Ageing without hoarding

[AimlessWanderer]

I don't hoard pipe tobacco. I'm a buy as you go type person. I did go overkill with snuff though, particularly during the EU TPD fiasco, and ended up with a snuff hoard I might never finish. It all cost peanuts though, and I was picking up 500g tubs for £15 at one point.

Pipe tobacco is WAY more expensive over here, with NO discounts for buying in bulk. I have neither the cash nor the intention to repeat what I did with snuff. I already feel like enough of an idiot for having done it once. However, some of the snuffs have aged/mellowed quite nicely, and I'm toying with the idea of aging a little pipe tobacco WITHOUT hoarding.

As an occasional smoker, I might only buy the equivalent of four or five tins per year anyway. I wondered if it might be worth vac packing four or five tins, with a slip of paper saying "to be opened in 20xx". The question is, what date should go on it?

If 5 years, then this year I'd be buying for 2025, and next year I'd buy for 2026, so I'm never buying more than two year's tobacco in a year, and only till the first vac pack is opened. Then I would only be buying for the future, as I'd already have the stuff to smoke that year. The other option would be to age half that, so I'm consuming half aged, and half fresh.

Any thoughts? Anyone else got a system for ageing without hoarding?

I've also got doubt in my mind as to whether I'll still be smoking in five years, and what my tastes might be. I don't know what food I'll want to eat tomorrow, let alone what I might want to smoke in five years. A minimalist tobacco time capsule helps lessen potential waste due to future lack of interest or being hit by a bus or global pandemic.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

What do you usually like to smoke? If you're into aros or predominantly burley blends, then it won't benefit you much to age the tins.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Good question. I'd only look at keeping "tobacco flavoured" ones. Squadron Leader is a favourite of mine, but that's one that I can happily smoke fresh. On the flip side, I smoked one of the flakes (either Best Brown or No.7, can't be 100% sure) a few years ago, and that seemed like it would me a good candidate for mellowing out. It seemed a bit too raw (hard to describe) smoked fresh. The only tobaccos I've tried that I really didn't like were 1792 Flake and Commonwealth Mixture. They were far too heavy for me.

I've currently got three sealed tins, Full Virginia Flake, Best Brown, and CH (Chocolate) Flake. I haven't tried the Full Virginia yet, but general consensus seems to be that it tastes better with a few years on it. I do like some aromatics too, but would stick with "pay as you go" for those.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

The other option would be to age half that, so I'm consuming half aged, and half fresh.

What do you usually like to smoke? If you're into aros or predominantly burley blends, then it won't benefit you much to age the tins.

I do like some aromatics too, but would stick with "pay as you go" for those.

Thanks Erik. You've now got me thinking three tins per year might be a sensible amount for me to set aside. That still leaves me thinking about which, for how long, and when, but it's a decisive step forward.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

If you like FVF and BBF age those. They get great. Squadron Leader with some age can help but it doesn't need much. Virginia blends and blends with more Virginia change the most.

 

[Scarry Knight]

Have you ever put your stash up with a wedge of dehydrated apple, pear, or orange set into it?

 

[nortac]

As an infrequent smoker, I've horded WAY too much unless I live to 120. FOMO played a big hand in it with the potential jeopardy of anti-baccy legislation.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Have you ever put your stash up with a wedge of dehydrated apple, pear, or orange set into it?

No. Once it's open, it gets used. I've never set any pipe tobacco aside before.

 

[nortac]

But I certainly don't regret "hording" 10 each, 100 gm tins of FMC and FMOTT as they are no longer available. I wish I had done that with other McClelland varieties as I was totally blindsided by their going out of business.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

As an infrequent smoker, I've horded WAY too much unless I live to 120. FOMO played a big hand in it with the potential jeopardy of anti-baccy legislation.

Yeah, that's exactly what led to my obsessive snuff shopping, and what left me feeling very stupid. If I do choose to put some pipe tobacco aside for future, it will be done with caution and moderation. I don't want to be left feeling silly for over-shopping again.

I have also considered getting a couple of sampler sets to help me choose which to stash away. I'll either choose those which I think might benefit from mellowing, or those which I enjoy smoking fresh, and which won't deteriorate over time. Any of the samples I don't like, I'll ditch in a "Pensioners Mixture" jar. That worked well with snuffs I didn't like, and I ended up with a very large and very pleasant jar of Frenken-snuff.

But I certainly don't regret "hording" 10 each, 100 gm tins of FMC and FMOTT as they are no longer available. I wish I had done that with other McClelland varieties as I was totally blindsided by their going out of business.

Sorry, I don't speak Acronym. I've got no idea what those are. I do take your point though, and do have some snuffs that are now unobtainable that I'm glad to have a stash of. That said, there's also others which although I really like them, and wish were still in production, I'll not be too upset when they're used, as I'll still have plenty of others I enjoy.

Likewise, if a pipe tobacco I like goes out of production, I'll just find something else I like. I don't want to be making life choices out of fear.

 

[nortac]

But more to your point, I think that buying tree times as much as you think you will use in a years time of a given blend to start off with would keep you with at least two years worth to age. Repeat that yearly for two more years until you have some that will be at least 5 yr.s old when you get to it, then back off to yearly amounts. This assumes that the blend has enough Virginia in it to benefit from that amount of aging. If it is a blend that may only "mellow out" or "meld", then the amounts could be adjusted accordingly. Just don't wait until your desired blends are no longer available.

 

[nortac]

FMC = Frog Morton Cellar, FMOTT=Frog Morton On The Town, both extinct McClelland blends.

 

[steveclarkus]

I don't hoard pipe tobacco. I'm a buy as you go type person. I did go overkill with snuff though, particularly during the EU TPD fiasco, and ended up with a snuff hoard I might never finish. It all cost peanuts though, and I was picking up 500g tubs for £15 at one point.

Pipe tobacco is WAY more expensive over here, with NO discounts for buying in bulk. I have neither the cash nor the intention to repeat what I did with snuff. I already feel like enough of an idiot for having done it once. However, some of the snuffs have aged/mellowed quite nicely, and I'm toying with the idea of aging a little pipe tobacco WITHOUT hoarding.

As an occasional smoker, I might only buy the equivalent of four or five tins per year anyway. I wondered if it might be worth vac packing four or five tins, with a slip of paper saying "to be opened in 20xx". The question is, what date should go on it?

If 5 years, then this year I'd be buying for 2025, and next year I'd buy for 2026, so I'm never buying more than two year's tobacco in a year, and only till the first vac pack is opened. Then I would only be buying for the future, as I'd already have the stuff to smoke that year. The other option would be to age half that, so I'm consuming half aged, and half fresh.

Any thoughts? Anyone else got a system for ageing without hoarding?

I've also got doubt in my mind as to whether I'll still be smoking in five years, and what my tastes might be. I don't know what food I'll want to eat tomorrow, let alone what I might want to smoke in five years. A minimalist tobacco time capsule helps lessen potential waste due to future lack of interest or being hit by a bus or global pandemic.

Since the same federal tax rate that was on cigarettes was also out on all other tobacco products in the US, pipe tobacco is expensive here as well. I rarely smoke a pipe now. I treat myself to a Cuban cigar
occasionally as they are had with no tax or duty. I have enough snuff for the rest of my life I believe - most English products. Really good stuff that snuff!

 

[AimlessWanderer]

But more to your point, I think that buying tree times as much as you think you will use in a years time of a given blend to start off with would keep you with at least two years worth to age. Repeat that yearly for two more years until you have some that will be at least 5 yr.s old when you get to it, then back off to yearly amounts. This assumes that the blend has enough Virginia in it to benefit from that amount of aging. If it is a blend that may only "mellow out" or "meld", then the amounts could be adjusted accordingly. Just don't wait until your desired blends are no longer available.

OK, so you suggest buy for now, plus two future years, and repeat for three years, and having a general cellar rather than buying for set years. So when I drop down to yearly buying again, there's a six year stash... 18 tins if I stuck to smoking half aged and half fresh.


That's probably not too excessive. A 20 tin (1kg) limit is probably the outermost limit of what I could justify without wanting to punch myself in the throat for being an idiot again.

As to the ageing time, will everything noticeably Virginia heavy change over five years, or am I likely to think I might as well have smoked it earlier? If five years only has a 50% hit rate, I think I'd be straying outside my rationality again, and should probably just stick to stuff I enjoy smoking factory fresh.

 

[nortac]

I am by no means an expert on aging as I've only been at this for about seven years. There are many threads on aging tobacco and I believe the general consensus is that Virginia prominent blends benefit the most, this would of course include VaPers such as Escudo. Two years would be minimal for making a noticeable difference, five years a significant difference and ten years you're heading towards Nirvana. At least that is my take from what I've read on this forum, but again my experience is limited. So I would only use my proposed tactic on favorites that are known to benefit from aging. I'm not trying to enable you to buy more than you will need, you should obviously tailor my suggestions as you see fit depending on your budget and how badly you want a given blend to be well aged by the time you get around to smoking it. If you're happy with smoking fresh then the discussion is mute. Also your tastes may (will) change over time. There certainly is a learning curve when it comes to deciding when to stock deep versus when and what to pick up occasionally as opportunity permits.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Since the same federal tax rate that was on cigarettes was also out on all other tobacco products in the US, pipe tobacco is expensive here as well. I rarely smoke a pipe now. I treat myself to a Cuban cigar
occasionally as they are had with no tax or duty. I have enough snuff for the rest of my life I believe - most English products. Really good stuff that snuff!

Almost all mine are English, Steve. I do have some Super Kailash and Anarkali I think, but the bulk of the bulk are Wilsons, Sam Gawith, and Toque. I think there's about 5kg in jars, and a couple more kilos in tins.

 

[never-stop-learning]

No pipes here (yet ), but I do age my cigars. Have some from before 2000.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

I am by no means an expert on aging as I've only been at this for about seven years. There are many threads on aging tobacco and I believe the general consensus is that Virginia prominent blends benefit the most, this would of course include VaPers such as Escudo. Two years would be minimal for making a noticeable difference, five years a significant difference and ten years you're heading towards Nirvana. At least that is my take from what I've read on this forum, but again my experience is limited. So I would only use my proposed tactic on favorites that are known to benefit from aging. I'm not trying to enable you to buy more than you will need, you should obviously tailor my suggestions as you see fit depending on your budget and how badly you want a given blend to be well aged by the time you get around to smoking it. If you're happy with smoking fresh then the discussion is mute. Also your tastes may (will) change over time. There certainly is a learning curve when it comes to deciding when to stock deep versus when and what to pick up occasionally as opportunity permits.

Absolutely! I'll certainly be looking to "personalise" any suggestions made

 

[AimlessWanderer]

No pipes here (yet ), but I do age my cigars. Have some from before 2000.

Thankfully cigars aren't on the agenda As a cigar or two might cost what a tin of pipe tobacco does, I'll be sticking to pipes. Also, pipes let me choose how much I want to smoke in a sitting, rather than being predetermined like cigars and cigarettes. Even then, I very often leave half the bowl for smoking later.

 

[nortac]

Case in point, I began adding a few tins of Escudo with every order until I had ten tins, as suggested by @Price and others. I waited to try Escudo until I had a tin that was two years old. It was good but it didn't blow me away, but I had never had it fresh and was new to VaPers in general. I had some Dunhill Nightcap that I had jarred and although I liked it fresh, I set it aside and tried it again at 4 years of aging and it was significantly better. While I don't smoke it very often, I did stock up on it, both tins and bulk, enough so that I will never have to buy it again.