Who Smokes Whole Leaf, Homegrown or Not

[davek]

I used to smoke cigars which have gotten trendy and expensive. I am currently smoking whole leaf from leafonly.com. I buy the cigar leaf, dice it myself, and am enjoying it quite a bit.
Who else on the forum smokes whole leaf, whether buying it as such or growing their own?
Also growing a few this year...

Edited by jvnshr: Title capitalization.

 

[didimauw]

Those are awesome plants! I really need to get some seeds for my small garden!

 

[saltedplug]

I smoke whole leaf when I smoke plug.

 

[jitterbugdude]

It's about 90% of what I smoke. I haven't really found any commercial blends that I would love to smoke all day but I'm still looking...

 

[mawnansmiff]

Shouldn't those plants have been topped?
Just curious.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I smoke too frequently to only smoke my own grown, but I have opened a jar from three years ago and have enjoyed a few bowls out of it. It is all Virginia/Burley ropes. Each year I have increased my crop, so in three years I will definitely have enough to enjoy at least one bowl a day. But, to really be able to smoke all of my own leaf (which I am not so inclined to do as there are many fantastic blends out there) I would need to harvest at least 15 pounds a year, as that is the rate that I smoke. And, that is a sizable chunk or real estate to dedicate to tobacco. I could, but it is ridiculous for me to put that much work into a side-hobby, IMO. Plus, I really enjoy switching blends throughout the day. I have been thinking about growing some of the cigar leaf to try my hand at rolling cigars.

I enjoy the dabble of it, to better understand what goes on before we pop a tin. But, to seriously think about dedicating that much land, time, resources to growing all of my own tobacco... compared to making money growing a cash crop and spending my time making money... tobacco is cheap as hell (even the most expensive blends) and it just makes more sense to buy it.
Maybe when I completely retire, and have the time.

 

[pipebuddy]

I have been thinking about this for the last 3 or 4 years.

As Cosmic is mentioning the quantity smoked per year, I would say I stand at no more than 3 - 4 lbs. That could qualify me for growing my own tobacco.

What we tend to forget is there was a time when people were growing their own tobacco. If the regulations continue this way, this could, in a nutshell, be the way of the future for us.

After all, less variety can, at times, be better.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I would encourage everyone to give growing a few plants a try. Research how to cure it, process it, and give it a taste.

Unfortunately there is no one single great source for how to do all of this, as I have found problems with all of them, and I have to tweak one or more aspects for myself. Most sources are not written for the hobbyist with charts, diagrams, equations, sheesh.

Also, I have lost quite a few jars to mold, almost half of everything I've grown. So, you may even want to take that into consideration and grow twice as much as you'd smoke in a year, and keep in mind that you will want to age it a few years.

 

[pipebuddy]

One thing I do know is that tobacco is a lot harder to successfully grow than most people think. So you really have to be well prepared and have a few "What if?" scenarios under your sleeve. And then, yes, the preservation issue can be most puzzling.

 

[mawnansmiff]

In a way I wish I was still on the farm where I had several polytunnels in which I grew herbs and vegetables (mainly parsley and spring onions) for sale. They would create the ideal growing conditions in the Cornish climate for growing and drying tobacco...ah well, some things just ain't to be
Regards,
Jay.

 

[jitterbugdude]

One thing I do know is that tobacco is a lot harder to successfully grow than most people think

Nah.. it just depends on how green your thumb is.

Shouldn't those plants have been topped?

Topping is done so that the leaf increases in thickness. Tobacco is sold by weight so it makes sense to top. A thicker leaf will also have more nicotine. It really (for the home-grower) just comes to personal preference. Turkish are not topped which helps to contribute to their mildness.

 

[balkisobrains]

I have recently received some whole leaf Latakia and Prilep from a couple of forum members which I have not tried yet. I've had Yenidje from Leaf-Only and that was really good. I have some D&R Blenders Bench tobaccos which are basically stemmed and chopped whole-leaf packed in a tub or tin, and those are really good too. If you get actual whole-leaf, you want to strip the main stems off and let the leaf dry out before storing or else you can get mold pretty easily. ::

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I have reason to believe ,that here in the EU in very near future due to constant price rise of tobacco product only option left is to grow your own,to be used alongside and alterantively to store products'therefore I'd be eager to know which seed would be best choice in order produce something similar like Semois or other Maryland -continental Eu Kentucky type of tobacco?Eventually I might be seriously giving this a try,,in smaller scale though.

 

[paddypiper]

I do, although this year wasn't as successful as I would have hoped. I only have 7 pounds of raw leaf drying.

 

[mso489]

Family sent me some air cured burley from Haiti. It is very dry and a bit edgy, but certainly smokeable. In N.C., you have to have an allotment for growing specified acreage of tobacco, but I don't think plants in the yard matter. I see they make lush ornamentals, though topping them might diminish that. They really are pretty plants, lots of deep color and leaf surface.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

In N.C., you have to have an allotment for growing specified acreage of tobacco, but I don't think plants in the yard matter.

That is everywhere. I draw $120 a year for not growing tobacco. But, that is commercial tobacco. I have heard that this will be the last year, not sure. But, growing tobacco for yourself is totally legal.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Life is not fair. I don't get paid anything for not growing tobacco- nor beans, tomatoes or marijuana. Boo hoo!

 

[davek]

We could get a frost right now here in Cincinnati (southern) Ohio. I'm hoping for another month or more before we get one. I'm probably going to top the plants this weekend and concentrate on getting the leaves on the plants bigger.
Here is a pic of the Kelly Burley earlier in the season, so I've gotten some big (yellow) leaves already. Had already harvested a few when this was taken.

Watched a sunrise at a local park overlook last weekend and smoked some storebought whole leaf in my cob modified with a reed stem.

 

[davek]

It’s Oct. 1 and the nights are getting pretty cool. Not a lot of rain. The plants are getting scraggly so down they come. I left some bottom side sprouts so I could try for some more leaf.

That big Kelley Burley has a bottom sprout which looks like a small plant.

Hanging in the garage. The freshly harvested plants are hanging on the left. The rest is leaf which has been harvested as it yellowed.

 

[jitterbugdude]

Mine will be coming out of the kiln in a few days. I grew mostly repeats of stuff I like but new this year is some Semois-Burley, not to be confused with the Semois-Cigar Filler I grew last year ( and again this year). I think I might have enough Yenidje to hold me over for awhile- 55 plants worth.