School me on leaf which dried green

[davek14]

I am stripping some Yellow Twist Bud today from a secondary harvest which had dried somewhat green. I have previously asked about leaf which dried with a green tinge or with green spots. However, now that I am stripping the plants I see that I have quite the variety of greenness issues.

I have a spectrum of spotted leaves, from lightly mottled light green spots to leaves with distinct green patches. I have leaves with a light green tinge underneath to leaves with a strong green tinge overall. So far I've been putting all the "greenness" in one box hoping it would age out. I'm taking a break now and a search on the subject brought me to this.

The usual biochemical process that degrades the chlorophyll occurs only in living tissue. The same is true of certain carbohydrate and protein conversions. If the leaf dies before the green is gone, then the eventual loss of green results in a different pigment degradation product. Typically, leaf that has dried green will tend to remain brittle much longer than color-cured leaf. It also never seems to develop a typical tobacco taste and aroma.
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I've found that if the upper surface is browning, even though the underside is still green, it will cure-out, given enough time and suitable conditions.
Bob

So, some of the leaf is ruined forever and should be pitched, and some might cure out. The reason I titled this thread "school me" is that I have such a spectrum of greenness that I was wondering what the experts used as a criteria for what to save. One of Bob's detailed dissertations would be real handy at the moment.

I'm getting lots of good leaf from these plants as well, and I like the YTB quite a bit. It mixes very well with some other tobacco I've obtained. I'd like to save what I can.

So, school me on greenness. What can eventually cure out and what is garbage.

 

[deluxestogie]

Sorry. That was the detailed dissertation. Green leaf may make a candela cigar wrapper.

The greatest cost of producing your own tobacco is labor. Leaves that are all green should just be tossed. With leaf that generally looks good, but is left with a distinct portion of green, I just tear off the green part.

Exposure to direct sunlight will bleach out the green color, but it never tastes the same as properly cured leaf.

Bob

EDIT: Also, sucker leaf ("secondary harvest") is usually crummy anyway.

 

[davek14]

Sounds like any green tinge where the top of the leaf is not dark brown is trash.

What about spotted leaf? I have some with light green spots all through the leaf.

I know that the secondary harvest is not as good, but this year I got secondary stalks through inattention were a foot or two tall when I took the main harvest and then were chest high when I cut them. Some of the leaf is nice and thick. The thinner, but nicely colored, leaf I will roll and press and it will burn OK in a pipe.

Hope I am not being to pesky. I got laid off from my job a year before retirement, as often happens with blue collar workers. I'm working part time and hitting my savings. I have more time than money.

 

[deluxestogie]

Smoking green leaf won't cause you any harm. Test it, and see how green you are willing to accept, under threat of running out.

You are searching for encouragement and hope. How do you prefer to use your tobacco: pipe, cigarettes, cigars?

Bob

 

[davek14]

You are searching for encouragement and hope. How do you prefer to use your tobacco: pipe, cigarettes, cigars?
Bob

Maybe I am, I don't know.

I just got done stripping all the leaves off. It was a time consuming job since I had to spray it down and then strip some leaves then spray again and give it time. I had to clean the leaf of aphids and stuff with a brush as well. I was trying to get a lot of hours in at work during the grow season last summer and had no extra time then.

Anyway, I do know I was looking for some idea of what might be definite non-keeper leaf. I was probably keeping too much at first, but I got more ruthless after reading your posts. I did save about 10 good sized leaves with a heavier green tinge on top of the tobacco in the "maybe" box so as to try some candela wrappers for spits and giggles. I got about a pound of leaf which definitely color cured well, so that will come in handy later. I probably will let it all age 6 more months. YTB is an early harvest and it ages pretty quickly. I've been smoking some of the very yellow bottom leaves from last summer already.

I smoke a pipe, but I've played with rolling cigars a little. Years ago, cigars were what I smoked, but I've pretty much become a piper.

I won't run out, I'll buy some tobacco if I have to. I am getting by OK. I am making a hobby of being c̶h̶e̶a̶p̶ frugal. If I don't have any emergencies I will coast into retirement just fine.

You're detailed dissertations have been valuable to me. I've learned quite a bit from them. When you go into detail on a subject, you do the why.