I agree with Bradley concerning bulk blends, the tinned versions of the same blends have always been better to me. Sometimes not a huge difference, and the price difference might mean the bulk is significantly cheaper, but you just aren't going to be able to get the consistency from bulk that you can from tinned tobaccos. Sometimes it's dry, sometimes it's like the crumbs left in the bottom of a bag, sometimes it seems like it has aged in not-a-good-way (lost some of its flavor). Still with the price of tobacco going up so much, I'm seriously thinking about reviving my search fro bulk blends I can enjoy at a cheaper price. 🙂
I’ve bought both bulk and tins, I prefer tins also. Not just flavor and consistency, but also to me it’s about enjoying the full experience. The tin and art are part of that to me. I personally can’t stand the round tins for flakes or the sharp edged cat food cans of many US blends. I don’t know how much money it saves, but I would pay a few cents more for decent tin. I would love to see printed lids like days of old too.
If you all who read comments have not seen Working go check it out. This guy does foundations for a living. I did that work for a short season when I was laid off one time. That is probably one of the hardest jobs in the world.
Another downside of bulk is that for mixtures you may be getting the bottom of the retailer's stock and this may change the ratio of components. For example in an English blend the Latakia pieces are typically larger and heavier so they will drop the bottom of the container or bag. When they go to fill your order you may be getting a different proportion of various components than the recipe calls for. Sometimes I get what looks like floor sweepings. Obviously for flakes this is not an issue and I regularly order bulk flakes.
Nothing really to add this week. I have to get back to prepping for class today. It's been a very busy couple of weeks. Thanks again for everything you do.
That"s exactly how my name should be pronounced. Thanks. I also prefer tins over bulk, even when you take into account the price difference. I'm glad to be able to read so many takes on this subject here in the comments. Keep up the great work, Bradley. Cheers.
Bradley, I can't wait to see the photos. Regarding the Capstan Gold, love the blend, but it is more of a late spring/summer blend for me. Toned tone malty goodness compared to Capstan Blue. I love both bulks and tins. Some really good bulks (PS LNF, Newminster 400, Erik Stokkebye Evening Flake and All Gawith blends) and some great tins. Equally bad bulks and tins as well. To each his/her own. Take care my friend
For some blends, bulk is the only option. I'm thinking specifically about some of the Gawith and Hoggarth blends like the Brown Twist, Dark Bird's Eye, Kendal Dark, etc. I've been buying them now for many years from several different vendors and have yet to be disappointed. As an aside, how would you classify the ropes and twists, which mainly sell in the bulk format unless you splash out for a 250gm/500gm bag or box, and even then, they are usually listed under bulk. I've had both the tinned 50gm and boxed 250gm versions of Samuel Gawith's Brown No 4 and though they are very similar I do have preference for the boxed version.
**From a previous post** - The mouth feel of a P T can make a lot of difference for preference as I have discovered Bradley. Given the flavour of a T matches my palate, the creamy texture of the smoke which makes you want to bite down and swallow makes for the ultimate S. QUESTION: Would you consider selling a t-shirt that provides a description of the different levels of dryness of a T? 'Dry croissant' to 'Wet toilette' etc.... Great post Cheers mate!🙂
I get G&H, Sam G, and C&D in bulk and in Tins. I have not had any issues. Also many G&H blends are not available in tins in the US. Like Dark Birdseye. My Sam G Full Virginia and St James and Navy Flake are aging in jars and I can see the crystals from the sugars showing.
Great video discussion. I'm a fairly new piper and want to know if its better to age tobacco in the tin it came in and then portion it out in airtight jars when you finally decide to open it, or do you put in jars right away after getting your tin of tobacco???
Another fun video! Bulk vs. Tins, well I'm on camp Tin, I've had miss and hit success with Bulk, and very few of the same kind of misses with Tins. I'll be fair, I've only had 100 or so Tins, maybe 30 pouches, and a few lbs of Bulk. I might need more experience to draw a fair conclusion. If you want decent Bulk, LJ Perreti has done well with me, so maybe check them if you want Bulk.
🤔 I don’t think I have ever had a blend in both forms (tin & bulk) I have had many bulk blends that were fantastic I have had many tins that were fantastic Never have they overlapped. 🤔interesting. Most of the bulks I buy don’t come in tins and most of the tins I buy, they don’t come in bulk.
I lean more towards buying bulk. It’s cost efficient, I tend to want to smoke my tobaccos more than cellar them (for tomorrow isn’t promised to anyone), though if a blend I love is in tin form I will try to stock up on as much of it as I can. There may be a small number of retailers who don’t store bulk blends in a proper way, but for the majority I think they do a remarkable job and I’ve never had any issues. I have to respectfully disagree with you on this. Finally, reading some of the comments left here claiming experienced pipe smokers prefer tins to bulk - to each their own. I would consider myself an experienced piper and find this pretentious statement utterly ridiculous.
Curious to know how my bulk gatherings will turn out. I've just started piping, and have handfuls of 8oz and 16oz bulk blends for aging. I stuff them into Mason Jars, both 16oz and 32oz jars, and then use the Foodsaver Vacuum Sealing caps (fitting both Wide and Reg. mouth jars) and apply vacuum to them, using one of my Mityvac pumps. Not to the maximum I can apply (over 10 to 15 inHg), but at least to 5 to 7 inHg for sealing the lid. I know many have said, and are saying, leave in the air for more rapid aging. So I can only wait and see, right? Still slightly unsure if all of my Aro's should be preserved with vacuum or not. I believe all of my Aro's are in round/taller tins and are packed with no vacuum. So I plan to leave all of my Aro's in their Tins and just use them within 5 yrs. But maybe if someone knows better; will transferring them into jars, and vacuum sealing them, preserve them longer? After much reading of reviews, I've come to the conclusion that Aro's do not improve with age and in fact become "weaker?" So preservation would be what I am interested in regarding my Aro's.
No need to leave air, professional tins don’t do that! Vacuum sealed jars should be great. Tins can also go a long time, but don’t surround them in plastic or the moisture will rust them.
@@TheNewMediaoftheDawn Thanks for the reply. I do plan to leave all of my tobaccos, those in vacuum sealed tins, in their tins (the flatter/shorter style tins; both square and round). What I am most concerned about is the taller, non-vacuum sealed...pull-tab/pop-top tins. Many of those are aromatics. Would those be better if swapped into jars with vacuum applied...for preservation's sake? In other words, "can those tobaccos, in those pull-tab/pop-top - "non-vacuum" sealed tins, last for ten or more years?" Or at least to know if their flavor declines leaving them in their pull-tab/pop-top tins for more than five years. I'm only 1.5 months into piping, at age 61 yrs, and I have been stocking up....I mean "stocking up!" And I do want it all to last. Thanks again.
@@Roh_Echt OK my understanding is peel top tall tins store the best, like Cornell and Dhiel tins. What makes you think they aren’t vacuum sealed? Ive heard of them blowing up because of pressure after years. They are airtight anyhow, that’s what matters, not the vacuum sealing. I would say small round tins 5-10 years, maybe longer if kept dry, but they sometimes fail…. Square tins similar, but Samuel Gawith square tins are known to fail, so 1-5 yrs on them. If in doubt glass ball jars are known as the best option, and most people don’t vacuum seal, the natural fermentation releases gases CO2 that seals and pressurizes the jar all on its own…. When you open after a 6 months to a year, you can tell they’ve sealed.
@@TheNewMediaoftheDawn Thanks for that info. I just went back and edited "peel-top" to "pull-tab/pop-top" to correct the confusion. "What makes you think they aren’t vacuum sealed?" I've spoken with guys at SmokingPipes on the phone to ask if the pull-tab/pop-top are vacuum sealed. They said those are not vacuum sealed and do age quicker than vacuum sealed/shallow tins. But I forgot to ask if the aromatics in those pull-tab/pop-top tins can last more than five years without losing their flavor...or if vacuum sealing them in jars would extend their storage life. I will likely phone them again...they're getting to know me, LOL.
Man just picked up your content from the notebook reviews but ill really look forward to your nicks review, i have their engineer boots in production currently, i went with the natural double stuffed
24 bucks a pound for early morning bulk vs 17 for 50 gms in a tin ... so little difference in product , I'll spend the 154 bucks i save .. on anything i want .. plus the more you age it the better it gets i was lucky nuf to get an unopened 40 years old pipe baccy just off the charts good almost like having a mouth full of whip cream hows that for mouth feel it was so good
Bulk is best for beginners who tend to make lots of mistakes and are brutally wasteful smokers. The experienced and seasoned professional tends to be a vastly more efficient and sensible pipe smoker who realizes that smoking strictly superior tobacco tin by tin in moderation and at the right place at the right time is actually the simplest and most affordable path to experiencing the absolute pinnacle of pipe smoking satisfaction with every single puff. 💁♀️
#askstuff&things Hey, I have a couple questions for you, and a comment. First off thanks for the advice for deep cleaning my Lamy Safari, I’ll have to try a pipette and/or syringe. Second, have you ever thought about doing a video on your coffee routine? I believe a majority of your viewers would enjoy that. Lastly, do you mostly S your P in your vehicle? If so does it leave a long lasting smell? - Nic B from NC (formerly @Gr8tptr! “Great Trumpeter”)
I only smoke tins, and yeah, it gets expensive, but I don't care, I love it too much. There are two things where I get what I want, regardless of price: pipe tobacco and motorcycle parts. It costs what it costs.
Bradley, good for you....stick with the colloquial pronunciation of Latakia! I'm a daily listener to National Public Radio, and it's more than jarring to hear some guy from, say, Buffalo, suddenly pronounce the capital of some obscure country as though he grew up there. Anyway, I agree with you on the tin vs. bulk debate. And despite the common belief that you can rehydrate tobacco... you cannot. It might be moister, but it won't taste the same. Good show today!
@@stuffandthingsyoutube Bradley, just a word about Kingfisher, the VaPerBur flake I loved, it was blended by JF Germain, so the quality was superb. Mike Butera was the driving force behind Esoterica Tobacciana, at least the blends that were Smokers' Haven creations.
