This Old Tin - Dud or Gem?

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PipeGeek

PipeGeek

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Yesterday I picked up a tin of McCelland Bombay Court I found at a B&M in Los Altos, California. It looks a little dusty, but the seal is intact, so I didn't think much of it.

There is a number on the bottom of the tin: 350699

From what I've been able to dig up, the first two numbers ar the blend (so #35 is Bombay Court), the second two numbers are the batch number, and the last two numbers are the year of manufacture.

So this dusty old tin has been sitting in the store a while, and this tobacco has been sealed in the tin for... 12-13 years?

Am I right in thinking I just picked up a well-aged 12-year Bombay Court? Or is this going to turn out to be a dud and I wasted my money? Again, the seal IS intact.
 
Sounds like you may have THE tin of Bombay Court! Just PM me and I'll send you my address so you can send it to me so that I can check it out for you :p You wouldn't want to ghost one of your pipes with a FANTASTIC smoke would you? What's wrong with you! OPEN that puppy up and SMOKE it!! :cheers:
 
Smoke it now! My own experience with McClelland lat blends is that they begin to die at about the 12 year mark. It won't ever get any better than it is now, but it will begin to decline.
 
monbla256":on62oo9t said:
Sounds like you may have THE tin of Bombay Court! Just PM me and I'll send you my address so you can send it to me so that I can check it out for you :p You wouldn't want to ghost one of your pipes with a FANTASTIC smoke would you? What's wrong with you! OPEN that puppy up and SMOKE it!! :cheers:
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Priceless!
 
I read somewhere around here exactly what Puff Daddy was sayin'. I say dig into the sumbeech and... please... give us a full report. 8)
 
:shock: WOW.

Okay, here's the plan:

For the tin I have, I'm going to wait until I can get home to open it. I don't want to trust the plastic lid that the tin has to keep what I have fresh as I smoke it. I know it's only 3 more days until I get home, but I want to get it into a jar ASAP. I may open it Thursday night though (I fly home EARLY on Friday).

Also, I'm going to go back to the shop and see if they have some more tins of this stuff. I have the impression there were 1 or 2 more tins there.

I've never been this excited about smoking a bowl!
 
PipeGeek":bfzqoq67 said:
:shock: WOW.

Okay, here's the plan:

For the tin I have, I'm going to wait until I can get home to open it. I don't want to trust the plastic lid that the tin has to keep what I have fresh as I smoke it. I know it's only 3 more days until I get home, but I want to get it into a jar ASAP. I may open it Thursday night though (I fly home EARLY on Friday).

Also, I'm going to go back to the shop and see if they have some more tins of this stuff. I have the impression there were 1 or 2 more tins there.

I've never been this excited about smoking a bowl!
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First: BUY EVERY TIN THEY HAVE OF THIS STUFF :p
Second: OPEN THE TIN NOW!! Smoke a bowl BEFORE you go home!! Close the tin up, put it ,closed tin, in a baggie or a sock in your luggage and re-jar when you get home. It will NOT loose anything till then :p
Third: keep out in plain site and smoke just THIS blend till it's gone then continue with the others :p
 
Mussolini has moved to Texas and is enjoying his retirement, but there's grains of truth mixed in with his goosestep remarks...:lol:

...it might be a good idea to get the other tins, in case you like it, or if you might want good trading fodder for later--folks here love that aged stuff. 8) Just make sure the cans are intact, as you already well know. Hopefully they ain't dry as all getup.
 
Depends on the price. These McClelland tins with that kind of age can be had for around $20 give or take on line, with some patience. If you're paying more than that in the store, you may not recoup your investment. But, if it's only a couple of tins, and you don't just love the stuff, what a superb Secret Santa gift one of those tins would make come Christmas :)
 
Okay, I just sat down after stopping by the store again. I got 3 more tins!

Here's the total score:

8oz Tin, 1997
4oz Tin, 1999 x2
4oz Tin, 2003

At monbla256's urging, I decided to open the 1997 8oz tin. It smells AMAZING, and yes, it is still moist! I am positively giddy!

I won't have a chance to smoke it until before or after dinner, but I will get a bowl in tonight!
 
Let us know how it goes, i'd be tickled to see how this ends up. Also, hooray first post!
 
Great score, Pipegeek! There's nothing better than finding some old dusty tins at a B&M! I'm jealous right now! Although I've come across my fair share of aged tins

And please do report back once you've smoked a bowl or three :cheers:
 
Kyle Weiss":6oemcsew said:
Mussolini has moved to Texas and is enjoying his retirement, but there's grains of truth mixed in with his goosestep remarks...:lol:
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I've been giggling like a moron all day at the name "Benito Monbalini". :p
 
George Kaplan":fuy6209u said:
Kyle Weiss":fuy6209u said:
Mussolini has moved to Texas and is enjoying his retirement, but there's grains of truth mixed in with his goosestep remarks...:lol:
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I've been giggling like a moron all day at the name "Benito Monbalini". :p
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Now we're both giggling like morons. :lol: :cheers:
 
He's still pondering the nicotine content... :drunken: :drunken: :drunken: :lol:

8)
 
Nah, just a busy week.

I've smoked two bowls of the 1997 this week, but I haven't developed the pallet quite yet to give a good review. It's still moist, though not overly so. Packs well, lights well, though I did have to relight a couple of times tonight. It burned a little quicker than I'd expected, but it smells great and was a very enjoyable smoke.
 
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