Rather than an arbitrary blend pack, I would suggest ordering the individual varieties. For cigarettes:
- any flue-cure Virginia variety
- a burley or Maryland variety
- any Oriental variety
- perhaps a dark air-cure variety
How you cure them will determine the end result. Sun-curing the Virginia and Oriental (while just air-curing the other) would likely be your easiest approach to a blend you will enjoy. Air-curing the Virginia and Oriental will work just fine, but taste rather different from a commercial cigarette blend.
Bob
EDIT: check the Cigarettes section of the WLT Wiki (linked in the menu bar) for blending ratios in general.
Ok, this post may have just short circuited my rookie growing season brain. Am I reading this correctly that rather than going through all the trouble of color curing the varieties I'm growing which would be traditionally flue cured that I can simply sun cure them with the American 572 i'm growing and avoid all the issues I am having trying to manage the color curing process here in arid SE Colorado? Can plant ripened Virginia just be laid out in the sun directly upon being cut from plant? instead of the obvious go to flue-curing procedure, or without finishing the yellowing in piles first?
I guess its important to note, despite being a smoker for 28 years that I am by no means a connoisseur of fine tobacco, I happily smoked my newports, marlboro/camel menthol lights for many years until the price went above $10/pk, when I started smoking I used to buy cartons of Newport 100s for $11 when we drove through NC on the way to visit family in Norfolk VA.. So I switched to RYO menthol tubes and tobacco this time last year and haven't looked back, its hard to beat $15/lb for ready to use tobacco. Which is to say, the menthol in the stuff I smoke when I buy packs of cigarettes or the ryo tobacco likely hides a lot of sub par tobacco and god knows what else, and I'm perfectly happy with the resulting smoking experience.. And I plan on "gassing" of the tobacco I end up harvesting with some 100% pure "organic" menthol crystals purchased online, I say "gassing" because from what I gather about the process you don't actually add the menthol to the tobacco, you simply store the menthol crystals in the same sealed container with the tobacco for a period of time, and the tobacco becomes menthol by association I guess?
That being said, the here are the varieties and descriptions that had been applied to them. I chose the varieties hoping to end up with something resembling commercial cigarette tobacco, while also hoping to avoid flue curing my first season since it sounded like an advanced technique best attempted after at least getting a season or two under my belt. I though it had accomplished this based on seed company descriptions of them (I knew better than to trust them, and am paying that lapse in judgement in figuring out best post harvest handling/curing treatment as a result.)
Bucak,
Bucak was developed in Turkey from a flu cured, bright leaf Virginian tobacco imported in the 1930's from the US. It grows to 5' in height with large heavy leaves densely spaced on the stalk, and matures in 50 days. Averages 20 leaves per plant, 12"-14" wide and 22"-26" long. It tolerates heavy rains and wind well and will withstand early fall frosts with little or no damage. It air cures easily to a light brown.
Gold Leaf 939
It grow 5-6 feet in height with closely spaced leaves and matures in 60 to 65 days. It has excellent uniformity between plants which makes it easy to manage. Suckering is very low. The leaves turn yellow as it ripens, and air cure to a light golden brown.
Gold Leaf 939 is a bright leaf Virginia type tobacco with very good yields of leaf averaging 12" wide by 20" long. Matures in 60-65 days
Shirey
It is an excellent tobacco for a cigarette or pipe blend. It produces a large leaf that air cures easily to a medium brown. It is a hardy plant and with stands moderate late season frosts. Grows to a height of 5 1/2 to 6 feet and matures in 65 days.
Shirey is a dark Virginian type tobacco with a mild flavor but with a fuller richer flavor than Virginia Golds have.
Tobacco Seeds - American 572
American 572 is a columnar form plant with an aromatic high grade leaf. Suitable for air drying or flu curing.. Considered one of the best varieties of Americana. Imported from Ukraine.
Virginia 116 Tobacco Seeds
It gives good yields, and turns light yellow as it ripens in around 65 days.
Easy to air cure and dries a bright golden yellow.
It is mild to smoke and is an excellent choice for a cigarette tobacco or in a pipe. Virginia 116 is a bright leaf Virginia Gold variety which grows to 4 1/2 feet in height. Leaves are up to 24" long and 12" wide.
Good disease resistance. It produces an average of 19 leaves when topped, excluding bed leaves.
