What a difference a year makes

[idbowman]

As recently as about a year ago, I hadn't given much thought to long-term cellaring, either for aging or for cost-hedging purposes.

It's taken just over 12 months since I started the process, and I just hit the 7.5 pound mark, not counting the pound or so of bulk blends that aren't actually cellared but that only get dipped into once in a blue moon. I know this is child's play compared to what a lot of you have, but it's a whole lot more than my old "two tins open, one tin in reserve" plan!

Anyway, 7.5lb feels pretty good. I'm working on setting aside some more space - with the way things are going (price, legislation, etc.), I figure it can't hurt to keep rolling. I'm hoping to be up to 15 pounds by my birthday in May.

 

[s.ireland]

:cheers:

Keep it goin'!

Just remember: you can never have enough :twisted:

Are there one or two blends that you're focusing on more than others?

 

[idbowman]

Until now, no...it's been a matter of trying a bunch of blends out while I build a cellar full of this and that. As I start to move the 10 and 15 pound milestones, it's all about bulking up on the blends I smoke pretty regularly: OGS, Frog Morton, Embarcadero, Haddo's.

 

[user 2027]

So in sealed tins I don't see how cellaring will change the tobacco flavor. But I do agree on cellaring to stave off price increases and the mythical mayan prediction of a tobaccalypse of FDA power. My rabbit hole has started and plan on adding some other blends to the mix I got to try this weekend.

 

[idbowman]

So in sealed tins I don't see how cellaring will change the tobacco flavor.

Try a VA/VaPer/VaLat blend fresh from the tin, then try the same blend with three, four, or more years of age (age meaning unopened, still sealed, in the tin). More often than not, they're worlds apart.

 

[kaiser83]

Congrats and keep on cellaring brother. 7.5 pounds is nothing to scoff at, it'll definitely last you a while.

So in sealed tins I don't see how cellaring will change the tobacco flavor.

Try a VA/VaPer/VaLat blend fresh from the tin, then try the same blend with three, four, or more years of age (age meaning unopened, still sealed, in the tin). More often than not, they're worlds apart.

Exactly. I have bought some old tins that were a world different than a brand new one.

 

[user 2027]

Quality from year to year of the blend is going to be different so I know there will be differences. But with a vacuum sealed tin I don't see how the tobac will age.

From G.L. Pease FAQ

Q: What about vacuum sealing?

A: Vacuum sealing is great for vegetables and coffee, but is pointless for tobacco. Tobacco needs some air to be locked in with it , at least to begin with, in order for it to age. A perfectly vacuum sealed container will likely keep the tobacco "fresh," but it may not really age the way we expect it to. I'm more than a little suspicious about the heavy plastic "bags" used by most of these machines. They hold moisture in just fine, but they really don't prevent gas exchange, and I'm not sure they're truly able to stand the test of time. Tins are best. Jars are a close second. The special high barrier bags we used for a while for our 8oz packaging have several layers, each designed to be impenetrable to a different sort of molecule. I've conducted extended tests with this material, and am satisified that the tobacco will age nearly, if not as well as in the tins, at least for the short term. They are only slightly evacuted to facilitate packing and sealing. For best long-term aging, though, I still recommend tins.

 

[kaiser83]

Uh...last sentence of what Mr. Pease wrote in what you just posted.
Seems to me it would just be the way the different tobaccos merge flavors together over time while in the tins. They just sort of mesh to make awesomeness. Just my thoughts though.

 

[user 2027]

Yeah the last line kind of contradicts the first line doesn't it?

I was also talking a guy from Savinelli some time ago and he made the same statement that vacuum sealed tins wouldn't age the tobacco. Since I have no experience, I guess I will have to try it myself!

 

[kaiser83]

Definitely, I am sure you could trade for some aged stuff with brothers here. Otherwise www.pipestud.com always has aged tins for sale and his stock shifts all the time.

 

[idbowman]

Geoff, that applies to bulk tobaccos or tobaccos from opened tins. Once the initial seal has been broken, and the tobacco has been exposed to oxygen the chemical processes of aging is entirely different, but both processes result in aging.

Here's an excerpt from that exact same GLP article you quoted (literally the paragraph before the one you posted )

Q: What's the best way to store tobacco for aging?

A: Ideally, tobacco should be left in its original sealed tin, and stored in a cool, dry place. It's important to realize that storage in plastic bags and the like, while allowing the tobacco to "meld," will prevent the true aging process. Plastic bags are permeable to small molecules. (Water, while not a very large molecule, is polarized, and has a hard time penetrating the barrier formed by the plastic.) If you can smell the contents through the bag, you're losing flavor and aroma! Mason jars, bail-top jars and so on are good candidates for long term storage, as long as you can resist the urge to open them to "check up" on what's happening. Aging tobacco must be left alone, with no gas exchange allowed. Once an aged tin is open, the contents should either be smoked relatively quickly, or transferred to a jar with a good seal.

Also from GLP: http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/ask-g-l-pease/ask-g-l-pease-march-2012-volume-11/#more-5784

When the tins are manufactured, they are partially evacuated to create a tight fitting seal between the rubber gasket around the lid’s circumference and the top of the bottom part of the tin. The tobacco is also packed much more tightly into the tins. This effectively does something similar to pressing the leaf, creating greater contact between the strands of different tobacco types, and the depletion of available oxygen encourages a different type of "aging" process. The tobacco, once produced, spends quite a bit of time in those tins before it finally gets to you, just because of shipping and handling times, so a lot is happening inside those little flat Petri dishes.

The bulk blend, on the other hand, is just bagged and shipped. No evacuation, and the thin films of the bags, though relatively impermeable to water, are less proof against gas exchange, so the internal environment is not as stable as it is within the tins. After as little as a few weeks, the differences can be pronounced, and it’s certain that much more time than that passes before the tins or bags reach you after their manufacture.

There are plenty of other articles if you do a google search (or search the forums)...but yeah, tobacco ages in tins quite well. The only way to really have a blend "fresh" is to smoke it when you buy it.


Edit: Others posted before I got this up, but I'll leave the post here in case anyone else is interested. Also, if anyone is really interested, I'm pretty sure I've seen far better threads on this topic elsewhere on the BoB forum if you feel like having a look around.

 

[user 2027]

Well I will start dating the tins cuz over the next year I plan on stocking up!

 

[user 2027]

Saw this reply on Tobacco Reviews on the Jackknife plug. Guess I will sit on my tin! LOL

Yes, it's a plug. But both this and JackKnife are what I call a soft plug. After you slice it if you just crush it lightly in your palm you're left with a mass of soft, moist leaves...stuff 'em into your bowl and go for it. I do a kind of fast sip and it produces no bite with this blend. The flavor is all VA...very good quality...sweet and fairly full...seemingly pure. A solid addition to any cellar. Great to use outside as you can adjust the cut to suit the level of the wind...nice. I wish Stonehaven came in a plug.
But wait! There's one more thing. Let this sit in the tin for 6 months...or longer...and it friggin' blooms into the best damn Virginia experience this side of heaven. It doesn't just get more and more mellow, it makes men fear you...women want you...you know the drill. Better cellar some soon. Just sayin'.

 

[idbowman]

Found a few tins I'd forgot to include when I put together my cellar list (I'm using tobaccocellar.com - anyone else using this?). I also added 2 tins of MacB Navy flake and 2 more tins of Embarcadero after stopping at the B&M this weekend. I'm almost at the 9 pound mark, and feeling damn good about it!

 

[user 2031]

Found a few tins I'd forgot to include when I put together my cellar list (I'm using tobaccocellar.com - anyone else using this?). I also added 2 tins of MacB Navy flake and 2 more tins of Embarcadero after stopping at the B&M this weekend. I'm almost at the 9 pound mark, and feeling damn good about it!

Just joined after seeing this... tomorrow I'll try to figure it out and add some tobaccos to mine. :lol:

I've seen one of the other members here using it too...

 

[gravel]

Re: tobaccocellar.com

Kaiser, Fishfuzz, joeluka, doody, DrT, and myself use it. I'm sure there are more.

 

[derlict311]

You're in trouble, man. I'm right behind you, spending about every spare minute cruising the internet for old tins and considering buying others. Obsession? Yes, thank you.