Kuzi, Alex, BOTL's - educate me about tobacco!!
I just got the Ccom magazine in the mail today and turned to the 2011 tobacco report and was amazed to read about the 6 different regions in Nicaragua and how much they can alter the tobacco - everything from rick, black soil to red, sandy soil, all in one country - amazing!! Ever since Alex recently said he might get another forum-blend going again, I've been thinking about how during the last contest, he listed all these strains of tobacco I've never heard of and how confused I was.
I'm wondering if Alex, Kuzi, or some other knowledgeable BOTL's can help educate me about the regions of Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, etc so that when the forum blend contest comes along, we can make some better decisions about which strains of tobacco to blend together.
I'm wondering if Alex, Kuzi, or some other knowledgeable BOTL's can help educate me about the regions of Nicaragua, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, etc so that when the forum blend contest comes along, we can make some better decisions about which strains of tobacco to blend together.
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Starting with the type/strain/seed of grape/tobacco - genetics will play a role in the outcome.
The soil that the seed is planted in - is it rocky, sandy, clay-like, soft, firm, rich in what nutrients - how will the root system be able to establish itself?
The climate - this is going to vary from region to region, year to year - is it shade-grown or sun grown, how much rain/water did the plant get, how was the overall climate for the growing season - were there any hot/cold/dry/wet spells?
I agree, it's interesting stuff. Just like wine, one region may have an exceptional year, while another region may not do so well. This is why I really wish more cigar makers put a year on their cigars, so specific harvests could be monitored. I know there are different tobaccos from different years going into the cigar, but with a year band and info on the web from that year, you could know exactly what you smoked and look for it again.
tasting the differences between the tobacco grown in the Condega area and the Jalapa valley in Nicaragua is hard for even the most refined palates. Knowing what it should be is a different story. the best i can offer is that leaves grown in the area around Esteli are very strong. much of this is used as fillers. im sure there is a bit of wrapper leaf, but given the sun, the soil and the temperature, this area produces good ligero and viso, great filler.
Jalapa Valley Tobaccos are a bit sweeter ans smoother. there is a bit less spice. there is a good amount of wrapper leaf that comes out of here and of course filler.
Condega grown leaf is kind of the best of both of the above mentioned leaves. in some places its more like one and in others its more like the other.
in Honduras, Danli and the Jamastran valley are the big producers of tobacco. these two growing regions are so close that it is very difficult to tell them apart. any smaller breakdown of region or area and im at a loss.
my palate is nowhere near refined enough to tell one field apart from another if they were right next to each other. heck, one country to the next is difficult enough.
i hope that helps a bit.
look through the blending 101 thread. it may help.