harsh smoke

[fitz the viking]

Hello

I have bought some virginia whole leaf as it seemed too good to be true and i must say not impressed yet.

I am brand new to this so am open to all suggestions. i opened the bag and the leaves felt like parchment, slightly stretchy and shredded really well. so i tubed one (cant roll, never could) and was awaiting some organic goodness. My god, it was like i had a piece of charcoal from the bbq lodged in the back of my throat. I normally smoke marlboro lights/red depending on the mood or lucky strike. i compared the tobacco to the stuff i had shredded and it was the same, i would say the shop bought was slightly drier. since then i have tried drier, moister like a GV consistency. i have tried various amounts in there too but is so dam harsh. makes me cough from the first chuff. leaves my mouth dry as a bone and over all not pleasant. I am 100% virgina at the moment but i cant see how tine amounts such as 20-30% of another tobacco would cure this.

I know i am not going to replicate the shop bought stuff but something that is pleasant would be a start!!!

many thanks all.

 

[fitz the viking]

sorry need to add on to this.

The smell is amazing and the taste is absolutely wonderful. the lack of filth in the filter compare to shop bought amazed me too, i just need to learn what i am doing. the proper name for what i have bought is virginia red flue cured.

 

[deluxestogie]

Blending with other varieties (burley, Oriental, dark-air) alters the pH, which has a dramatic impact on what you sense.

Bob

 

[fitz the viking]

Thanks Bob. people keep mentioning burley and oriental. i see the oriental is used in much smaller amounts. for someone just starting who doesnt want lbs and lbs hanging around would you or anybody recommend a particular variety to take the egde off it? i bought the red because it was described as a marlboro red.

 

[COLIN]

Did you try spraying some casing on it that can make a difference.

 

[fitz the viking]

The bag said if leaves are a little dry spritz with water. thats as far as i have gone. I have read sugar is a way to mellow it. Got a rough guide on amounts? i know it is down to personal preference but a rough guide would be great.

 

[Knucklehead]

Other people say this blend is strong but it's not harsh. 40% flue cure, 20% burley, 20% Maryland, 10% dark air, 10% Izmir or Prilep. It's my go to.

A good start with fewer varieties is 60-50% flue cure VA, 30-40% burley, 10% Izmir or Prilep. Too much VA can give you tongue bite, while too much burley give you a throat hit. The orientals will smooth this out. Maryland is also good to add to smooth out the smoke.

If it's too dry it can be harsh. You want the shred to be just moist enough to spring back if you squeeze it.

 

[fitz the viking]

so it is a case of blending then. my naivete and assumptions are showing. my local whole leaf supplier does a lemon virginia and a light burley they do an offer on. will have a go at some blending.

 

[USHOG]

Whole leaf tobacco has a great sampler pack

 

[DGBAMA]

Her is a link to that great sampler
http://wholeleaftobacco.com/SAMPLER-of-5-types-of-American-and-Turkish-tobaccos-Smplr5.htm

 

[Gdaddy]

If the tobacco has a high PH (alkaline) it can be too harsh. To make it more acidic and lower the PH you can spray the leaves with a solution of citric acid in a 2% solution with water. Let it soak in for 2 days then dry it.

https://archive.org/stream/tobaccolandbooka00wernuoft#page/452/mode/2up

 

[fitz the viking]

shame i cant get that in the uk. have been reading about casings. god this forum is huge and has so many sections. i have made a simple unrefined sugar casing and have given a good spray, cant wait for it to dry a little now, i have ordered a little burley too.

 

[fitz the viking]

If the tobacco has a high PH (alkaline) it can be too harsh. To make it more acidic and lower the PH you can spray the leaves with a solution of citric acid in a 2% solution with water. Let it soak in for 2 days then dry it.

https://archive.org/stream/tobaccolandbooka00wernuoft#page/452/mode/2up

i have seen that a couple of times, if the sugar doesnt help i will try with the citric acid, i am aiming to keep it as natural as possible.

 

[CT Tobaccoman]

Hello

I have bought some virginia whole leaf as it seemed too good to be true and i must say not impressed yet.

I am brand new to this so am open to all suggestions. i opened the bag and the leaves felt like parchment, slightly stretchy and shredded really well. so i tubed one (cant roll, never could) and was awaiting some organic goodness. My god, it was like i had a piece of charcoal from the bbq lodged in the back of my throat. I normally smoke marlboro lights/red depending on the mood or lucky strike. i compared the tobacco to the stuff i had shredded and it was the same, i would say the shop bought was slightly drier. since then i have tried drier, moister like a GV consistency. i have tried various amounts in there too but is so dam harsh. makes me cough from the first chuff. leaves my mouth dry as a bone and over all not pleasant. I am 100% virgina at the moment but i cant see how tine amounts such as 20-30% of another tobacco would cure this.

I know i am not going to replicate the shop bought stuff but something that is pleasant would be a start!!!

many thanks all.

WLT's VA Red, not available presently, was great--could be smoked alone--but usually part of a blend. The casings they sell help a lot to smooth out the tobacco. You might also look up GDaddy's posts about citric acid, which is used in a very dilute solution to mellow some cigar tobacco. My blend is over half equal parts of strong and mild VA flue cures, the rest equal parts burley, MD609 and oriental. Used to like Marlboro but won't touch it now, especially since I found out Philip Morris is using GMO Roundup Ready tobacco now.

CT

 

[BarG]

I am not surprised om your first impressiom with smoking the Virginia red flue cured by itself.It won't be like what you are used to. Mix it with some bursa and Maryland and burly.Ir gives a nice blend.I have been smoking it lately by itself.

 

[Bex]

I read the first post, and immediately thought that this must be Red Virginia....there is no way that this is a pleasant smoke on its own, unless you have a throat of iron. I use a small amount of Red Virginia to get the slight bit of a 'hit' that I want. I normally get a mix of Lemon Virginia, Red Virginia and Light Burley. I find the Lemon Virginia way too light for me (I was a Marlboro Red smoker), but as you like Marlboro Lights, a mix of perhaps 50% Lemon Virginia and 50% Burley may work for you. You need to buy different leaf, and play around with your blend. As there are not too many distributors over here, I'm assuming that perhaps you are getting your leaf from the same supplier that I use. I normally buy (for my blend) 500g Lemon Virginia, 500g Red Virginia and 1000g Burley. As I'm used to an American cigarette, I use 2x as much burley in my blend as compared to the LV, and then just add a 'splash' of RV for that bit of a kick. You'll need to experiment, but you've learned from experience that Red Virginia is not really a 'standalone' tobacco!!

 

[bonehead]

i find with good aged tobacco the moisture content is the biggest (not one of the biggest) the biggest components of how it burns,feels and tastes. i smoke some tobacco that should be harsh alone and it is but if i add a little more moisture it will calm rite down but be harder to inject. you can up the moisture content after it is injected if you want because damper tobacco is harder on your machine to stuff your tubes. ever smoke a damp cig and say it is broke? how about a daskboard cig that was baked and dried? if it has more moisture it will burn cooler. wood stoves and fireplaces work the same way. dry wood or tobacco gives you maximum heat.

 

[BarG]

I read the first post, and immediately thought that this must be Red Virginia....there is no way that this is a pleasant smoke on its own, unless you have a throat of iron. I use a small amount of Red Virginia to get the slight bit of a 'hit' that I want. I normally get a mix of Lemon Virginia, Red Virginia and Light Burley. I find the Lemon Virginia way too light for me (I was a Marlboro Red smoker), but as you like Marlboro Lights, a mix of perhaps 50% Lemon Virginia and 50% Burley may work for you. You need to buy different leaf, and play around with your blend. As there are not too many distributors over here, I'm assuming that perhaps you are getting your leaf from the same supplier that I use. I normally buy (for my blend) 500g Lemon Virginia, 500g Red Virginia and 1000g Burley. As I'm used to an American cigarette, I use 2x as much burley in my blend as compared to the LV, and then just add a 'splash' of RV for that bit of a kick. You'll need to experiment, but you've learned from experience that Red Virginia is not really a 'standalone' tobacco!!

I absolutely have a cast Iron stomach and evidently a throat of iron also with lungs to boot. I like it. Is a little rough . try some store bought shit. That's just nasty.

 

[DonH]

I absolutely have a cast Iron stomach and evidently a throat of iron also with lungs to boot. I like it. Is a little rough . try some store bought shit. That's just nasty.

Yes, Red Virginia tastes fine to me by itself. And I don't like harsh smokes. Like people said, maybe it was too dry.

 

[Freeotatv]

Red va is great by itself