I don’t know how many different blends of pipe tobacco I have. I consider myself a tobacco collector more than a pipe collector. It’s likely because I live in Canukville where pipe tobacco is a precious and expensive commodity. I don’t have magnitudes of “same” blends. Most tins are “single “ blend with the exception being multiples of those that I enjoy more than others. There are few true “aromatics” in my collection.
At this point, after much reflection, I think it is “decision time”. It’s time to take the sword and cut my “eclectic” nature.

1] I am a heavy smoker. I can go through two tins a week easily. That’s about 100 tins a year. Even at that rate, it will take a few years to smoke through that (including my jars of bulk tobacco). If I don’t come up with new philosophy, there will be just too many left unopened, too many regrets.

2] I find I am leaving un-smoked too many tobaccos that I really enjoy, sacrificing quality for numbers. It just doesn’t make sense. Then again, is there really a rationale when it comes to our hobby?

3] I’m concerned about the pricing trend. In Canukville, we are near the mountaintop, as far as costs go. I see the same trend occurring in the USA. It started slowly, but accelerated at an amazing pace. Believe it or not, at one point there was a “roll back” in prices when contraband tobacco became a more difficult issue to deal with than price increases. Native Reserves were targeted and there was violence, but when these issues seem to become “manageable” to an acceptable level, prices again increased. We are pretty near to the maximum. It’s reached the point of diminishing returns. Smoking has dropped significantly.

4] When, not if, prices climb in the USA, it will be prohibitive for a fellow like me to get the blends he really wants.

5] Access to tobacco products will become as big an issue as price. In Canukville, no tobacco products can be “visually” seen. They must be hidden. Stand alone B&M’s must cover their windows and have warning signs. I worry about “etailers”. Will one stroke of the law forbid tobacco to be sold over the internet?

So with these and other considerations, I am changing my Cellaring/Collecting philosophy. I cannot say I have found my “deserted island” blend. I have decided to choose a “blender” that I simply love most, if not all of the tobacco blends. From now on I’m ordering GLP. I know I won’t regret it. In five years time, I don’t want to be kicking my ass with “if only’s”, “why do I have so much Walnut”, “what was I thinking in buying so much Mac Baren Navy Flake”. I feel I can enjoy quality blends that I enjoy, while working through all those eclectic blends that are just sitting there aging.

This is a personal decision at this stage in my cellaring.

Paul

A smart decision, to be sure.

I have the added paranoia of having very little cellared! Something about filling up my closet in my parents' house with "evil tobacco"...

I'm just hoping I can get a decent job and start buying tobacco before it becomes too expensive. As much as I'd like to start stockpiling now, tins are just too expensive. I suppose I could buy in bulk, but I'm nervous about buying large amounts without testing the tinned version first.

Ah well. Maybe I can go on a spending spree this summer!

I guess I was just born too late, tobacco's damn expensive, and I'll never know the pleasure of smoking indoors...

When I started cellaring it was with the game plan of when the kid goes to college I want enough tobacco to last me the fours years without having to buy. He joined the Navy so that "reason" for cellaring became a mute point. I am well past the "four-year-supply" mark but have no heart burn over the size of my cellar due to the economic times. My biggest fear right now is becoming un-employed because of this Topsy/turvy world of airlines. At least I will have enough tobacco to smoke even if I am living in a tent. I keep bulk of my everyday English blends but the vast majority of my tins other than Pembroke, HH Vintage Syrian and a few others are either one or two tins of a blend. I too fear that one day here in the USA you will no longer be able purchase pipe blends on the Internet. When that happens I think people who have large cellars will be able to trade for blends that they like. I haven't really gone to one individual blender but I mainly cellar English blends.

I share similar concerns to those voiced. Over the past two years I've focused on building up a stock of bulk tobacco, interspersed with a solid number of tins. So far I have just over 70 pounds. I have no idea when I'll stop. I see Carlos has over 200 pounds cellared. That sounds like a good number. My biggest fear is changing taste. Geez, Im in the process of developing an affinity for 1792 - I couldn't stand the stuff a year ago! Restriction on tobacco purchases via the internet is, IMO, a when not if thing. I think one has to go for it while one can. Accumulate like crazy. The stuff will be worth a fortune!

I just want to elaborate on choosing "a single blender". If I were living south of the border, it might be a different decision. It's quite practical, really.

GLP is not available here. I've smoked almost all the current GLP offerings. There is wonderful diversity in case of "change of taste". I find all the GLP blends are super. I suspect, that when the time comes for my family to dispose of my collection, GLP would be fairly easy to find people who may be willing to take it.

It could easily have been Dunhill... but while I have been "exploring blends" now I can't get many of the Dunhill. I have 12 different Dunhill blends but too many are single tins . Now I'm kicking myself.

It will take a while to "build up" the GLP and after that I may rethink this strategy.

I cellar for different reasons it seems. I became a daily and almost exclusively PIPE smoker when I finally started making money at work. I started cellaring thinking more of retirement when I won't be able to order 5 pound of tobacco. I have 6 years of tobacco stored (according to that online cellar that people use). At one time I hoped to retire at 55, which assuming I lived to 60 would work out.

As I discussed with some of you in chat, I made 7k less money last year than the previous year, so now my tobacco cellar may come into play as the economy continues to whoop up on some of us.

As far as changing tastes, I find that I have tins/jars of tobacco that I haven't smoked in a while, but when I pop them, it's like visiting with an old friend I haven't seen in a while and a welcome visit at that (with lament that I didn't cellar more).

I am also concerned about possible legislation (especially with the trend of people voting like little girls squeeling after the Jonas brothers, rather than voting for politicians that protect their and my own interests) that will limit my tobacco options. Here in Texas, I pay a state tax making it too expensive to buy in shops; I by pass this by ordering from New York and other states. Similarly, I believe New York folk order from Texas to by pass their state tax.

I am very pleased with my cellar selection. In fact, I saw some tins up for trades that I would love to have; however, I do not have any that I am willing to give up to get them.

If I ever get to retire, I imagine I would be okay other than ordering new blends (like we all like to try) as they develop.

Holy Cow, Hank!
You don't think you'll make it past sixty?!?