The Satisfaction Of An Empty Tin

ghostsofpompeii

There is nothing more satisfying yet disheartening for me than removing that last pinch of tobacco from the bottom of a tin. Before the transition from casual pipe smoker to pipe enthusiast an empty tin or pouch of tobacco was once reason to panic, but after building up a tobacco cellar which I may never need to replenish, an empty tin is a satisfying sense of accomplishment. One down - a whole lot more to go. I just finished a tin of Cult Militia - and although I thoroughly enjoyed every bowl - the flavor profile is so similar to other blends in my cellar that I doubt I'll buy another. I pulled out a tin of Captain Black Midnight Gold and found it surprisingly similar to Cult Militia in both tin and room note as well as flavor.

I came into this hobby at a time when rumors of the FDA Deeming Regulations threatened the future of the pipe tobacco industry. So an over-reaction on my part triggered a 12 month buying spree, leading to the culmination of several pounds of tobacco and nearly 100 blends. But now in retrospect after the initial shock and embarrassment of my overindulgence is over I realize the investment has been made ... and paid in full. So regardless of what the future has in store for the tobacco industry - I'm covered. And for others out there, like myself, feeling a little guilty for amassing a cellar full of tobacco that may seem hard to justify ... this may prove to be a wise investment after all. I bought and paid for it when I had the cash to spare. So now and in the future, what-ever my cash flow situation might be, I can enjoy a relaxing smoke at my leisure without spending another dime. So I guess the moral of my tale of overindulgence is - if you got the extra cash build up your cellar now while you can.

As for me, I'm looking forward to that next empty tin.

mapletop

@ghostsofpompeii

I share your viewpoint though I am not as far along as you are.

In my humble opinion the long view is simply a hedge against all those things you can't control, and in this instance it not going to lose it value and it something you enjoy.

Having worked a high stress project management position for over a decade before walking away; the biggest take away from that experience was, You Can't Put A Price On Happiness

TtWmIATA

@ghostsofpompeii - There is a comfort in having a cellar well stocked, especially consisting of varieties that will benefit from long-term aging --Virginia and orientals.  For me the demise of the last area tobacconist motivated me to create a cellar years ago.  So very glad I did, but there are still some empty tins that can make me sad since the blends or companies have since been discontinued.

PappyJoe

@ghostsofpompeii - For me, the satisfaction of an empty tin is the ability to open a new tin. My personal discipline is such that If I get more than a few tins opened at any one time I start panicking about which blend to smoke. Thankfully, I move most of my blends into mason jars so I don't have to worry about them drying out.

Though I started pipe smoking 46 years ago, I never dove off the deep-end of pipe tobacco acquisition until about 7 or 8 years ago. In the early days, I would by a pouch from the drug store or a few ounces of bulk from a tobacconist - usually Tinder Box - and smoke that until it was gone. Now I usually order two tins of each blend, open one and drop the other in the cellar to be forgotten as I try something new to me.

ghostsofpompeii

@PappyJoe One of the benefits of smoking the goopy aromatics I enjoy is they remain moist enough to leave in the tin for several months after opening.  

ghostsofpompeii

Speaking of goopy aromatics I just finished a tin of East Indian Trading Company Cellar Reserve. Now I'm not complaining that this was an especially goopy aromatic to the touch - actually pretty normal for a sweet heavily cased aromatic - but the paper within the tin was extremely discolored ... almost to the point of being a deep brown. Don't think I've ever seen that happen before. And I've smoked several tins of all three blends from East India Trading Company. The flavor of the tobacco didn't suffer any ill effect. Nor was it any less pronounced. So although visually it might appear flavored casing was absorbed into the paper liner instead of the tobacco that wasn't the case. Yet it was quite odd to see the paper liner in the tin so badly stained.      

ghostsofpompeii

During this pandemic I've had an opportunity to smoke my pipe a lot more than normal. Anywhere from four to five bowls a day. Once the weather improved enough to spend time both outside or in my garage without freezing. I've been able to utilize my garage as a sanctuary to help clear my mind, and it really comes in handy during the occasions when it might be raining and I couldn't sit outdoors.

During this time period I've concentrated solely on smoking previously opened tins or pouches. Haven't cracked open a new one in a few months. So the empty tin satisfaction has increased. I've gone through about a half dozen previously opened tins and several pouches of OTC blends like Captain Black and Carter Hall, as well as 2 ounce bags of bulk Sutliff and Russ Monthly Blends from Pipes&Cigars I've had laying around the house that I never got around to jarring up. Some tins or pouches were nearly empty anyway - but several were hardly touched. So in the past two months I've made considerable progress in bringing down my inventory. Not nearly enough to make a dent in my cellar ... but at least I'm working on it with much more gusto.   

mfresa

I'm coming up on the end of an 8 ounce bag of Esoterica Scarborough.  I've mixed feelings about it, being a great every day blend, but eager to move on to other Virginia based blends.  Anybody got a suggestion on what should be the next blend to go for?

motie2

Satisfaction? If it’s a blend I have really enjoyed, an empty tin is sorrowful, especially on my limited budget....

ghostsofpompeii

@motie2 It's satisfying when you find yourself somewhat embarrassed by the sheer quantity you've acquired during irrational moments of panic.  Hard explaining to your wife the need to place another order for assorted tinned tobaccos when every closet in the house has an overflow of Mason jars containing bulk tobaccos. And considering the majority are vanilla based aromatic blends ... the tin note may smell suspiciously similar to every other jar to the untrained nose of a spouse. As well as the trained nose on the end of my face.

motie2

You can fool some of the wives some of the time, but you (I) can’t fool SWMBO. 

motie2

Empty tins?

ghostsofpompeii

Now this is a collect I'd love to won. I've only got a few vintage tins in my collection.