Buy Tobacco Leaf Online | Whole Leaf Tobacco

Are these ready for the garden?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Tutu

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2016
Messages
732
Points
63
Location
Dominican Republic
Nice and dark. The colour is not very different from the Corojo I use, which is not homegrown. I see you even went about and made caps!
 

mwaller

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
618
Points
28
Location
Kirkland, WA
I'm running the kiln at 128F. Humidity is supplied by the crockpot, and is not independently controlled. During my first kiln run, I had some mold problems that were the result of over-stuffing the kiln and excessive condensation.
I found that covering the kiln with a heavy blanket helps reduce the amount of condensation that forms. Now that I run fewer leaves in each load, it seems to work very well.
They look good. What were the temperature and humidity parameters in your kiln?
 

mwaller

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
618
Points
28
Location
Kirkland, WA
Thanks, Charly! I'm afraid that I will have to wait for quite a while to sample them. Some of the filler was in medium-high case, so it may take a long time to dry.
I welcome any tips you have for helping cigars dry down more quickly....!

Great ! Nice cigars, hope they will be good !
 

mwaller

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
618
Points
28
Location
Kirkland, WA
Ok, folks. The verdict is in and the results are... not good!
I've rolled samples of each of my cigar leaves - Corojo 99, Havana 142, Vuelta Abajo, and Little Dutch. Quite frankly, none of them taste much like a cigar. The Corojo 99 is probably the pleasing of the lot, but it hardly tastes or smells like a cigar. At best it has a vegetal / floral character with with touch of burnt raisin toast flavor.
I'm wondering where the problem lies... is it in my soil or in my processing?
Thanks!

First two sticks complete from homegrown Corojo 99!View attachment 22608
 

Jitterbugdude

Moderator
Founding Member
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
4,266
Points
113
Location
Northeast Maryland
First off... nice looking cigars
Assuming you kilned your leaf for about 4 weeks it could be many things.
1. Soil fertility: low nutrient levels, high nutrient levels or nutrient levels out of balance.
2. Time to harvest: You might have picked your leaf too early or too late.
3. The tobacco Gods do not like you.
4. Varieties chosen: I do not like Havana 142 for cigars. I like Little Dutch but it has a very unique "non-cigar" type flavor. Vuelta Abajo on the other hand is excellent. Not sure why it doesn't taste good other than #3 (above).
 

mwaller

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
618
Points
28
Location
Kirkland, WA
The leaves I sampled were indeed kilned for 4 weeks at 128F. Is this an appropriate temperature?
I had my soil tested at the beginning of the season. There was nothing too surprising or out of whack; nitrogen was a bit low, so I added some 'natural' type fertilizers and compost. I had read that tobacco really likes potash, so I periodically added kelp meal and other slow-release amendments that add K.
If any of you 'experts' are willing to play Dr. Tobacco, I'd be happy to send some samples for comment and/or diagnosis.
I'm honestly no sure what I would do differently next year, and you know what they say about doing the same thing over again and expecting different results.... :-(
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
Let your kilned tobacco rest for a few months. Roll cigars at the proper case, so they don't need to be dried out after rolling. If the tobacco smelled like decent tobacco prior to rolling, it should continue to have a similar smell after rolling.

I have no idea what impact "kelp meal and other slow-release amendments that add K" might have. Too many variable for my brain.

Next year, just use a single application of a low-chlorine fertilizer (5:15:5 or 10:10:10, etc.) and see how it turns out. The varieties should all be excellent.

Bob
 

mwaller

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
618
Points
28
Location
Kirkland, WA
Let your kilned tobacco rest for a few months. Roll cigars at the proper case, so they don't need to be dried out after rolling. If the tobacco smelled like decent tobacco prior to rolling, it should continue to have a similar smell after rolling.

I have no idea what impact "kelp meal and other slow-release amendments that add K" might have. Too many variable for my brain.

Next year, just use a single application of a low-chlorine fertilizer (5:15:5 or 10:10:10, etc.) and see how it turns out. The varieties should all be excellent.

Bob

Thanks, Bob. The leaves don't smell bad at all, but they don't smell anything like cigar leaf. They smell more like hay or tea - pleasant, but not what I expected. I'm hoping time will help bring them around.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top