Fire cured Virginia

[Bex]

Has anyone ever heard of, or tried, fire cured Virginia? I see that there is some going around - presumably from Indonesia - and they are advising that it's like commercial tobacco. I've always wondered, frankly, why commercial cigarettes or loose tobacco, which states that its Virginia, is brown. Are commercial cigs fire cured Virginia??? Would appreciate any info on this.....

 

[SmokesAhoy]

The thing about calling tobacco Virginia I find annoying is there are 2 Virginia's bright and dark. Dark types are commonly fire cured and air cured, only bright flue cured. I've heard of flue cured being fire cured but have never tried it or seen it available though, which is what I think they mean when they say Virginia fire cured.

 

[Bex]

Thanks....I had never heard of this before, and was curious. I don't think I'll try this process at home, though....

 

[FmGrowit]

'Fire cured Virginia" is most likely a misspoken term. City folk don't know what a flue is, so they think they're reading a typo and to make them even more dangerous, some actually do know a slight bit about how "Virginia" tobacco is cured with heat, so they assume it must be fire cured...fire = heat.

The facts are...
Class 2; fire-cured types and groups.

(a) Type 21. That kind of fire-cured tobacco commonly known as Virginia Fire-cured, or Dark-fired, produced principally in the Piedmont and mountain sections of Virginia.
(b) Type 22. That type of fire-cured tobacco, known as Eastern District Fire-cured, produced principally in a section east of the Tennessee River in southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee.
(c) Type 23. That type of fire-cured tobacco, known as Western District Fire-cured or Dark-fired, produced principally in a section west of the Tennessee River in Kentucky and extending into Tennessee.

 

[burge]

Isn't the red a type of fire cured Virginia? In a sense I would think of classifying as it. I know the when I have had Big Bonners orangey flue cured its a lot as in my sdescription a natural red. While the red when you have it Don is a lot denser and the leaf is kind of leathery.

 

[deluxestogie]

Red Virginia is flue-cured. It is leaf from upper stalk positions, so it flue-cures to a thick, leathery, reddish leaf.

Bob

 

[Skinnerfarms]

technically, a cutter leaf up to a tip can be considered the valuable leaf with most nicotine. But any stalk position can be "red". Here in Flue country its called full flavor. A major component of the American Blend. Lemons are in demand in China for flavored cigarettes. The difference is the potash. More potash makes it red. Of course the opposite makes lemon yellow. And of course too much nitrogen and it colors up pretty initially to 129 or so degrees then on the drive to 135-140 to dry lamina it starts getting brown spots then the entire thing cures into a crap black brown, and is worthless, well, 45 cent a lb at the auction. Contract price this year 1.85/lb. Lemons and tips may push to $2 if the crop is a light. Lugs and primings, probably closer to $1.50.