Texas Cuban cigar leaf

[deluxestogie]

Texas Cuban was developed in Texas around the turn of the 20th century, by planting "Cuban" seed, then selecting successive generations of the plant to make (originally) cigar wrapper, which brought a premium at the time. This period of development occurred prior to a meaningful understanding of Mendelian genetics, so it is likely the result of hybridization of the undefined variety of "Cuban" seed with whatever other varieties of tobacco were then growing in that immediate region of Texas. [In Cuba at that time, there was poor varietal purity, with growers, at the time prior to harvest, selecting appropriate looking plants for use as cigar tobacco.]

The outcome was a relatively tall plant with large leaves that turned out to be mostly suitable for filler.

"Texas Cuban" appears 3 times in the ARS-GRIN database:

• PI 408942
• PI 370298
• PI 370299

They all arrived at ARS-GRIN in the 1970s, but their origin is obscure. PI 408942 claims to be "Texas Cuban", with no further elaboration, but very little available data, other than photos. The remaining two are from Germany, and state that they are a selection from "Texas Cuban", and said to be low-nicotine. Both of these have more observation data than the first, however one is classed as Cigar Wrapper, while the other is classed as Flue-Cured.

The original accession data for all three of these contributes nothing more than "likely mixed seed".

Info available for Texas Cuban on the Victory Seeds site, their seed is clearly specified as PI 408942.

The Culture of Cigar Leaf Tobacco in Texas

books.google.com

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Texas Cuban Pi 408942. Photos from ARS-GRIN:

Bob

 

[crasch]

The first picture is a specimen that I grew in the Spring of 2023. I got seeds from Victory Seeds (PI408942) a few years back, and this one is grown from saved seeds from my own previous year plants. The buds were just about starting to shoot up, so this was a few days before I topped it. It was about 6ft tall at that time. It was a direct seed, and I don't know exactly how old it was at that point. I left about 20 leaves on it when topping, but some hornworms got it while I was out of town, turning some nice leaves into rags. I saved what I could.
The second and third picture is the very last priming of the very top leaves from another couple of plants of the same variety. I didn't top very heavily, so these were relatively small leaves. I don't have pictures of the other primings.
I'll update with pictures of cured leaf once I have some.

 

[deluxestogie]

Did you bag the seed head from which you saved seed? Were you growing any other tobacco varieties at the time? Do any of you neighbors (±½-mile) grow tobacco?

Bob

 

[crasch]

Did you bag the seed head from which you saved seed? Were you growing any other tobacco varieties at the time? Do any of you neighbors (±½-mile) grow tobacco?

Bob

The seeds I bought that first year also included White Stem Orinoco, some other type of Orinoco, and Florida Sumatra. I remember the Orinocos never did well, were an ugly mess, and I ripped them out early. The FL Sumatra didn't do good either. The website said that FL Sumatra was grown in the shade, so I put it under some trees, which was a bit too much shade. I think I didn't leave it in long enough to flower either. But honestly I'm not 100% sure, it's been a few years. I did save the TX Cuban seeds (not bagged) and planted those again the following year. To my knowledge, no neighbors grow tobacco.
I am just now getting into growing tobacco with a purpose and with the goal to actually use the leaves. In the past, it was just as a novelty and for visual interest around my veggie plots...

Edit: I double checked, and it was White Stem Orinoco, Broadleaf Orinoco, FL Sumatra, the TX Cuban, and a Wild Rustica (Don't remember that last one at all. No clue).

 

[deluxestogie]

To maintain the current purity of your Texas Cuban—if you are happy with it, just bag the seed head (prior to blossom opening) the next time you save seed. If your saved seed is kept dry, dry, dry, it will remain viable for at least a decade. Since a single plant can produce up to ¼-million seeds in a single season, you shouldn't need to collect seed very often.

Planting within the root zone (which is somewhat larger than the canopy) of a tree will usually runt tobacco. FYI, I have grown FL Shade a number of years, always in full sun. I've found the leaf makes lovely, darker wrappers, when grown in full-sun. FL Sumatra is not particularly useful as filler.

[The entire "shade grown" saga is about meeting commercial cigar factory market demands during a specific slice in time. CT Shade was developed in the early 20th century specifically to complete with imported Sumatra wrapper, which was popular on factory cigars at that time. Their lobbyists simultaneously got the US to impose heavier import duties on leaf from Sumatra.]

Bob

 

[MadFarmer]

The first picture is a specimen that I grew in the Spring of 2023. I got seeds from Victory Seeds (PI408942) a few years back, and this one is grown from saved seeds from my own previous year plants. The buds were just about starting to shoot up, so this was a few days before I topped it. It was about 6ft tall at that time. It was a direct seed, and I don't know exactly how old it was at that point. I left about 20 leaves on it when topping, but some hornworms got it while I was out of town, turning some nice leaves into rags. I saved what I could.
The second and third picture is the very last priming of the very top leaves from another couple of plants of the same variety. I didn't top very heavily, so these were relatively small leaves. I don't have pictures of the other primings.
I'll update with pictures of cured leaf once I have some.

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The maturity of those leaves show you have a good eye for tobacco cultivation.

 

[WillQuantrill]

The first picture is a specimen that I grew in the Spring of 2023. I got seeds from Victory Seeds (PI408942) a few years back, and this one is grown from saved seeds from my own previous year plants. The buds were just about starting to shoot up, so this was a few days before I topped it. It was about 6ft tall at that time. It was a direct seed, and I don't know exactly how old it was at that point. I left about 20 leaves on it when topping, but some hornworms got it while I was out of town, turning some nice leaves into rags. I saved what I could.
The second and third picture is the very last priming of the very top leaves from another couple of plants of the same variety. I didn't top very heavily, so these were relatively small leaves. I don't have pictures of the other primings.
I'll update with pictures of cured leaf once I have some.

View attachment 47765
View attachment 47766
View attachment 47768

Wanted to share these pictures of my Texas Cubans from late May. I was very surprised how FAST they grow. As you can tell the smaller Corojo 99's were planted the same day. When the 99's matured they were actually taller but the Texas Cubans were rapid. I had done some reading how Texas Cuban had originated Cuban Seed (unknown variety) then cross pollinated with Florida Sungrown variety. Mine is in the kiln so not sure how it smokes yet.