What Makes A Bigger Difference? Where It Is Grown or How It Is Cured?

[cosmicfolklore]

I really should draw up what I did. I used recycled wood for the whole thing. My neighbor tore down his deck that had a lot of really nice 2x10s. The most expensive part was the insulating foam core stuff. Just 2 sheets was all I needed. And, the crock pots... I went to the thrift store and bought four for like $20. They are dirt cheap at yards sales and places like that. I did sink a little into a digital regulator for humidity and heat, but honestly, I have found that just a cheap wireless home weather station... like HERE... works better. I can check it in the kitchen to make sure the water hasn't run out or the heat gets up too high. The crock pots just don't have the control that the fancy digital regulator wants to dish out.

I could have made one even cheaper, but I wanted something I could be proud of, and the wife always shows it to guests to awe them of her husband's ingenuity, ha ha. It sets just off the back deck, so we get to look at it while we drink wine and enjoy cigars on nice evenings. I really need to paint it soon. Maybe add some decorative corner pieces to dress it up more. I am probably going to stay here for the long haul, so might as well make it even easier on the yes.

 

[rajangan]

I really should draw up what I did. I used recycled wood for the whole thing. My neighbor tore down his deck that had a lot of really nice 2x10s. The most expensive part was the insulating foam core stuff. Just 2 sheets was all I needed. And, the crock pots... I went to the thrift store and bought four for like $20. They are dirt cheap at yards sales and places like that. I did sink a little into a digital regulator for humidity and heat, but honestly, I have found that just a cheap wireless home weather station... like HERE... works better. I can check it in the kitchen to make sure the water hasn't run out or the heat gets up too high. The crock pots just don't have the control that the fancy digital regulator wants to dish out.

I could have made one even cheaper, but I wanted something I could be proud of, and the wife always shows it to guests to awe them of her husband's ingenuity, ha ha. It sets just off the back deck, so we get to look at it while we drink wine and enjoy cigars on nice evenings. I really need to paint it soon. Maybe add some decorative corner pieces to dress it up more. I am probably going to stay here for the long haul, so might as well make it even easier on the yes.

You should gold leaf a big tobacco leaf on the side of it. I rarely use the word should. I don't use it lightly.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I should! Maybe laminate one? I wonder if that would hold up. If I had a tub large enough, I could just electroplate one. That would be pretty.

 

[rajangan]

If I had a tub large enough, I could just electroplate one.

You just blew my mind.

Easy tub, dig a hole, cover in plastic.

 

[rajangan]

Off the record, I work at night, and my mind was probably blown because I got off work and went home and got drunk at 9am.

 

[anotherbob]

I was curious as to the extent of which where a tobacco is grown affects the end taste, as opposed to how its cured.

Say if I had a certain blend, would a keen palate be able to discern where the tobacco was grown? Would that matter at all?

both are terribly critical.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

both are terribly critical.

Since you are the first to pick up this position, do you care to elaborate? I'm not busting your chops, just curious.

 

[anotherbob]

if you changed one you end up with a different end product. Different place same method equals not the same thing. And noticeably not the same thing. Both are big enough deals that either could be argued as more key. I think it depends on the leaf too. Maybe I'am crazy but burly seems more sensitive to region then Virginias.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Maybe I'am crazy but burly seems more sensitive to region then Virginias.

Do you have an example... or elaboration. Did you read through some of our discussions?
I'm not saying your wrong. Not at all. I don't know it all. But, it would help to have something to counter our experiences.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Another unsolvable question. With no evidence either empirical or anecdotal, I'd say, yes, both are important, and no one can say which is more important. O.K.?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Another unsolvable question. With no evidence either empirical or anecdotal, I'd say, yes, both are important, and no one can say which is more important. O.K.?

I wish that I could get Jitter to do another mass send out of some of his semois and perique.

 

[mikethompson]

The key words in your thought is "blends" and "blenders." There are very few tobaccos on the market that are a single leaf from a single crop, Semois and McCrannies are the only two that come to mind. But, the very job of a blender is to mix tobaccos and casings to keep giving the market a consistent product, year after year, despite differences the tobaccos may have. And, a blend intentionally masks any differences because it is a mix.

Very much what I was thinking

 

[hawky454]

I made a thread about just that last year!

Thank you for sharing! I just skimmed through it for now but I really look forward to reading through that when I get a bit more time later today!

 

[anotherbob]

Do you have an example... or elaboration. Did you read through some of our discussions?
I'm not saying your wrong. Not at all. I don't know it all. But, it would help to have something to counter our experiences.

Just my own experience. When I smoke something with Virginias from hither or thither I don't pick up anything drastically different. When they say where a burly is grown on the tin I'll pick up a lot more that isn't the same. Who knows though but it's my hunch and I doubt it's an opinion that could anyone who doesn't deserve it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Just my own experience. When I smoke something with Virginias from hither or thither I don't pick up anything drastically different. When they say where a burly is grown on the tin I'll pick up a lot more that isn't the same. Who knows though but it's my hunch and I doubt it's an opinion that could anyone who doesn't deserve it.

It's really going to blow your mind that there are hundreds of different burleys. No, forget that. Tobacco is magic. Marketing is magic. Hold onto the magic. I'm not on here to break any illusions, except that if you wanted, you could grow tobacco, and you just might impress yourself, if that was a goal of yours. But, I'm not marketing anything. Growing really isn't for everyone. My dad didn't have any interest in gardening, fruit trees, even the shrubs and lawn didn't matter much to him. The dirt was my Grandfather's and my domains. People are different.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I don't know which is more important nor do I care. I buy, I smoke. If I like, I buy more. I like keeping it simple.

 

[rajangan]

Another unsolvable question. With no evidence either empirical or anecdotal, I'd say, yes, both are important, and no one can say which is more important. O.K.?

Anecdotal: I'm a moderator on a tobacco growing forum. We share seed amongst each other, as well as acquire seeds from the same sources. The forum members are spread across the globe, and hail from many countries, including but not limited to Canada, almost every US State, Malaysia, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Slovenia, France, Sweden, Ireland, The UK, South Africa, Italy, Greece, and Turkey. We grow many of the same varieties, and catalog our grows, and to my knowledge the only times tobacco doesn't come out the same is in regards to failure to thrive - smaller, less nicotine, underdeveloped, not ripe enough to cure before frost comes, and so on.

 

[rajangan]

Do you have an example... or elaboration. Did you read through some of our discussions?
I'm not saying your wrong. Not at all. I don't know it all. But, it would help to have something to counter our experiences.

In regards to that. I find it difficult to grow burley in Alberta. I believe it is because the soil is not warm enough. I've definitely seen an improvement between years as I choose better places in the yard to grow it. I think I get about 3 oz per plant off a KY17. So it's different that way.

However, it still tastes like other burleys.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Anecdotal: I'm a moderator on a tobacco growing forum.

Oh wow, I must be getting my memory all jumbled. I do remember when you first joined. I was really excited about another tobacco grower being on here. If not mistaken, you had posted an awesome video about rolling your own cigar. But, for some reason I got it in my head that Jitter was the moderator. I know that he was involved in one or other of those forums. Maybe he mods another?
Heck, I may have asked you some questions on a grow forum.

I had no idea that burley was hard to grow. Down here, we are labelled zone 8, but I have grown limes and I still do grow a lot of ginger (a new venture). But, we actually get zone 9 environmental conditions. I get six rotations of Virginia from February to November, and some years I can push the season into December. And, two rotations of burley, but I usually don't, making room for more Rustica and cigar leaf.

 

[canucklehead]

I live in Alberta (Beaumont) and have successfully grown Virginias and burleys last year, and just burleys this year (my cat destroyed my Virginia seedlings). The burleys planted in raised beds and pots with loose sandy soil mixes
in warm spots along my fences grow great, 3-6' tall. The couple I put in my back flower bed straight in the cold clay-based Alberta dirt were less than 1/3rd the size. I didn't measure soil temps but the ones in black pots along the sunny fence side obviously had much warmer soil conditions, so that sounds plausible.

My main problem is hard frost happening before maturity, some leaves are just too green to colour cure properly before the season changes.

I grew at least 3× as much last year, this year I had a problem with some kind of curly top virus that messed up most of my tobacco, tomatoes, and potatoes. It came from a couple hothouse tomato seedlings my sister brought over.