long term cellaring of blending latakia, perique?

[LFOD]

Does anyone have opinions on long term cellaring of blending tobaccos, in particular perique and latakia?

I feel like it would be wise to keep a couple pounds of both around as a hedge against future supply chain issues and/or tax increases but I expect latakia that's been aged for 20 years will be very different from fresh and it might not be a good thing. I understand it will fade to some degree but does anyone have experience with how much it will fade? Would 20 year old latakia still be useful for blending?

How about perique?

I understand Virginias and Orientals will continue to improve for decades but the others I wonder about.

Thanks!

 

[Ozark Wizard]

Long term storage of Perique, press it dense in a jar, little to no air. Goes from pepper to plum over five years. Latakia, store reasonably dense, but not as tight as the Perique. Goes from strong smoke to smoked red wine in five to ten years. I have some seven years old and is more like Syrian.

 

[Corncobcon]

I don't have any long term experience with storage, but I have noticed differences in the tobacco mellowing out after about 2 years. Also noticed that the flavored stuff such as cherry blends and caramel, etc seem to loose their taste after the same period of time.

 

[joshoowah]

Ozark hits the nail on the head.

There are some who claim aging Latakia past 10 years is foolish, as it loses all of its complexity, but I've had Latakia at varying stages of age, including 15 years. I found the 15 years in that particular case better than anything else that was aged less, and I'm a LAT-bomb man.

 

[huffelpuff]

I honestly don't have much experience with aging lat blends but have extensively smoked very very old tobaccos. I actively seek out the tubs of Sir Walter Raleigh, Half & Half, Prince Albert, Union Leader, Briggs etc. that are from the 1960's or earlier. The oldest tin I ever opened and smoked was a 97 year old tin of Half & Half. It was a sublime smoke. What you have to keep in mind is the storage conditions. Places with wide swings in temps are going to shorten the lifespan of any blend. Stored under cool dry conditions you may easily get 40-50 years out of a blend that really hasn't even started to deteriorate. My guess is that properly stored lat blends will mellow but should remain smokeable and enjoyable for a number of decades longer than most people would think. Otherwise why would people pay over 300$ for a 1960's tin of 759? My 2 cents

Jim

 

[LFOD]

Thank you all. Sounds like it's well worth cellaring a few pounds and seeing how it is in a decade or two!

 

[ftrplt]

Late to the thread!! FWIW, I have a tidy bit of well over 10 yo. Latweed. Whatever it's lost in piquancy, it has more than made up in depth of flavor. I agree with Ozzie on the Syrian comparison! :cheers: FTRPLT