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Shade
Grown Tobacco Plants
The Curing Process
Most tobacco plants should be grown in partial
shade
for best
results. Commercial shade-grown
tobacco
plants
are actually grown in full bright
sun,
but
under "cheesecloth" screens to diffuse the
sunlight.
This produces more
consistent tobacco
leaf quality,
top to bottom.
The "earth" is rich in volcanic minerals and drained
well. (Ph of about 6.7). The "earth" is fertilized soon
after the tobacco seed germination, to encourage
root
growth and
very frequently as the
tobacco plant
grows.
Lower tobacco leaves, may be picked to
cure,
when
they reach suitable
size (5 X 14" for a
good
tobacco
leaf).
The Curing
Process, (for cigar tobacco),
is done for
6
to 18 months in a
relatively controlled, humid
climate.
Using large, paper bags if
necessary, to slow the
curing
process down and all sunlight is kept out. The
trick
to the Curing Process, is to not let
the
tobacco
leaves
ever dry out.
Our tobacco plants will
mature in 12-15 weeks,
depending
on climate,
and rainfall. Nipping off
the
buds of any flowers that form, will extend
the life
of the plants and allow
multiple harvests,
from the
same tobacco plant.
The tobacco is "sun grown" tobacco as opposed to
some
of the shade grown
cigar leaf tobaccos.
After the tobacco plants grow to a height of three
to four
feet, and leaf out fully, the flower buds that
form
at the
top of the plants are
removed, so that
all of
the tobacco plant's energies, will be focused
into the
tobacco leaves, rather than into producing
blooms
and seeds. This is called
"topping" the
tobacco.
Most of our Costa Rican
cigar tobacco is air cured,
no
artificial heat from fires or gas heaters is
applied.
The
leaves of our tobacco are "air dried" for six to
eight weeks,
in
the tobacco barns. Some cigar
tobaccos are dried and
cured for up to 10 years!
And let me add, from personal experience, that
there
is
no smell in the world more heavenly...
than that of a barn
full of tobacco leaves...
slowly curing.
Baling tobacco, is a new phenomenon; traditionally
the tobacco leaves
are tied
together in "hands;"
the
baling
makes large quantities of tobacco easier
to
handle and process, but in our opinion, tends to
reduce the quality
of
the tobacco, because individual
tobacco leaves cannot
be seen or inspected, and
it
removes much of the tobacco farmers' incentive
to
grow high quality cigar tobacco.
The tobacco is sold in large warehouses by auction,
though
the prices tend
to vary little, from farmer
to
farmer, in any particular year. Our special
Costa
Rican "wrapper" tobacco leaves are higher
priced,
because they are labor intensive.
The only role of the Costa Rican governmental
association
in the actual sale of the tobacco,
(other
than regulating the amount, which may be sold),
is
to purchase, with the funds raised through the
membership fees... all tobacco grown by
its members,
within their quotas, which is not purchased by
commercial entities, at a low price.
Nutrients and Minerals
of Our Earth
The "earth's" consistency, including the "nutrients" it
contains,
determines the quality of the tobacco plant
and whether it will even grow.
Our Costa Rican Cigar Tobacco, likes a loose, porous
soil... created by the rich and dark volcanic earth,
with
plenty of "live" earthworms to churn the dark,
rich
"earth". This could not be achieved, if we used
"toxic"
pesticides
or "chemical" fertilizers.
Because in order for the earthworms to do their
job,
they
need to be fed naturally occurring composts,
from the rainforests and the magic
lands of
Costa Rica.
As long as the earthworms are alive and churning
the soil,
we can be assured that our Costa Rican
tobacco plants are healthy... from the roots to
the
leaves and high up, towards the flowers and seeds!
And this makes our Costa Rican Cigar Tobacco,
naturally Organic! Which is healthier, in turn, for
our cigar customers!
Our tobacco plants dislike having wet feet...
as
much as
you or I, so heavy clays, that hold a
lot
of water,
discourage its growth.
The particles should be predominately fine or
very
fine because
coarse soil,
doesn't hold water long
enough,
to suit our tobacco plants, and harvests
will be
sparse. Limey soils,
will produce leaves
like crazy, but
they won't have any
flavor.
Both the "earth" of the germinating seed beds,
where
our Costa Rican tobacco seeds, spend their
first
six
weeks of
life, and the permanent fields,
where
they mature, require
preparatory treatment.
Burning leaves, brush and some light wood over
these plots kills fungi spores and weed seeds,
it also adds potash and potassium acid to
the soil.
This is a touchy "alchemical" business, too hot a
fire... will damage the
soil structure, which retards
the tobacco seedlings' growth.
United States tobacco growers,
sometimes sterilize
soil,
by laying large metal pans on the it and
pumping
steam
through attached tubes, or by
sprinkling a formaldehyde solution into the "earth".
This isn't needed in Costa Rica.
Now, our rich,
volcanic "earth" is
ready for our
Costa Rican
"signature brand" tobacco seeds.
Tobacco Seedlings
And Maintaining the Crop
The tobacco seeds are so fine (250,000 per ounce),
that our tobacco planters, usually mix them
in
with
wood ash, so
they can see the trail of
seed/ash, as
they lay it
in the furrows.
Our tobacco seed, is covered with a critically
thin
layer of
dirt,
only about 1/8" or so; otherwise,
they
can't make it through the cover. Tobacco
can be
grown for several years
on the same soil...
without
depleting it.
Overworked, "nutrient-starved" soil, can be
rejuvenated
with organic, stable manure. Cow
"doo-doo" is a "no no"
for tobacco, because it's
loaded with "weed" seeds.
But we love our Brahma Cows! And often, they
help
us in
the fields and when we are transporting
our
tobacco leaves
to the barns
for drying!
Commercial "chemical" fertilizer, is expensive and
toxic.
So we rely primarily on composted
vegetable
matter,
rainforest compost or "seaweed" powder,
which
is excellent
in insuring that the "earth",
contains all the trace
minerals needed for
excellent
cigar tobacco crops.
Since it is all "Organic" and there are no chemical
toxins
added to our soil, this
is passed on in
the
quality... of our cigar tobacco products.
As long as it isn't too
fresh and moist;
otherwise,
fungi
can develop. Also, fresh compost
is usually
dark, which causes another
problem: it
absorbs too
much heat from the sun
and cooks
the seedlings.
Rainforest compost, mixed with
potash is excellent.
Like us, "tobacco" is what it eats. An average
acre
yields about 1,800
pounds... of "cured" cigar
tobacco "wrapper"
leaf. During its growth, it
gobbles
up about 67 pounds of nitrogen, which
must be
available in large quantities,
during the
growth
period, prior to the ripening phase.
Our cigar tobacco farmers avoid fish, blood, or
slaughter
house fertilizer, because they
yield
their
nutrients too
slowly.
The nitrogen from fish or animals, is still
working
as the
crop is reaching
maturity, which
causes the
tobacco leaves
to be undesirably
dark and coarse.
One exception is "dried" fish, which gives up its
nitrogen quickly, and which produces a finer
finished
tobacco leaf at season's end.
Cottonseed meal,
gives tobacco leaves, more
body and substance, these are desirable traits in
"wrapper" leaf, but only if the weather is not
unseasonably
cool or wet.
If these conditions prevail, the nitrogen once
again,
powers plant growth too late, when it
should be
ripening, not
growing. This results
in
plenty of
tobacco leaves, but they
are low
quality leaves.
Quality... not quantity, is the
goal of our
Costa
Rican cigar tobacco farmers.
Tobacco loves potash, which greatly influences
leaf-burning properties
favorably, and that acre
of tobacco leaf, will eat
138 pounds of it. If
it
gets too
much, it gets "root" rot.
Changing to
acid potash, for a while... cures
the problem.
Our cigar tobacco, will also
nibble 16 pounds
of
phosphoric acid and 91 pounds of lime,
from
that
acre of dirt. Lime is necessary to provide
the
proper
alkaline balance of the
"earth" for
growth
of friendly
bacteria.
Too much, though, and the ash on your cigar, will
be soft
and flake off.
Tobacco stems and midribs, that have been
stripped
from
the tobacco leaves at the
factories,
are often
used as fertilizer.
They release large quantities of
the nutrients
above,
with
the added advantage, that the
tobacco juice
in
them, discourages insects,
especially cutworms,
which
are
tobacco's natural
enemies.
Almost all tropical, "lowland soils" contain chlorine.
This tends to grow a
dark, rich leaf, that won't burn
on its own.
That's why your Caribbean Cigar or Cuban... goes
out
quickly, unless you puff on it... regularly.
Puerto Rican
leaf, is the
exception.
Grown at
higher altitudes,
in soil devoid of chlorine, it's
mild, aromatic
and
free-burning.
The "Volcanic Mountains" of Santiago de Puriscal
in
Costa Rica, grows the richest and mildest cigar
tobacco, without any chlorine! Its high quality,
won it the name of "VdS Costa Rica
Puros."
Pure, rich, organic Costa Rican Cigar Tobacco, has
earned
a reputation among cigar connoisseurs
throughout the
world.
Mixed with other, slower-burning Caribbean
tobaccos,
it improves their
burning evenness and
lightens
up their
heavy taste.
In the 1930's, as much as 30 mega pounds of
Puerto Rican tobacco was exported for cigars
annually.
Thanks to the US government... artificially
propping
up its price, with supports, it became
non-competitive. Today, it
has virtually
disappeared from the world
market.
The best soils and additives for lush,
tasty
cigar
tobacco leaves, are determined by art...
not science,
by nature...
not chemicals.
The Beauty of Tobacco
The opinion of one of our experienced, cigar
tobacco
farmers, sifting the "earth" through
his fingers... is
infinitely more profound than
those of all the USDA
agronomists... you
can line up end to end.
That's the beauty of tobacco... it's a gift, a blessing
and a mystery from the Gods.
The
Result... is the Vegas de Santiago Puro!
Famous and Unique in all the World!
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