A Short Long Story.

[riverstone]

Just to give you guys an idea of what happens to an overseas customer ( New Zealand) order from Don. Not critical of Don in any way.
5.23.17 ordered 6lb of Flue Cured Virginia 'Lemon'. Shipped via USPS on 5.24.17. Arrived in New York 5.27.17. Departed NY on 5.31.17. Arrived in Auckland Airport 6.2.17.
I rang Customs on 6.8.17 at 2.30pm and was told they had an 8 day backlog and I would "just have to wait your turn". 5 minutes later booked into Customs/Post and Ministry of Primary Industry facility on the 6.8.17. (6 days to travel 6 miles?) MPI contacted me by mail on 6.22.17 (14 days) to say it needed heat treatment and to pay NZ$45. Payed online and heard no more still coming up as held for clearance on the tracking site. I rang them yesterday 7.4.17 (12 days) at 10am and was told it was still at the Quarantine Treatment Centre. At 10.15am it came up as released for delivery and was delivered to my doorstep at 9am this morning 7.5.17. 42 days for delivery. Freight cost including treatment NZ$174. I was informed that there was a 40% increase in international parcels in June. The last time they blamed the Christmas rush and that only took 35 days.
If the parcel is not intercepted at the border it takes 8-10 days. I was also told by the MPI that they heat treat all the tobacco coming in because it contains mould spores.
Treatment is 15 hrs @ 85c. This shipment had only darkened slightly but my first shipment, 'Lemon' and 'Red' leaf, was very altered. The lemon was the colour of Red leaf and the Red leaf was almost black. It still smokes ok.
We get toasted Virginia for $45 at the border.

 

[riverstone]

Here we go again. Don ships on 7-3-17. Arrives in Auckland Airport 7-9-17. Arrives at Mail centre/ Customs control 7-13-17. Still there "awaiting customs clearance". I wonder what the excuse is this time?

 

[ArizonaDave]

Here we go again. Don ships on 7-3-17. Arrives in Auckland Airport 7-9-17. Arrives at Mail centre/ Customs control 7-13-17. Still there "awaiting customs clearance". I wonder what the excuse is this time?

That's just crazy on what you have to go through with NZ customs. Really don't understand "why" they feel the need to heat treat DRY tobacco.......mold doesn't grow on dry tobacco. Sounds like Govt. gone rogue to me.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I would mind the fact they heat treat it more than the added cost. Although the cost is a lot. Like, you can probably just go buy Dominican or Cuban cigars at the store made with basically the same tobacco. It hasn't been heat treated.

 

[riverstone]

Well! The letter from Primary Industries arrived in the mail this morning. " Item Description; Dried tobacco leaves with signs of disease (whole parcel 2.95kg)"
Paid on-line and will see it in about 7 days. I asked last time how they decide which one to treat and was told that they treat them all now because they have mould spores in the leaves.
It doesn't seem to alter the taste too much but it does darken the leaf.
We won't have to put up with it much longer as there is a bill before parliament now that will put WLT in the same category as tobacco and taxable at the full rate at the border. Approx NZ$1000 per kilo. If it passes in its present form we can only grow 5 kg of leaf (dry) a year (15 kg at the moment) and manufacturing starts by drying the leaf not de-ribbing. Comes into effect 1st April 2018.
This has been pushed by the big tobacco companies for years.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Well! The letter from Primary Industries arrived in the mail this morning. " Item Description; Dried tobacco leaves with signs of disease (whole parcel 2.95kg)"
Paid on-line and will see it in about 7 days. I asked last time how they decide which one to treat and was told that they treat them all now because they have mould spores in the leaves.
It doesn't seem to alter the taste too much but it does darken the leaf.
We won't have to put up with it much longer as there is a bill before parliament now that will put WLT in the same category as tobacco and taxable at the full rate at the border. Approx NZ$1000 per kilo. If it passes in its present form we can only grow 5 kg of leaf (dry) a year (15 kg at the moment) and manufacturing starts by drying the leaf not de-ribbing. Comes into effect 1st April 2018.
This has been pushed by the big tobacco companies for years.

Thumbs down on that one. Or up from your perspective down there.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

Do they show up come harvest time with a scale?

 

[riverstone]

Smokes, I can always do with a hand whenever they turn up.
It is just another feel good, un-enforcable law that is aimed at 1% of growers but effects everyone. Everyone will ignore it but the guy that grew 4 tons and walked away in 2011 will be able to be prosecuted under the new laws. If it can't be enforced and will be ignored it is bad legislation. The big tobacco companies have been pushing for a complete ban on home growing for at least 10 years. It is election year and the government must need some funds for their campaigning.

 

[BarG]

I am crying, in my beer for you. Damn . seriously

 

[BarG]

When you are dead, you do not know that you are dead. All the pain is felt by others.
The same thing happens when you are stupid!

Explain that to an idiot.

 

[Gavroche]

When you are dead, you do not know
.

Sure ? realy ? ah ah ah !

 

[riverstone]

Well! This is a turn up for the book.
I opened a new bag of Dons Flue Cured Virginia Red Leaf this morning to do some shredding. This is a shipment that got through Customs unmolested, so it had no heat treatment. Lovely colour, the smell was gorgeous but it had live larva between the leaves. Took out what I needed and then put the bag, and the other five bags from the same order in the freezer. I will probably leave them there for a couple of weeks. I don't know if the other bags were infected but I am not taking any chances. I can now see why we have treatment at the border.
I am not too proud to say I was wrong.

 

[Alpine]

It's hard to admit, but sometimes the government is right.

pier

 

[riverstone]

Someone is bound to ask so here is the "thousand words". These are from 10 leaves.