Del Gold

[DonH]

I just smoked a puro cigarette of some air cured and kilned Del Gold. Fantastic! So far it tastes the best by itself (unblended) of any of the flue cured varieties I've tried. A little stronger flavored than Bright Leaf but it has a classic Virginia taste. Higher nicotine, too. I can now see why Canadian cigarettes can taste good with just one variety.

 

[DGBAMA]

Thank you Don. Love your "mini-reviews".

 

[Mad Oshea]

WOW, that sounds like it would go good with a mix with Canik or maybe any Samsun? Hum? Can only think to infuss it with a hint of Silk Leaf? Nice call.... "YOU GUYS SCARE ME ON MY NEXT GROW.............................

 

[forumdotabaco]

Good to hear that I was convinced that Del Gold was a Burley type, one more to join to my list.

 

[grgfinney]

Thanks for you reviews DonH sounds like i will have try that one also

 

[Knucklehead]

Skychaser has some interesting Del Gold information on his seed site: http://nwtseeds.com/DelGold.htm

I never knew it was crossed with a rustica until I read Sky's review, but I heard somewhere it was either the highest or one of the highest nicotine content flue cure varieties available.

 

[holyRYO]

Skychaser has some interesting Del Gold information on his seed site: http://nwtseeds.com/DelGold.htm

I never knew it was crossed with a rustica until I read Sky's review, but I heard somewhere it was either the highest or one of the highest nicotine content flue cure varieties available.

Assumption is that Del Gold is high in nicotine because it's crossed with rustica. Who knows how many times it's been back crossed, what "percentage" is rustica? According to this, 3.1% is about average http://pubs.aic.ca/doi/pdf/10.4141/P96-067

 

[DonH]

Well based on my personal "bioassay" (testing it on myself) I would say that Del Gold has less nicotine than Rustica and more than other flue cured types I've tried.

 

[holyRYO]

Well based on my personal "bioassay" (testing it on myself)

I trust your assesment over nicotine data, the data from different tests tends to be all over the place.

 

[DonH]

I trust your assesment over nicotine data, the data from different tests tends to be all over the place.

The nice thing about us testing varieties we grow in the same plot is that a lot of variables are controlled that way. Same soil, same weather, sun amount, etc.

 

[holyRYO]

Found this http://pubs.aic.ca/doi/pdf/10.4141/cjps84-035

They do claim 15-18% higher alkaloids than it's parent VA 115.

 

[chillardbee]

Good find holyryo. Reading the pedigree and breeding, I see no mention of the hicks broad leaf that was said to have been part of the breeding though.

Apart from that, Del gold was my first grow and even for my lack of know how, it still tasted good. It will likely be one of my main stay varieties for my blended cigarettes.

 

[forumdotabaco]

Apart from that, Del gold was my first grow and even for my lack of know how, it still tasted good. It will likely be one of my main stay varieties for my blended cigarettes.

hi chillardbee Im also a cigarrete smoker what strings would you recommend me ?

 

[holyRYO]

A good reference http://tobaccodocuments.org/pm/2060457985-7991.html

Has most everything except Del Gold.

 

[skychaser]

"Delgold is a superior flue-cured tobacco cultivar developed at the Agriculture Canada Research Station, Delhi, Ontario in 1980 by crossing wild tobacco (N. rustica) with two popular American varieties, Hicks Broadleaf and Virginia 115. The result was a high-yielding, high-nicotine cultivar that was widely adopted by growers. Delgold is still considered one of the better yielding flue-cured varieties available. The plant is characterized as light green and quick growing."

I'll be damned if I can find the link where I copied that from now. I read somewhere once the type of Rustica that was used too, but I don't recall what it was. It wasn't one of the more common named varieties many of us are familiar with though.

Del Gold is a great tobacco to grow. It's a vigorous grower, a good producer with large leaves, mild flavored, and does really well in northern climates. It's easy to air cure too. The only thing I didn't like so much was the side stems in the leaf got fairly large.

 

[Brown Thumb]

It don't get no better than this. Extra row of Del Gold Going in.
Thanks Sky,
BT

 

[Knucklehead]

Good find holyryo. Reading the pedigree and breeding, I see no mention of the hicks broad leaf that was said to have been part of the breeding though.

First page, under Pedigree and Breeding Methods.

I read somewhere once the type of Rustica that was used too, but I don't recall what it was. It wasn't one of the more common named varieties many of us are familiar with though.

From holyRYO link it is called "Babor".

 

[chillardbee]

Thanks knucks, this is what happens when I try to power read/skim through. I think i'll read the whole paper tonight over a coffee.

Forumdotabaco, I'm not sure what your asking about but I'll assume you meant 'strains' or varieties. I have not grown tobacco long enough to actually know what are going to be my mainstays. I still have a few years growing and testing to find something that I like. My first grow was del gold and I was happy enough with it. then last year I grew it again with another 9 more fluecured varieties, 2 burleys, and a dark air cured variety. This year I got 144 varieties on the go for seed plus 12 each of YTB, Samsun, Red Cherry, and Virgina gold for a total of 96 plants that will make my main tobacco blend (I might start 12 of del gold yet).

If your after a tobacco that relatively close to a commercial blend you like, I suggest you research it to find out more about it. I did this for my beloved Export "A" green Premium blend on the JTI web site http://www.jti.com/about-tobacco/ . sticking with canadian commercial varieties like del gold will also help. I have 21 flue cure varieties in the ground but there are still some that I'm looking for to test.

Delgold is a very fast growing plant and needs good spacing for optimal results. In that first year grow, I got my seeds late and started them I beleive on may 2nd week some time and last leaf was harvested end of august. I remember thinking that from such a little seed and the starting of such a little two leaf sprout that in 3 1/2 months, it turned into an amazingly sized plant. Yep, del gold is here to stay in my garden.

 

[forumdotabaco]

Ops you are right my tobacco vocabulary is not good yet, I meant strains I will try to don't forget about this word again I was using types and strings to explain myself, thank you.
I agree with you, we will have to try them so we can have an idea, for me until 1 year ago tobacco meant commercial cigarettes, I had the opportunity to try raw tobacco this year but I only was able to try TN90 , Virginia bright leaf and Virginia gold, thanks god I brought a lot of it in time because in January they turn that kind of sale illegal.
I'm not after the closed to the commercial blend now that I tasted raw tobacco, I don't want to go back.
I will grow some strains this year, but I believe I didn't pick the best ones, I should had come here first and get advised, Del gold and YTB and Bursa are already in my list for the next season.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

Do a forum search, I posted the original pdf with all the delgold info in it if the above links didn't answer all the questions.