Not sure where I got GSC, no idea what that stands for…SHOULD have been OGS, LOL. I’m going to blame that on the kidney stone drugs I’m on at the moment….truth is I got in a hurry, and not only got it wrong, but REPEATED it….
I had one blend a few years back that was so moist, partly from PG, I had to pour the entire contents into a bowl, spread it out, and leave it for several days, might have been a couple of weeks. It was an Esoterica blend, but don’t remember which one. Try leaving your pouch or tin open for several days before resorting to other measures. If you get it too dry, it’s not difficult to rehydrate.
Everything @PLANofMAN said. I usually like to fold and stuff, leaving a small air pocket at the bottom. However, I sometimes partially rub them out and stuff the larger strands. You will usually get a much longer smoke from folded and stuffed flakes vs ribbon cut, or at least that’s been my experience. For some reason Orlik packages Golden Sliced differently in the 3.5 oz tin versus the 1.75 oz tin. The smaller tin is packaged as traditional flakes, while the larger tin is packaged more like longer strands, not as wide as a typical flake. That was true of the last 3.5 oz tin I purchased a while back. Haven’t re-ordered that size because I have several smaller tins, and I like that flake presentation better.
Had a few more moments of weakness. Cigarbid is an evil, evil, site. Remember to set your shipping preferences to weekly. Edit: just for reference, last month I picked up Sir Walter Raleigh and paid $42 for a 7 oz. tin at my local tobacco outlet, and a 1.5 oz. pouch of Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic set me back $16 in Hawaii last week.
1864 is made from really superior tobacco, and the price tag reflects that. I've found it gets bitey quick if smoked too hot. I don't like it enough to pay full retail price for it, but I'll occasionally snag it when it's in the $9-11 range on cigarbid. It really isn't a whole lot more expensive than the 1.75 oz. tins when you account for it being in a 3.5 oz. tin. As for MM's 150th anniversary, I rub it out onto a plate and let it sit for 15-20 minutes before smoking it. I get a coconut flavor (?) from it, not coconut, but that's the closest analogy I have (maybe it's tonka bean I'm tasting?), but the room note is vanilla. I also pack it fairly tight, as it tends to burn fast if loose packed. I find it to be quite mellow and flavorful compared to other blends I've tried. I've only smoked it in briar and Meerschaum.
Dropping this off here. It's an interesting read, and a rare insight into the secretive and complex art of the pipe tobacco master blenders. "The original casing recipe for Bells Three Nuns pipe tobacco contains , Anise oil , Demerara rum and Invert sugar The recipe can be found here http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/evl27a99/pdf?search="three nuns manufacture" But it takes some detective work to decode it , and here is decoding list http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/vla13f00/pdf " From this thread: https://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/professionally-prepared-casings.3937/ This article is better reading than the above thread: https://pipesmagazine.com/blog/kevins-blog/three-nuns-the-shrieks-of-no-perique/
Sutliff mixes mostly, not bad. Owner admitted he isn't a pipe guy due to rheumatoid arthritis and is cigars only, but a very nice guy. I was glad to help support the local economy. Found Savinelli balsa filters there. They make a big difference ehen smoking Granger...dryer, smoother smoke and now I can taste it!
I have begun "cellaring" (in Florida we don't have actual cellars) my growing stock. I wish I had amber jars but the usual clear Mason/Ball is what's on hand. How light sensitive is tobacco and how dark is storage suggested to be? Thanks.
Not sure about light sensitivity, however out of an abundance of caution, I store my jars in a darker area of my basement. I think not being jarred (allowing of course for appropriate airing and drying), for preserving humidity, is the greater issue. My local pipe shop has jars of bulk blends sitting on the counter top that see a good amount of sunlight; however the larger bags of bulk that the jars are replenished from are kept in a corner of the fairly spacious cigar humidor. The counter top jars do have sort of a seal, and most bulks have copious amount of PG anyway. I’m more concerned about more expensive tins being jarred pretty soon after opening. So basically I’ve said a lot here without answering your question…..
I've repurposed a tall upright record player cabinet, the kind with a swinging glass door. I considered darkening that glass some, but where I parked it the cabinet is already out of direct light and pretty dim inside. That should do well enough.
Got a shot of toradol at the ER, but also a handful of the heavy stuff for when it gets really bad. The stone hasn’t passed yet, so they’re going in tomorrow, cut it up with a laser, and remove the bigger pieces. General anesthesia, so if I post any wild stuff tomorrow, you’ll know why!
Personally I think that will be just fine. Sounds like a great re-purposing; post a pic of the cabinet full of your tins/jars when you get a chance.
My thoughts, best wishes, and sympathy go with you, friend! [typical ER trying to milk you when you're in agony, the first thing they gave me was a morphine derivative that didn't even touch it. It wasn't until the Ketorolac, oh, three hours later that I felt relief. I may have cussed at that point, to the effect of, WHY DIDN'T YOU SOBs GIVE ME THIS FIRST?! I blame the morphine for making me say that. I hate hospitals.]
