Buy Tobacco Leaf Online | Whole Leaf Tobacco

Any info on pelo de oro?

Status
Not open for further replies.

darren1979

First Time Grower
Joined
May 5, 2012
Messages
431
Points
18
Location
Portsmouth, UK
My friend and his wife are in Cuba for a holiday this year, they go every couple of years since getting married. And an old boy has offered them some 'pelo de oro ' seeds as a gift. Has anyone heard of this variety?
 

Chicken

redneck grower
Founding Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
4,631
Points
83
Location
FLORIDA
never heard of it,,, but if it's available, id say get it,

and do a grow-out of it,

i plan on doing some cigar varities this upcoming season, and that strain i;d sure try just because of where it originated from.
 

Knucklehead

Moderator
Founding Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2012
Messages
12,171
Points
113
Location
NE Alabama
My friend and his wife are in Cuba for a holiday this year, they go every couple of years since getting married. And an old boy has offered them some 'pelo de oro ' seeds as a gift. Has anyone heard of this variety?

Google translate says it means "Golden Hair." It has a nice sound to it anyway. I hope you can gain access to some.
 

MarcL

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2013
Messages
4,413
Points
113
Location
Central Maryland
Pelo-de-Oro1.jpg


glossary-print1.jpg



Pelo de Oro
While this is a Spanish term meaning "golden hair" it is usually a reference to a potent Cuban cigar varietal which was popular in the early and middle 20th Century. This tobacco could be used for wrapper and filler as well, but is disease prone and can infest entire crops and regions so it is rarely grown today. Pelo de Oro can be considered a 'campesino' or 'guajiro' tobacco since many agricultural workers grow and smoke it to this day - especially in the central part of Cuba. It is known for being quite strong and flavorful as well as sweet. Also, see Capadura.

http://www.tobacconistuniversity.org
Copyright 1996-2013 © Tobacconist University, LLC, All Rights Reserved.

 

darren1979

First Time Grower
Joined
May 5, 2012
Messages
431
Points
18
Location
Portsmouth, UK
Thanks for the help guys, I've been searching the net high and low looking for some meaty info on the strain and there seems to be very little. One good thing is my friend now has the seed in his possession, it was given to him in an old empty Kodak film canister.
Just have to wait a few weeks before they come home to get my hands on them.
 
Joined
Sep 3, 2015
Messages
6
Points
0
Location
Portland, OR
Did you ever do a grow? I've smoked several cigars lately with this strain grown in Peru and I have noticed a certain note that was very nice in all of those cigars. Wynwood la Coneja, Caldwell Long Live the King, Zino Platinum series and some other Davidoff sticks use it as well I've read. Great sticks and I'd love to play with some of this leaf in my own blends.
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
Welcome to the forum, Michael. ARS-GRIN, among its nearly 3000 Nicotiana tabacum accessions, list no "pelo de oro" seed, at least in the searchable database. (The name may be buried in the hundreds of pages of original accession documents--.pdf files). FTT's own seed bank, which holds over 600 accessions, does not have "pelo de oro." So far as I know, there is no seed for this available for sale anywhere. So I would doubt that any FTT member has grown it.

Feel free to introduce yourself in the Introduce Yourself forum.

Bob
 

Smokin Buffalo

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 16, 2015
Messages
103
Points
0
Location
Western New York
I see some people have already mentioned what it is. I know Jose Pepin Garcia has grown some in Nicaragua. He has put it in a few blends as well as allowed Pete Johnson to use in a few of his lines. a recent release from Pete Johnson's L'Atelier line called Cote d'Or uses Pelo de oro.
 

Tuto

New Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2015
Messages
3
Points
3
Hello everyone,
This is my first post here.
This is what I know about Pelo de oro Tabaco
Pelo de Oro has being grown in Costa Rica by Tabacos de la Cordillera , John Vogel since the mid 90s. They also make cigars since the mid 90s

Also Felipe Gregorio did produce some cigars using Pelo de Oro grown in Costa Rica in the blend http://halfwheel.com/felipe-gregorio-pelo-de-oro-corona
Hope that helps you.

TuTo
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
TuTo, welcome to the forum. Thanks for your comments. Feel free to introduce yourself in the Introduce Yourself section.

Your link to the halfwheel.com article provided these tidbits of info of interest to a grower:
halfwheel.com said:
All of the tobacco for Felipe Gregorio cigars goes through “triple fermentation,” with the cigars undergoing three rounds of inspection and getting a triple cap, part of what the company calls its “333 rule.”

The production of pelo de oro tobacco has been banned in Cuba, mostly due to its propensity to become infested with blue mold.

http://halfwheel.com/felipe-gregorio-pelo-de-oro-corona
All the "triple" stuff suggests a tobacco that may be difficult to tame, especially in light of the cigar reviewer's cigar tasting comments. The issue with blue mold may not be a problem for growers in some areas, but a major issue for others. I'm curious what other concerns led to its banning in Cuba, since "mostly" suggests there's more.

Bob
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top