How Many Open Tins at Once?

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CyrilLucar

CyrilLucar

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Here's a question from a Newbie:

I smoke about once a day and I currently have four open tins. It was five until yesterday when I gave up on some Moontrance and gave it to my friend bob (who likes to puff but is short on cash). I'm thinking that I maybe smoke slightly more than a tin a month. I've only been smoking since January and I'm not sure on that number, but I pulled it from an article that said that a 2 oz tin fills an average bowl 30 times. That means that my tins will be open about three months by the time I finish them since I tend to move between them.

I haven't yet got to the point where I've "cellared" much tobacco, so all of this is basically new baccy (and the Old Dublin is a LOT better two months after opening).

My question is, how many tins do you have open at once? Do you smoke through a tin straight before moving to the next? How fast do you go through the tins? And I wonder if that 30 bowl thing I read was accurate?
 
Muhahah... Okay. I calculate that I get 8 bowls out of a 2 oz tin, so I must have bigger pipes than you.

That notwithstanding, I have about 20 tins open. When I get a pound of tobacco, or a tin that doesn't seal well, I move it to mason jars. The screw-top type tins are usually pretty good for 6 months or so. How much toby (how much airspace) you have in the tin is a factor too.

I have kind of a "practical necessity" approach - I'll open a tin if I don't feel like smoking what I have open - likewise if I have something I don't like I don't make much of an effort to finish it before opening a new tin - who gives a crap - I smoke for enjoyment, not for the gratification of finishing any particular tin.
 
My spreadsheet shows I've 26 different blends open just now.
Some such as the G&H Dark Flake scented, SG 1792 and that ilk don't see but perhaps 1 bowl in a month.
Of those open it looks as though 15 or so see regular duty. 3 different VaPers, a variety of Latakia blends, some different Va flake and blends....

I enjoy the variety far to much to be able to smoke a single tobac. I range from 2 to 3 bowls a day during the week, never know how many I'll enjoy of a weekend, rarely smoke the same thing twice in a row.
If I were to ever find my "Holy Grail" tobacco that might change but for now, variety rules!
 
A perennially favorite thread. Here is the current open rotation:

Hearth & Home Louisiana Red, 2009
Ashton Black Parrot, 2000
McClelland Club Selection Boston 1776, 2009
Ashton Pebblecut, 1999
Rattray's Brown Clunee, ca. 1996

Summertime, obviously.


 
I don't dare count how many open tins I have on the shelf. But I'm sure it's over 20. So as they say "Variety is the spice of Life", and I guess it is in my case. Kind of nice to just grab whatever suits your mood.
 
I have at least 50 open tins ATM. Variety is the spice of life! All of them are in Mason jars so they will stay fresh.
Everything from Three Nuns and Capstan to HOTW. From Stonehaven to Haunted Bookshop.
I am not a one blend kind of guy. :geek:
 
I have 8 tins open, and they last until I smoke all the tobacco in them, which varies based on how much I like a blend. Since I like very dry tobacco, I keep the tobacco in the tins, and it slowly dries to the moisture level I prefer.
 
Over ten, maybe well over. And it wasn't long ago that I'd generally have only one open at a given time.
 
Probably a dozen. keep your open tins in perspective; my experience is that tins start to dry out afer a month or so and lose quality after two, despite the best of intentions.
 
Tim is oh soooo right. That is why I open only one tin at a time. I rotate smokes from my bulk bell jars and I cycle in only one tin at a time until the tin is done. Now I'm working on a tin of Maltese Falcon. When it's all smoked my on deck tin is Blue Mountain. After that a tin of McBaren's HH Highland is next up at the plate followed by Balkan Sasieni. Whoever said life was dull never enjoyed a pipe.
 
Tim is oh soooo right. That is why I open only one tin at a time. I rotate smokes from my 10 bulk bell jars and I cycle in only one tin at a time until the tin is done. Now I'm working on a tin of Maltese Falcon. When it's all smoked my on deck tin is Blue Mountain. After that a tin of McBaren's HH Highland is next up at the plate followed by Balkan Sasieni. Whoever said life was dull never enjoyed a pipe.
 
Tim_Haggerty":ijbh8fdq said:
Probably a dozen. keep your open tins in perspective; my experience is that tins start to dry out afer a month or so and lose quality after two, despite the best of intentions.
Click to expand...
Not a concern here with drying out. I primarily purchase bulk and so it follows I've more than a few mason jars.
For the blends that aren't available in other than a tin, same thing. Pop the tin and put the contents in a jar.
I've as yet to have an issue with a large number of different blends in rotation suffering any ill effect. (-:

 
Krusty":31o72wh9 said:
Tim_Haggerty":31o72wh9 said:
Probably a dozen. keep your open tins in perspective; my experience is that tins start to dry out afer a month or so and lose quality after two, despite the best of intentions.
Click to expand...
Not a concern here with drying out. I primarily purchase bulk and so it follows I've more than a few mason jars.
For the blends that aren't available in other than a tin, same thing. Pop the tin and put the contents in a jar.
I've as yet to have an issue with a large number of different blends in rotation suffering any ill effect. (-:
Click to expand...
I just polished off a tin of Key Largo that had been open for 4 months. The last bowl was perhaps even better than the first IMHO. I think tabac likes a little airtime to "breathe" in some cases. Flakes seem to show more change than ribbon cut in that regard.
 
A fellow Chattanoogan: how wonderful. My current rotation of open tins is:

1. 1970 Balkan Sobranie Original Mixture
2. 2009 Penzance
3. 2006 Red Ribbon
4. 2007 Haddo's Delight
5. 2010 Frog Morton

I also normally rotate McClellands Red Cake and Fragrant Mature Cake in bulk also. If they start to go dry I simply rehydrate and move into Mason Jars.

I personally find opening more tins than that and trying to truly evaluate each tobacco is an exercise in futility and somewhat daunting.
 
Living in the Pac NW as I do, being concerned about low humidity is never an issue....lol!

That said, I don't sweat having open tins around for any set length of time. I figure if I'm not going to finish off a tin in a couple months or so it'll go into a mason jar. After that no worries whatsoever. Having an open tin dry out too much has yet to happen to me.

Right now I probably have something like a bit less than 10 tins open (can't be bothered to go count). Plenty of bulk stuff in masons and odds and ends too.

Frankly, some of the flakes I get (such as Stonehead and anything Gawith) are so overhumidified it takes several days exposed in a saucer in my kitchen to get them to a decent moisture content.

In fact sometimes they refuse to dry out sufficiently, and then I have to resort to "plan B" whereby I add a pinch of 5 Brothers shag to the top as "tinder".

Got some Stonehead drying right now. Figure it's gonna require the tinder technique again tonight. Yet, the extra little blast of the 5 Bros isn't a bad deal at all....knowwhatImean?



Cheers,

RR
 
I divide my open tins between my extra strong blends, and I have about 12 open, and other tins, probably about 20 open. I really do avoid opening this and that when I have so many selections already open. I have an unopened tin of JackKnife Plug staring at me on the counter, but so far I have resisted.
 
Currently open jars/tins:

Tins:
Cumberland
Bobs Chocolate flake
Skiff mixture
Frog Across the pond
1792 flake
Briar fox
Astley's 109

Jars:
FVF
Stonehaven
Luxury Bullseye
Luxury navy
2015
Some real old OGS

And most of the tins are almost done. Time to crack some new ones soon!
 
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