tmbutler
Active Member
Good morning everyone! I’m going to start off this blog short and simple. I’ve still got some yard work to do; clearing and tilling plots, amending with compost and probably even moving a shed to give me more grow space. Last year I grew four different varieties @ 10 each. To recap on how I feel about the turnout;
Black Mammoth- grew really well. Definitely should probably be fire cured. I think air curing isn’t enough because it is a VERY sticky and oily variety and I feel like air curing left it too vulnerable to the mold it experienced. Another possible contributing factor was my newly built curing barn actually seemed to have kept it cooler, which wasn’t the goal. I’ll share about that on a separate thread.
Comstock Spanish- seems to have faired pretty well. Admittedly at harvest time I wasn’t super impressed because of the leaf size but I had to remind myself this is cigar leaf and not a VA/Burley. Seems to have air cured decently despite the concerns with my new barn.
Connecticut Broadleaf- yeah…. For some reason that particular strain was DEVOURED by insects. In the end I didn’t even have enough to warrant salvaging.
Long Red- SUPER IMPRESSED! Grew really well. Admittedly, the plants seemed much shorter than most and I wasn’t sure if that was something to be concerned with or not. The majority of the harvested leaf appeared fine and intact, just a little more finicky to harvest since the leaf was so close to each other.
This season I will be going back at it with the Comstock Spanish, Long Red and a Habano. Contemplating one more but I haven’t made a decision yet.
I have a couple of friends whom are generously donating some of their land for me to grow on. This will allow me more product to store up, a possibility of spreading out the varieties more, and to see how different soil types affect the flavor. I’m cautiously looking forward to getting a patch started at another friends place but it’s quite the distance and I need to make sure he can tend to what I plant there. I’m not worried about him because he grew up on a tobacco farm and the land he’s letting me try this out on IS THE FARM. He told me that he never believed he’d want to return to what he did growing up, but now he’s in the process of buying it back off another family member.
As always, I’m open to feedback/questions/concerns
Black Mammoth- grew really well. Definitely should probably be fire cured. I think air curing isn’t enough because it is a VERY sticky and oily variety and I feel like air curing left it too vulnerable to the mold it experienced. Another possible contributing factor was my newly built curing barn actually seemed to have kept it cooler, which wasn’t the goal. I’ll share about that on a separate thread.
Comstock Spanish- seems to have faired pretty well. Admittedly at harvest time I wasn’t super impressed because of the leaf size but I had to remind myself this is cigar leaf and not a VA/Burley. Seems to have air cured decently despite the concerns with my new barn.
Connecticut Broadleaf- yeah…. For some reason that particular strain was DEVOURED by insects. In the end I didn’t even have enough to warrant salvaging.
Long Red- SUPER IMPRESSED! Grew really well. Admittedly, the plants seemed much shorter than most and I wasn’t sure if that was something to be concerned with or not. The majority of the harvested leaf appeared fine and intact, just a little more finicky to harvest since the leaf was so close to each other.
This season I will be going back at it with the Comstock Spanish, Long Red and a Habano. Contemplating one more but I haven’t made a decision yet.
I have a couple of friends whom are generously donating some of their land for me to grow on. This will allow me more product to store up, a possibility of spreading out the varieties more, and to see how different soil types affect the flavor. I’m cautiously looking forward to getting a patch started at another friends place but it’s quite the distance and I need to make sure he can tend to what I plant there. I’m not worried about him because he grew up on a tobacco farm and the land he’s letting me try this out on IS THE FARM. He told me that he never believed he’d want to return to what he did growing up, but now he’s in the process of buying it back off another family member.
As always, I’m open to feedback/questions/concerns
