Quote Originally Posted by TommyTree View Post
Well, I guess the answer's in there, but only if you already know about pipe tobacco. Doh!

Captain Black's an aromatic, so it won't age much at all in airtight conditions. In a pouch, which is far from airtight, it will dry out like crazy after probably 3-6 months. With that many years, it should be crackly. Once it gets that dry, it'll never taste like a fresh pouch. You can smoke it still, though. It might not taste good, but it's not dangerous. Best ways to rehydrate are to spray it lightly with distilled water, leave it in a humidor (optical humidity for pipe tobacco is about 30%) or pack it and then breathe gently into the pipe.

So ashauler, have I answered the question sufficiently now?
His question was, "Is it harmful for me to try smoking this aged tobacco? " This type of question would usually get a yes/no/maybe type of answer. My thought, and CC86's answer, is no. I'm guessing that from your statement that "You could still smoke it though." one could infer that it would not be harmful. So, I guess you did answer it.

The question in the thread title was, "What is a recommended or allowable use-by date of pipe tobaccos?" I didn't answer this one, because, truthfully, I don't really know if there is such a thing, and suspect that it depends on the type of tobacco, etc.....which is pretty much what you said, with more elaboration.

The issue I have is with your statement that "clearly no answer was given", which is incorrect.