Home-grown in a pipe ... amazing!

[squeezyjohn]

Sorry to burden you all with my home-growing exploits once again ... but I just couldn't resist ... and I've never tasted anything like it.

I made a 3 periques, or carrottes of single variety tobacco I grew this year mainly as a way of storing and ageing them in the restricted space I have indoors at home. And my curiosity got the better of me today and I cut a few coins from the Black Stalk Mammoth variety carrotte with a view to chewing them. Frankly they had a lot of nicotine in them, but were horribly bitter to chew - but the little coins looked so inviting that it made me re-visit my pipe for the first time in 6-8 months.

Wow!

Frankly it was the best straight pipe tobacco I've ever had ... similar in nature to a good virginia flake, but with less tongue bite, cooler smoking and sweeter smoke. It was bloody delicious. This is tobacco that has had approximately 4 months ageing only.

I can only imagine that it will get far better with further ageing - and I will definitely keep some for that ... but this has seriously challenged my opinions on home-grown tobacco and pipe smoking.

[crullers]

It's no burden for me to read about your home growing experiences squeezy, it's been a great source of information for me and I look forward to your updates. The Black Stalk Mammoth is on my short list of seeds to buy for next season. I have no desire to smoke any but am planning to use a burley variety mostly for snuff but I am also want to make some snus and chewing tobacco. Do you think the bitterness is something that will mellow with age and could be used in an oral tobacco product? I don't want to have a snus or chew that's bitter so I may grow a bit less burley if the bitterness is something that might not mellow.

[squeezyjohn]

Black Stalk Mammoth is classed as a Dark Fire or Air cured variety - not a Burley. I've never successfully grown a Burley that I know of - but I think they're invaluable as an ingredient in snus for the dark chocolatey tastes and strength from the whole leaf I have bought in the past.

[crullers]

Thanks for clearing that up, not sure where I got the idea it was a burley.

[rickcharles606]

I'd LOVE to try some of that, it sounds delicious. I enjoy reading about your growing exploits!

[R.B. Kazenzakis]

Hear, hear. I love hearing about home-grown/cured/aged/blended tobacco - thanks for sharing! I don't have any land to grow on right now, but I look forward to giving it a shot once I do. For now, I am limited to aging and blending what I can get my hands on, and even that is a lot of fun.

[squeezyjohn]

Do you think the bitterness is something that will mellow with age and could be used in an oral tobacco product? I don't want to have a snus or chew that's bitter

Sorry - I missed this bit in my earlier answer ... nobody wants snus or chew that's bitter!

I don't think it is something that gets better with age ... the sugars get further broken down as the ageing process continues. It's not all down to variety either ... more fertiliser during the grow gives you a stronger tobacco both in nicotine and strength of flavour - and bitterness generally increases with fertiliser too. The top leaves are stronger than the lower ones on any given plant. And the amount of sunlight during the growing period also makes a difference. It's pretty complicated!

My perfect tobacco for a chew would be strong in the nicotine stakes and full in the nice tobacco flavours, but lacking in bitterness. I am trying African Red next year with this in mind. For snus it's less important as you can blend different types.