Rustica Characteristics

[Jahman7]

Ive been smoking rustica in a blend for a bit.

I have been attempting to figure out it's characteristics.

Is the pH like burley?

Flavor is interesting. Kind of like a seasoned sausage.

Anyone have any ideas they could bring to the table?

 

[makhorkasmoker]

I used to smoke it. I think a lot depends on how it is cured.

I’ve never tried Mapacho, nor the Vietnamese versions, though I’d like to.

I did try curing it in various ways, including green in the Russian and Native American style. To be honest, the appeal for me, and I suspect for others, lies in the effect more than the flavor. the effect when smoked straight is beautiful, really different.

I read somewhere—I think it was a piece about Russian tobacco use—that a makhorka smoker is a different animal than an N. Tabacum smoker. I can see how this is true. People will deny it but I believe the alkaloids are different with a different effect—something beyond the nicotine levels that get talked about so much.

As for flavor, it was bitter and at times sour. Aging toned this down but also seemed to make the flavor thinner . Room note was vile.

There are also quite a few varieties of rustica and that could make a difference too

 

[Jahman7]

Where can i find more information about Rustica? I'm still fairly new to it and don't know where to find definitive information about the varieties, their smoking qualities, and etc.

 

[kcghost]

If this is HH Rustica you are asking about it is normally in limited release so it can be hard to find. With the sale of Mac Barens to STG i would say this blend has seen its last release. It is a rather one dimensional blend that can be quite heavy at times though last release seem to pack as much punch. It can give you significant nicotine buzz on an empty stomach.

 

[Sigmund]

I found it rough and not very interesting. I traded it away to a friend who like strong stuff. I dont miss it.

 

[makhorkasmoker]

Where can i find more information about Rustica? I'm still fairly new to it and don't know where to find definitive information about the varieties, their smoking qualities, and etc.

You might explore the Fair Trade Tobacco forums. Some of the folks over there know a lot about Rustica varieties, how to grow them, cure them, and use them.

If you are interested in the Native American use of Rustica--including curing and blending with other herbs--a book called "Tobacco Use by Native North Americans: Sacred Smoke, Silent Killer" is the best place I've found to begin.

If you are interested in the Russian makhorka version--very similar in curing to the common Native American version--I'd do some deep Googling. There used to be pamphlets and articles on line about makhorka curing methods and uses.

My impression is that there is a great historical divide between Rustica smokers and N. tabacum smokers. Because we live in a largely N. tabacum world, Rustica is regarded as "bad"--harsh, cheap, good mainly for insecticide. And Rustica smokers felt much the same about N. Tabacum. The Native North American tribes, at least in the beginning, loathed N. tabacum and often refused to trade for it, and the old school Russian makhorka smoker apparently had zero use for "regular tobacco" (N. Tabacum). Without his Rustica, he simply would give up smoking. This may be why until the introduction of HH Rustica mentioned above, there seem to have been few, if any, commercial blends that combine the two.

In other words, if you're smoking Rustica straight, there are several or more traditions you can look to. If you are blending it with N. tabacum varieties, you may be entering largely uncharted territory.

 

[Jahman7]

Awesome information. I really appreciate it.

From my experience: yes, the nic hit is different (as you mentioned before). I found the tobacco to be only mildly rough, but the nic hit to be smoother and more robust. Verses N.Tabacum which is smooth in flavor and smokabillity, but the nic hit can be like squirrel energy - all over the place, sometimes still as a rock, sometimes not. You can follow that analogy further to understand where I'm coming from.

However, mixing the two has been interesting considering what you have said about the nic hit differences.

I'm very surprised mixing the two would be uncharted territory.

 

[Jahman7]

Awesome information. I really appreciate it.

From my experience: yes, the nic hit is different (as you mentioned before). I found the tobacco to be only mildly rough, but the nic hit to be smoother and more robust. Verses N.Tabacum which is smooth in flavor and smokabillity, but the nic hit can be like squirrel energy - all over the place, sometimes still as a rock, sometimes not. You can follow that analogy further to understand where I'm coming from.

However, mixing the two has been interesting considering what you have said about the nic hit differences.

 

[makhorkasmoker]

Awesome information. I really appreciate it.

From my experience: yes, the nic hit is different (as you mentioned before). I found the tobacco to be only mildly rough, but the nic hit to be smoother and more robust. Verses N.Tabacum which is smooth in flavor and smokabillity, but the nic hit can be like squirrel energy - all over the place, sometimes still as a rock, sometimes not. You can follow that analogy further to understand where I'm coming from.

However, mixing the two has been interesting considering what you have said about the nic hit differences.

I'm very surprised mixing the two would be uncharted territory.

by "uncharted" I don't mean unexplored. I'm just saying that I find little information about blending the two besides forum/blog posts by individuals who've played around with it and found combinations that work for them. If you do come across any info about older commercial blends that include Rustica, or traditions of blending the two, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[Steddy]

I’d be interested to see C&D use Rustica in a blend.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I’d be interested to see C&D use Rustica in a blend.

I want a blend with notes of motorcycle exhaust, gas station coffee at 2AM, burned pork in a very well used grill pit, and rust. It should be so black that you can squeeze the tar out of it. Just touching it should give you a nicotine overdose. mmmmmmmm.....

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

I want a blend with notes of motorcycle exhaust, gas station coffee at 2AM, burned pork in a very well used grill pit, and rust. It should be so black that you can squeeze the tar out of it. Just touching it should give you a nicotine overdose. mmmmmmmm.....

But they don't realize this is what the people want.

It's a shame.

The people want flavor!

 

[Jahman7]

I've got four blends with rustica... one tastes like chewed leather (if you chew leather while smoking it)...

 

[Steddy]

I want a blend with notes of motorcycle exhaust, gas station coffee at 2AM, burned pork in a very well used grill pit, and rust. It should be so black that you can squeeze the tar out of it. Just touching it should give you a nicotine overdose. mmmmmmmm.....

Now I want to smoke some black twist soaked in diesel and pork fat.

 

[Richmond B. Funkenhouser]

Now I want to smoke some black twist soaked in diesel and pork fat.

I think it comes that way.

 

[simong]

Rustica just tastes ‘dirty’ to me. Like the Elizabethans who discarded it in favour of other leaf centuries ago, I too, discarded my only tin.

As others have said though, it would be interesting to see what C&D could do with it. If nothing else, I’m sure they could come up with some spectacular mould patterns!

joke.

 

[Jahman7]

My brother says it tastes like a breakfast sausage when he smoked it in his rolled cigarette.

He smoked the Rustica in his cigarrette, not a sausage.

I'm starting to change my mind about it. I equate it to an earthy flavor. But I can't go as far to say it tastes dirty.

But then again, I love earthy, musty, and woody smells. Being a sort of horticulturalist, I suppose that makes sense.

When some say it is "harsh", this does not mean it has bite. I find it mostly smooth in the mouth.

I notice that, at first lighting, it has a good earthy flavor, but the harshness is in the posthale. After I get through about 10-15 minutes of the bowl, suddenly it is as if my senses adjust and it becomes enjoyable. The initial posthale isn't so harsh as to make it terribly bothersome though. Just a slight annoyance that I now know will consistently go away within a few moments - leaving me to wholly enjoy the rest of the bowl.

 

[RookieGuy80]

I want a blend with notes of motorcycle exhaust, gas station coffee at 2AM, burned pork in a very well used grill pit, and rust. It should be so black that you can squeeze the tar out of it. Just touching it should give you a nicotine overdose. mmmmmmmm.....

Hmm. I have a motorcycle, well used bbq pit, pork, and I'm sure I can find some rust around, Baltimore is a port city. A different kind of aromatic is achievable. We can make it happen. Cosmic Blend or Folklore Mixture?

 

[First Sealord]

All I've had was a few bowls of Mac Baren's HH Rustica. I 'm not sure what to make of it.

 

[Mrs. Pickles]

earthy, musty, and woody smells.

In a Pipes Magazine Radio interview, Per Jensen said inspiration for stoving rustica in the Pipe Force blends came to him from a historian who described partially rotted bales of tobacco in early colonial America.

Not joking when I say that this really sold me on it.