Buy Tobacco Leaf Online | Whole Leaf Tobacco

Another wrapper question and statement

Status
Not open for further replies.

Ben Brand

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2012
Messages
1,167
Points
63
Location
Groblersdal, South Africa
First the question- I watched a cigar video today, "Cuban tobacco-From farm to cigar" The farmer or Vegueros is spacing his tobacco 12 inches apart in the row and the rows 3 feet apart in his patch (land), its a lot closer than I plant mine in the row. I`m using drip irrigation, and the drippers are spaced 0,5 meters (about 18 inches) apart, my rows are also 3 feet apart. Will the closer spacing in the row not have a more shade effect on the plants giving thinner leaf for wrapper?

I like the sun grown wrapper idea, but some of my wrappers don`t burn to well, but its also curtain varieties, Bezuki burns fine, St Andreas, well just one word, Crap!!!! a rubbish burn, don`t want to burn, tunneling all the time, I have to re-light the cigar every few minutes, same fillers and binder as the Bezuki.

I know Rocky Patel use a lot of sun grown wrappers for his cigar, but then they do ferment the tobacco for a very long time. FX Smith on the other hand says they don`t ferment their wrappers for a long time, I think I read only two weeks, although they don`t say how they do it.

My logic just tells me that if you plant the sungrown wrappers a bit closer (12 inches), the leaf will be a bit thinner.
Did anybody try the closer spacing?

The statement- Iv`e heard people say that the cigar wrapper don`t contribute much to the flavour of the cigar.

I rolled some cigars a few days ago, all home grown tobaccos, Little Dutch, Long Red and Conn Broad leaf fillers with a well aged Penn Broad leaf binder.
Wrapped some in Bezuki wrapper, very basic tasting cigar. Some I wrapped in a Little Dutch wrapper, it was the leaves towards the top of the plant and the were quite thick and dark, what a change in taste, the cigar had a bit more spice and sweetness, very pleasant.
So according to my very limited cigar rolling and tasting skills, I say the wrapper is a big influence on the taste of a cigar.

All the best,
Ben
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,929
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
I'll make this brief. The statement is (as you've demonstrated) nonsense.

The video is baffling. When you plant close, you get tiny leaf. For thin leaf, plant widely spaced and under shade.

I've been loving my Corojo 99, Criollo and Long Red as sun-grown wrapper. The Besuki is naturally thin, even grown in full sun. You can try a thicker wrapper over Besuki binder for better burn.

Bob
 

Ben Brand

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2012
Messages
1,167
Points
63
Location
Groblersdal, South Africa
Another interesting thing the farmer said was - when the plant goes ripe and yellow in the field, they are ruined?? Does that mean, that he reaps his tobacco quite green?? MMMM Interesting!!!
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,929
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
Wrapper is usually primed at the mature (green), rather than the ripe (yellow) stage. Wrapper leaf that is allowed to ripen will become wavy and more rugose, rendering them less desirable for commercial wrapper.

If green leaf is primed before maturity, then it comes out rather insipid, once it cures. I usually wait for a slight yellow tip, before priming all of my cigar leaf. If it manages to go ripe yellow, that still makes good cigar filler and binder, and mediocre wrapper.

These are just my thoughts. (I'm beginning to wonder if that "Cuban" farmer video is a Russian disinformation campaign. Were there any brightly painted, onion domes visible in the distance?)

Bob
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top