What is Maryland Tobacco (?)

[madox07]

I keep playing around with this can of AShton's Consummate Gentleman and I tried looking up online "maryland tobacco". I don't seem to find anything of significance to the pipe smoking topic. What exactly is it? Is it a tobacco leaf specific to the Maryland area, or is it simply a Virginia leaf grown in Maryland? Now I know that the place has a long tradition of tobacco growing, but there is no indication to a specific tobacco, similar to - for example Acadian Perique for Louisiana, or something in similar terms. The first hit on google when you type "maryland+tobacco" is "maryland farmers are switching from tobacco to growing flowers" :crazy: A mystery just like Macedonian Tobacco - say ... what? I have been to Macedonia many a times and trust me, they can hardly grow wheat over there, not to mention tobacco.

 

[warren]

I have to ask, "Which Macedonia?" I've always wanted to visit the Greek state.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Maryland is also a bright leaf that is also used (or once was used) in the cigar industry, but is mainly, as all bright leafs are, used in the cigarette industry. The Maryland is used to smooth out the sharpness of Virginias, but really doesn't add anything to the strength of the smoke. It has an interesting (maybe earthy?) flavor (as long as earthy is not the opposite of sweet, because it is rather sweet).

 

[Chasing Embers]

Maryland is another light air-cured type. It is used to some extent in American blended cigarettes and to a greater extent in certain Swiss cigarette blends.
Maryland tobacco is extremely fluffy, has good burning properties, low nicotine, and neutral aroma. An example of this lightness: a hoghead of redried burley or flue-cured may weigh 800 lobs but the same hoghead will only contain 600 lbs of Maryland.
Maryland tobacco is upright and large leaved like burley but is darker green without the creamy midveins. Yields are slightly less than flue-cured. The tobacco is stalk cut and air-cured like burley. The cured leaf is various shades of brown with yellow and green colors being highly undesirable.
Total world production is small and is confined to the U.S. and Italy; and is generally declining.
In the U.S., production is in five Maryland counties around Washington, D.C.

 

[madox07]

warren Well, the first time I have read the term on a tin of tobacco, my mind automatically jumped to the Macedonian Republic, you know ex Yugoslav country - makes sense right? since there is a huge culture for balkan tobacco and balkan blends.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Oh, and Maryland seedstock is not grown in Maryland. Or, at least it might be, but it is grown in many other locations as well. Just as Virginias are grown worlwide. It may have been cultivated there, but it is grown everywhere.

 

[blendtobac]

One nice property of Maryland is that it can be used to moderate the burn rate of a blend without having a big impact on the flavor.
Russ

 

[jitterbugdude]

Maryland is thought to be a direct ancestor of one of the 2 strains of tobacco grown in Jamestown. It has the highest pH of various tobacco cultivars coming in at about 6.6. It has good absorption qualities making it ideal for adding sauces.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I read somewhere that in the past the main export region for the U.S grown Maryland tobaccco was France

 

[madox07]

Very useful and edifying replies, guys. And Macedonia? What the heck is that all about?

 

[bazungu]

It seems to be used quite frequently in Dutch/Belgian/French tobaccos, as I see it mentioned in the descriptions of some tobaccos here.

 

[mso489]

This thread has contributed my entire knowledge of Maryland tobacco. Thank you.