Mata Fina Brazilian Leaf

[deluxestogie]

I've been asked by POGreen if the Brazil Bahia seed in the FTT Seedbank produces Mata Fina leaf. Having grown it several years ago, and having been mostly disappointed in the result, my response to him was that it likely was not. Apparently I was wrong. In further exploring the subject, here's what I found.

First of all, Mata Fina is the name of a region in which a number of varieties are grown. But it is also an industry name for a specific, dark air tobacco.

http://www.brasilbar.com/blog/archives/brazil-cigar-tobacco-regions This link is to a Brazil booster article about their tobaccos.

http://www.cigarinspector.com/cigar-wrappers-a-z/mata-fina asserts that Mata Fina wrapper is of the Bahia variety.

Below, the quote explains the derivation of the Bahia variety.

“Brazil tobacco is older than the discovery of the Americas. For centuries now, the natives have planted, chewed, snuffed it. In the mid 18th century it was cross-bred with Maryland tobacco – the answer to the Virginia tobacco so successful at the time. This hybrid is the origin of today’s Bahia Brazil cigar tobacco.”

http://www.cigarjournal.co/index.php/us/archive/tobacco-corner/231-ausgabe201102

This article in Cigar Journal, linked in the above quote is excellent, and contains tables of the different Brazil tobaccos, their harvest and curing methods, and their properties.

And finally, a long Cigar Aficionado article on Brazilian cigars: http://www.cigaraficionado.com/webfeatures/show/id/The-Cigar-from-Brazil_8648

So, the bottom line is that Mata Fina is made from Brazil Bahia seed.

Bob

 

[ArizonaDave]

Very interesting Bob! You sure do your homework!

 

[POGreen]

I have a contact down in Switzerland who might buy me some Dannemann Brasil Bahia Plant-set that could contain 65 seeds per set.
Each set is 12 Euros.
The reason I asked Bob about the Bahia seed is that I've been buying Mata Fina Filler from Don to open new sort of doors in the world of snus.
Its turns out ( in my case ) that this Mata Fina Filler makes one of the best snuses I have tried since snus went to crap in 1997 ( thats my opinion).
I could go on and buy this wonderful whole leaf from Don and there is no problem with that , but why not grow it myself now when I think its soo very delicious ?
Its got it all , its creamy and and full body rich flavour of chocolate and wood , that its from the upper stalk position goes beyond me 'cause of its rich flavour. Just in the right proportions to make it exquisite.
I'll send a new mail to Dannemann and ask if their Brasil Bahia turns into be the Mata Fina Filler.
It was not possible for me to buy the sets 'cause Im a foreigner. ( I guess)
Your input is most valuable Bob , many thanks to you.

 

[deluxestogie]

POGreen,
Why not just go with the Bahia seed in the FTT seed bank?

Bob

 

[ArizonaDave]

I have a contact down in Switzerland who might buy me some Dannemann Brasil Bahia Plant-set that could contain 65 seeds per set.
Each set is 12 Euros.
The reason I asked Bob about the Bahia seed is that I've been buying Mata Fina Filler from Don to open new sort of doors in the world of snus.
Its turns out ( in my case ) that this Mata Fina Filler makes one of the best snuses I have tried since snus went to crap in 1997 ( thats my opinion).
I could go on and buy this wonderful whole leaf from Don and there is no problem with that , but why not grow it myself now when I think its soo very delicious ?
Its got it all , its creamy and and full body rich flavour of chocolate and wood , that its from the upper stalk position goes beyond me 'cause of its rich flavour. Just in the right proportions to make it exquisite.
I'll send a new mail to Dannemann and ask if their Brasil Bahia turns into be the Mata Fina Filler.
It was not possible for me to buy the sets 'cause Im a foreigner. ( I guess)
Your input is most valuable Bob , many thanks to you.

BOB, where IS the FTT Seed Bank?

I'm not sure of the difference between Snuss and Snuff, although the older types of Snuff like my Grandad and Grandma used to use was a dry fine powder, and I like mine a little moist. Then there's the sniffing kind. I just chew Don's WLT Brazilian mata fina straight, love the flavor. I know how to make fine dry snuff and moist snuff with it, and may try that in the future.
I think I need to look up the word "Snuss" and see what it means.

From Wiki:
Snus (/ˈsnuːs/; Swedish pronunciation: [snʉːs]) is a moist powder tobacco product originating from a variant of dry snuff in early 18th century Sweden. It is placed under the lip for extended periods. Snus is not fermented and contains no added sugar. Although used similarly to American dipping tobacco, snus does not typically result in the need for spitting and, unlike naswar, snus is steam-pasteurized.
The sale of snus is illegal in the European Union[SUP][1][/SUP][SUP][2][/SUP] and Turkmenistan[SUP][3][/SUP] but, due to special exemptions, it is still manufactured and consumed primarily in Sweden, Norway and Denmark (loose only). The Russian State Duma drafted a bill which banned snus in Russia from 1 June 2013 onwards;[SUP][4][/SUP] however, it was never ratified. Local varieties of snus, growing in popularity in the United States, are seen as an alternative to smoking, chewing, and dipping tobacco. However, some believe US manufactured snus is different from Swedish snus and should not be called "snus".[SUP][5]

I read on and it says it's Tobacco, Salt, and Sodium Carbonate.

I don't see why not use the Mata Fina for all varieties.[/SUP]

 

[POGreen]

POGreen,
Why not just go with the Bahia seed in the FTT seed bank?

Bob

I might just do that Bob , but since you were a bit doubtful about Brasil Bahia being the Mata Fina Filler I stepped things up a bit......
I'm not sure I'll reach him by mail and I will probably make the choice of requesting seeds from our own seedbank.
Even thinkin of takin on one more patch and grow plenty of it there , together with some other varieties , Perique for example

 

[POGreen]

Its right here AZD : http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/1781-2013-Tobacco-seed-list

Bob has closed it for now but he's working on building a new 2014 seedlist.

I think snuff refers to a dry tobaccoflour inhaled or sniffed into the noose , snus on the other hand is moist tobaccoflour mixed with salt and Potash carbonate or sodium carbonate under a heattreating
procedure.

 

[jolly]

Is this the cultivar you're talking about? I'm struggling to beleive that anyone would grow that commercially. There's almost nothing on it.

http://nwtseeds.com/Bahia.htm

 

[POGreen]

I got a Brasil Bahia from eBay in Germany and they come from a company called Dannemann , they are specialized in cigars.
The question is if its the same variety as we have in the vault or different.
https://shop.centrodannemann.com/ch/it/index/product/?productid=113&groupid=308

 

[FmGrowit]

I've grown Bahia and it is a very short plant. The leaves are uniform in size and become very think and leathery. This makes the leaf very ready for aggressive fermenting. From what I've been told, Mata Fina is primarily grown for wrapper and binder. The wrapper/binder is only exported after it has been wrapped around a cigar. Mata Fina is rarely used as a filler in cigar manufacturing.

 

[charlie G.]

Don do you think there is any chance in getting more of it ??
You guys are a wealth of knowledge about tobacco. it's almost like a tobacco 101 collage course.

 

[FmGrowit]

Don do you think there is any chance in getting more of it ??
You guys are a wealth of knowledge about tobacco. it's almost like a tobacco 101 collage course.

I'd venture to say this forum is an advanced education on tobacco. I'd bet there is more information here than in any single college course.

 

[Knucklehead]

Don do you think there is any chance in getting more of it ??

http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/5504-Mata-Fina?p=100141&viewfull=1#post100141

 

[BarG]

I'd venture to say this forum is an advanced education on tobacco. I'd bet there is more information here than in any single college course.

It's a helluvalot of info pilgrim! More than I can digest in one sittin. So kick off your spurs and read a while!