New Guy Question

[Carlos Danger]

Hello, everyone.

I was smoking American Spirit, dark blue cans, when I heard about whole leaf tobacco. I ordered some Va flue cured from an online vendor (before I found this forum) and wonder about these white spots:


What the he!l is that, and is it OK to smoke?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Aaron]

Hello, and welcome to the forum. It's my understanding that those spots are called frog-eyes. I believe they have something to do with the oils in the leaf when it's curing. I know it's been talked about here on the forum in the past but I can't seem to find the post to reference. It's totally fine to smoke and I think someone once posted that it's often considered a good thing.

 

[MarcL]

Hello, and welcome to FTT. If it was mold you would know. Frog-eyes sounds right. What did the vendor say ?

 

[FmGrowit]

Hello, everyone.

I ordered some Va flue cured from an online vendor (before I found this forum) and wonder about these white spots:

That's frog-eye alright, but that sure as hell aint Flue Cured tobacco.

This is Flue Cured

 

[DGBAMA]

Fire cure maybe? And in Burley,, spots can indicate a quality leaf.

 

[Knucklehead]

Welcome to the forum. We have some really nice Fla. folks on here, glad to have you on board. I agree with the above. I'd smoke it, but if it was flue cured, something went badly wrong. Look at some leaf at www.wholeleaftobacc.com. The best leaf on the interweb and a damn good guy to work with.

Do you smoke cigarettes, pipe, cigars?

 

[AmaxB]

Well umm it could be a bright flue cured that went really wrong. Or they tried aging and took the heat to high, I did that. If you have all the same color and none in lighter shades of brown to dark tan than it is likely something else.
Am no expert just voicing the little experience I do have.

 

[Carlos Danger]

Thanks everyone for the info and warm welcome.

I've read about frog eyes, Aaron, but couldn't find a photo of frog eyes on cured tobacco. Maybe Google will pick up my photo! I have not asked the vendor about the spots, Marc, thinking I could get an unbiased opinion from the experts here.


There were a few yellow-orange leaves, Amax, but I've smoked all those up. All that's left now are pretty dark leaves that have a very strong taste, and are high enough nicotine to make me a little queasy with one good sized roll up. All I have now is a bunch of this leaf and some burley. Together they are too strong for me, while the American Spirit seemed a little weak for me at times.


I've been smoking unfiltered RYO American Spirit, Knucklehead, with an occasional cigar, but fewer cigars during the summer heat down here.


I know about Don's site now, but I didn't know about it when I ordered this tobacco. I've been stalking his site for two weeks now, waiting for his flue cured bright leaf to be restocked. It appears to be in stock now, but no announcement here. Don, are you open for business?


Thanks again, everyone. You folks are great!

 

[BigBonner]

My question is , Is that the only leaf that looked like that ?
Does the leaf smell like smoke ?

Like Don said Frog eye It is ok to smoke .
Its Not flue cured .
it could be way Over ripe .
Severe Target spot . Most of the time will leave holes in leaves .
Wildfire

Frog eye http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Tobacco/Pages/FrogEye.html
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Tobacco/Pages/Angular.html
http://www.ipmimages.org/search/action.cfm?q=tobacco

 

[COLIN]

I was wishing to grow some cigarette tobacco verities this year and are looking for some recommendations. Do all Virginia verities have to be flue cured or can they be colour cured and kilned.

 

[Knucklehead]

I was wishing to grow some cigarette tobacco verities this year and are looking for some recommendations. Do all Virginia verities have to be flue cured or can they be colour cured and kilned.

They can be air cured and kilned, but the flue curing process makes for a sweeter leaf. I smoked some of BarG's air cured Virginia that he grew last year and I liked it.

 

[BigBonner]

Hello, everyone.

I was smoking American Spirit, dark blue cans, when I heard about whole leaf tobacco. I ordered some Va flue cured from an online vendor (before I found this forum) and wonder about these white spots:
View attachment 7402

What the he!l is that, and is it OK to smoke?

Thanks in advance.

That could be a plain air cured VA tobacco .
I have some that looks dark like that that I just whole stalk cured at the end of season .

 

[skychaser]

I have air cured a couple dozen different varieties of bright leaf tobaccos (flu cured) with great success and never had a leaf that looks like that.

 

[deluxestogie]

I'll suggest that it's an upper leaf from Burley. Air-cured.

Bob

 

[Carlos Danger]

Thanks again, everyone. I came here to find out what the white spots are, and sparked off a discussion on the leaves themselves. Good stuff.


To answer your questions BigBonner, maybe a quarter of the leaves have spots. Maybe 20% of the leaves are as dark as beef jerky, but all are pretty dark red-brown, aside from maybe 4-6 leaves that were yellow-orange. The leaves don't smell smokey to me, but I've never sniffed tobacco leaves before, and they don't have a strong smell now because I've dried them out pretty good. I thought I would try to age this stuff into something I can smoke.

 

[BigBonner]

Here is a picture of some bright leaf that was the last I harvested .I whole stalk cure about 1500 plants . It had a little frost on the leaves on one morning .
This was way over ripe tobacco .But it still smoke good .

The rest I have is the good yellow .

 

[Knucklehead]

Thanks again, everyone. I came here to find out what the white spots are, and sparked off a discussion on the leaves themselves. Good stuff.

The leaves don't smell smokey to me, but I've never sniffed tobacco leaves before, and they don't have a strong smell now because I've dried them out pretty good.

We just like to argue. Mostly we just end up agreeing to disagree -- unless we swap sides in the middle of the argument.

You would know if it was fire cured. Fire cured smells just like good BBQ taken right off the grill. No kidding.

 

[workhorse_01]

No it don't! LOL Knucks is right. I have some in a sealed ziplok bag and my wife asked me to take it outside to the barn. Even sealed it filled the room with smokey tobacco goodness.

We just like to argue. Mostly we just end up agreeing to disagree -- unless we swap sides in the middle of the argument.

You would know if it was fire cured. Fire cured smells just like good BBQ taken right off the grill. No kidding.