New Member - Rajangan

[jvnshr]

I check the "New Member Introduction" thread occasionally and recently one of the posts caught my eye:

Hi everyone.

I'm a pipe smoker. I grow and process my own tobacco. I'm a big gardener. I've got a smoking lounge in my basement. Life is good.

Hmmm, I said, we love pipe tobacco growers, right? Then I read that he managed to visit Eskisehir - the Meerschaum mining heaven of Earth. That was it, this guy had a lot to share with us. Right, rajangan?

 

[sumusfumus]

Indeed.....
Enjoy God's gifts.
Frank

NYC

 

[mikethompson]

When a mod starts a thread to welcome a new member individually, yes, I would think he might have some things to share!
I enjoy hearing the 'seed to smoke' stories as well

 

[rajangan]

Hi, thank you for the warm welcome. I live in Alberta. Not exactly tobacco growing country. After floundering for several years, I have since managed 4 successful crops. The most I've grown was 200 plants. My stock of tobacco is such now that I'm only planning 75 this coming year to maintain stock, and try new varieties. I built a flue curing shed two years ago. This year however, I will be focusing on sun cured and air cured varieties. These include a couple burleys, Indonesian sun cured tobaccos, a rustica, and an uncommon category called dark Virginia, and an Italian cigar type called Nostrano.
Last year I did an experiment, curing a bright tobacco in the Indonesian method for making what's called rajangan. It's a sun curing method where the uncured leaves are shredded and then cured in the sun. It was successful producing a smoke that was unlike flue cured, regular sun cured, or air cured tobacco of the same variety (which I also did), so this year, along with my planned air cured tobaccos, I plan to make rajangan with three different Indonesian tobaccos--ones that are traditionally done that way.

 

[jvnshr]

Thanks for your response. I've never heard of Nostrano. I know that they grow Kentucky tobacco in Italy and process it to manufacture unique Toscano cigars. Is Nostrano similar to that one?
I forgot to say, along with the pipe tobacco growers, processors and blenders, we love photo posters :nana:
Please check the link below to see how to post pictures using forum album:
https://youtu.be/huhYScw71Y4

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Funny, yesterday in the mail I received a package of Virginia seeds in the mail from the Ukraine. I couldn't read any of the writing, but it was all hand addressed. It didn't look like it was from a company at all. But, I make so many exchanges, trades, requests, and surprises from fellow forum members, that I may have just forgotten that someone was sending them to me. I hope I wasn't supposed to send something in return.
Anyways, welcome Rajagan. We have a lot in common. I am a grower as well. I have started digging out the foundation for a small smokehouse for fire cure, and I have gathered the materials for a new flue/fermenting chamber. I have grown the dark Virginia, and it is delicious with a lot of strength to it. I'm not a fan of sun or air cured. It just tastes bland to me, after playing with flues, sweats, and fermentation. But, maybe someone else can do it better than me. I look forward to hearing tips and seeing your crops progress.

Welcome!!

 

[rajangan]

Brenta, Italy is the first region in Europe where tobacco was ever grown. Monks or friars did so, I'm not sure. Nostrano is a descendent of those original tobaccos. While Nostrano del Brenta cigars look like Toscanos, I'm told they taste entirely different. Those I know who have smoked it don't regret growing it, and all say it's very unique. In photos I've seen, it cures very dark, and makes a gorgeous wrapper.

 

[deathmetal]

Growing your own is the future. This curing method is new to me and sounds interesting. What does shredding the tobacco do, besides tempt you to stuff it in a pipe too early?

 

[rajangan]

Cosmic, building a safe way to fire cure is exciting. I hope you do well at it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I am using parts you can buy from Amazon for building your own meat smoker. The smoke box has an electric pellet burner, so it is safer, or we will see.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I may have some exciting pictures of a small burning building to post, ha ha.

 

[rajangan]

Deathmetal, the rajangan had a much richer flavor than the flue cured. I don't know if you've smoked Gitanes cigarettes. Something like that, or maybe like drum, but still earthier. One great benefit of it is that since it's already shredded, you can kiln it in a jar and not have to worry about regulating the humidity. It's ready to smoke in no more than a month after picking. Mind you, Delhi 34 was the fastest maturing tobacco I've ever grown. The Indonesian types might not go so quickly.

 

[deathmetal]

Very interesting. I used to smoke Gitanes and noticed that Chinese cigarettes tasted more like them than American or British cigarettes. I can also see the advantages to the fast maturation time.

 

[rajangan]

I'm attempting to post my first photo. If this works, this is the rajangan immediately after curing.

 

[jvnshr]

Yup, it has worked.

 

[rajangan]

This is the same tobacco flue cured:

And at the end of the wilting stage before raising the temperature:

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Wait, are you a commercial tobacco producer?

 

[rajangan]

Cosmic, nope. Just a hobby grower. I think I would like to do this full time, but there's more realistic stuff going on in my life that will do me just fine.

 

[sumusfumus]

Fascinating.....
I hope it's worth all the efforts in the end. It is certainly a unique process, and very interesting to read through all the postings.
Frank

NYC

 

[cosmicfolklore]

That is a damned impressive shed. This is just for your crop? or is it a cooperative with different farmers using the same equipment? Because that is some money right there. Mine is going to look Samford & Son in comparison to your Howard Hughs Spruce Goose flue.