Excitement builds, but....

[OLS]

I finally got off my rump and ordered some more tobacco yesterday, and I am pumped up.
First the list, then the apprehension. Picked up a few cans of Escudo, always do that anytime
I order, it's a reflex. Picked up a half pound of Anniversary Kake because I am a sheep. I liked it
last time, and I think it would be a good experiment to blend it with AJs.
But here is where I have
some apprehension. I have been trying to get a few tins of Squadron Leader for years now. It's never
at the same place at the same time with ME. But I saw I could get it in BULK, so I got a QP.
What kind of degredation do people think happens with this kind of stuff just in a bulk container,
exposed to who knows what kind of oxygen? I have been in sloppy B & Ms where there were thin-
walled clear trash bags on the floor with shovelfuls of some blend or another just laying there under-
foot. I shudder to think how spent this bulk Squadron Leader is gonna be. I also can't take a chance
at not getting anything. Who knows how long it will be before I buy again? But I was looking to find
out what people thought. That mental pic has stayed with me forever, with the bags all over the floor,
just getting dry and stale. Can't remember the store I saw this in, but the online vendor is pipes and
cigars dot com, btw. Obviously I have never been in THAT STORE, lol. I also got a half pound of BULK
Ole Joe Krantz. Dafu hooked me up with a sample baggie of it and I just got slam hooked on it! GREAT
blend. I guess I will never know how lying around in bulk affects either blend, as I never had Squadron
Leader or OJK in a tin.

[DaBear]

You can always rejuvinate pipe tobacco easily, which is the nice thing about it. Put a well soaked paper towel in a plastic baggie and toss it in with the tobacco if its too dry, leave it in for however long you think it needs(a day usually does the trick), and the tobacco should be back to its old self. If its in a tin just put the wet paper towel right ontop of the cardstock sheet that covers the tobacco in most tins and close the tin up.

[Col. Kurtz]

Hey Brad,

A local shop here carries squadron leader in the tins. Let me know if you need some.

[DaBear]

Also, check your local B&M for a little pipe tobacco humidifier. I know we carry them for about 2 bucks at work(Tinderbox), so if theres a Tinderbox near you I'd check for em there. All you do is soak the thing(about the size of a bottle cap) in water and then toss it into the bag with your tobacco. You'll need to refill it every so often, but it keeps the tobacco from drying out. We use them in some of the bulk tobaccos that don't sell often at the store to keep them from drying out should someone actually want some.

[CoreyD]

I order bulk and tins from P&C. My pocket book enjoys the bulk and taste buds as well, I always have had good results buying bulk by them . I did however out of many pounds through-out the years got 1 dry 2 ounce bag of a PS that I was wanting to try out but even then it wasn't to dry just dryer than usual which meant I got more baccy for my buck. When I receive them I jar them up, a brother tipped me off to a cheaper place to buy canning jars and I picked up a dozen for $7 at wallmart.
Also be warned I read somewhere they make their h&H blends are contracted now by someone else so it frees up their master blenders time so be warned the anni Kake may not taste the same or in kake form when it first came out few years back and thats one of reason bulk prices have gone up in it. It used to be a few dollars less than $30 for a lb.

[MarkinAZ]

Originally Posted by OLS

Picked up a half pound of Anniversary Kake. I also got a half pound of BULK Ole Joe Krantz. Dafu hooked me up with a sample baggie of it and I just got slam hooked on it! GREAT
blend.

Love the H&H Anni Kake Brad. A delight to smoke. Haven't tried the C&D OJK yet. Read some good reviews on it though...

Originally Posted by DaBear

Also, check your local B&M for a little pipe tobacco humidifier...

Thanks for the info on this Bear

[OLS]

I think that there is some difference between making pipe tobacco moist again and
giving it back lost flavor. The same way dried cigars can never be brought back,
I feel like there is a significant opportunity for flavor to be lost on pipe tobacco that
just dries out in a garbage bag. That said, I don't know 1 tenth about pipe tobacco that
I do about cigars, so who can say. I know how to re-moisten tobacco, though, no probs
there. Just apprehensive about dried out bulk baccy. No going back now, though, lol.

Mark, I would be happy to "Joe Krantz" you if you will PM me your info.

[MarkinAZ]

Originally Posted by OLS

Mark, I would be happy to "Joe Krantz" you if you will PM me your info.

Thank you Brad...

[NCRadioMan]

Brad, the SL is much better in bulk than in the tin, imo. In fact, if anything comes in bulk, I go for that first. Then if not available, buy a tin.

Also, for humidification or rehydration...water pillows.

[OLS]

You know why I am buying that crap, don't you Greg??? That's right, I wanna be just like you.
I copy everything everybody else does. I heard you say somewhere that it was one of your favorites.
Oh, and thatnks for the additional knowledge/advice. Never would have thought it was the opposite of
what I imagined. Maybe it's the oxygen and your personal taste. I know I would rather have 2 boxes
of Shorts in 25 than one cab of Shorts. I like the way it ages the cigars down to my preference.

[NCRadioMan]

Originally Posted by OLS

That's right, I wanna be just like you.

Everybody does.

[DaBear]

As long as the bags stay somewhat sealed the tobacco wouldn't lose any flavor. And even with an open/unsealed bag I doubt much if any would be lost

[OLS]

Well I hate to even waste the postage to send some of this OJK to MarkinCA. I read at the big review site that
OJK was some kind of disappointing shadow of it's former self, but naturally, I didn't think MY bag would be
a pile of weak, crappy clippings. Boy was I wrong. To me, and I have very little experience, but I thought that
OJK was one of the best tobaccos I had ever smoked, extemely rich, powerful and intersting. MAYBE this bag
suffers from ROTT syndrome, but I have to agree that this might be the worst bowl of tobacco I have ever had.
Just awful. From the top to the bottom of the ladder. Add that to the new style of Anniversary kake that's not
actually a kake, and I will find out very soon, might not even be good anymore either. Cornell and Deihl are looking
like they are losing focus. But what do I know.