Oriental Tobacco Production Growing to Manufacturing in Greece

[@dvrmte]

I have several relatives that grew tobacco in the USA. Those that lived in the Appalachian Mountains grew burley while those in North Carolina grew brightleaf/Virginia tobacco. I have excellent soil for tobacco and I grow tobacco of all kinds for my usage. I grew the Oriental variety Black Sea Samsun four years ago. I planted too far apart into too rich of a soil. They grew much taller and had bigger leaves than what they grow around the Black Sea. I was disappointed in the quality at first. However, after a few years of aging, I've changed my mind. It's really good. This year I'm growing an improved Prilep variety. I just finished harvesting the leaves a few days ago. I harvest the leaves as they turn a yellowish green and the leaf tip is yellow. I skewer them on shish kabob sticks and cured them in the Sun until the leaf midribs were completely dry. I wish I had the translucent panels to dry them under. I take them in after sunset or threat of rain, and out each morning. After curing, I press the leaves into a container and store it for at least a year or more before use. In America, Oriental tobacco is mainly used as a spice in blends with other types of tobacco. I blend ten percent Oriental in to most all my pipe blends. Oriental is a very aromatic tobacco. It generally has low nicotine as well. It helps take the "edge" off of high nicotine Burley tobaccos.

[@Hallonbot]

Thank you so much for recording and sharing this fascinating video. Even here in Sweden where I live, way up in the North, there used to be large tobacco fields under a state-run Tobacco Monopoly. (Though not Oriental Tobaccos, of course). But it's been many years since they closed it down; now tobacco growing in Sweden is a private hobby, mostly for making Swedish snus and rarely for smoking. Again, thanks for sharing this interesting video.

[@mollachouse]

I never thought, you can grow tobacco in North Europe. This is amazing. Thanks a lot for sharing this 🙏 😃

[@Hallonbot]

@@mollachouse Sure, it works fine. Mostly Virginia-type tobaccos. There's been tobacco growing here since the 1700's, and the last tobacco growing on a profitable scale was closed down around the year 2000. It used to be a huge industry, but for local consumption. I don't think we ever exported tobaccos. I wish you all the best, hope you have a nice weekend and that you and yours keep well and healthy in these troubled times.

[@mollachouse]

Thanks a lot! I wish you the same 😃

[@thibaultbrink2884]

@@mollachouse Hi! Where in Greece would it be possible to buy tobacco from farmers?

[@henriettestein352]

Thank you so much for showing your work!!! I planted tobacco this year for the first time (in Germany) and decided to stay with oriental sorts, because I read they don`t need to be fermented. Love your video, wish all the best for all of you!!!

[@mollachouse]

Thank you 😊

[@vercingetorigebrigid]

When I was Young I Made that a lot of time in Salento Italy. Thank you very much for this Great Video

[@mollachouse]

@Vercinge Torige thanks :) Do you have the same type of tobacco?

[@vercingetorigebrigid]

@@mollachouse xanti yaca

[@rjharvey8162]

Very informative, thank you. I will try to duplicate your techniques this year in Texas USA.

[@TheGrmany69]

Very clear and nice demonstration of the drying process. Reminds me to the method of Amerindians in South America.

[@co59720]

What a wonderfully made video

[@travis5125]

The tobacco leaves I have from Samsun and Izimir are a bit smaller. I was wondering if they save the bigger leaves for the domestic market and export the smaller ones, or the ones that I have just come from smaller plants. Either way, this is my favorite tobacco (Samsun) and it's all I smoke now.

[@mollachouse]

Actually the bigger ones they collect in a separate box and sell it separately :)

[@attomicchicken]

A bit of a late reply but you're spot on. They save the bugger ones and graded higher which goes to that bidder. Were from the Samsung region (Bafra) and the ones we used to sell were much bigger leaves than the ones pictured here.

[@nikolathegreat1526]

In Macedonia we dont harvest the tobacco leaf all at once, first the ones on the bottom, after a month the others in the midle and after another month the ones at the top... sometimes we have to harvest the same plant 4 times....

[@mollachouse]

Yes, we do the same. This was just for demonstration. If you listen the video on that point, I am talking about it :)

[@nikolathegreat1526]

@@mollachouseWhere in Greece is this happening?

[@mollachouse]

It's in north Greece, the area called Thraki (Thrace) :)

[@nikolathegreat1526]

@@mollachouse Are you Macedonian? Because that place is filled with Macedonians, have you heard of the village Alistratika, I had relatives there, but they muved to America few years ago.... infact I have roots in Agean Macedonia, from the village D'mbeni or you might know it as Dendochori and The village Buk or Paranesti.... my Grandparents moved out from Aegean Macedonia during the Greek civil war...

[@mollachouse]

I am north east but close to Macedonia. I know the cities/villages you mentioned :)

[@stageiiwappie950]

Thank you i really loved this video

[@mrlautest]

I heard about tobacco leaf growing and threading as seen in 4:48 on islands in Northern Greece. Where is this farm in Greece? Is it open to visitors?

[@mollachouse]

Yeah that's right but unfortunately it is not open for visitors.

[@medappa1000]

Hi, I’m a pipe smoker from India and I’m visiting Greece on vacation. Any recommendations on where I could buy good briar pipes and pipe tobacco in Athens/ Greece?

[@mollachouse]

Hey, sounds good and I hope you will enjoy a lot especially this time of the year. Unfortunately, I don't have any experience with this type of business in south Greece, I could help you if it was north Greece :)

[@stageiiwappie950]

February and march is dried already ? In what month do u put the plant in soil ?

[@mollachouse]

They start putting the plant in soil in June. They start collecting the leaves in July and August so in August also they start getting dry.

[@billyboy385]

Approximately how many months from grow to harvest?

[@mollachouse]

2-3 months

[@JakobIlar]

What variety of orientals do you grow? Basma? Prilep?

[@mollachouse]

I am not sure, but I think it's Basma. It's smaller size leaves.

[@JakobIlar]

What region of Greece are you growing in? (Greece are the founders of the US government, till we messed it up- thank you!)

[@SaudiSmoker1]

Hello dear What kind of tobacco do you grow? Izmir, Basma, Yenge, Sheikh El-Bint, Katerini...etc.

[@mollachouse]

Hey, its called Oriental Tobacco

[@SaudiSmoker1]

@@mollachouse Yes, I know that, but what is the name of its subspecies like Izmir Basma Smyrna..etc.

[@mollachouse]

Ah yeah i just asked my parents, its called Basma

[@matthewgabbard6415]

Is any of your tobacco made into Latakia?

[@mollachouse]

no, its more for standard cigarets.

[@faragfatahe5525]

Where can I buy tobacco

[@paulschmolke188]

Interesting

[@DraGon-cg6ge]

how much land do you have?

[@mollachouse]

4 hectar :)

[@DraGon-cg6ge]

Chouse Molla-Storm and how many kilos of tobacco do you collect?

[@mollachouse]

2000 kg. per hectar 😃 this is the max. you can get. But if you don't take care of it, then you can get max. 1000 kg. per hectar.

[@DraGon-cg6ge]

Chouse Molla-Storm and how much do you sell to understand how much it costs?

[@mollachouse]

3-5€ per kg. it depends on the quality.

[@IndonesianPeopleChoice]

How to get this seeds?

[@mollachouse]

You can not get them unless you come to Greece :)

[@IndonesianPeopleChoice]

@@mollachouse maybe we can swap tobacco seed. Btw, I'm from Indonesia :)

[@IndonesianPeopleChoice]

@@mollachouse I only need Oriental Tobacco seeds

[@attomicchicken]

My family in Turkey used to be tobaco farmers for generations. Most of them stopped but some of them still do it to this day. It's the most disgusting farming practice I've ever had the displeasure of being a part of. You become all sticky and smell of tar. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Friends family are hazelnut farmers and we gave them some seeds to propagate. They hated it with a fiery passion and told us they much rather work on the steep slopes to collect the nuts.

[@mollachouse]

Hey, I can understand you, because I hated it too 😆. Fortunately my parents also stopped it long time. Now instead we have almond and wealnut trees 😀

[@hakanhulusierbilgin1298]

Real oriental tobacco is TURKISH

[@JP-if8jc]

No

[@Hallonbot]

lol what on earth are you talking about? There are a lot of different oriental tobaccos. Sometimes they are all all grouped together under a single name like "Oriental/Turkish" but it has nothing to do with Turkey or the Turkish people, it's what people called these tobaccos more than a hundred years ago, a name derived from areas that once were part of the Ottoman Empire.