- Thread starter
- #421
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
You can see what I'm working with here...
... a fair bit of work yet to do, and the only shade I'll have is my hat, but it should still give me a pleasant smoking area when it's done.
Ageing without hoarding
- Thread starter AimlessWanderer
- Start date
You can see what I'm working with here...
... a fair bit of work yet to do, and the only shade I'll have is my hat, but it should still give me a pleasant smoking area when it's done.
- Thread starter
- #422
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
The Uncle Tom's (Germain's) sample that I've been working through, is another Virginia and Cavendish blend. I'm now pretty much of the opinion that any and all tobaccos with Cavendish need smoking in a filtered pipe. I might have to smoke maybe three times as much of some other blends to make such a mess of the filter. Nice tobacco, but I like a fairly clean smoke.
That's good to know. Thanks!
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- #424
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
4:30am sunrise smoke, with Presbyterian Mixture in a Washington cob, and a half litre mug of fresh coffee. Marvellous! I'm kind of kicking myself for not having tried this tobacco before. Nice blend, although it does race through, lasting only 30 minutes for the bowl. A very pleasant "anytime" smoke.
It’s almost 7:00 AM here and I’m getting ready to go have a bowl of Burley and a couple of cups of strong coffee myself. Think I’ll have SWR.
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- #426
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
My vape stick was acting up earlier, leaking vape juice everywhere. I've fixed it now, but until I figured out what the issue was, I had a few more pipe bowls sat in front of the chiminea this evening.
MacBaren Navy Flake - smelled great, tasted like hot air. Probably needs a goodly amount of time to develop any flavour.
Presbyterian Mixture - another great bowl like the first one this morning. Short lived again though.
Germain's Brown Flake - always a great smoke.
All in the same Washington cob, which is probably going to need a good rest now.
MacBaren Navy Flake - smelled great, tasted like hot air. Probably needs a goodly amount of time to develop any flavour.
Presbyterian Mixture - another great bowl like the first one this morning. Short lived again though.
Germain's Brown Flake - always a great smoke.
All in the same Washington cob, which is probably going to need a good rest now.
I really enjoy Presbyterian. Easily one of my favorite English blends. Always a delicious smoke.
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- #428
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Two months in...
Before I started this little project, I did wonder if I might slip into compulsive shopping like I did with the snuff, or quickly feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable with owning too much, like I did when my number of shaving soaps reached five.
So far, neither of those have happened.
I certainly don't regret purchasing a little ahead of consumption, now I'm satisfied there is something to the ageing lark. However, I haven't been shopping to excess either. My consumption rate has gone up a little, and I don't think I've gone more than a day without a smoke, but I've had very few days when I've had more than two bowls. I'm pretty sure I'm still under 50g per month.
Many of the tobacco samples I'm smoking, do taste like they'll improve with time, even so much as to say they're probably not ready yet. Although, not having a stash of pre-aged stuff to switch to, that's kind of tough luck. I'm still enjoying it though. I have felt a teeny bit overwhelmed with all the samples, and that has helped temper any desire to order any more just yet, but I don't feel I've bought more full tins than I should.
As I have enough for this year and next, at normal consumption rates, I haven't been in any rush to get more. However, I probably will get more later in the year, so I have more than 12 months age on it, when I come to smoke it. No pipe urges either, in respect of both purchases and disposals. Again, that might change if I find any are spending long periods of time being unused.
In short, ageing without hoarding is working!
No fear of missing out, no keeping up with the Jones', or aspirations to "upgrade" anything. No regrets either. The samples are steadily dwindling, the full tins stewing, and the pipes for the most part are getting used. I've stopped taking notes, and am just enjoying whatever happens to be in the bowl at the time. The only doubts I'm having, is whether five years is planning/buying too far ahead. That might drop down to three. I never plan five years ahead in any other aspect of my life, and don't see why pipe tobacco should be any different. A lot can happen in three years.
Before I started this little project, I did wonder if I might slip into compulsive shopping like I did with the snuff, or quickly feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable with owning too much, like I did when my number of shaving soaps reached five.
So far, neither of those have happened.
I certainly don't regret purchasing a little ahead of consumption, now I'm satisfied there is something to the ageing lark. However, I haven't been shopping to excess either. My consumption rate has gone up a little, and I don't think I've gone more than a day without a smoke, but I've had very few days when I've had more than two bowls. I'm pretty sure I'm still under 50g per month.
Many of the tobacco samples I'm smoking, do taste like they'll improve with time, even so much as to say they're probably not ready yet. Although, not having a stash of pre-aged stuff to switch to, that's kind of tough luck. I'm still enjoying it though. I have felt a teeny bit overwhelmed with all the samples, and that has helped temper any desire to order any more just yet, but I don't feel I've bought more full tins than I should.
As I have enough for this year and next, at normal consumption rates, I haven't been in any rush to get more. However, I probably will get more later in the year, so I have more than 12 months age on it, when I come to smoke it. No pipe urges either, in respect of both purchases and disposals. Again, that might change if I find any are spending long periods of time being unused.
In short, ageing without hoarding is working!
No fear of missing out, no keeping up with the Jones', or aspirations to "upgrade" anything. No regrets either. The samples are steadily dwindling, the full tins stewing, and the pipes for the most part are getting used. I've stopped taking notes, and am just enjoying whatever happens to be in the bowl at the time. The only doubts I'm having, is whether five years is planning/buying too far ahead. That might drop down to three. I never plan five years ahead in any other aspect of my life, and don't see why pipe tobacco should be any different. A lot can happen in three years.
I congratulate you sir. I am a bit envious, although I don’t regret my accumulation of pipes and tobacco. Let me suggest it is difficult to smoke 5+ year old tobacco if you don’t plan for it. You can buy old tobacco, but it gets expensive. As an example, last evening I smoked some 10 year old Balkan Sasieni, it was sublime, all smoothed out. Admittedly, it was a a gift as I don’t have any purchased tobaccos that old. But I will.
Even if my circumstances change, I am not concerned about getting rid of the accumulation.
That all said, keep up the good work! And enjoy your smokes!
Even if my circumstances change, I am not concerned about getting rid of the accumulation.
That all said, keep up the good work! And enjoy your smokes!
I think you certainly approached this endeavor with the right mindset. Well done and congratulations, enjoy it!
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- #431
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Thanks Kelly.
Point taken on the well aged stuff. I really can't see me buying something and putting a sticker on saying don't open for 10 years though. That's over 20% of my life thus far, and I've never accurately predicted any aspect of my life 10 years out. Will I still be above ground? Will I still smoke? Who knows? Even putting "do not open till 2025" on stuff feels ridiculous. The other option is to stick within my stock limit, but "lucky dip" the consumption, which might mean a few stray tins lurk in there longer.
I think three years should be more than adequate, and if I'm not enjoying it by that point, I should just focus on blends I do enjoy.
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- #432
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Thanks Brandon. I gave up trying to do what other people enjoy, and following their paths, when I was 26. That's when I adopted the AimlessWanderer mindset, and started doing my own thing, irrespective of whether it goes with or against the prevailing flow, with no fixed commitment of duration nor destination. I didn't fully know what I wanted to achieve with this, but had a good idea what I wanted to avoid. I'm very happy so far.
Having 18 months worth of tobacco in the drawer does still feel a bit like gluttony, but having tried a few tobaccos that really do need some fermentation time, It does feel justified at this point. Whether it still feels justified with 36 months worth in the drawer, remains to be seen. Five years does now seem less valid than it did two months ago though. I've got 10 cartons of UHT milk in the cupboard, which might last me a couple of months, and even that feels a bit excessive to me
I'm really happy it's working out for you. I think three years is just about right. Who knows what's going to happen down the line. And yeah, those samples will really help keep your aging tins, well, aging.
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- #434
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Thanks Rookie.
I think I've got enough samples and other bits and bobs to see me through this year, so the first tin/pouch I open next year, will have had at least 6 months drawer time. Are you still "pay as you go", or are you starting to get ahead with your purchases?
I finally put something away. 4 ounces of Stokkebye LTF is currently aging for a year, with 3 flakes of that sitting in a baby food jar for Christmas. Those Virginia's do need time to age. As good as they are from the store, they taste green.
- Thread starter
- #436
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Done!
I've heeded what @KellyG said, and just placed an order to take me to my pre-determined limit. Well, two tins over my limit actually, which I didn't realise until completing the transaction.
Maybe I should have taken my shoes and socks off to count up first...I decided to stick to round tins for the order, as I'm led to believe they store safer, which means I've had to forego some of the Sam Gawith tobaccos which were on the list for the time being. The plan now, is reach in and pull out a tin as needed, and if I like it, it will be replaced like for like. One out, one in. If I'm not overly impressed, I'll replace it with another tin on the wishlist instead (once the total has dropped down to within my limit, of course). So the other Sammy G's will likely creep back in as time goes by.
In theory, I should end up with a drawer full of stuff I like, and nothing I don't. I've been very selective with my shopping choices too - all fairly safe bets I hope - although I've NOT stuck exclusively to the most common big name blends, just been selective on ingredients. There are less common blenders in there like Ashtons, Chieftain, and Robert Lewis. If my tastes change over time, or I find I made a bum choice, I'll have no more than one tin of any blend to worry about, and it will simply get switched to an alternative on the next order if I get bored of it before the end.
Buying now, means I should maximise the age I get on everything when I smoke it, and I'll not be opening ANY of the tins, until all the samples, jars, pouches, and miscellaneous remnants are smoked. This means the blends have no excuses! If I still don't like it after all that drawer time, it's off the list for good! Also, no duplications! I'll only start keeping multiples of anything, if I find that there aren't enough individual tins I like to hit the storage limit (highly unlikely).
I will however still be replenishing with large enough orders to offset shipping, so it might be once I've used up five tins or whatever, which leaves me scope to order in a few non-ageing tobaccos instead (aromatics, pouched/loose tobaccos etc), whilst still keeping the total amount capped. That way I'm not limiting myself to tobaccos that need ageing, but still keeping total purchases below the ceiling. I will no longer be setting specific dates for when to open stuff though, so some tins might drift past the 5 year mark, even though I won't specifically be "trying" for that.
Should my smoking days be curtailed before they're all smoked. There won't be a huge outlay gone to waste, or (worst case) too much crap for my family to dispose of. My rather humble limit is only 20 x 50g tins anyway, which might be a mere three months worth for some folks here. It is still a painful order to make right now, financially, but should (hopefully) avoid any tobaccos being harsh or "not ready", as has been the case with several of the samples tried. That's why I've taken the leap of faith now, to avoid wishing I'd left something longer. What I don't want to be doing, is trying to age stuff I've already opened, so each blend will only have one shot at winning me over and being bought again.
Hopefully, I've played it smart in terms or low risk, high reward. But if not, the stakes are low enough so as not to be too disheartened. My electric guitar cost more, and that wasn't an expensive one either...
Very nice. You're all in now! You'll like the look of a stocked drawer as well options at your fingertips. You won't regret having something nice always on hand.Done!
I've heeded what @KellyG said, and just placed an order to take me to my pre-determined limit. Well, two tins over my limit actually, which I didn't realise until completing the transaction.
I decided to stick to round tins for the order, as I'm led to believe they store safer, which means I've had to forego some of the Sam Gawith tobaccos which were on the list for the time being. The plan now, is reach in and pull out a tin as needed, and if I like it, it will be replaced like for like. One out, one in. If I'm not overly impressed, I'll replace it with another tin on the wishlist instead (once the total has dropped down to within my limit, of course). So the other Sammy G's will likely creep back in as time goes by.
In theory, I should end up with a drawer full of stuff I like, and nothing I don't. I've been very selective with my shopping choices too - all fairly safe bets I hope - although I've NOT stuck exclusively to the most common big name blends, just been selective on ingredients. There are less common blenders in there like Ashtons, Chieftain, and Robert Lewis. If my tastes change over time, or I find I made a bum choice, I'll have no more than one tin of any blend to worry about, and it will simply get switched to an alternative on the next order if I get bored of it before the end.
Buying now, means I should maximise the age I get on everything when I smoke it, and I'll not be opening ANY of the tins, until all the samples, jars, pouches, and miscellaneous remnants are smoked. This means the blends have no excuses! If I still don't like it after all that drawer time, it's off the list for good! Also, no duplications! I'll only start keeping multiples of anything, if I find that there aren't enough individual tins I like to hit the storage limit (highly unlikely).
I will however still be replenishing with large enough orders to offset shipping, so it might be once I've used up five tins or whatever, which leaves me scope to order in a few non-ageing tobaccos instead (aromatics, pouched/loose tobaccos etc), whilst still keeping the total amount capped. That way I'm not limiting myself to tobaccos that need ageing, but still keeping total purchases below the ceiling. I will no longer be setting specific dates for when to open stuff though, so some tins might drift past the 5 year mark, even though I won't specifically be "trying" for that.
Should my smoking days be curtailed before they're all smoked. There won't be a huge outlay gone to waste, or (worst case) too much crap for my family to dispose of. My rather humble limit is only 20 x 50g tins anyway, which might be a mere three months worth for some folks here. It is still a painful order to make right now, financially, but should (hopefully) avoid any tobaccos being harsh or "not ready", as has been the case with several of the samples tried. That's why I've taken the leap of faith now, to avoid wishing I'd left something longer. What I don't want to be doing, is trying to age stuff I've already opened, so each blend will only have one shot at winning me over and being bought again.
Hopefully, I've played it smart in terms or low risk, high reward. But if not, the stakes are low enough so as not to be too disheartened. My electric guitar cost more, and that wasn't an expensive one either...
- Thread starter
- #438
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Cheers. The biggest challenge will probably be having no more than three tins open at any time
I'll post pics (of course) when they land
Why to go, AimlessWanderer! It's been really fun tagging along on that journey with you. But I'm glad you finally pulled the trigger! I know you'll be happy with your purchases.
And for God's sake, man! Do not look at a fully stocked drawer! Mrs. Rookie is going through that now. All her wine is right there in the dining room. She has to see these wonderful boutique and limited run wines after she opens something not as nice as she remembers. So easy to open this one instead. Stay strong!
And for God's sake, man! Do not look at a fully stocked drawer! Mrs. Rookie is going through that now. All her wine is right there in the dining room. She has to see these wonderful boutique and limited run wines after she opens something not as nice as she remembers. So easy to open this one instead. Stay strong!
- Thread starter
- #440
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Cheers Rookie
Well if I'm not going to look at the drawer, the selection will truly be lucky dip
I think the only reason for opening another tin before it's time, will be if I've aborted on a blend and ditched something into the reject jar. I've even started grabbing one of the samples at random, and sticking with that till it's gone, because I was starting to get decision fatigue trying to choose something every time.The aim will be to have three tins open at any time. At least half will be transferred to a small glass jar, or maybe almost all of it split between two, with just a small amount kept in the tin. That way, I'm not exposing the entire contents to the air with each bowl, so it shouldn't dry out too fast, but I'll always have a choice of three to hand, and only need to start picking through for the next tin when one is finished.
Only a few of the tins I've ordered are tobaccos I've already sampled. Most are new to me, and chosen based on what I learned from the samples, so the adventure continues...
