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Perique: The Native Crop

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Dean

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So what are white stemmed called now? They have white stems so? Or am I lost in marketing hype, is white burley diff to green burley? Is that not a plant but a smoking term? I always thaught the colours were indicative veign colour. Please clear it up for me.

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deluxestogie

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Many varieties of burley are white-stem burleys. The stalk and veins are very light in color. It derives from a genetic defect in chlorophyll production.

Bob
 

Jitterbugdude

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So what are white stemmed called now? They have white stems so? Or am I lost in marketing hype, is white burley diff to green burley? Is that not a plant but a smoking term? I always thaught the colours were indicative veign colour. Please clear it up for me.
The "original" white burley was completly white. Over the years the specific mutated strain was lost. What is left are white stemmed and green stemmed burley's. Today, tobacco marketers (mostly the pipe crowd) will claim they have white burley when in fact they really have white stemmed burley. I've even seen them reference the discovery in 1864 in Ohio of white burley, as if what the are selling is the same.

I did not want to mention it.. I was going to wait until this summer but I'll go ahead and say something now.. Last summer I was driving in Amish land like I usually do on a weekly basis. In one of the fields I distinctly saw two burley plants that were completey white. I rode by that farm several times and kept thinking I was going to stop by and ask the farmer if I could bag those particular plants. This summer I will be on a mission to see if I can find any mutated burley. This time I will talk to the farmer about bagging the plants for me
 

Mad Oshea

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The "original" white burley was completly white. Over the years the specific mutated strain was lost. What is left are white stemmed and green stemmed burley's. Today, tobacco marketers (mostly the pipe crowd) will claim they have white burley when in fact they really have white stemmed burley. I've even seen them reference the discovery in 1864 in Ohio of white burley, as if what the are selling is the same.

I did not want to mention it.. I was going to wait until this summer but I'll go ahead and say something now.. Last summer I was driving in Amish land like I usually do on a weekly basis. In one of the fields I distinctly saw two burley plants that were completey white. I rode by that farm several times and kept thinking I was going to stop by and ask the farmer if I could bag those particular plants. This summer I will be on a mission to see if I can find any mutated burley. This time I will talk to the farmer about bagging the plants for me
That would be awsome to have the seed from that plant to try out. Just to see if the next strain came out white.
 

Mad Oshea

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I'v never seen a natural white plant. I made a bunch of them last year like knucklehead did this year. Its easy- Put them out to harden and forget to check them. They will turn white fast.
 

Knucklehead

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I've read that as well. When I can figure out how to find BigBonner (Larry - I've gathered from reading on here) and buy some seed/lings; I will grow some white burley on a patch of ground that I've already put composted molasses and dried molasses. I don't know if that will help the fermentation process or speed of of it but it's worth a try. Sure will be a lot of activity below ground surface though! ;)

Click here: http://fairtradetobacco.com/members/6-BigBonner Select "Send Private Message" So easy a Knucklehead could do it. :D
 

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I visited the Poche farm and spoke with the processors and a couple of farmers. Whatever strain of tobacco is used in the St. James Parish region supposedly converts over several generations to perique, probably from some combination of cross pollination and natural selection.

The 20 ton house jacks used in the process actually produce about 35 to 50 pounds per square inch if you take the pressure and divide it by the area of the barrel top (about 20" to 22" diameter = 380 in2, 20000 pounds / 380 = 53 lbs in2, assuming a 20 ton jack produces about 20,000 lbs of useful pressure).

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oldbear

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I don't know, but guessing, based on the stated claim that "All tobacco planted there converts to perique", I would say no, they don't bag the seed heads.

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deluxestogie

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...the stated claim that "All tobacco planted there converts to perique", I would say no, they don't bag the seed heads.

Oldbear
That old saw is based on the pre-Mendelian myth evident in all the 19th century and early 20th century tobacco literature. In terms of probability of cross-pollination, if a single variety of tobacco is all that is planted within a range of ~1 mile, then obtaining seed from open-pollinated plants at the center of the grow can safely be assumed to be pure. This is also how major CT Shade growers obtain seed in Connecticut (enhanced by partial exclusion of insects by their expansive shade structures).

Bob
 

oldbear

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Remember that this is far southern Louisiana, a sub-tropical environment with lots of potential pests. I would speculate that any tobacco, without bagging or other manipulations (al la Monsanto) would cross-pollinate and naturally select for high nicotine and other burlyish traits. The farmers just seem to plant and harvest as they have done for generations and take what they get. The result, after pressure fermentation, is perique.

Oldbear
 

burge

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I am one of those Purists. If I get perique its the real thing. Its kind of like coke Ain't nothing like the real thing baby.
 

burge

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I am one of those Purists. If I get perique its the real thing. Its kind of like coke Ain't nothing like the real thing baby.
I am quite sure it won't have the same taste. Kind of like cdn Virginia has a taste on its own due to the soil. Or like our strawberry's our taste better. The article is still there read it and appreciate the real thing and get the real thing.
 

SmokesAhoy

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I am quite sure it won't have the same taste. Kind of like cdn Virginia has a taste on its own due to the soil. Or like our strawberry's our taste better. The article is still there read it and appreciate the real thing and get the real thing.



Hogwash, you could probably cure and ferment collard greens the same way and get perique. These guys just perpetuate the marketing myth that their land is somehow unique and magical, well if you believe that... well excuse me, I'll have to cut this short, my pet unicorn needs to be let outside to pee.
 
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