[brandaves]

The two sizes of jar that I used for small quantities of snuff, look like they'll hold a third to a half of a tin of tobacco. Here's a couple of empties that need washing out.

View attachment 1107976

I'll have to bend/cut/rub flakes out to fit in there, but at least it will (should) keep 1/2 to 2/3 of the tobacco in good order for later, so I can eek the tin out over a longer time scale. I think larger jars would hold too much air, defeating the purpose.

The seals on these aren't fantastic though, so I'd "age" the tobacco in their original tins, and only divide it up once it's time to crack open a tin. A third of a tin in each of those jars, and a third left in the tin, might give me the flexibility of timescale I need, if I do go down the route of having multiple tobaccos in play. Ideally, I could do with splitting a tin over four jars, and then I know that two jars a month (one of a daytime smoke, and one of a nighttime smoke) would be 25g consumed, but again, too much air in the jar I reckon.

The other option, would be to use larger jars, to hold 5x10g baggies. One jar, one tin, but controlled/visible rate of consumption.

I'd recommend getting 4oz mason jars for your purpose. They are reliable and cheap for the most part. I don't know how available they are there but here they're pretty easy to find.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I'd recommend getting 4oz mason jars for your purpose. They are reliable and cheap for the most part. I don't know how available they are there but here they're pretty easy to find.

That's 120ml if I worked that out correctly. Slightly larger than the bail top ones. I do have some small screw top jars, which are that size.

Does this look about the right size for what you're suggesting? (roughly 2.1/8" dia x 2" deep in imperial sizes)

 

[brandaves]

That's 120ml if I worked that out correctly. Slightly larger than the bail top ones. I do have some small screw top jars, which are that size.

Does this look about the right size for what you're suggesting? (roughly 2.1/8" dia x 2" deep in imperial sizes)

View attachment 1108145

Yes, that looks to be about a 4oz jar. Should hold in the neighborhood of 25g tobacco give or take and depending on how much you cram it in there. Cut flakes tend to go farther then ribbon cut.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Yes, that looks to be about a 4oz jar. Should hold in the neighborhood of 25g tobacco give or take and depending on how much you cram it in there. Cut flakes tend to go farther then ribbon cut.

Perfect! Thank you.

Well, I only have four, but have a cunning plan for them. Simply serve up whatever rations I allow myself for the month in those, and tape the tin/s back shut. So long as I minimise the opening and closing of the tins, and run some tape round the mouth of the lid, that should keep it well enough. If it's all gone by the second week of the month - tough! I shouldn't have been such a hog

Not that it matters much for this year, as I still have all the samples to work through. I do however have a tin of Squadron Leader and a tub of plain shag open, so probably ought to jar some of that up while I'm dabbling with the samples.

 

[nortac]

In my experience, which admittedly is not vast, an opened tin lasts much longer than the general wisdom of when to "jar it up". If your intent is to consume a tin in four months time, I doubt very much aging is going to occur if you jar it, but the compromised seal (of an opened tin) will let it breath a bit. Obviously, if pushed to the extreme, the tobacco will become too dry, but tobacco is easily re-hydrated.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

In my experience, which admittedly is not vast, an opened tin lasts much longer than the general wisdom of when to "jar it up". If your intent is to consume a tin in four months time, I doubt very much aging is going to occur if you jar it, but the compromised seal (of an opened tin) will let it breath a bit. Obviously, if pushed to the extreme, the tobacco will become too dry, but tobacco is easily re-hydrated.

Yes, I maybe ought to clarify here. The tobacco will be aged in the tin for five years, and I don't expect any further ageing in the jars.

The use of the jars is twofold.
1) To minimise the amount of times the tins get opened, thereby reducing them drying out, and
2) So that I can manage my consumption rate per month, by putting the months "rations" into the jars

Effectively, I'll be using the jars like some might use a tobacco pouch.

However, I do have some tins open now, which might not be finished for quite a while due to me using the samples, so short term, i'm going to reverse the roles, and try to use the jars to keep them fresh.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I've filled one jar with Squadron Leader, and two jars with Bayside Shag. Once I've worked through all the samples, and finished off what's left in those two tins, I'll come back to these jars, and use them up so I can start using them for the monthly rations. Wintertime probably.

That should buy me plenty of time for identifying some favourites, getting the remaining couple of tins needed for 2025, and maybe getting a couple of tins for next year.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Pipe day!

Sample smoke #3 - Germain's Brown Flake

Weapon of choice - Parker of London Poker
(Dunhill second - Group 4)
Amount packed - Around 2g
Lightly rubbed, just enough to break it up, and then stuffed

I only packed around 2g of this sample, not knowing if this would be the right pipe for the job. I knew this bowl was going to tend towards hot, not just due to being all Virginias (though more than one tobacconist has this listed as having some Burley), but because the untidy flake was rather fine stranded. The individual strands being nearer to what I'd expect from hand rolling tobacco, rather than pipe tobacco. Add to this the 20mm wide bowl of this poker, and I was wondering if this was to be a biter. That lightly rubbed, and lightly packed 2g, filled the brand new bowl about 2/3 full for its maiden voyage.

It certainly needed handling respectfully, and I can fully understand why folks tend to choose a narrower bowl for these tobaccos. That said, there was no bite, and the fruity hay taste was a fine reward for my efforts. This pipe was smoked later in the day than the last one, and I'd fired it up at 8pm on the dot. Unlike the Bob's Chocolate Flake, this one would have been as good in the afternoon sun, as it was in the evening shade.

It took a light easily, though I maybe should have aired it a little longer. It was a little juicy, and I had to dip a pipe cleaner in a couple of times. Sipping gently, I enjoyed a very pleasant hour's smoke in the evening air with my book.

Sadly, I'm not 100% convinced this is the right pipe for the job. It was a wonderful smoke, but I feel a narrower pipe may have suited it better, and made it a little more manageable/easy. That said, I was treated to some wonderful rich fruitiness towards the end of this bowl, and I'd hope that's carried over to something narrower. Great pipe, great tobacco, but not necessarily the greatest pairing. I need to find myself something narrower for smoking the likes of this. Right now, I only have the well used Mizzou. Everything else is wider bowled, as are most of the cheap sitter pipes I've seen.

I may need to get myself a new narrow cob for Virginias, let that replace the Mizzou cob, and let this pipe pair the Ozark Cherrywood for general smoking. I already have an aro briar and an English briar, but this poker seems like it's yearning for something fuller than straight Virginia. I still want my pipe array to be in single digits, but I also want the right 8 or 9 pipes for what I want to smoke, and this tobacco should definitely be catered for in that spectrum.

Smoke again? YES
Smoke regularly? Yes
Keep in stock? Yes

I think I've found the first new favourite

 

[oc_in_fw]

Pipe day!

Sample smoke #3 - Germain's Brown Flake

Weapon of choice - Parker of London Poker
(Dunhill second - Group 4)
Amount packed - Around 2g
Lightly rubbed, just enough to break it up, and then stuffed

View attachment 1108360

I only packed around 2g of this sample, not knowing if this would be the right pipe for the job. I knew this bowl was going to tend towards hot, not just due to being all Virginias (though more than one tobacconist has this listed as having some Burley), but because the untidy flake was rather fine stranded. The individual strands being nearer to what I'd expect from hand rolling tobacco, rather than pipe tobacco. Add to this the 20mm wide bowl of this poker, and I was wondering if this was to be a biter. That lightly rubbed, and lightly packed 2g, filled the brand new bowl about 2/3 full for its maiden voyage.

It certainly needed handling respectfully, and I can fully understand why folks tend to choose a narrower bowl for these tobaccos. That said, there was no bite, and the fruity hay taste was a fine reward for my efforts. This pipe was smoked later in the day than the last one, and I'd fired it up at 8pm on the dot. Unlike the Bob's Chocolate Flake, this one would have been as good in the afternoon sun, as it was in the evening shade.

It took a light easily, though I maybe should have aired it a little longer. It was a little juicy, and I had to dip a pipe cleaner in a couple of times. Sipping gently, I enjoyed a very pleasant hour's smoke in the evening air with my book.

Sadly, I'm not 100% convinced this is the right pipe for the job. It was a wonderful smoke, but I feel a narrower pipe may have suited it better, and made it a little more manageable/easy. That said, I was treated to some wonderful rich fruitiness towards the end of this bowl, and I'd hope that's carried over to something narrower. Great pipe, great tobacco, but not necessarily the greatest pairing. I need to find myself something narrower for smoking the likes of this. Right now, I only have the well used Mizzou. Everything else is wider bowled, as are most of the cheap sitter pipes I've seen.

I may need to get myself a new narrow cob for Virginias, let that replace the Mizzou cob, and let this pipe pair the Ozark Cherrywood for general smoking. I already have an aro briar and an English briar, but this poker seems like it's yearning for something fuller than straight Virginia. I still want my pipe array to be in single digits, but I also want the right 8 or 9 pipes for what I want to smoke, and this tobacco should definitely be catered for in that spectrum.

Smoke again? YES
Smoke regularly? Yes
Keep in stock? Yes

I think I've found the first new favourite

I didn’t believe this until I experienced it, but a narrow, conical bowl makes a good VA great.

 

[brandaves]

Pipe day!

Sample smoke #3 - Germain's Brown Flake

Weapon of choice - Parker of London Poker
(Dunhill second - Group 4)
Amount packed - Around 2g
Lightly rubbed, just enough to break it up, and then stuffed

View attachment 1108360

I only packed around 2g of this sample, not knowing if this would be the right pipe for the job. I knew this bowl was going to tend towards hot, not just due to being all Virginias (though more than one tobacconist has this listed as having some Burley), but because the untidy flake was rather fine stranded. The individual strands being nearer to what I'd expect from hand rolling tobacco, rather than pipe tobacco. Add to this the 20mm wide bowl of this poker, and I was wondering if this was to be a biter. That lightly rubbed, and lightly packed 2g, filled the brand new bowl about 2/3 full for its maiden voyage.

It certainly needed handling respectfully, and I can fully understand why folks tend to choose a narrower bowl for these tobaccos. That said, there was no bite, and the fruity hay taste was a fine reward for my efforts. This pipe was smoked later in the day than the last one, and I'd fired it up at 8pm on the dot. Unlike the Bob's Chocolate Flake, this one would have been as good in the afternoon sun, as it was in the evening shade.

It took a light easily, though I maybe should have aired it a little longer. It was a little juicy, and I had to dip a pipe cleaner in a couple of times. Sipping gently, I enjoyed a very pleasant hour's smoke in the evening air with my book.

Sadly, I'm not 100% convinced this is the right pipe for the job. It was a wonderful smoke, but I feel a narrower pipe may have suited it better, and made it a little more manageable/easy. That said, I was treated to some wonderful rich fruitiness towards the end of this bowl, and I'd hope that's carried over to something narrower. Great pipe, great tobacco, but not necessarily the greatest pairing. I need to find myself something narrower for smoking the likes of this. Right now, I only have the well used Mizzou. Everything else is wider bowled, as are most of the cheap sitter pipes I've seen.

I may need to get myself a new narrow cob for Virginias, let that replace the Mizzou cob, and let this pipe pair the Ozark Cherrywood for general smoking. I already have an aro briar and an English briar, but this poker seems like it's yearning for something fuller than straight Virginia. I still want my pipe array to be in single digits, but I also want the right 8 or 9 pipes for what I want to smoke, and this tobacco should definitely be catered for in that spectrum.

Smoke again? YES
Smoke regularly? Yes
Keep in stock? Yes

I think I've found the first new favourite

Very Nice! Are you considering availability of the blends you select? That one can be tough to come by here in the states...

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Very Nice! Are you considering availability of the blends you select? That one can be tough to come by here in the states...

Yes I am, but I'm not in the states I can get it from a few places over here in the UK

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I didn’t believe this until I experienced it, but a narrow, conical bowl makes a good VA great.

After this bowl, I believe you. The issue though, is finding a narrow, conical bore, in a sitter that costs less than £25. I don't want pipes that need a stand if I want to put it down, and can't justify high outlay for a pipe.

I have just ordered two pipes that aren't sitters, but they're just for sampling, and only very short smokes. A Mizzou, Pony Express, or similar, might not be tapered, but would probably do the job well. The narrowest pipe I have here that hasn't had all kinds of everything smoked in it, is an unsmoked Legend, which I've kind of earmarked for the Periques.

I also looked at a Falcon International with a Dublin (I think it was) bowl. For a higher investment, or later upgrade, a meer lined snifter bowl might work nicely too. In fact a Falcon pipe with a Virginia bowl and a Perique bowl would be a tidy fix.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

I think I've found the first new favourite

Great to hear about Brown Flake! You mentioned that it was supposed to replace a burley blend in your sampler. JF Germain & Son also produces a delicious VA/Bur called Rich Dark Flake. We have a similar blend here in the US called Stonehaven, made by Esoterica, but it's usually pretty hard to find.

The issue though, is finding a narrow, conical bore, in a sitter that costs less than £25. I don't want pipes that need a stand if I want to put it down, and can't justify high outlay for a pipe.

It'll be a little over your £25 budget, but you might want to look up a Dagner poker corn cob pipe. It's a sitter with a 19mm chamber diameter. It sounds like what you're looking for in a VA dedicated pipe. Especially, for the price.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

It'll be a little over your £25 budget, but you might want to look up a Dagner poker corn cob pipe. It's a sitter with a 19mm chamber diameter. It sounds like what you're looking for in a VA dedicated pipe. Especially, for the price.

It's actually within budget (£22.99), but the seller suggests that it's a 20mm dia bowl x 39mm deep, which is essentially the same size as the poker I was using.

It has crossed my mind that I'm merely being premature in dismissing the poker. After all, I did get a very nice smoke from it, and this was the first use of a brand new pipe. It's entirely possible that with continued use, and perhaps a bit of build up of cake, that this pipe will just get better and better suited to Virginias.

I should probably try another bowl of it in the (18mm) Legend, and see how much of a change there is.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

JF Germain & Son also produces a delicious VA/Bur called Rich Dark Flake. We have a similar blend here in the US called Stonehaven, made by Esoterica, but it's usually pretty hard to find.

I had spotted that, and have heard people raving about Stonehaven. Rich Dark Flake was available at a couple of places recently, but then went out of stock. Maybe this is another that ebbs and flows, or maybe it's just Covid-19 messing aroung with the retail sector again.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

It's actually within budget (£22.99), but the seller suggests that it's a 20mm dia bowl x 39mm deep, which is essentially the same size as the poker I was using.

I would double check my Dagner to see if it's as small as I'm thinking, but I'm about to move at the end of the month and have almost all of my pipes and tobacco in moving boxes. As you said, it might just take a few smokes to get the pipe broken in and figured out.

I had spotted that, and have heard people raving about Stonehaven. Rich Dark Flake was available at a couple of places recently, but then went out of stock. Maybe this is another that ebbs and flows, or maybe it's just Covid-19 messing aroung with the retail sector again.

If you ever get a chance, I'd suggest trying it. Obviously, all our palates are different, and it might not be your cup of tea, but it's popular and hard to find for a reason.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I would double check my Dagner to see if it's as small as I'm thinking, but I'm about to move at the end of the month and have almost all of my pipes and tobacco in moving boxes. As you said, it might just take a few smokes to get the pipe broken in and figured out.

No probs. In my experience cobs can vary a bit from their advertised size anyway. Probably between batches too. I'll try the Legend first, and make a judgement based on how different it is from the Parker.

If you ever get a chance, I'd suggest trying it. Obviously, all our palates are different, and it might not be your cup of tea, but it's popular and hard to find for a reason.

I will, certainly. Those tobaccos tend to be available loose, so I can add 25g on to an order when it's in stock.

 

[steveclarkus]

I read my review of 1792 in tobaccoreviews.com in 2009 and it appears I liked it then. Gave it 3 stars. I guess I’ll give it another go sometime this year.

Found a second empty tin today. Must have liked it.