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Ripe tobacco leaf

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FmGrowit

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Probably the best available example of a "Ripe" tobacco leaf. This picture is all over the internet and I can't find who to give credit to.

This is a Bright Leaf plant which is a Flue cured type. The leaf is allowed to get what I call "ripe ripe" due to the manner in which it is cured. For most other types of tobacco, this leaf would be way over ripe. You can see the leaf pictured about 75% yellow to white in color. For Cigar wrapper types, yellowing shouldn't be more than 10% of the leaf. Burley is usually about 50% - 60% yellow. Oriental types are ripe at about 25% yellow.

Ripe_tobacco_leaf_3037.jpg

This leaf is nearing 90% yellow or moreone.

riperipeTobaccoHarvest1.jpg

Even in black and white, you can see this leaf is yellow.

B&Wtobacco3.jpg
 
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Brown Thumb

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Also nice way to see how the texture gets when ripe.
Thanks.
 

DonH

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Don
when you say very strong are you saying higher in nicotine or harsh and must be aged longer to mellow out?
I don't know about the nicotine content but the other part is true. If you want milder cigarettes Bob advised last year to prime leaves no more than two weeks after topping. I did that last year for that reason and also because I planted a couple of weeks late and it definitely came out smoother and needing less aging. Not as strong in flavor, though, so there may be a tradeoff.
 

DGBAMA

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all good posts/info for a first year guy. thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge.
 

jekylnz

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I don't know about the nicotine content but the other part is true. If you want milder cigarettes Bob advised last year to prime leaves no more than two weeks after topping. I did that last year for that reason and also because I planted a couple of weeks late and it definitely came out smoother and needing less aging. Not as strong in flavor, though, so there may be a tradeoff.

Less aging is always good
 

BigBonner

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Nicotine content peaks approximately 5 weeks after flowering.


Yep and Big tobacco wants the tobacco to be ripe to over ripe .

Notice the brown spots on the burley leaves that is being cut in the field . The more the tobacco ripens the bigger the brown will get and more spots will appear . When cured the spots will be lighter colored circles in the tobacco leaves and big tobacco looks for these as a sign of ripeness.
 

DonH

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Yep and Big tobacco wants the tobacco to be ripe to over ripe .

Notice the brown spots on the burley leaves that is being cut in the field . The more the tobacco ripens the bigger the brown will get and more spots will appear . When cured the spots will be lighter colored circles in the tobacco leaves and big tobacco looks for these as a sign of ripeness.

That must be so that it still has some flavor and nicotine left after they add all the paper and cardboard and stuff.
 

leverhead

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Yep and Big tobacco wants the tobacco to be ripe to over ripe .

Notice the brown spots on the burley leaves that is being cut in the field . The more the tobacco ripens the bigger the brown will get and more spots will appear . When cured the spots will be lighter colored circles in the tobacco leaves and big tobacco looks for these as a sign of ripeness.

Do you have any pointers on flue-cure types?
 

Aaron

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I like CC-13


The CC-13 seedlings I got from you last year were great plants. They were the hardiest of all strains I grew. Nice big leaves that all color cured the easiest for me, and have a nice thick texture too. :)
 
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