I will wrap up my grow log for this year. All of my tobacco have been harvested and I am preparing the bed with lot of grass clipping for next year grow. Hopefully they will be composted by the time I start my next year seed. I also hoped that these grass clipping will raise the soil level so it would not hold water when raining.
Overall, this year grow is not the best for me. However it is still larger harvest than last year grow in pot. I get a lot of leaves with size smaller than my palm. Even the cigar variety I grow is small so maybe I will make perique out of them, or I will smoke a lot of cigarillos.
I have tasted some variety that been cured and kilned, so I will include my own note for each variety. I been searching for this kind of thing when I first started to help me decide on what variety to grow. There were some other variable involved, but here is my thought. These are all air cured.
Little Dutch - growing nicely for me. I get some full sized leaves from them. A good taste for cigar filler, woody and leathery smokes especially the top position or ligero. I have a bunch that I planned to aged some more, at least until I have some other filler variety to blend with. Will grow again.
Big Gem - Also nice grow. I get some full sized leaves as well. But the taste doesn't impress me much. Medium sweetness and tasted very earthy to me. Might consider to grow again because of the yield.
TN90 - Very hardy plant. Even when the bed flooded, it never seems to give up. I get smaller leaves with this variety because of the excessive rain. Taste very full with noticeable nicotine. No sweetness at all. Will grow again for the nicotine content and blending.
Harrow Velvet - One of the harder variety to start the seed. I get one full sized plant with this variety. The taste is nutty, no sweetness medium flavored. Nice stretchy leaves, suitable for cigar wrapper. Might consider to grow again.
Samsun 85 - second generation plant. Easier to start, smaller yield. My only oriental variety. Good taste and aroma with little sweetness. Might consider grow again. I have different oriental variety to try next year.
Gold Dollar - Slow to grow because of the rain. It is nice medium flavored with medium sweetness. Give me an aftertaste of chocolate milk somehow. Might consider grow again, but I planned for other flue cure variety next year.
Virginia Gold - good variety with good amount of leaves. But it is smaller because of excessive rain. Tasted really sweet even air cured, with with good flavor. Give a light smoke, needed to blend with TN90 for nicotine and fuller flavor. Will grow again for sweetness without flue curing.
Besuki - give a good hope in early growing stage but stunted after the heavy rain. I grow this in hope it can grow nicely because of similar environment with Indonesia. I get a lot of small leaves that cannot be used as wrapper. Have not tried yet but planned on perique process for this variety. Might also try blending for cigarette or pipe. Will try to grow again. Planned on different cigar variety next year.
White Stem Orinoco - Grow vigorously at first, then stunted after heavy rain. Very strong, full flavor for a flue cure variety, some sweetness. A tad smaller in nicotine content than TN90 but definitely noticeable. Might help me in blending a high octane all virginia blend. Might consider growing again because of nicotine content.
Corojo - I get leaves smaller than three finger from two plant I grow this year. Did not even bother to harvest. Might grow again out of curiosity, but I planned for different cigar variety next year.
Havanna 608 - haven't tried yet. Get some medium sized leaves. The leaves is thin and stretchy so I think it could be used as wrapper. Will consider growing again but I have another numbered Havana variety to try next year.
Eventhough I did not get what I planned for this year, I still have some tobacco to play with. Will do a better preparation for next year. Here is an early plan for next year variety.
Flue cure variety:
Virginia Gold
401 Cherry Red
Burley:
TN90
Oriental:
Duzce or Yenidje
Cigar Variety:
Corojo 99
Havana 142
Other:
Goose creek red - dark virginia
Limonka - rustica
This is just initial planning. I think the list will be a lot longer by the time I start my seed.
Overall, this year grow is not the best for me. However it is still larger harvest than last year grow in pot. I get a lot of leaves with size smaller than my palm. Even the cigar variety I grow is small so maybe I will make perique out of them, or I will smoke a lot of cigarillos.
I have tasted some variety that been cured and kilned, so I will include my own note for each variety. I been searching for this kind of thing when I first started to help me decide on what variety to grow. There were some other variable involved, but here is my thought. These are all air cured.
Little Dutch - growing nicely for me. I get some full sized leaves from them. A good taste for cigar filler, woody and leathery smokes especially the top position or ligero. I have a bunch that I planned to aged some more, at least until I have some other filler variety to blend with. Will grow again.
Big Gem - Also nice grow. I get some full sized leaves as well. But the taste doesn't impress me much. Medium sweetness and tasted very earthy to me. Might consider to grow again because of the yield.
TN90 - Very hardy plant. Even when the bed flooded, it never seems to give up. I get smaller leaves with this variety because of the excessive rain. Taste very full with noticeable nicotine. No sweetness at all. Will grow again for the nicotine content and blending.
Harrow Velvet - One of the harder variety to start the seed. I get one full sized plant with this variety. The taste is nutty, no sweetness medium flavored. Nice stretchy leaves, suitable for cigar wrapper. Might consider to grow again.
Samsun 85 - second generation plant. Easier to start, smaller yield. My only oriental variety. Good taste and aroma with little sweetness. Might consider grow again. I have different oriental variety to try next year.
Gold Dollar - Slow to grow because of the rain. It is nice medium flavored with medium sweetness. Give me an aftertaste of chocolate milk somehow. Might consider grow again, but I planned for other flue cure variety next year.
Virginia Gold - good variety with good amount of leaves. But it is smaller because of excessive rain. Tasted really sweet even air cured, with with good flavor. Give a light smoke, needed to blend with TN90 for nicotine and fuller flavor. Will grow again for sweetness without flue curing.
Besuki - give a good hope in early growing stage but stunted after the heavy rain. I grow this in hope it can grow nicely because of similar environment with Indonesia. I get a lot of small leaves that cannot be used as wrapper. Have not tried yet but planned on perique process for this variety. Might also try blending for cigarette or pipe. Will try to grow again. Planned on different cigar variety next year.
White Stem Orinoco - Grow vigorously at first, then stunted after heavy rain. Very strong, full flavor for a flue cure variety, some sweetness. A tad smaller in nicotine content than TN90 but definitely noticeable. Might help me in blending a high octane all virginia blend. Might consider growing again because of nicotine content.
Corojo - I get leaves smaller than three finger from two plant I grow this year. Did not even bother to harvest. Might grow again out of curiosity, but I planned for different cigar variety next year.
Havanna 608 - haven't tried yet. Get some medium sized leaves. The leaves is thin and stretchy so I think it could be used as wrapper. Will consider growing again but I have another numbered Havana variety to try next year.
Eventhough I did not get what I planned for this year, I still have some tobacco to play with. Will do a better preparation for next year. Here is an early plan for next year variety.
Flue cure variety:
Virginia Gold
401 Cherry Red
Burley:
TN90
Oriental:
Duzce or Yenidje
Cigar Variety:
Corojo 99
Havana 142
Other:
Goose creek red - dark virginia
Limonka - rustica
This is just initial planning. I think the list will be a lot longer by the time I start my seed.
