Thread: Any fellow brother of the leaf in here?

Are there any of you guys that are also cigar guys ?

Yes, there are some here who even roll, yes and even grow their own tobacco.

Check out this thread...

https://sharprazorpalace.com/finer-t...today-269.html

I grow, I roll, I smoke. I haven't bought a cigar in over a year now.

Just rolling my own allowed me to have my cigars for about $1.50 each instead of the more typical $8 to $15 per stick. Then I thought maybe I should just grow my leaf instead of buying it. I like to say they are free now, but between fertilizer, pesticides, hand labor, and with inevitable losses it still probably costs me about the same, but now I am master of the entire process from seed to smoke.

Last year was my first grow year. Last year's crop seems to be quite good, and the few cigars I have rolled from it and allowed to age a bit are pretty good. This year I will have more nice wrapper and binder leaves. Last year's crop is mostly filler, as the hornworms systematically destroyed most of my big beautiful leaves, and improper hanging for color cure caused a lot of mold and a lot of failed curing. I still have about 16 lbs of tobacco from last year's crop. I have already almost finished harvesting this year but I will plant a second crop.

You don't have to get into it in a big way. You can grow just three or four plants and make it worth your trouble. There are forums where this is discussed and there are youtube videos, related to growing and to rolling. Welcome to the information age. You can now learn to do literally anything.

Crescent city razors, What seed varietals are you growing , corojo , criollo, habano, or broadleaf? That's amazing you got into it that far!

Last year I grew Connecticut Shade, Connecticut Broadleaf, Criollo 98, and Habano 2000. This year, first planting was Piloto Cubano, Big Gem, Yellow Leaf, Monte Calme Yellow, Golden Burley, and Moldovan 456. Oh yeah, and some Connecticut Broadleaf. Best showing was wow a three way tie, for wrapper leaf: the Monte Calme, Golden Burley, and Moldovan. Maybe a slight edge to the Monte Calme on size and texture, and points for the high yellow color of the Moldovan when picked fully mature and already yellow on the stalk. The Piloto was the obligatory Cuban style filler. I think it did better than last year's Criollo 98 or the H2k but of course I haven't smoked it yet. The Big Gem and Yellow Leaf are old school heirloom varieties and gave me meh results. I won't be planting them again. The CTBL didn't show me much this year, either, though last year it did okay. The thing is, the Monte Calme, Golden Burley, and Moldovan 456 gave me leaves of superior conformity to what I want in a wrapper leaf. I still have to taste them, but they give me beautiful big and bright leaves.

When I replant this year, and I do intend to double crop as I am almost completely done harvesting and it is still May, I will be planting only Moldovan, Monte Calme, Piloto, and maybe Golden Burley. But no more than a half dozen plants each.

The Criollo and H2K filler from last year is quite good, and the Piloto still untested, but based on the yield I have high hopes for it. Next year if this year's Piloto isn't as good or better, I will go back to the H2K I think, for filler. I do want to get down to two wrapper varieties so I may end up dropping the Golden Burley. I am really excited to try the Moldovan, both as wrapper (beautiful stuff) and as filler. I can't find anyone who has used the Moldovan in cigars. Pretty sure that the Monte Calme has been used as cigar wrapper, and the Golden Burley has been used for every smoking, dipping, and chewing product known to man, a jack of all trades tobacco, including cigar wrappers and binders.

In addition to cigars, I am planning to make my own shisha, too. I suspect the Moldovan Ligero or Corona, well washed, will be excellent in the hookah.

Originally Posted by CrescentCityRazors

Last year I grew Connecticut Shade, Connecticut Broadleaf, Criollo 98, and Habano 2000. This year, first planting was Piloto Cubano, Big Gem, Yellow Leaf, Monte Calme Yellow, Golden Burley, and Moldovan 456. Oh yeah, and some Connecticut Broadleaf. Best showing was wow a three way tie, for wrapper leaf: the Monte Calme, Golden Burley, and Moldovan. Maybe a slight edge to the Monte Calme on size and texture, and points for the high yellow color of the Moldovan when picked fully mature and already yellow on the stalk. The Piloto was the obligatory Cuban style filler. I think it did better than last year's Criollo 98 or the H2k but of course I haven't smoked it yet. The Big Gem and Yellow Leaf are old school heirloom varieties and gave me meh results. I won't be planting them again. The CTBL didn't show me much this year, either, though last year it did okay. The thing is, the Monte Calme, Golden Burley, and Moldovan 456 gave me leaves of superior conformity to what I want in a wrapper leaf. I still have to taste them, but they give me beautiful big and bright leaves.

When I replant this year, and I do intend to double crop as I am almost completely done harvesting and it is still May, I will be planting only Moldovan, Monte Calme, Piloto, and maybe Golden Burley. But no more than a half dozen plants each.

The Criollo and H2K filler from last year is quite good, and the Piloto still untested, but based on the yield I have high hopes for it. Next year if this year's Piloto isn't as good or better, I will go back to the H2K I think, for filler. I do want to get down to two wrapper varieties so I may end up dropping the Golden Burley. I am really excited to try the Moldovan, both as wrapper (beautiful stuff) and as filler. I can't find anyone who has used the Moldovan in cigars. Pretty sure that the Monte Calme has been used as cigar wrapper, and the Golden Burley has been used for every smoking, dipping, and chewing product known to man, a jack of all trades tobacco, including cigar wrappers and binders.

In addition to cigars, I am planning to make my own shisha, too. I suspect the Moldovan Ligero or Corona, well washed, will be excellent in the hookah.

Thats wild man!!! I can't say I've heard of anyone using that modolvan either ,new one on me for sure, the burly is somewhat rare in cigars as well as I've mostly seen that in pipe tobacco and blends their off, how do you age your leaves? And for how long?

Originally Posted by Axeman556

Thats wild man!!! I can't say I've heard of anyone using that modolvan either ,new one on me for sure, the burly is somewhat rare in cigars as well as I've mostly seen that in pipe tobacco and blends their off, how do you age your leaves? And for how long?

Golden Burley and other Burley varieties have actually been used a lot for domestic cigar production, and Cuban strains are descended from various old North American Burley varieties, mostly. The Connecticut Broadleaf and Shade are descended from the Cuban strains that are descended from the Burleys. What goes around comes back around. Now Connecticut Shade is considered the world's finest wrapper by many people and it is basically a Burley twice removed. And you can just look at a leaf of almost any Burley variety and go "hmmm... that sure looks like it would wrap a great stogie!". I am pretty sure that the iconic Tampa Nugget that I was fond of as a youngster was wrapped in one of the mainstream North American Burley varieties, over a binder made from "tobacco paper" manufactured from scraps, still used today in many cheaper machine rolled cigars. I am guessing in retrospect that the filler was a blend of flue cured Virginia and a dark air cured Burley with maybe some imported Cuban seed filler mixed in.

Last year was my first grow year. I air color cured in the garage. Color curing, and aging, are two different processes. The color curing gets rid of all the chorophyll and excess water and makes the tobacco look and taste like tobacco, and burn properly. Aging takes 1 to 3 years and you can write books about aging cigar leaf. I won't. I put it all in tupperware type bins, and later I re-cased (adjusted the moisture in the leaf) and stuffed it all into big zip lock bags, where it is now. As it happens, the product has a very nice aroma in the leaf, and so far trial cigars have been pretty good. Trying to roll more than I smoke and build up an aging stock of stogies, and likewise I want to use my homegrown sparingly until I have some that is 2 and 3 years old. The plan is eventually to be rolling only leaf that is two or three years aged. Right now all I have is about 10 months old, and fresh cured, and still hanging, and some that I bought last year and haven't used up yet.

Another thing about last year's tobacco. I was very lax in labeling and my bakky got all mixed up. Kay serrah. It's just one variety, el producto de Finca Crescent City, for all practical porpoises. This year I am a little more diligent in labeling variety but I am not so much seggregating by grade. Low on the plant is Seco. It is characterized as mild and very even burning. Even lower are the "mud lugs" which are often used for rolling basically right off the plant, once they have color cured right on the stalk. Next up is Viso, a little stronger from more sun exposure. Near the top is Ligero, very hearty and flavorful, more nicotine, a little slower to burn. Finally at the tippity top is Corona, not often used in cigars. I just go by feel of the individual leaves anyway, as I roll. Next year I want to be down to two or three varieties, and I will seggregate by grade as well as variety.

The big industry movers and shakers in the premium cigar world get VERY technical and artsy fartsy on aging. Usually the leaf is brought up to case and then stacked in big piles, where it ferments and heats itself up. The piles are periodically broken apart and restacked so the aging is even. After this fermentation period it is stored in bales usually, in warehouses where the management controls the ventilation and thereby the humidity. Most say that you want periods of lesser and greater humidity for best aging. Many home growers construct a kiln where the fermentation process can be duplicated in only weeks instead of months. I can't be bothered at this stage of the game. Whatever it was I did, seemed to work good for me.

First step is to watch the videos and learn, then buy some quality leaf and roll a good stogie. Smoke some and age some. When you can do that, plant some bakky. Growing can be a little complicated but there are forums and youtube channels where you can learn all about it. When you can grow it and color cure it, then worry about aging. When you have aged product ready to smoke, roll it up and stop or reduce buying leaf from Whole Leaf or Leaf Only or whoever.

Originally Posted by CrescentCityRazors

Golden Burley and other Burley varieties have actually been used a lot for domestic cigar production, and Cuban strains are descended from various old North American Burley varieties, mostly. The Connecticut Broadleaf and Shade are descended from the Cuban strains that are descended from the Burleys. What goes around comes back around. Now Connecticut Shade is considered the world's finest wrapper by many people and it is basically a Burley twice removed. And you can just look at a leaf of almost any Burley variety and go "hmmm... that sure looks like it would wrap a great stogie!". I am pretty sure that the iconic Tampa Nugget that I was fond of as a youngster was wrapped in one of the mainstream North American Burley varieties, over a binder made from "tobacco paper" manufactured from scraps, still used today in many cheaper machine rolled cigars. I am guessing in retrospect that the filler was a blend of flue cured Virginia and a dark air cured Burley with maybe some imported Cuban seed filler mixed in.

Last year was my first grow year. I air color cured in the garage. Color curing, and aging, are two different processes. The color curing gets rid of all the chorophyll and excess water and makes the tobacco look and taste like tobacco, and burn properly. Aging takes 1 to 3 years and you can write books about aging cigar leaf. I won't. I put it all in tupperware type bins, and later I re-cased (adjusted the moisture in the leaf) and stuffed it all into big zip lock bags, where it is now. As it happens, the product has a very nice aroma in the leaf, and so far trial cigars have been pretty good. Trying to roll more than I smoke and build up an aging stock of stogies, and likewise I want to use my homegrown sparingly until I have some that is 2 and 3 years old. The plan is eventually to be rolling only leaf that is two or three years aged. Right now all I have is about 10 months old, and fresh cured, and still hanging, and some that I bought last year and haven't used up yet.

Another thing about last year's tobacco. I was very lax in labeling and my bakky got all mixed up. Kay serrah. It's just one variety, el producto de Finca Crescent City, for all practical porpoises. This year I am a little more diligent in labeling variety but I am not so much seggregating by grade. Low on the plant is Seco. It is characterized as mild and very even burning. Even lower are the "mud lugs" which are often used for rolling basically right off the plant, once they have color cured right on the stalk. Next up is Viso, a little stronger from more sun exposure. Near the top is Ligero, very hearty and flavorful, more nicotine, a little slower to burn. Finally at the tippity top is Corona, not often used in cigars. I just go by feel of the individual leaves anyway, as I roll. Next year I want to be down to two or three varieties, and I will seggregate by grade as well as variety.

The big industry movers and shakers in the premium cigar world get VERY technical and artsy fartsy on aging. Usually the leaf is brought up to case and then stacked in big piles, where it ferments and heats itself up. The piles are periodically broken apart and restacked so the aging is even. After this fermentation period it is stored in bales usually, in warehouses where the management controls the ventilation and thereby the humidity. Most say that you want periods of lesser and greater humidity for best aging. Many home growers construct a kiln where the fermentation process can be duplicated in only weeks instead of months. I can't be bothered at this stage of the game. Whatever it was I did, seemed to work good for me.

First step is to watch the videos and learn, then buy some quality leaf and roll a good stogie. Smoke some and age some. When you can do that, plant some bakky. Growing can be a little complicated but there are forums and youtube channels where you can learn all about it. When you can grow it and color cure it, then worry about aging. When you have aged product ready to smoke, roll it up and stop or reduce buying leaf from Whole Leaf or Leaf Only or whoever.

Thank you for the insight !! I had no idea burley was related to any of those strains. To say that you've been able to plant , grow, ferment, age an then roll and smoke with any amount of success is nothing short of impressive . I tip my hat to you sir!! Can you tell any difference in the tobacco compared to say where it's normally grown due to different soil conditions and mineral content?

Originally Posted by CrescentCityRazors

Golden Burley and other Burley varieties have actually been used a lot for domestic cigar production, and Cuban strains are descended from various old North American Burley varieties, mostly. The Connecticut Broadleaf and Shade are descended from the Cuban strains that are descended from the Burleys. What goes around comes back around. Now Connecticut Shade is considered the world's finest wrapper by many people and it is basically a Burley twice removed. And you can just look at a leaf of almost any Burley variety and go "hmmm... that sure looks like it would wrap a great stogie!". I am pretty sure that the iconic Tampa Nugget that I was fond of as a youngster was wrapped in one of the mainstream North American Burley varieties, over a binder made from "tobacco paper" manufactured from scraps, still used today in many cheaper machine rolled cigars. I am guessing in retrospect that the filler was a blend of flue cured Virginia and a dark air cured Burley with maybe some imported Cuban seed filler mixed in.

Last year was my first grow year. I air color cured in the garage. Color curing, and aging, are two different processes. The color curing gets rid of all the chorophyll and excess water and makes the tobacco look and taste like tobacco, and burn properly. Aging takes 1 to 3 years and you can write books about aging cigar leaf. I won't. I put it all in tupperware type bins, and later I re-cased (adjusted the moisture in the leaf) and stuffed it all into big zip lock bags, where it is now. As it happens, the product has a very nice aroma in the leaf, and so far trial cigars have been pretty good. Trying to roll more than I smoke and build up an aging stock of stogies, and likewise I want to use my homegrown sparingly until I have some that is 2 and 3 years old. The plan is eventually to be rolling only leaf that is two or three years aged. Right now all I have is about 10 months old, and fresh cured, and still hanging, and some that I bought last year and haven't used up yet.

Another thing about last year's tobacco. I was very lax in labeling and my bakky got all mixed up. Kay serrah. It's just one variety, el producto de Finca Crescent City, for all practical porpoises. This year I am a little more diligent in labeling variety but I am not so much seggregating by grade. Low on the plant is Seco. It is characterized as mild and very even burning. Even lower are the "mud lugs" which are often used for rolling basically right off the plant, once they have color cured right on the stalk. Next up is Viso, a little stronger from more sun exposure. Near the top is Ligero, very hearty and flavorful, more nicotine, a little slower to burn. Finally at the tippity top is Corona, not often used in cigars. I just go by feel of the individual leaves anyway, as I roll. Next year I want to be down to two or three varieties, and I will seggregate by grade as well as variety.

The big industry movers and shakers in the premium cigar world get VERY technical and artsy fartsy on aging. Usually the leaf is brought up to case and then stacked in big piles, where it ferments and heats itself up. The piles are periodically broken apart and restacked so the aging is even. After this fermentation period it is stored in bales usually, in warehouses where the management controls the ventilation and thereby the humidity. Most say that you want periods of lesser and greater humidity for best aging. Many home growers construct a kiln where the fermentation process can be duplicated in only weeks instead of months. I can't be bothered at this stage of the game. Whatever it was I did, seemed to work good for me.

First step is to watch the videos and learn, then buy some quality leaf and roll a good stogie. Smoke some and age some. When you can do that, plant some bakky. Growing can be a little complicated but there are forums and youtube channels where you can learn all about it. When you can grow it and color cure it, then worry about aging. When you have aged product ready to smoke, roll it up and stop or reduce buying leaf from Whole Leaf or Leaf Only or whoever.

I have tinkered with the idea of growing my own baccy, so I think I am going to give it a go, and when I say me, I mean the wife because she's the plant whisperer.

If nothing else, I might end up with something I can shred and puff in the pipe

I think I may be a bit limited in my growing season being in Scotland but it's worth ago for a few quid of seeds.

Geek