How much tobacco do you have cellared?

[Benzadmiral]

I can't recall if I posted on this thread earlier. In any case I'm still a piker. A tin of Edward G. Robinson and one of Mac Baren Burley London Blend; an ounce or two of Luxury Twist Flake, Luxury Navy Flake, Match Prince Albert; 1 pouch of Captain Black White, 2 of Sir Walter Raleigh and 2 of Half & Half; a 7 oz. tin of Granger and a 2 oz. bag of Match Field and Stream which have both been unopened for a year; a tiny bit of C & D Alpine Lodge left from last December. And the ounce bits of aromatic mixes sent to me last Christmas by JCinPA.

And then there are the small samples of Englishes gifted to me by others here, and an ounce of Match Walnut.

Hardly a cellar. More of a small stash!

 

[luvmysuper]

I can't recall if I posted on this thread earlier. In any case I'm still a piker. A tin of Edward G. Robinson and one of Mac Baren Burley London Blend; an ounce or two of Luxury Twist Flake, Luxury Navy Flake, Match Prince Albert; 1 pouch of Captain Black White, 2 of Sir Walter Raleigh and 2 of Half & Half; a 7 oz. tin of Granger and a 2 oz. bag of Match Field and Stream which have both been unopened for a year; a tiny bit of C & D Alpine Lodge left from last December. And the ounce bits of aromatic mixes sent to me last Christmas by JCinPA.

And then there are the small samples of Englishes gifted to me by others here, and an ounce of Match Walnut.

Hardly a cellar. More of a small stash!

I think "cellar" is a relative term. While some may have their own personal reasons for a large one, not everyone is so paranoid!
You've got to be comfortable in your own skin, and with the choices you make. No one should feel pressure to have a very large or a very small cellar.
In a perfect world.
Of course there is enabling here, and the common thread that runs through it all is a large stash, but it certainly isn't necessary, and folks should not be building a huge cellar if they don't think it's a great idea or if it has an impact on their personal or financial well being.

 

[Columbo]

I can't recall if I posted on this thread earlier. In any case I'm still a piker. A tin of Edward G. Robinson and one of Mac Baren Burley London Blend; an ounce or two of Luxury Twist Flake, Luxury Navy Flake, Match Prince Albert; 1 pouch of Captain Black White, 2 of Sir Walter Raleigh and 2 of Half & Half; a 7 oz. tin of Granger and a 2 oz. bag of Match Field and Stream which have both been unopened for a year; a tiny bit of C & D Alpine Lodge left from last December. And the ounce bits of aromatic mixes sent to me last Christmas by JCinPA.

And then there are the small samples of Englishes gifted to me by others here, and an ounce of Match Walnut.

Hardly a cellar. More of a small stash!

Back in the day, you would have been the typical gentleman pipe smoker! Just enough to not take over the house and upset the Mrs.

Pipe men were a bit different than the wine collectors or cigar smokers. More like cigarette smokers. I never remember my father ever buying more than a carton of PMs at one time. There was no need. The cartons, machines and racks of them were everywhere.

Time was when there was no need to load up on shelves of the stuff, when all you wanted was always a block or two down the street, or on every other news stand. When I noticed familiar places slowly stopped selling it, or started treating it like the magazines in brown paper under the counter, is when I started buying it in quantity. It took off from there.

My recollection was that "cellaring", and the broader practice of stockpiling substantial quantities of pipe tobacco, is something grown more common in later years, as ready access to tobac and general acceptance of public smoking has dwindled.

In that sense, it has evolved from a habit to a hobby.

Aging hobbyists aside, it seems we've almost developed a Depression mentality about our stocks now, as if someone might take them away from us at some point. That part I don't like.

 

[Whisky]

The cartons, machines and racks of them were everywhere.

Cigarette Machines! I’d forgotten all about those. They were always about $2 more than the store and only had soft packs, never boxes. They were great when you’d run out of smokes while out at the bar.

 

[KellyG]

Cigarette Machines! I’d forgotten all about those. They were always about $2 more than the store and only had soft packs, never boxes. They were great when you’d run out of smokes while out at the bar.

When I think of Cigarette Machines, I recall the particular sound they made as the knob was pulled and the pack fell to the bottom tray, sort of like the same vintage candy bar machines, but not exactly the same; the cigarette machines had a sound unto themselves. And I was never a cigarette smoker, that's how ubiquitous the machines were, that the sound would imprint on my brain only hearing it in passing. Strange what we remember.

 

[Claudel Xerxes]

Cigarette Machines! I’d forgotten all about those. They were always about $2 more than the store and only had soft packs, never boxes. They were great when you’d run out of smokes while out at the bar.

I always preferred soft packs. Myself, and others that I used to discuss this with, have agreed that soft and hard packs would taste different.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Hardly a cellar. More of a small stash!

Mine's a larger stash, but don't really consider it a cellar either. There's multiple reasons I won't ever be pursuing a big cellar, but it doesn't get in the way of my enjoyment of the pipe or the forum.

If we all did things the same way, and smoked the same things, this place would be a lot duller.

 

[Benzadmiral]

When I think of Cigarette Machines, I recall the particular sound they made as the knob was pulled and the pack fell to the bottom tray, sort of like the same vintage candy bar machines, but not exactly the same; the cigarette machines had a sound unto themselves. And I was never a cigarette smoker, that's how ubiquitous the machines were, that the sound would imprint on my brain only hearing it in passing. Strange what we remember.

In a different and much simpler world, my mother, who smoked Pall Malls, would send me down to the corner tavern half a block away to get her a pack from the cigarette machine. Nobody seemed to mind a 10-year-old boy strolling in, working the vending machine, and strolling back out with a pack of smokes. Today they'd call out the local Child Protective Services armored up like a SWAT team.

It didn't hurt me. I was never tempted to try the things, and still am not.

 

[Columbo]

Cigarette Machines! I’d forgotten all about those. They were always about $2 more than the store and only had soft packs, never boxes. They were great when you’d run out of smokes while out at the bar.

Not to go too far afield, but you probably also remember the coffee vending machines then, too. The staple of many a break room in the 1960s.

A cup of coffee, or tea, or broth, or hot chocolate, for a dime. Not very good coffee, but it was hot.

 

[Crixus]

Not to go too far afield, but you probably also remember the coffee vending machines then, too. The staple of many a break room in the 1960s.

A cup of coffee, or tea, or broth, or hot chocolate, for a dime. Not very good coffee, but it was hot.

I grew up in the deep south, and my mother worked every summer at the "cotton office", measuring bolls. She always got me a summer membership at the local YMCA, telling my dad it was cheaper than child care. The Y had all of those vending machines. Every morning at nine was "Adult Men's Swim". One morning me and my buddies were able to shimmy the door latch into the Off Limits pool area for a peek, and there must have been two dozen old fogies, naked as jaybirds, strolling around the pool with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths and clutching paper cups of vending machine coffee. Sixty years later and I still can't unsee that.

 

[Whisky]

Not to go too far afield, but you probably also remember the coffee vending machines then, too. The staple of many a break room in the 1960s.

A cup of coffee, or tea, or broth, or hot chocolate, for a dime. Not very good coffee, but it was hot.

The EMS service I worked for in Ft. Worth still had one of those things about 9 years ago. I think it had been in the building since it went up. Coffee was a quarter and hot chocolate was 50 cents. You could always tell when the styrofoam cup didn’t land right in the window because someone would start cussing when scalding hot coffee or hot chocolate sprayed all over their uniform pants. After the 1st time you learned to step to the side after making your selection.

 

[luvmysuper]

They still have the coffee/hot chocolate machines at many of the interstate rest areas.

 

[Kentos]

I always preferred soft packs. Myself, and others that I used to discuss this with, have agreed that soft and hard packs would taste different.

I preferred hardpack Marlboro Lights 100’s cause I was convinced I got a few more drags worth of tobacco. As I got older and richer I went to the regulars cause they fit better in the shirt pocket.

Gosh I really miss cigs. That early morning first stick in the truck with a coffee in the cup holder was bliss. The feeling of the smoke inhaled is singular and inimitable in my opinion. I tried vaping, but it felt liked needles stabbing my throat.

We can send a man to the moon and a satellite to Jupiter but we can’t make a healthy cigarette. So sad.

 

[OkieStubble]

Only ever tried smoking a cigarette once in my life. I was 14 and in 9th grade. Me and a buddy ditched 4th hour English class after lunch and shared a camel unfiltered hiding out in the baseball dugout. I’m sure I swallowed more smoke then I inhaled.

By the time 5th hour biology rolled around, I was very dizzy and my stomach extended like a watermelon as I walked down the school hallway dragging my head down the metal lockers that lined the hallway.

I passed out somewhere down the hall, because when I came too, I was being carried into the bathroom by two football players as I was leaving a trail of vomit behind us. Never touched another cigarette again.

Must be why I get along better with a pipe, cuz I don’t have to inhale to enjoy it.

 

[Kentos]

Only ever tried smoking a cigarette once in my life. I was 14 and in 9th grade. Me and a buddy ditched 4th hour English class after lunch and shared a camel unfiltered hiding out in the baseball dugout. I’m sure I swallowed more smoke then I inhaled.

By the time 5th hour biology rolled around, I was very dizzy and my stomach extended like a watermelon as I walked down the school hallway dragging my head down the metal lockers that lined the hallway.

I passed out somewhere down the hall, because when I came too, I was being carried into the bathroom by two football players as I was leaving a trail of vomit behind us. Never touched another cigarette again.

Must be why I get along better with a pipe, cuz I don’t have to inhale to enjoy it.

That’s a crazy story. TBO if that happened to me I would have been better off health wise, and who knows how much richer from not taking cigs up lol.

 

[pyronut]

I think I have enough stashed away that if my house burned down, the next town over would enjoy the aroma.

My thoughts exactly, well said my friend!

 

[Columbo]

The EMS service I worked for in Ft. Worth still had one of those things about 9 years ago. I think it had been in the building since it went up. Coffee was a quarter and hot chocolate was 50 cents. You could always tell when the styrofoam cup didn’t land right in the window because someone would start cussing when scalding hot coffee or hot chocolate sprayed all over their uniform pants. After the 1st time you learned to step to the side after making your selection.

The earliest ones I remember from visiting a break/lunch room where my father once worked ... early 1950s era equipment ... they were that industrial darker putty tan color so popular then. A flimsy white paper cup with a little blue border dropped into a stainless holder pocket, and then after a few seconds the brew shot into it. The machine had no door ... so the scalding hot spray back could hit you if the cup dropped in crooked. Either way, you were burning your fingers for the first minute once you took out that cup. The later ones had doors that protected a little better from splash, and eventually insulated cups came out. Even then, I thought ten cents pretty stiff for what amounted to an 8-10 oz cup of quasi-instant coffee ... that was as much as a gallon of gas back then.

And right alongside were the obligatory candy bar and cigarette machines. And the 'thunk' of the cigarette machine was very different from the candy one. I don't remember if there was a soda machine, but I'm guessing not. Barely concealed fluorescent tubes overhead. And ashtrays on all the laminated, stainless bordered, tables. A clean place to take a break, but utilitarian would have been an understatement. They wanted people back to work, and not lounging around too much in there.

Interestingly, my father was an executive there by that time, so he had his own coffee pot, in his office, and never really had to put up with those machines. I only wandered in there when I got the occasional tours of the facility from him. Ahhh, the good old days.

 

[luvmysuper]

A flimsy white paper cup with a little blue border dropped into a stainless holder pocket, and then after a few seconds the brew shot into it.

I remember these.

 

[Whisky]

The earliest ones I remember from visiting a break/lunch room where my father once worked ... early 1950s era equipment ... they were that industrial darker putty tan color so popular then. A flimsy white paper cup with a little blue border dropped into a stainless holder pocket, and then after a few seconds the brew shot into it. The machine had no door ... so the scalding hot spray back could hit you if the cup dropped in crooked. Either way, you were burning your fingers for the first minute once you took out that cup. The later ones had doors that protected a little better from splash, and eventually insulated cups came out. Even then, I thought ten cents pretty stiff for what amounted to an 8-10 oz cup of quasi-instant coffee ... that was as much as a gallon of gas back then.

And right alongside were the obligatory candy bar and cigarette machines. And the 'thunk' of the cigarette machine was very different from the candy one. I don't remember if there was a soda machine, but I'm guessing not. Barely concealed fluorescent tubes overhead. And ashtrays on all the laminated, stainless bordered, tables. A clean place to take a break, but utilitarian would have been an understatement. They wanted people back to work, and not lounging around too much in there.

Interestingly, my father was an executive there by that time, so he had his own coffee pot, in his office, and never really had to put up with those machines. I only wandered in there when I got the occasional tours of the facility from him. Ahhh, the good old days.

Sounds a lot like the teachers lounges I remember from the late 70’s early 80’s when I’d go to work with my mom or dad. None of the older schools in Texas had air conditioning at that time so there would be layers of cigarette smoke in the room. It was so neat watching those layers gets disturbed every time some walked into the room.

Being EMS, someone had broken the safety door off the coffee machine at some point in the past. The door safety switch was bypassed using a paper clip, a pair of hemostats, and and Transpore tape. The little stainless arms that were supposed to catch and hold the cup were bent so there was always about a 30% chance that your cup would land misaligned and a 5% chance that you’re cup would fly out of the machine before the coffee was dispensed. The other 65% of the time it worked fine.

This thread has really taken a 90 degree turn off track. To the OP is you want to check out tobaccocellar my user name is adamsbaccy. The list isn’t 100% accurate anymore but probably within 10-15lbs and should give you a good idea what I’ve got cellared.

 

[Borderdog]

Off track or not, I'm enjoying the reminiscence. For some reason I think of the cigarette machines often, but haven't thought of those coffee machines with the poker cups until watching Terminator 2 for the first time in forever the other night. That coffee machine in the mental hospital scene is classic.

I love these detours. So many of Columbo's posts in particular make me think of a more innocent and sophisticated time. At 45, I think I was born a couple of generations too late. I'd trade every 2023 convenience to be able to enjoy a book and a pipe on my lunch break without someone hassling me. If only we recognized the good old days when we lived them.

Oh yeah, I'm sitting around 64 pounds at the moment.