I'm 72....I'll meet you in the compost heap, and we'll smoke a bowl together......
The Future of Tobacco?
- Thread starter redrooster1977
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I would like to see more of this as well. I see more whole leaf being sold at farmers markets that we have visited over the years. And, it is just a few steps away to what it was before people started incorporating in the tobacco market. But, back then you didn't have access to the same blends across the country, and buying an imported English blend was for the very wealthy.
Subsidies are not as influential here as some may think. They check I drew for years for NOT growing tobacco was about $150 a year. That doesn't exactly pay the mortgage on the farm. Farm subsidies are intended to raise farmer incomes by remedying low crop prices or promoting them to switch crops. What we end up with is a burden on the tax payer and higher food costs.
Will the tobacco industry collapse? You know, I have no idea. I could see more small scale boutique style blenders. But, I could also see it just continuing as it is. Pipe tobacco is not a huge market.
This is also a great resource if you want some help with the math:
Pipe Tobacco By The Numbers - Briar Report Magazine
All the information you will need to calculate how much pipe tobacco you will need to stock your tobacco cellar including how much it will cost.
www.briarreport.org
Given relatively stable demand for tobacco, increased scarcity will cause the price to rise, which will cause farmers to enter the market for tobacco. This is standard economic theory, absent barriers to entry (which exist, e.g. FDA regulations) which are probably not prohibitively high.
Aside from America , yet Africa, there are many countries here in the EU, such as Greece, Spain,France Bulgaria where tobacco growing was traditionally very important part of agriculture industry(along with Olive oil production) It'll be interesting to know how those farmers are getting along nowadays
I'm hoping to learn how to grow and process my own. It's a nightshade, a cousin to tomatoes, it can't be that hard to grow. It's the processing that I'll need to learn... People have been growing (or foraging, in the case of the southwest) tobacco for centuries, even millenia. Time to cellar, yes, but don't forget that tobacco is ultimately a gift from the earth.
I grew Rusrica in past years. This year it's mostly Virginia Gold with 1 Rustica plant that popped up from a few leftover seeds from last years crop. Still have the mason jars from last year but have no idea how to ferment and process it into usable pipe tobacco so have just been growing it and figured i could do the harder work later on once i have a few more varieties to work with. The plants grow HUGE and have about 8-10 plants in a raised bed that are looking marvelous. Seeds can be found bay for cheap, make sure they have plenty of room to grow.
One of the biggest threats currently is the very limited supply of the best grades that are used in quality pipe tobacco. Recently, an acquaintance went to an auction, and the best flue cured was maybe, if I remember correctly, about 2% of that which was up for sale.
I'm not worried about running out of tobacco. I grow my own. In Canada, you can legally cure 15kg per person over 18 per year for personal use without a license. Afaik, in the US, there are no limits. It's illegal in Australia (but people still do it). It's legal in NZ, but I don't know what the limits are. I believe as of this year a licence is needed in the UK for growing tobacco for personal use.
My rough guess is that I have about 4 years of actual personal use stockpiled.
I'm not worried about running out of tobacco. I grow my own. In Canada, you can legally cure 15kg per person over 18 per year for personal use without a license. Afaik, in the US, there are no limits. It's illegal in Australia (but people still do it). It's legal in NZ, but I don't know what the limits are. I believe as of this year a licence is needed in the UK for growing tobacco for personal use.
My rough guess is that I have about 4 years of actual personal use stockpiled.
I think cigars and cigarettes will persist for a long time, and pipe smoking will be an arcane oddity.
I expect pipe tobacco is borderline profitable for the retailers, at least in Greece most carry it because they don't want to miss the very occasional customer. Certainly things look better in the US, and some countries in Europe like Germany, UK, Denmark.
Given that I believe abroad buying of tobacco will pretty much be eliminated for most of the world in the next couple of years I'm trying to cellar as well as to learn to grow and process my own. What I make will never be Samuel Gawith or Dunhil, but it'll be my own, free, and reliable.
I expect pipe tobacco is borderline profitable for the retailers, at least in Greece most carry it because they don't want to miss the very occasional customer. Certainly things look better in the US, and some countries in Europe like Germany, UK, Denmark.
Given that I believe abroad buying of tobacco will pretty much be eliminated for most of the world in the next couple of years I'm trying to cellar as well as to learn to grow and process my own. What I make will never be Samuel Gawith or Dunhil, but it'll be my own, free, and reliable.
I'm far from being a health care pro but there is no getting around the fact that tobacco is not "good" for you physically. Just as alcohol and sugar and many other things that people seem to use in high quantities and to the point of creating health problems. Mentally, a pipe in my hand seems to calm me and let me focus. I think if you want to eat sugar to the point of diabetes or obesity or drink till your blood pressure pops out of your ears, or smoke till you are on a ventilator or have mouth cancer, you should be able to do so. Society has different plans.
I think it's crazy that there isn't a stronger and more reasonable tobacco lobby that does the same job that the alcohol lobby does. Alcohol kills millions of people a year and there is no talk about outlawing booze because there is a strong alcohol lobby that fights tooth and nail to make sure it remains available to the masses.
There is still a demand for cigars and that's what I believe will keep tobacco around for quite a while. Cigarettes are practically gone and society seems to lump you in with "trashy people" if you partake and I think unless you have serious health problems, most quit because they feel ostracized for being cigarette smokers. Pipe tobacco is another story. There are not enough pipe smokers to keep pipe tobacco available for very long.
I say smoke proud in allowed public space. Make pipe smoking less of an oddity and you will find people attracted to it.
I think it's crazy that there isn't a stronger and more reasonable tobacco lobby that does the same job that the alcohol lobby does. Alcohol kills millions of people a year and there is no talk about outlawing booze because there is a strong alcohol lobby that fights tooth and nail to make sure it remains available to the masses.
There is still a demand for cigars and that's what I believe will keep tobacco around for quite a while. Cigarettes are practically gone and society seems to lump you in with "trashy people" if you partake and I think unless you have serious health problems, most quit because they feel ostracized for being cigarette smokers. Pipe tobacco is another story. There are not enough pipe smokers to keep pipe tobacco available for very long.
I say smoke proud in allowed public space. Make pipe smoking less of an oddity and you will find people attracted to it.
I'm in my 40s and grew up with anti smoking campaigns. I spent late teens to late 30s as an Evangelical Pentecostal. No smoking.
But now... quite a few people my age are discovering the joys of cigars. Now I've become a pipe smoking "evangelist" in my circle.
My guess is that tobacco will enjoy a strong boutique presence. Sadly, it may not be enough for many growers and processors.
I'd like to see the education and warnings remain provided that it is based on fact. My Mom died last week as a life long heavy smoker.
But I'd like to see draconian laws eliminated. Let people decide.
But now... quite a few people my age are discovering the joys of cigars. Now I've become a pipe smoking "evangelist" in my circle.
My guess is that tobacco will enjoy a strong boutique presence. Sadly, it may not be enough for many growers and processors.
I'd like to see the education and warnings remain provided that it is based on fact. My Mom died last week as a life long heavy smoker.
But I'd like to see draconian laws eliminated. Let people decide.
Sorry about the former.
I agree with the latter: it's up to each individual to look after his own health, not up to the nanny state.
All that really happened (from my perspective) from the NZ government banning tobacco imports was give pipe smokers a kick up the arse to grow their own crop. The experiences gleaned from even my first season of growing helped me understand tobacco as a plant more than all of the smoking I have done over the last decade. I now have a cellar of special blends to savour, share and trade - everything from Shitty 1q to 20year old navy flake automatically fell into this category overnight. With the exception of a few tins passing through duty free from travellers, this is all there is from here on out, unless I grow my daily smoke. Long story short, future of tobacco is us all becoming Codgers and smoking simple burley (well I’ll still have a decent stash of 79 to get me through)
Well, you could make perique from it in the fridge. And cavendish. Now you’re getting fancy
karam said:
I think cigars and cigarettes will persist for a long time, and pipe smoking will be an arcane oddity.
_____
It's already arcane.
I think cigars and cigarettes will persist for a long time, and pipe smoking will be an arcane oddity.
_____
It's already arcane.
Haha!
I objected because burley just doesn't like me. Its chemistry and my mouth's just don't agree. I better get cellaring VA.
