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Deciding on Varieties to Grow for Pipe Blending and Cigars

deluxestogie

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I have been asked many times about recommendations for seed varieties to grow for pipe blending and cigars. This is my personal answer (for now).

Bob's Tobacco Field_Colonization.JPG

Growing tobacco in Civilization IV Colonization.

Picking varieties for cigars and pipe depends on how they come out in your location, whether or not you intend to flue-cure the Virginias, and what sort of cigars you like to smoke. There are somewhere between 2000 and 3000 identified varieties of Nicotiana tabacum, so as you read through my comments below, you are certain to ask, "But, what about (fill in the blank)?" The roughly 100 varieties that I have grown account for only 3 to 5% of what is out there. That makes me a relative newbie, and limited in my tobacco horizon.

For pipe tobacco, I like to have:
  • a flue-cure variety
  • an Oriental
  • a Dark Air Cure variety
  • one or more non-cigar varieties to make into Perique and Cavendish
  • a mild burley
  • at present, the only way to get good Latakia is to buy it from WLT
Knucklehead recommended Costello as a flue-cure variety that performed well when sun-cured. I usually grow Virginia Bright Leaf as my flue-cure variety, since I will actually flue-cure it.

Prilep 66-9/7 is a sweet, aromatic and prolific Oriental that sun-cures nicely, and can be flue-cured as well. Izmir varieties, Xanthi and Yenidje are typical Orientals used in commercial blends. The stronger Orientals include Bafra, Samsun, Samsun-Maden, Shirazi and Djebel. There are dozens of others that I have not grown. Among those, Trabzon would likely be the strongest.

The only dark-air variety that I have grown is Little Yellow (from New Hope Seeds). Though sometimes an important component in my pipe blends, I use so little dark-air (~1/16), that I now just use dark-air from WLT--and it lasts a long time. (The Little Yellow is more flavorful, and slightly milder.)

Perique and Cavendish can be made from any variety. Their final strength is directly determined by the strength of the variety used. Maryland varieties (MD 609 is quite productive) result in a mild-medium strength. Burley will make a robust and pungent Perique.

There is a wide choice available for burley. For a rich variety, TN 90 is a productive choice. I usually grow a more subtle and mild burley developed in Canada: Harrow Velvet.

The cigar varieties offer an insanely broad set of choices:
  • wood and leather American fillers
  • American wrappers and binders and fillers
  • American Havana-derived types
  • Indonesian (Sumatra Deli Leaf and Besuki derived) wrappers and binders
  • Central American and Caribbean Havana-type fillers
  • unique landrace cigar varieties
"Wood and Leather" is my own category that includes Little Dutch, Dutch (Ohio), Pennsylvania Red and Long Red. Of these, the Dutch (Ohio) and Long Red are not as intense, but are much more productive. Every year, I grow at least one from this group.

Many traditional American cigar varieties are hugely prolific, and can serve as the bulk of the filler blend in medium-strength cigars. Here, I would recommend Swarr-Hibshman, Lancaster Seed Leaf, Pennsylvania Broadleaf and Wisconsin 901. Uniquely American wrapper/binder varieties can be divided into shade leaf and sun-grown. My experience with American shade varieties when grown in sun is that they don't make good wrappers. Among the traditionally sun-grown wrapper/binders, Connecticut Broadleaf should do well in full sun, but my attempts were dogged by blue mold. The Indonesian-derived wrappers/binders (see below) do very well in full sun. Mont Calme Brun (Canadian) makes huge, mild leaf.

In addition to the numbered Havana varieties (Havana 322 would be my favorite), Comstock Spanish and Zimmer Spanish are also Havana-derived.

Indonesian and Indonesia-derived wrappers and binders do well when fully sun-grown. These include Sumatra, Besuki, Timor, and Florida Sumatra.

Central America, the Caribbean islands and South America supply most of the commercial cigar tobacco that we see. As for available seed, sources are spotty. My favorites are Corojo 99, Criollo, Vuelta Abajo, Machu Picchu Havana, Piloto Cubano and Dominican Olor.

The two landrace tobaccos that I have grown are Baldió Vera (from Spain's Extremadura) and Nostrano del Brenta (from the Brenta Valley of Italy). The Baldió Vera is burley-like in appearance, with huge, easily cured leaves, but does not taste like burley to me. Nostrano del Brenta yields massive leaves that cure to a mild, unique cigar flavor, with mid to upper leaves that kiln to deep oscuro.

I could continue, but I think this hits the highlights.

Bob
 

Charly

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Thank you Bob for this excellent overview of what to grow !
I think it should be added in the Beginner's FAQ !
It makes me think that I have a lot of strains to try :D
 

deluxestogie

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This post is in the "What to Grow" sub-forum, and is a sticky, so it should be relatively easy to locate without a search. I believe the FAQ should not be much longer than its present length. I consider the FAQ similar to a "Quick Start" pamphlet included with new computer hardware and software. For non-essential details, you need to read the longer documentation.

I should emphasize again that the initial post of this thread is just a collection of my impressions. Contributions from other members are invited.

Bob
 

DistillingJim

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I'd quite like to unpack the flue-cured/virginia variety a bit more. When buying a tin they tend to describe by color rather than varietal which to my mind begs the question if there is much benefit in growing one type over the other in terms of flavor? I'm doing Cherry Red this year but when cured will it really taste that different to Costello, Virginia Bright Leaf or another varietal?
 

SmokesAhoy

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Generally the different strains are different due to adding resistances, increasing yields or somehow trying to change some trait while keeping the end product the same.
 

ChinaVoodoo

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I'd quite like to unpack the flue-cured/virginia variety a bit more. When buying a tin they tend to describe by color rather than varietal which to my mind begs the question if there is much benefit in growing one type over the other in terms of flavor? I'm doing Cherry Red this year but when cured will it really taste that different to Costello, Virginia Bright Leaf or another varietal?

I have found differences in flavor, growth habit, and curability between strains. The Helena and Costello I grew were similar. Helena a bit sweeter. The Ternopolski and Ostrolist were similar. Ostrolist a bit stronger. But Helena & Costello vs Ostrolist and Ternopolski? Big difference in leaf thickness and burn rate, sugar content, and therefore taste. I think you can kinda group them, right. Like these are almost identical, but differ from that group which is almost identical.
 

cmk

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Very nice list @deluxestogie ! As a rather new grower I'm wondering if there is a major difference in the skill level required to succeed with the various strains (for cigars in my case) - i.e. easy to cure, will give reasonable yield, will stand inclement weather, disease resistance etc. Basically if there is a set of strains that could be recommended for a newbie grower with respect to getting a decent harvest. My growing season (Scandinavia) is quite short, with the last frost date usually in late May.

Somewhat by chance, I have been growing some of the ones you've listed (Criollo 98, Lancaster Seed Leaf and Wisconsin 901). Due to lack of garden space, the Criollo was the only one of those grown in full sun, most of the others got full sun for a few hours until a bit after noon, and then were in the shade (effectively 'shade grown'? - leaves are quite thin anyway). The Lancaster Seed Leaf got something in between. I've started priming and some leaves are hanging to cure. So far I've only had to toss a few leaves due to mold (or some other weird green spotting that appeared after the leaves had yellowed).

So if there is a beginners list of strains that can give decent results, it would be much appreciated. I'm already planning next years grow, and may need to order seed. :)

I realize that this thread is somewhat old, and answers to my questions may exist in another thread.
 

deluxestogie

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My strongest recommendation is to plant tobacco in full sun, especially with a short growing season. The cigar trend from my grow logs of the past few years is
  • Corojo 99
  • Piloto Cubano
  • Dominican Olor
  • one or another seedleaf and broadleaf varieties
These are all available from Northwood Seeds. The Corojo 99 is the heaviest producer, and has been the easiest for me to stalk-cut and stalk-cure.

Bob
 

skychaser

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Great post Bob. I have bookmarked it and will refer everyone who sends me an e-mail asking what to grow to this post. MUCH batter advise than I could ever give. And I am going to include a link to your book. :)

I have added a couple new strains from the old FTT seed bank to my grow this year. Little Yellow and Cuban Pieate. Both are doing well. The Little Yellow is only about 5' high but the leaves are anything but little. It is quite impressive looking and all the plants are now in bloom and bagged. I should get plenty of seed. The Cuban Pieate is half bagged now and looking good too. Have you grown it before? I know nothing about it.
 

deluxestogie

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I have never grown Cuban Pieate. Or even heard of it--I think @Chicken mentioned it 5 or 6 years ago, when I assumed it was a misspelling of something. GRIN search comes up empty.

The Little Yellow is my absolute favorite dark air-cured variety. Most dark air-cured tastes to me pretty much the same, with varying strength. Little Yellow has true personality, curing to a bronzy yellow, instead of dark brown. I consider it milder than other dark air-cured varieties, but it's no slouch. In addition to air-cured and kilned, it makes a spectacular Cavendish. I'm delighted that it will be available.

Bob
 

skychaser

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There is chaff in that bag so I know it didn't come from me. lol

Chicken mentions Cuban Pieate on his grow list in 2012 and 2015 but I didn't find it mentioned anywhere else here or a description of it. The seed I have probably came from him. I wonder where he got it? It's a little different looking than anything else I have grown. I have some baby picts of it in another computer. I need to take some more today now that it is maturing and I'll post a couple.
 

peterd

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This is the one I mentioned in the email having got before I met you and the rest of the folks here. Side by side with your seeds its a lot smaller, less seeds and as you say chaff included. I can see how this grows and compare with yours and if any significant deviation can send what I got for evaluation.
 

skychaser

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Nope. That's not it. My flowers are pink. Smaller leaves more densely packed on the stem. 14 to 16 to just below the flower. They are about 5' high and just starting to bloom. I tried to take a pict but my camera died. I searched the word pieate and found next to nothing. I just ended up wanting a pie. It is probably a misspelling.
 

deluxestogie

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The challenge is that the "name" of the variety, let's say it's Prieto, might be only in the original accession document pdf, which is not broadly searchable, and it might itself be misspelled from the local name. What we can search in GRIN-GLOBAL are only the fields and data that Jessica felt were meaningful or definitive, and only the selected values that were transferred from the old GRIN database. [GRIN-GLOBAL is much prettier, but more difficult for locating obscure tags and geographic identifiers.] For example, Machu Picchu Havana is named "White Blossom", even though its blossoms are pink at lower altitudes. It's identity as being from Machu Picchu appears only in the original accession document pdf. That it is a Havana variety only appears in the personal correspondence of Raymond Stadelman, who collected the seed during his travels in the 1930s. Fortunately, he elaborated on his accessions in his letters to friends. Thanks to Jessica, I have copies of some of that correspondence. But the data itself is true arcana.

Bob
 

JukkaPekka

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This year is my first tobacco growing season (10 years of chili growing behind).
I have tried to grown this summer Virginia, Canik, Harrow Velvet and cherry red.
Many of my plants died because of frost in the last couple of weeks.
Now I am thingking what to try for next year (pipe tobacco and Svedish snus).
I can only air-cure tobacco and building kiln is possible.
I live in Finland and the growing season is mid june->end of august.
So growing season is short.
If you have good varieties to recommen please let me know.
 

JukkaPekka

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Those varieties we have available here in Finland.
I was thingking:
Adonis
Ahus
Badischer Geudertheimer
Burley 21
Catterton
Golden harvest
Shiley
White gold
 

deluxestogie

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Growing tobacco is too much work, if the varieties you grow are not what you believe you purchased.

Some of the tobacco varietal listings on the suomensiemenpankki website appear questionable. For example, the photo of Samsun does not appear to be Samsun. There is a listing for "Baffra Basma", which is a meaningless term, since Bafra (near Samsun, on the Black Sea Coast) has a petiolate leaf stem attachment similar to that of Samsun, and Basma's leaf attachment is sessile (Xanthi, Izmir, etc.). The Samsun-like varieties (Samsun, Bafra, Trabzon, Katerini) have a similar taste and aroma. The Basma types offer a different taste and aroma.

[My suspicion falls upon the seed collection practices of the "home growers" who furnished their seed.]

If you are able to purchase seed from the US, I would suggest buying your tobacco seed from
Northwood Seeds.

Bob
 
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