Stem drying flue cure types

[vinconco]

I'm in the process of air curing several types of tobacco, VA116, TN90, Izmir Ozbas, and Catterton. It's been in the barn since sept, colored nicely and stems are dry and brittle except for about 25% of the VA 116 leaves. They came into case this week so I'm cutting them off the wires and bulking them in low/med case for aging but I'm worried about the stems on the VA116 so I'm frog legging any leaves that have soft stems. I'm wondering if stems dry differently on flue cure types by design? any thoughts?

 

[DGBAMA]

Some varieties just have thicker stems than others. Not specific to flue cure types. Extra drying, or removing the most stem as you are doing is a proper solution.

This can change year to year just based on weather and growing conditions. Thick stems are a good sign.

 

[vinconco]

The odd thing is that the VA 116 had thinner stems than the Catterton and Burley. That's why I was wondering about air drying flue cure varieties.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

A lot of variables come in to play. The density of your packing for instance. Were these leaves packed a little tighter than the others?. Location in your barn. You might have them in a "dead" spot in your barn, where no air circulation occurs. Additionally, the maturity of the leaf matters too. Were these picked sooner or later than the rest of your crop? The type of tobacco doesn't matter, but like BAMA said, all tobaccos have different leaf/stem densities so some will dry quicker, some not so quick.

 

[bonehead]

i just leave my tobacco hanging where it is. i will start to take it down when my new tobacco and vegetable garden are in. i try to do it in mid summer because there is usually plenty of moisture and i can handle a little every day. as long as it is down before i start hanging the next crop it was a sucess and will be plenty dried and ready to smoke if it is needed.usually i pack it in cardboard boxes and give it a few more months because it will only get better.