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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I happen to like burley a lot, so that may skew my portion of American grown tobacco, though burley comes from many countries. The tobacco growing industry has totally changed since I moved to N.C. in 1972, just out of the Navy and going to school at U.N.C. Greensboro. Tobacco auctions were the center the tobacco farming universe, part trading floor and part fall festival. I understand today individual farmers are mostly under contract to particular large tobacco companies, and I can see for myself that all the old auction barns, often huge buildings, have gone to ruin or other uses. This and other economic changes have withered many formerly small thriving cities and towns to shadows, and others are struggling. My late wife's grandfather was a tobacco farmer during the golden age, and she helped stick tobacco (tied leaves to sticks to cure in the tobacco barn). In recent years, we see some fields full of cotton and other crops.

 
Actually, today, there are not very many family run tobacco farmers. The big cig industry will lease the farmland and run their own operation, which include modern state-of-the-art kilns replacing the old barns that used to be used. There are a few private farms, but they are few and far between.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Even while the family farms were common, there was a strict appropriation of allotments that controlled the amount of tobacco each farmer grew. The industry association amassed vast wealth, along with the company owners themselves. Duke University was founded on tobacco money. Tobacco and textiles ruled.

 

haparnold

Lifer
Aug 9, 2018
1,561
2,389
Colorado Springs, CO
Well, it appears that one of the blends I would have bet was All American has some Canadian Virginia in it: Cornell & Diehl Pegasus. Refer to the video below for more info:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDoG3o18hHw

 

haparnold

Lifer
Aug 9, 2018
1,561
2,389
Colorado Springs, CO
Canada is America, unless he meant only our country, the United States exclusively.
:roll:
Then, he would be hard pressed to find any Virginia blend that fits that bill.
Yeah, I agree. Having lived in tobacco country my whole life, I always assumed the US was the place tobacco is grown. Since getting more seriously into the pipe world, I've come to realize how truly international of a crop it is.

 
May 8, 2017
1,593
1,627
Sugar Grove, IL, USA
A good deal of burley comes from Malawi, India, and South America. Tobacco sourcing is a global effort with the decline of the US tobacco industry. I suggest writing to Jeremy Reeves at C&D for ideas. They use only a few different tobacco in their blends. By that, I mean that they use the same burley, same Red Virginias, same Bright Virginias, same dark-fired, et Al, in a all but a few special blends, including the other brands they manufacture, like GL Pease. Once you know where they're from, you can pick from their myriad blends. No tobaccos with Latakia or other Orientals will be sourced from the USA.

 
May 8, 2017
1,593
1,627
Sugar Grove, IL, USA
I took my own advice and wrote to Jeremy Reeves, head blender for C&D, who is an extremely nice fellow who loves talking tobacco. He gave me a very detailed reply, but I would like his permission to share his answer here, so I just emailed him asking for his blessing. In the meantime, I feel comfortable sharing that at least these blends are 100% USA products, with the minor caveat that a portion of Daughters and Ryan's Louisiana-made Perique includes a blend of burleys from LA, KY, TN, and Canada.
Autumn Evening, Interlude, Burley Flake #1, Burley Flake #2, Burley Flake #3, Crooner, Five O'Clock Shadow, Kajun Kake, Old Joe Krantz, Old Joe Krantz and Carolina Red Flake are all USA leaf, if you consider Perique a US product, regardless of leaf origin.

 
Aug 25, 2019
20
8
Excellent news, Yes I will definitely check these out, I especially like that they are from KY and TN. I appreciate all of the help gents!

 
May 8, 2017
1,593
1,627
Sugar Grove, IL, USA
OK, here's Jeremy Reeves' full reply, which I found to be really interesting.
"...As for the USA components that we use, they are: Red VIrginia, White Burley, Dark Burley and Dark Fired Kentucky. Black Cavendish and Perique are swing tobacco in this category. We use one Cavendish that is made in the USA and the leaf is grown in KY, and another Cavendish that we use is from the Dominican Republic and is made from cigar leaf. A portion of Perique is grown in St. James Parish, LA. However there has not been enough of that leaf grown in St. James to meet demand for decades. As far back as the 1900's, Perique manufacturers in Louisiana were commonly sourcing a portion of the tobacco that was needed to produce Perique, from either Kentucky, Tennessee or Canada. This is still the case, though Mark Ryan has been more open about this practice than previous Perique manufacturers have been. So all of our Perique features a portion of leaf from Louisiana, but Poche blends each barrel. So a portion of each barrel is from Louisiana and a portion is from either KY, TN or Canada. That all depends on where Mark can find the style of leaf he needs when he needs it.
Currently, all the Latakia in the world is processed in Cypress and the tobacco itself is sometimes grown in Cypress, sometimes in Lebanon. Our cigar leaf comes from Dominican Republic, and from Italy.

Kasturi is grown in Indonesia, Orientals crops of Izmir, Basma and Katerini are from Turkey and from Greece and Bright Virginia comes from Ontario, Canada. This last one may sound odd, but actually, Canada produces some of the best bright leaf in the world.
Autumn Evening, Interlude, Burley Flake #1, Burley Flake #2, Burley Flake #3, Crooner, Five O'Clock Shadow, Kajun Kake, Old Joe Krantz, and Carolina Red Flake are all USA leaf, if you consider Perique a US product, regardless of leaf origin."

 
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downsouth

Might Stick Around
Jul 25, 2019
59
49
OK, here's Jeremy Reeves' full reply, which I found to be really interesting.
Extremely informative, thank you! I pretty much only smoke Interlude, Red Flake, and Burley Flake #2 now, with bulk red and bright occasionally. I was told at some point in the past by C&D over the phone that the red bulk is also US based, although not listed here, so now I'm not sure about that; but its also interesting to know that the bulk bright I smoke from them (which is indeed probably the best bright I've ever had) is from Canada. Anyway, thanks for the post.

 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,678
29,400
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
I could be misinformed but from what I understand one of the reasons that blenders aren't as big on sharing their tobaccos providence is a two fold issue. One tobacco can change from year to year and keeping a blend consistent from year to year may involve changing the providence of the leaf (and pricing can change too), the other issue is propitiatory or trade secrets. That could all be bunk. Though what isn't is you're best bet might be shooting out a series of E-mails stating what you're looking for, and then of course getting back to us all about what you've found.

P.S. you're avatar and name says you might be close to where I live (Central PA).

 

downsouth

Might Stick Around
Jul 25, 2019
59
49
aren't as big on sharing their tobaccos providence
I haven't found that with C&D at all; I've called them on many occasions with questions about their tobaccos and estate pipes and have always found them to be open, honest (I'm assuming), and forthcoming with their "secrets". Also, leaf does change from season to season even out of the same farm (just ask my neighbor two farms over from me), but, it's a lot like grapes...i.e., so does wine. It's the slight variations that make tobacco (and wine) interesting in my opinion...I'm not sure how much C&D tries to control for that, but my guess is not much as I've tasted variations in the same blend from season to season (Carolina Red Flake is a good example of that). It seems to me that they are more interested in latching onto a farm the provides quality product from year to year than they are keeping the blend "consistent", but that's just my guess.

 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,678
29,400
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
@downsouth yeah they seem very open about what's in each blend. In fact it seems to be one of their points of pride. I imagine though that aside from a few companies that are owned directly by one of the big tobacco companies, that there would be a willingness to help a customer find the right blend. The ones owned by one of the big big tobacco companies are more likely to have the e-mail answered by someone that just doesn't know one way or the other.

Then one final question are you geographically down south? Or is that at tribute to that Briarworks blend that claims to be perfect for porching?

 

downsouth

Might Stick Around
Jul 25, 2019
59
49
are you geographically down south? Or is that at tribute to that Briarworks blend that claims to be perfect for porching?
I am a true southerner. Born and raised just outside Cowpens, SC, lived here breeding horses near Sparta, NC for the last 30 years. My wife and I have houses on the SC and FL coasts as well. To be honest, the only time I've ever been north of the Mason Dixon was to catch connection flights out of New York or Ohio or Chicago...so only airport time. Never really had much of an interest to go that far north for any other reason. Hope that don't offend anyone from the north on here, but it is what it is.

 
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