Tobacco strain selection guide for minimal processing

[WisconsinLeaf]

Mine were seedlings from BigBonner. I didn't think to ask him where he acquired his seed from. Here's a picture of one of them I grew if it helps.

View attachment 2141

Seedman Perique in Wisconsin.

 

[hooyoo]

Does anyone have experience with growing Cuban varieties like Criollo or Corojo? I'd love to know if they need extensive curing/kilning/etc or can be minimally processed and still have good flavor

 

[deluxestogie]

Welcome to the forum. Feel free to introduce yourself in the Introduce Yourself forum.

I have grown a number of varieties of Corojo as well as Criollo. As with most Caribbean cigar varieties, they need to be fermented in some manner, which usually means kilning for a home-grower.

Of those, I have NOT grown Criollo 98, which is said to be superior in a number of ways to other Cuban Criollo varieties. Corojo 99 is by far the best Corojo I've grown, in terms of productivity, curing and kilning. The Criollos that I have grown required an additional year or so of aging after kilning, to lose a "raw" quality.

For cigars, really every variety should be kilned, to get the best smoking experience from them. Building a kiln is a $100 to $150 project that takes about 1 weekend for anyone to build. Constructing a kiln requires no special skills.

Bob

 

[BarG]

I believe this to be 100% true. The bottom line for a farmer is money. Tobacco is sold by weight. Burley harvested at 4-5 weeks is heavier than Burley harvested at 3 weeks. When you are growing acres of it, the weight difference really adds up. This does not mean harvesting at 5 weeks makes the best tasting tobacco, it means it makes the heaviest yielding tobacco instead.

If you want a smooth quick smoke right after harvest. Try this: Harvest some leaf at 1 week after topping, then 2 weeks etc. Once a plant is topped all kind of things happen, nicotine levels increase, nitrogen, potassium etc increase too. I harvested a large amount of my tobacco this year 10 days after topping. That was on the 13th of July and it is all mostly cured. I've been smoking a lot of it and it is very smooth and tasty. Over the winter I will reevaluate my grow from this year and make some changes. One of those changes might very well be harvesting 1 week after topping. I will wait till next spring to decide.

 

[Huffen'Snuff]

Is there any new Varieties one would suggest for this thread?

 

[ProZachJ]

My first and second priming of Staghorn has been good for pipe after only a month of hanging. I also have found Perique to be agreeable within a couple months.