What's Your Favourite?

[Northern Light Up]

I find the most overwhelming part of growing baccy is the unbelievable range of options. From type of baccy, to growing conditions to curing and fermenting to shredding/pressing, and on and on and on...

I am curious. What is your personal preference?

1.) Which tobacco(s) do you grow?
2.) What is your preferred method of curing?
3.) How do you age it?
4.) How do you store it?
5.) How do you consume it?

I think everyone has different methods with one goal. An enjoyable product.

What is your best process?

This is completely subjective and could lead every which way. Please try to answer the 5 questions and then pontificate.

Thanks!

 

[Jitterbugdude]

1. I typically grow about 1/2 my crop as cigarette tobacco. Usually Virginia Brightleaf or Virginia Gold. The other half is split between Turkish tobacco ( Samsun-Maden, Duace, Bucak and Tekekoy) and other tobaccos such as Little Dutch, Altinok, Burleys etc, basically whatever I am low on or needs a grow out. I haven't grown any cigar leaf in a few years. I have a boatload of shade grown wrapper and a few boatloads of filler/binder. I do not smoke cigars too much anymore so right now it is all aging.
2. My preferred method is stalk curing.
3. I hang in my barn for about 6-8 weeks.
4. I store it in big plastic boxes. This is a learned experience. The plastic locks the moisture in so if you do not know what you are doing, or do not pay attention your entire supply will mold.
5. My wife smokes the cigarette tobacco, I consume the rest either in a pipe or as dip.

No pontificating... do what works for you.

 

[Northern Light Up]

That's awesome. Exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks.

 

[istanbulin]

This is the first time I heard of Duace and Altinok.

 

[Northern Light Up]

I'm a big believer in doing what works for you as well. This is my first year, don't really have a system that works for me yet. I think it was pretty successful. I blindly ordered some seeds and just grew 'em to see where I ended up.

I've got a few pounds of finished product, but the main thing is I learned a ton. Especially about air curing and kilning.

I am making a plan already for next year. So far I know I am going to grow mostly Virginia and some Burley but that's about it. I thought hearing other people's preferred methods would help me make a plan.

I'd like to make a good cigarette.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

This is the first time I heard of Duace and Altinok.

I'm just making sure you are paying attention...
Let's re- word that and say... Alida and Duzce

 

[DGBAMA]

What do you like? Add what your goals are for next year, and you will likely get good recommendations.

 

[Rickey60]

1. Only had 2 years of growing. 1st year I grew burley only in pots because I did not know what to grow for cigarette (I did not find ftt until after I planted). This year I had to learn to grow in my outdoor patch. I grew 450 plants of all types. I had to deal with aphids worms, and most of all keeping my hand off the fertilizer. Next year will be mostly flue cure tobacco for cigarette blinds.
2. I love to flue cure, and also hang stalk in the barn.
3. Kiln cure and air cure.
4. I store mine in hands hanging from ceiling, boxes, plastic bags (from Don) and shreaded in zip lock bags.
5. Cigarettes

 

[grgfinney]

This year I went crazy and grew 33 different varieties, 1, I grow dark virginia, virginia gold, burley and prilep, and ottoman 2, air cure I drive a semi only home on weekends easier to prime and hang as they mature, 3, I kiln in containers for 4 to 6 weeks that way my wife doesn't have to monitor water in crock pot because there isn't any 4, I used to store it in cardboard boxes but in my garage it never comes back into case due to no humidity, so now I shred it put it in a ziplock then in a bucket with a water pillow 5, cigarettes a pack and a half a day

 

[ArizonaDave]

1.) Which tobacco(s) do you grow? Well, this fall was my first grow ever. I had a friend send me some seed to start. I grew VA. Gold, Ergo Burley, Little Dutch, Black Mammoth, and Turkish Izmir.
2.) What is your preferred method of curing? Air
3.) How do you age it? Don't know yet how I'm going to proceed. I'm considering toasting it, or quite possibly Bob's cozy can method.
4.) How do you store it? Right now, they're still air drying, with eventually a couple more batches to pick first.
5.) How do you consume it? There is some tobacco I've purchased for chew, Cigar, and potentially pipe. My main interest is Cigar, but have been experimenting with all types of leaves and their applications. In some cases I'm interested in resurrecting old Cigar blends that for some reason or another have been discarded because they weren't big enough for modern commercial methods.
Like most home blenders, I'm trying to find the right blend for me. Many of these blends are seasonal for me. Different flavors for different seasons. I do have my favorite "go to" blend, but I'm trying to find a new one, because these leaves aren't available any more.
#6) What changes are you making in your next year's grow? Well, I'm growing 4 different kinds from GRIN seedbank. All different from what I grew this fall. I have two growing seasons here, being in Arizona, the spring and the fall/winter. Yes, the Tobacco is still producing, it is 80* F right now, and about 40* at night. I want to see if I can have one continual season, and if that's even possible here. Our summer is as brutal as most people's winter. It's the one season we stay indoors more often. The rest of the year is wonderful.

 

[Bex]

1. Mystery tobacco. I bought virginia and burley seeds about 4 years ago, and collected the seeds from a couple of the plants to use the following year. I've been using the seed from my plants since then, and have no idea what it is.
2. I am trying my hand (probably unsuccessfully, but still learning) at flue curing. Air and sun curing would depend a lot on your climate, and mine is not really conducive for doing anything other than flue curing.
3. I am going to attempt to kiln age, after my flue curing is done. Fingers crossed I don't wreck what I've grown.
4. Thus far, I am storing my good product, shredded in zip lock bags. The leaf that cured with a green tinge is left in leaf, in a plastic bag - all in low case, in the hopes that the kiln aging improves it.
5. Thus far, although I've smoked 'trial' cigarettes, I haven't consumed much. I would like to produce good cigarette tobacco.
6. Next year, I will start my plants much earlier, so that I am not still harvesting in the beginning of December. I bought a polytunnel during this past summer, so it should allow me to plant out earlier. I will also use proper seed, rather than my mystery seed.....

 

[romanko]

My first 2 years I grew only Havana 608. Bought that seed online based on it being described as easy to grow and cold hardy. In 2012 grew only 18 plants, 2013 expanded to 50. In 2014 I grew Del Gold and Aztec Rustica, haven’t tried those yet. Since I actually never smoked before, I have no reference point to describe the Havana. I think it has a classic cigar aroma, and I can sense hints of cognac or caramel. I can’t explore blending until I grow some new strains. From what I’m reading, most growers smoke blends.

I air cure in my garage, and my little greenhouse. After a year of hanging my leaf was smokable, but an extra 6 months really made adifference. My 2nd year Havana tasted much better than the first year, after the same aging time. Either the seed I produced was acclimatized to my growing conditions, and/or I was farther along the learning curve.

Aging. Right now I just leave it hanging. After 1 year, I move the aged leaf down each wire into clusters to make room for the next years crop.

I have a couple of small humidors that I keep topped up with leaf for immediate smoking, but the rest just hangs out in the garage.

Smoke with a water/ice bong. I grind up my leaf when it’s brittle-dry, down to 2-3mm flakes, find that works best for me. I have a small tea-light burner/warmer that works great at drying leaves that are too moist. I smoke 1 leaf at a time – it’s funny but I’ve found that each leaf has it’s own unique character, some are fantastic, some just suck – that’s the purpose behind blending I suppose.