Is there a big leaf oriental tobacco?

[McMardigan]

Hi there! I would like to find an oriental tobacco variety that has medium to big leaves. Currently I have been planting Samson and Izmir but the yield of their leaves isn't something to shout about, compared to my burleys and Virginias. Thanks

 

[Knucklehead]

If I could only grow one oriental variety, it would be Prilep. If I could only grow two oriental varieties, one of them would be Prilep.

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[deluxestogie]

It is possible to grow most Orientals so that their leaves are much larger than they should be. In order to end up with leaf that provides the flavors and aromas that you expect from Orientals, they need to be planted much closer together (6 to 12 inches apart), and produce relatively small leaves. I agree that Prilep is an excellent choice for both quality and productivity. With my Prilep, I space them at 12 inches, prime the lower leaf as it matures, then stalk cut the remainder late in the season. For both primed leaf and stalk cut, I sun-cure them for 3 to 4 weeks, then kiln the leaf once it is cured.

Productivity in Orientals is from a greater leaf number, rather than a smaller number of huge, mediocre leaves.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Bursa if planted 3' apart can produce a lot of medium sized leaves. I had 8' tall plants in a greenhouse. But it tastes nothing like prilep, yenigje, Izmir, or the like. I don't know how to describe it. More of a dusty, stale, earthy, spice taste. I use it with pleasure, but for completely different purposes in a blend.

 

[deluxestogie]

Quite a few years ago, I planted Izmir-Ozbas and Smyrna #9 at wide spacing. Both varieties reached way over my head, and the finished leaf was decent for some uses, and large enough to evoke horrified comments from @istanbulin. But as you observed with Bursa, it didn't come out like the Oriental leaf that I had hoped for. My last crop of Izmir-Ozbas was planted in a hex pattern at 6 inches between plants. They grew to about 3 feet, and the leaf was appropriately small and truly delicious when sun-cured.

In the US, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) concluded a few decades ago that the environment of the US was not suited for growing Orientals. Their tests all involved planting and growing it and fertilizing it in the same manner as for commercial Burley. What they proved was that the USDA did not understand why tobacco growers in Greece and Turkey continued to use the same agricultural practices that they have used for hundreds of years.

Bob