Homegrown Burley

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Ahi Ka

Lurker
Feb 25, 2020
6,518
31,465
Aotearoa (New Zealand)
1C703C48-8D5D-45C9-A388-BCD091225248.jpeg

This is straight homegrown burley from last season. I air cured it and then removed stems before rolling into loose sausages and packed away in jars for 8months (I didn’t have a kiln).

I then added equal weight of water to tobacco to each jar and then placed in slow cooker for a day on low - roughly 190f.

I unrolled leaf to dry. Unfortunately it went out of case, so I had to place it back in a sealed bag with a wet paper towel for a day and this returned it to low-medium case.

I then pressed for 24 hours and it has the consistency of a crumble cake, however since it is made with threshed leaf instead of ribbon it doesn’t crumble as much. I’m not worried as I was always intending to slice it.

upon opening there was a slight tangy smell, which was not present in the leaf prior to pressing.

prior to pressing, the smoke was wonderful, earthy and malty with a cigar like floral vibe. Now it is perfect. It is exactly what I want as a daily smoke. It has lost the cigar vibe, has become more balanced and has a slight richness to it. This reminds me a lot of haunted bookshop. Which I find fascinating as there is zero bright leaf or perique blended in. I’m in heaven.
 
I can't believe more people aren't giving this thread more love. We should celebrate people growing their own. Encourage it. Insist, even.

It's not rocket surgery. There are no classes or degrees you have to jump through... just grow it, follow some simple curing techniques, and mix it with whatever appeals to your tastes.

One thing is for certain, anyone who grows their own, even just once, knows head and shoulders more about tobaccos than someone who just reads tin descriptions. That's a fact.
 
I would love to attempt a grow, however the end season drying and curing worry me due to our cold and humid fall, then of course winter... I don't think i have the climate for it to work out. That burley sure looks amazing, congrats
Burley would be the easiest. Just hang them up. Maybe in an attic. Our family farm in NC, would get really cold, and that doesn't seem to affect it. It may actually help slow down the drying, which is good. And, I remember that after the initial year of curing, they would sometimes burry the whole crop if the prices for that year weren't substantial, in hopes of a high price the following year. It's not as fragile a process as you'd think. It's actually harder to process potatoes.
 

gervais

Lifer
Sep 4, 2019
2,078
6,973
39
Ontario
Burley would be the easiest. Just hang them up. Maybe in an attic. Our family farm in NC, would get really cold, and that doesn't seem to affect it. It may actually help slow down the drying, which is good. And, I remember that after the initial year of curing, they would sometimes burry the whole crop if the prices for that year weren't substantial, in hopes of a high price the following year. It's not as fragile a process as you'd think. It's actually harder to process potatoes.
Well thank you for the info. It would be a great retirement hobby.....in 25-30 years. Lmfao. I can barely find the time to take care of my pathetic vegetable garden. I should invest more in gardening. I do enjoy it
 

karam

Lifer
Feb 2, 2019
2,341
9,012
Basel, Switzerland
This looks and sounds like it tastes great!
Thanks for describing what you did too, maybe I'll try it with my burley-which-tastes-like-Basma.

Have you thought adding stuff to it? Honey, rum, vanilla, tonquin etc?
 
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I'd love to do that but I do not have the space. Plus most of my yard is shaded by trees. Maybe I could just go and sow some seeds along the treeline at the local park...
Some of the strongest tobaccos are shade grown. It might be worth a try, if you're interested. I had half my semois growing in shade a few years ago, and I liked it better. It's not as fast and they don't get as big, but flavor and potency seems to increase. FWIW
 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
Fantastic! You not only grew the tobacco yourself, but you also cured it and finished with a product that's tasty and smokeable. How admirable!
 
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sittingbear

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 20, 2015
661
3,128
Olympia, WA
That looks amazing! Congrats! I'm looking forward to doing this myself but the apartment where we live currently is not conducive to growing anything whatsoever. Maybe next year....