New Member - Rajangan

[rajangan]

Cosmic, pipe tobacco in Canada runs about $300/lb. I save about $1800 a year by growing my own tobacco. The shed has paid for itself already. It also doubles as a place to refrigerate or cure meat, grow seedlings, etc. The inside is 4'x8'x8'. There is 7.5" of insulation, 6" studs, a series of uprights to hang tobacco rods, a small vent for dehumidification, heater, humidifier, a sturdy roof in case I ever need to hang a quartered moose. It's just for me.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Very Nice!!!

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Tobacco photos! :D Yaaaaaaaaaay! Welcome Rajangan!

 

[smittyd]

Welcome Rajangan. Your pics make you look like a pro to me. I live near Lancaster Pa, so there are a lot of Amish tobacco farms around here. I have been curious to see if i could by bulk from one of the farms , and try to cure it myself . I have had local Amish chewing tobacco but not pipe tobacco.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Welcome onboard dear Mr Rajangan, well,concerning on Italian Type of dark leaf, or French or Spanish for that matter, I'm somewhat familiar with all of the aforementioned tobaccoes, before days, these and Kentucky Dark fired Burley leaf were what I smoked as in factory-made cigarettes and In Ryo,today there are few Italian and French pipe tobacco brands in which these type of leaf is the main component,nontheless can't say correctly if it was the Nostrano leaf,in all probability is it their Kentucky tobacco from Toscano region.Moreover, just recently I came across with ancient dutch type of Javan cigar leaf pipe tobacco brand name, Voorgoost*made out of some burley and Javan cigar leaf tobacco, this very brand is today uniquely sold in Germany&Neederlands

Thank You for sharing the results of your experiments,and best greets, Paul

Ps,Just finishing my after-dinner Toscano Vecchio Cigar, oh yes,these has some nicotine so I prefer splitting em with a razor blade,

 

[robcapp]

Welcome mate. I haven't been here long myslef but can vouch for this group of folk as genuinely nice and fun people to be around.
I would love to get into tobacco growing - my parents, and their families had commercial tobacco farms in Italy.... But I definitely don't need another hobby / interest to absorb myself in right now!
I look forward to reading your posts.

 

[davet]

Welcome and thanks for the pics :clap: Where in Canada are you? There's a few of us on here, I'm in New Brunswick

 

[rajangan]

Paulie, I'm jealous that you have had the opportunity to buy some of these regional tobaccos. Voor oogst is a term meaning something along the lines of, planted in rainy season, and actually is not a specific tobacco. Unlike most cigar leaf, which is na oogst.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Mr.Rajangan: Thank you for the added information,tell you what, based on my observations with the Ryo tobacco produced within European Union countries, something strange just happened with all main Roll Your own tobaccos excluding perhaps very few smaller British and Belgian Tabac de Semois producers,all major brands started to taste much weaker and nicotine-wise they went significantly milder,whereas in the far east and perhaps in the U.S,(outside of Eu )the strength of these main European cigarette tobaccos still remain pretty much unchanged,similar situation is seen with the factory made cigarettes,and thereby, I have a reason to believe that the use of lower tar and nicotine containing leaf has a very bad effect on overall taste of the final product.

 

[rajangan]

That's very interesting Paulie. I wonder if it's due to cultural and/or political reasons.

 

[jvnshr]

Moreover, just recently I came across with ancient dutch type of Javan cigar leaf pipe tobacco brand name

There are Javan cigars? Really? :lol:
Edit: I've just realized that you were talking about Indonesian tobacco, so probably it is Java leaf (like Cuba-Cuban, Java-Javan).
Edit2: Found this one

 

[jvnshr]

Ps,Just finishing my after-dinner Toscano Vecchio Cigar, oh yes,these has some nicotine so I prefer splitting em with a razor blade

Yup, that's actually how some people smoke it, cutting it in half with a cigar cutter or knife and then smoking one half.

 

[rajangan]

If you roll your own, WLT has a really good Bezuki wrapper from Indonesia.

I like Toscanos. One great thing about them is traveling in Europe they are usually available in the duty free shops.

 

[jvnshr]

Does anybody know if De Nobili Toscani is similar to Italian Toscanos? I purchased a pack of 5, however never had a chance to try it.

 

[rajangan]

Yeah. They are similar, but not exactly. They are still very much along the same lines flavor wise, but not quite as strong.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Rjangan:All that comes from new EU regulations and directives on tobacco products.

 

[theloniousmonkfish]

That's an amazing setup, Rajangan, inspiring.

 

[jmsmitty6]

This thread, coupled with recent claims of tobacco quality, made me want to learn a little more. My best friend grew up in Northern Kentucky and his dad has a 'hobby farm' where he grows 40 acres of tobacco to sell. He has been doing this for about 30 years. I called up my buddy's dad and had an interesting conversation. I'm summarizing, but he basically told me that curing is the hard part in production. He told me that through modern agriculture, he can get a consistent crop but that curing the crop requires much more skill and experience.
Rajangan has this been your experience as well?

 

[rajangan]

I would say that his challenge is far greater than that of the homegrower. He needs to do it in a financially responsible manner. Also, he has to meet certain standards with his tobacco so it gets graded at a higher value. For me, it's all sort of an experiment, right. Much of my tobacco is great, some of it is not, and it is not entirely consistent-a challenge he has to deal with. I can welcome inconsistency because I get variety and learn about how the process affects tobacco differently.
And when I consider the cost, I compare it with retail, not wholesale prices, so I can have 7.5" of insulation, electric heat and humidity, fans, controllers, etc. My system is a little overkill, but it can flue cure when it's minus 20 outside (I live in Alberta). It can be done with scientific precision if the equipment holds up. Meanwhile, this gentleman has to do it in barns, subject to environmental fluctuations, human staff, fuel of some kind, wood I assume, rather than electricity. It's an artform, maintaining the right conditions for a crop a thousand times the size of mine.
I can say, though, that to do it for fun in your own back yard can and does give great reward. And you certainly don't have to invest in it as much as I have. Every year is a little better. It's worth it.

 

[deathmetal]

Tobaccopocalypse is like civilization decay: it happens slowly in little bits and you do not notice at the time, but then one day you wake up in a favela lighted by a Coca-Cola billboard as helicopters circle above and gunfire breaks out on the streets next to the open sewers.
It's good to be prepared. If pipe smokers are going to be a marginalized group, we do best to develop our own industry and trade around leaf and briar instead of being dependent on a failing economy and infrastructure.