Vintage Pipe Tobaccos

[atuck]

I just had an interesting pipe smoking experience. I smoked some 1970s Dunhill tobacco in my 1969 Preben Holm pipe. A very smooth mellow smoke with nice flavor. A very relaxing experience.

A while back I figured since I enjoy "aged" cigars, why not try some "aged" pipe tobacco. Well, today some of it finally arrived. These are the 5 that I got today.

Charatan No.4 Oriental Mixture - 80s
Dunhill Three Year Matured Virginia - early 70s
Sweet Dublin Black Cavendish - early 90s
Royal Niemeyer Scottish Blend - 70s
Peter Stokkebye Danish de Luxe Black - early 80s

I also just bought 9 different tins of Davidoff, Dunhill and McClelland that are all over 6 years old from some guy on ebay the other day.

I am looking forward to trying all of these tins. Do any of you have any experience with vintage tobaccos?

 

[mitchshrader]

You mean besides bidding against you? (or at least, in some auctions from the same guy ) ..

Charatan (ed:Black Aromatic) I bought from him, and Charles Fairmorn Dark Fired Shag, the first too sweet and aromatic, the second 11 out of ten, max delicious, buy & hoard recommendation.

I've been chasing the mythical turkish component of premium antique blends and found the sad truth that the agricultural style, and various commercial 'improvements' in standardizing quality, have virtually eliminated particular tastes. The very closest that can be accomplished is a lesser version..

But, that said, some blends are excellent, (Penzance, Frog Morton) and very good blending tobaccos are available with determined effort..

I've found for my own purposes, that considering EXCELLENT tobacco is 2$ an ounce, i can blend to taste and age my successes ..

if you want it done right, do it yourself.

I'd suspect that the stronger mixtures, and the more natural ones, would most benefit from aging. The virginia's will soften and darken and sweeten and mellow, the overall taste will be more integrated and complex, and the spice flavors penetrate every fragment. That's ONE element of 'vintage'..

and the OTHER element is that the tobacco itself was grown, cured, stored, and processed differently. I hate to use the word 'organic' .. but Turkish & Greek tobaccos were grown organically when the word hadn't become popular. Using tractors and not horses to plow with, ALONE.. changed many things, (like 'how much', and that changed 'how you harvest')

so, the tobacco industry modernized, the old hand cured bundles vanished, plots got bigger and blending replaced grading as the way to get the most out of a crop..

average quality, and not 'supreme' quality, became most desireable. the triumph of commercial mediocrity over good taste..

 

[Desert Rat]

I age my own, works great.

 

[shadowryder1]

I have some tobacco that I have aged for the past 6 years so far. Its great. I had no idea what I was doing but have kept it in airtight containers with a bit of humidity (very slight). I kept expecting to find it mold on me but it is still going great to date.

How have the rest of you "aged" your tobacco?

DT

 

[Rod]

Shadowryder1, one of the original members! Where have you been? Haven't seen you in a LONG time! Welcome back!

 

[SKYDIVNEKD]

Shadowryder1, one of the original members! Where have you been? Haven't seen you in a LONG time! Welcome back!

Great! Another "Original" FOG we have to kiss the @$$ of!!!!! ROFLMAO!!! No offense Shadowryder1, welcome back!

Floyd T. :sign:

 

[shadowryder1]

LOL... I been lost in the world and barely time for much of anything. My time is much freer now!! Nice to see you Rod and Sky! Was looking for familiar names and saw you both still here and going strong!! Thanks for the welcome back.

(Now if I can just figuere out how to log into that poker room. Check my post in that forum.. if you can help give a holler!)

DT