Many pipe tobacco blends are offered in both tinned and bulk varieties. But is there a difference between the two? The short answer is no, not really. It's the exact same blend, just packaged differently. Usually, it's even made at the same time; one portion of the batch gets tinned, while some of it goes into bags and is sent to distributors/retailers for sale. So if they're the same when they start out, how do you decide when to buy bulk and when to buy tinned? They both exist for a reason, right? Here are a handful of questions to consider when it comes to buying bulk and tinned tobacco.

Is the blend you want available in bulk and tins?

This should be the first question you ask yourself before making a pipe tobacco purchase. While there are many manufacturers who offer all of their blends in bulk as well as tins, there are others who deal almost exclusively in one or the other. If you're looking to buy, say, a pound of Gawith & Hoggarth's Kendal Gold, you're far more likely to find it in bulk. Orlik Golden Sliced? Tinned's the way to go.

If you have a blend in mind, enter the name into the search field on our site to see if it's offered in one or the other, or both.

Have you tried the blend before?

If you've never tried a blend before, you're probably better off buying a small tin of it to try than ordering a few ounces of it in bulk. That way, if you hate it, you can give the remainder of the tin away to a friend or fellow pipe smoker. It's a whole lot easier to give away an opened tin than a pound of bulk.

Are you buying tobacco as a gift?

If you have a loved one who happens to smoke pipes, tobacco makes for an excellent gift around the holidays. Since they already come in nice, neat packaging, tinned varieties usually go over a bit better than plastic bags full of tobacco leaf. Plus, they're much easier to wrap.

You also have to consider your loved one's tastes. If you're buying a blend you know they love, bulk might not be such a bad idea. You can always package them yourself in mason jars or other sealed containers to help with presentation.

How much are you buying?

If you've answered the above questions, this one should be pretty easy. For small quantities of blends you've yet to try or you're unsure about, just pick up a tin or two. If you've smoked pounds and pounds of Mac Baren's Symphony over the years, and want to restock your cellar with a few more ounces, well... you'll have a much better time doing that in bulk. And you'll save a pretty penny too.

Are you on a budget?

Because the manufacturer doesn't have to pay for tinning costs, many of your favorite blends can be had for a much cheaper price in bulk. A 1lb bag of Bayou Morning, for example, will run you around $36 dollars. 8oz tins of the same blend, however, are almost $30 a pop. Also because you don't have to factor the weight of the tin itself into the weight of your overall package, shipping costs for bulk blends are generally cheaper than shipping the same quantity of the same blend in tins.

Are you cellaring the tobacco?

Do you plan on smoking your tobacco now? Or will it go straight into your cellar? Maybe a mix between the two? This is a tricky one, as both tinned and bulk varieties offer their own unique benefits for cellaring.

Tins, for example, are usually quite portable. They can easily fit into a bag, or even a pocket, and you can generally smoke a whole tin before it ever starts to dry out. Bulk on the other hand requires some kind of tobacco pouch for carrying. It's a bit drier as well, so keeping it in its plastic bag for any extended period of time will likely leave your tobacco crisp to the touch.

Tins age differently than bulk tobacco as well. Because they are sealed, sometimes even vacuum sealed, there's not as much oxygen touching the leaf, thus it tends to age anaerobically — which some say produces a different flavor than tobacco that's been aged aerobically, or with oxygen. That being said, you can always (and should) jar up your bulk blends when they arrive. If you do this properly, you can vastly reduce the amount of oxygen touching the leaf (as long as you don't make a habit of opening your jars a lot). At that point, there's very little difference between a 10 year old tin of Nightcap and a properly packed, 10-year old jar of the same.

Either way, you should frequently check the seal on both your tins and jarred bulk when cellaring to ensure things are kept airtight.

Do you collect old tobacco tins?

Some people just enjoy collecting tins. Much like stamps or other collectibles, you can do so much with your empty tins. Decorate your cellar or desk with them. Hang them on the wall. The options are endless. I can't say the same thing for bulk offerings.

So there you have it. If you've gone through the list and answered the above questions, you now have a pretty good idea of when to buy bulk and when to buy tinned. What about you? How do you decide between the two? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.