Are these the same thing?

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ithelouniverse

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 30, 2013
513
0
West Texas
I've seen some tobaccos say they have Kentucky, other saying the have dark fired Kentucky....
Are they the same or am I confused?
If not, what's the difference?

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,454
I think the dark fired Kentucky is as much about the processing as the leaf. Kentucky is burley,

but only some of it is dark fired.

 

derfargin

Lifer
Mar 3, 2014
2,028
28
Kennesaw, GA
I think it was confirmed in another thread that "dark" Kentucky is an actual strain of the Kentucky leaf.
Someone, please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

torque

Can't Leave
May 21, 2013
444
2
I think, if you dig into it deep enough, you'll find that "Burley" and "Dark" are actually pretty generic terms. There are a ton of different strains (probably yet another generic term). If memory serves me, and it doesn't always LOL, the University of Kentucky has been pretty heavily involved in the study of what strains grow best in different parts of the state. They analyze soil composition and climate patterns and tell the farmers in the different areas which strains are likely to give the best yields in the different categories. Add to that the multiple varied methods for curing the leaf once it's been harvested and differing maturity levels and grades when harvested and, yeah, I think it becomes pretty difficult to answer in such general terms.
Add further to that, from what I've read here and there, Burley strains grown in other parts of the world can also tend to loosely be termed as "Kentucky", further muddying the waters. I also suspect that these terms morph over time as the industry at large shifts and changes. I think you could drive yourself nuts trying to differentiate all the different types of dark burley that is produced and used so the generic term "Kentucky" gets used for most of the darker varieties just to keep things simplified to an extent. That's just my take on it from my studies and various memories growing up around tobacco farmers. I'm also betting that what I've laid out here is an over simplification of the matter. Makes my head spin so I just smoke it, LOL.

 

cynyr

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 12, 2012
646
113
Tennessee
Keep an eye open for "Green River Burley" which is a tasty, sweet Cavendish-style. I'm sure it has to do with the processing, rather than the strain, but it is my favorite - and highly recommended. Sutliff's Charlemagne and Captain Black Dark give me my fix.

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,638
Chicago, IL
Like torque, I just smoke the stuff I like and I don't bother zeroing-in on the subtleties.

But it does help to know something about the broad categories so I can search for new blends to try out.

Here's what Greg Pease had to say about DFK:
Briefly, dark-fired is both dark and fire-cured. These tobaccos, casually referred to as "darks," begin life as a different cultivar from the regular burleys, and include the Green River and One-Sucker varieties. Roughly 90% of these darks are grown in a small region of south-western Kentucky and across the border in north-western Tennessee, with the rest coming from Virginia, and are brought to market either air- or fire-cured.
Fire-cured darks are stalk harvested and air dried until the desired level of yellowing occurs, usually for between five and eight days, before controlled fires are built from hardwoods and sawdust. The yellowed leaf is locked away in the smoking barns to be fumigated, through as many as three distinct firings, until the desired level of color is set, the correct moisture content is achieved, and the right amount of smokiness is produced. The production is a delicate balance of art and science, as there are a lot of variables to consider during the process, such as maintaining correct humidity and temperature, and just the right smoke levels.
The finished result is a strong, dark, slightly sweet and smoky, with a distinctive tobacco, with an almost floral character. Dark-fired is not as pungent as its sun-dried, fire-cured cousin, Latakia, but it is much stronger, in general. Much of the world’s production finds its way to snuff, chewing tobacco and dry cured cigars, though it’s always been an important component in some traditional UK pipe tobaccos. There’s quite a bit more to the picture, but I hope this little thumbnail offers some insight.

 
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