Buy Tobacco Leaf Online | Whole Leaf Tobacco

Dark Virginian

mwaller

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
618
Points
28
Location
Kirkland, WA
Did you ever try out one of these Dark Virginian types? Which did/would you choose, and why?

I'm sure there's folks who can share their experience with dark Virginian type tobaccos. I have none. I am already planning next year (I know I'm not the only one). Next year will be nothing but air cured varieties. I was thinking of Goose Creek Red as one of them because I like the name, how it can be pin pointed down to originating from a specific place, the look of the plant, and how skychaser describes it not only as a pipe tobacco, but also usable as a cigar wrapper.

Has anyone compared the three varieties from Northwood - Goose Creek, Shirey, and Stag Horn?
 

burge

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2014
Messages
1,573
Points
113
Location
Alberta
I just found this thread and got some baccy from Larry and I would call his orangey a dark Virginia tobacco. I am not sure what seed he uses. When shredded to me its a natural red.
 

Alpine

Moderator
Joined
Aug 16, 2015
Messages
1,920
Points
113
Location
Eastern alps, near Trento, Italy
Based on my tasting experience, GCR tastes nothing like a burley. I may have already said this, but to me it tastes like a “double” Virginia: more intense flavour, higher in nicotine (well, my grow at least). Plant form, signs of ripeness and smell while kilning completely different from the burleys I’ve grown. But I’m no genetist for sure. Just my 0.02 $

pier
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
That study looks at an isolated, specific genetic similarity. It would be like categorizing vegetables by their color alone, or a person's ethnicity by the shape of the toenail on the 3rd toe. A telling comment is their "surprise" that Xanthi, Basma and Izmir don't seem to be related. Doh!

Research published by CORESTA is usually of high quality. I believe this study is properly done, and interesting. But the authors' invalid deductions from the results fall outside the bounds of what the data they reported can support.

So, Goose Creek Red has a toenail shape on its 3rd toe that is similar to that of the burley they evaluated.

Bob
 

CobGuy

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2015
Messages
1,041
Points
113
Location
Central Arizona
Based on my tasting experience, GCR tastes nothing like a burley. I may have already said this, but to me it tastes like a “double” Virginia: more intense flavour, higher in nicotine (well, my grow at least). Plant form, signs of ripeness and smell while kilning completely different from the burleys I’ve grown. But I’m no genetist for sure. Just my 0.02 $

pier

Sounds like one I'd enjoy in my pipe ... thanks! :)

-Darin
 

burge

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2014
Messages
1,573
Points
113
Location
Alberta
I think that is were there are different tastes involved. I have learned never to trust a Americans opinion on a Canadian cigarette especially a reference to Virginia. I am happy Don got Canadian leaf the top grade is thick yellow leaves and is sweet. Sorry guys there is just that certain taste that is wonderful to us guys up north that Americans don't like and the same vice versa
 

plantdude

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2020
Messages
819
Points
93
Location
Arkansas
That's ok burge. We are keeping a close eye on you people in the north, smoking your sweet tobacco and doing Canadian type things:) Kidding of course. Taste tends to be regional and people usually like what they are familiar with, nothing wrong with that. I've tried Mexican and Chinese cigarettes and can't say I cared for either of them. Never have tried Canadian cigarette although I would be happy to give it a try someday. I'm into sweet tobacco on occasions.

Just out of curiosity does anyone have an opinion about how goose creek red compares to staghorn, another dark Virginian, for taste? I've been growing Staghorn this year and it's a fairly robust plant that air cures to a reddish color and seems to have a decent flavor (mine still tastes a little on the young side). I've never tried goose creek red.
 

burge

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2014
Messages
1,573
Points
113
Location
Alberta
I deserved some flack lol. There is uniqueness in taste for sure. So I do like some Chinese cigarettes and have actually had the royal Japanese cigarettes. I liked the Japanese ones. I had no idea till a lot later that the ones I had were a real honor to be given.
 

plantdude

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2020
Messages
819
Points
93
Location
Arkansas
I deserved some flack lol. There is uniqueness in taste for sure. So I do like some Chinese cigarettes and have actually had the royal Japanese cigarettes. I liked the Japanese ones. I had no idea till a lot later that the ones I had were a real honor to be given.
Ha, just a little flack for fun but no worries from me. I'm afraid I'm guilty of inadvertently offending a few people on a regular basis and keeping the moderators awake on ocassioan although most of it is purely unintentional;)

I wonder if the Japanese cigs had any of the Japanese tobacco @ChinaVoodoo was growing.

I spent about three years growing up in Hawaii and the Japanese influence was huge there. Where I lived the japanese ran the schools (very strict), the karate classes (even more strict) and about half the population was Japanese or Korean. The other half was mostly native Hawaiian. I was a bit young to be smoking any Japanese cigs at that point in my life though and I'm sure I must have missed out on some good sake too.
 

burge

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2014
Messages
1,573
Points
113
Location
Alberta
You just never know another thing I learned in the culture of Japanese smoking is the more cigarette that is left the richer you are. One guy lit a smoke took a puff and put it out
 

FmGrowit

Head Honcho
Staff member
Joined
May 17, 2011
Messages
5,281
Points
113
Location
Freedom, Ohio, United States
and about half the population was Japanese or Korean.
What's the matter...can't you tell the difference?

Sorry, it was just hanging there and I couldn't resist. Years ago, I dated an Asian woman a few times. I tried to tactfully find out what "nationality" she was and she said "Korean, what's the matter, can't you tell the difference?" Like a dumb ass, I said "No?" She was pretty hot too.
 

plantdude

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2020
Messages
819
Points
93
Location
Arkansas
Define tactfully:)
Not to over generalize, but at that point in time a lot of the Korean women were American military spouses and in general struck me as a lot lesss strict (they struck me a lot less anyway) than many of the Japanese. There was a fair difference in culture and food but being a young blond headed military brat at the time ethnic distinctions were hard for me to see.
 

dvrmte

Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2018
Messages
24
Points
28
I deserved some flack lol. There is uniqueness in taste for sure. So I do like some Chinese cigarettes and have actually had the royal Japanese cigarettes. I liked the Japanese ones. I had no idea till a lot later that the ones I had were a real honor to be given.
My father installed textile machinery all over the world back in the 1960s-70s. He smoked virtually every kind of foreign cigarette except for East Asian. Of course he preferred American cigarettes but he didn't mind smoking Canadian cigarettes when he was there. The price is what got his attention, he was used to buying cigarettes in North Carolina where they were dirt cheap back then. He despised the cigarettes from Africa, the Middle East, South America, Pakistan and India. He was in the USSR back in the early 70s and said they had some decent brands over there. Wherever he was able to find American cigarettes, they were generally old and dried out.
 

dvrmte

Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2018
Messages
24
Points
28
I like your theory. Istanbulin theorized in an old thread that dark Virginians are dark air cured tobaccos originally from Virginia. Your theories jive. But neither of them can explain Goose Creek which is named after a creek that flows into Charleston Harbour SC. Perhaps it would be a slightly later development with its origins in Virginia.
Early settlers were planting tobacco around Charleston in 1670. It was their first staple crop. Virginia had so much production that the prices dropped to the level that South Carolinians couldn't compete. Rice proved to be more profitable. By the early 1800s commercial tobacco production was replaced by cotton for the most part. At least until the brightleaf boom.
I would assume Goose Creek Red descended from a Virginia variety. I live in upstate South Carolina and have good tobacco soil much like that in the Old Belt of North Carolina where my cousins grew tobacco. I'm going to try GCR this year.
 
Top