Hayden Grow 2023

[Hayden]

The leafs are color curing nicely. Some quiet thicker leafs this time looking forward to fermenting it.

We had some really nice weather the last week which has ripened the virginias a little bit more.
Thinking about doing the first flue cure run.

 

[Hayden]

I have picked now a large box of ripe leaf like this to flue cure.
My first flue cure was mostly a succes pictures will follow.
The leafs look really good and are quiet thick. The fertilization and the good weather made a huge difference.
I also did smoke some of my first flue cured and the comparison to the first grow is also big.

My first grow had some pretty strong acidic and some fruit component and was quiet thin but was also from some underfertilized and maybe not ripe enough goose creek.
The virginia gold on the other hand is much smoother way less acidic and more tobaccoy. The sweetness ist there and i really looking forward to make some flakes out of it.

 

[Hayden]

Some litte foto from my first flue cure run.
My kiln is a little bit small for some very large leafs in addition the speed of yellowing was a quiet different for some leafs with some little green areas but i'm happy with it.

I also tested some color cured cigar leaf and i have to say that under the overwhelming green/fresh taste of it there are already some quiet cigar like aromas. Espacially in the aftertaste.

Giving them enough manure really was a big changer together with the nice weather we had here. The alligator skin i often read about was only really visible on good feed plants. Plants who had too much competition/too little fertilizer color cured much quicker on the plant with weak leafs in comparison. Seems like nitrogen deficency leads to "fake" ripness.

 

[deluxestogie]

That is an excellent result for a flue-cure run.

Bob

 

[Hayden]

That is an excellent result for a flue-cure run.

Bob

Thank you

 

[Hayden]

I play with the idea to grow my first years strains (goose creeke, jupiter burley etc) again next year because all of them were quiet thin and lacked nutrients in the end.
Especially the goose creeke was pure lemon acid compared to my flue cured virginia this year when i smoked it right out the kiln.
This years group only beats me with some pretty good nicotine punch.

Also prilep is one my list while needing less fertilizer i'm interested to see how they will taste with my new experience.

 

[Hayden]

Last big flue cure pile.
Really nice leaf with a wounderful taste. I smoke it straight without any big problems. Fantastic harvest this year.

I also did smoke some leaf which flue cured rather brown/dark and i dont know what happened. I suspect it is more from the top of the plant because it has such a off taste to it and it had also some pungent smell to it in a closed plastic bag. Seems like it has far more ammonia(?) in it than the rest.

 

[Hayden]

The ammonia/harsh taste continues also in the upper yellow flue cured leafs less strong but it seems like the harvest will need some ageing time.

 

[Hayden]

My air cured unfermented cigar leaf tastes similar like the cheap gas station stogies. Quiet a good result for some really young leaf.

 

[Hayden]

I think i have to harvest my virginia earlier then i did 2023.
The plants looked quiet nice with good signs of ripness but that lead to some very powerful nicotine contents in the leaf. I smoke not that much but never had any big impact when i smoked for example bought cigars/cigarillos etc but the flue cured really gives me quiet a spin in my small pipe which i find interesting because most of the time people say that flue cured virginia sorts are "lower" in nicotine.

In addition leaf that came out rather dark/black from the flue curing is much harsher then the yellow leaf.