Do You Treat Your Cellar As A True Tobacco Aging Cellar Or More Of A Pantry?
ghostsofpompeii
Master
The topic of cellaring has become very intriguing to me of late. I've written one post already on the topic of 'The Flawed Logic Of Long Term Cellaring', which has proven to be a very enlightening discussion. And I have another aspect of cellaring in mind for a later time. But for this discussion my question should be pretty cut and dry - even though it may require a little self-reflection when considering the answer.
Is your cellar a true designated storage area for long term tobacco aging or is it more of a convenient out of the way pantry for housing Mason jars of bulk tobacco and tinned tobacco blends to be added to - or subtracted from - as dictated by your daily usage? In short, once the jar or tin you're currently smoking runs out do you simply go to your 'cellar', retrieve any new jar or tin of tobacco from the shelf in much the same way as going to the pantry for a can of soup when you're hungry? Grab what strikes your fancy and be on your way. Or is your cellar devised in such a way as to have sections sub-divided for commonly used tobacco in one area while another is designated off-limits and restricted to aging tobacco?
Comments
As I've been lead to believe cellaring aromatics will not improve them with age. By it's very nature the maturity of an aromatic blend is stunted once heavily cased flavor additives are infused with the tobacco. Plus I imagine the Burly, Virginia, Cavendish-style tobacco that makes up a majority of heavily cased sweet aromatics aren't anywhere near the quality tobacco used in luxury non-aromatic and English blends which actually benefit from the aging process of long term cellaring. Although storing aromatic blends in Mason jars can keep them from drying out and remain relatively fresh, the blends will probably taste exactly the same as the day you jarred them. So with that in mind, I'd have to say I what I describe as 'my cellar' is closer in definition to a cupboard or pantry.
Typically, I will smoke the blends that have the most age on them first, while simultaneously adding double that amount of young blends to my cellar. In this way, I am continually growing my cellar. Generally, if I take one out, I put 2 or more in.
Once you get a deep enough cellar, you will always be smoking aged tobacco. I have made exceptions, and popped a tin with only 5 years age on it, simply because it was a new blend that I had never sampled, and I wanted to evaluate whether I should cellar more of that particular blend.
As far as making the cellar off limits, I would like to create a temperature and humidity controlled "vault" as well, complete with biometric retina and palm reader. However, the deeming regulations have shifted my focus to growing my cellar, instead of guarding it. Add to that the reality that pipe values seem to have simultaneously plummeted, since most pipers have shifted their focus to cellaring. This leaves a lot of us, not knowing which way to jump.
I also have a pantry, which is the stuff I have on hand that I am not aging, but just haven't gotten around to smoking yet.
I will get back to this post and make a better comment later down the road.
Bit of both.
I do have my "cellar" which I have slowly built with multiple tobaccos and not just stocked up on my favorites. I try to not touch them at all so they can age. I almost got caught once by my wife when I was adding to it and she was looking at how many I had, I was able to convince her she merely had miscounted. I usually do as PappyJoe and date when I purchased the tins, I like the idea of also dating if/when I open the tins and transfer to a mason jar. I guess I have a "pantry" also where I keep my tobaccos that I am constantly cycling through and the majority of these are samples or bulk blends that I have purchased and just put directly in mason jars I haven't dated them or anything. I use these for when my taste changes or want something different from my regular.
I have gotten some really nice pre-aged tins or out of production tins at pipe shows that helped as well.
Here are a couple links to help keep up with the details of your tobacco cellar for anyone who might be interested.
http://www.tobaccocellar.com/
http://thepipetool.com/view/index.php
@PappyJoe, thanks for the link. Here is the one I was making reference to.....
http://www.talkingtobacco.com/2012/07/pipe-tobacco-academy-aging-pipe-tobacco/
http://www.talkingtobacco.com/2012/07/pipe-tobacco-academy-aging-pipe-tobacco/
I've heard that aromatics don't age well, so I only have one aromatic blend aging at the moment (only because I have another jar of it open at the moment).
My bulk cellar was mixed up twice first when I switched from bags in Tupperware tubs to when I switched to food saver bags and then to jars in 2007. Nothing was dated and I just had the mixture on the bag so I just mixed them all in tub and jarred it up. I'm smoking stuff that is dated 2007 but it's made up of tobacco from the mid 80's to 2007. It is in perfect condition and delicious.
Since were on a Lane site I'll point out most of my bulk cellar is PSBS, Crown Achievement, the Lane made Early Morning Pipe and more 1Q than I'll ever smoke.
I can't say for certain, but I am guessing that aromatics's may still benefit from "marrying," even though their humectants and antifungals won't allow them to ferment. In the cigar industry, you see tobacco benefit from the fermentation process in bales, and then after the cigars are rolled and boxed, you will sometimes see extended aging in aging rooms. This process doesn't allow the cigars to ferment again, but it does allow several different tobacco leaves contained in the cigar to marry. If the conditions are right, over time the cigars will develop plume. This is why some cigar smokers are particular about mixing different cigars in desktop humidors, and prefer a larger cabinet humidor, that will allow cigars of the same blend to remain contained in their original boxes. Cigars are like sponges, and will take on the flavors of other cigars in close proximity. This is why cigar reps are adamant about keeping flavored cigars out of a tobacconists primary walk in humidor.
Think of it the same way you would putting a roast into a crock pot. along with carrots, potatoes, onions, and spices. After an extended cooking time, the flavors tend to combine. I would like to think that this process is going on to a certain degree with my anaerobic European tins.