One of the best aromatic tobacco varieties is “Dubek” straight from Turkey.

Dubek is a quality tobacco with the best properties taken from others varieties. Bred on the southern coast of Crimea, saturated with light, it acquires its unique aroma and becomes increasingly popular among lovers of good tobacco.

What kind of tobacco is this?

Externally, plants of this variety differ from others: small stem height, densely covered leaves with a thin midrib.

Description and characteristics

Since Dubeck is oriental tobacco, it is often classified in the same group as the Virginia variety, but the differences between them are significant. The most important thing is the reduced content of resin and sugar, which affects the intensity of the aroma.

Dyubek tobacco is drought-resistant and is not afraid of being transplanted into the ground. However, the plant develops only in an absolutely dry climate, on dry sandy soil.

Taste and aroma qualities

Due to its structure, the plant has a rich flavor palette:

• due to the lack of resin in the leaves, the taste becomes light and weak;
• can take on any flavor when mixed with flavoring additives;
• produces a lot of smoke after a good fermentation.

Subspecies

Experts have developed several subspecies of the Dubek tobacco variety. Each of them is unique in its characteristics:

1. Dyubek Predgorny. The most promising and relatively young variation of the mixture of Dubek 33 and Dubek new. It exhibits a wonderful aroma and produces a rich harvest, although it is small in size. When planted densely, the leaves can grow arbitrarily.The height of the plant is up to 120 cm, and the leaf size reaches 22x10 cm. Resistance to scorching and drought allows it to ripen within an average period. From 1 bush you can get a harvest of 32 leaves.
2. Dubek is new. The hybrid was made from a mixture of Dyubek 44 and Oktyabrsky 6, which has large leaves. The hybrid increased its productivity without losing its aroma. This tobacco has become lighter gather. The plant is up to 120 cm high, the leaf measures 43x25 cm and has no petiole. Resistant to tobacco mosaic and scorch. The leaves ripen in 94-125 days from planting; from 1 bush you can get up to 16 leaves.
3. Dubek 2023. Mid-season variety. It can reach a height of 140 cm, leaf size is 27x18 cm. When planted correctly, 1 bush produces 18 dark green leaves.
4. Dubek 1118. In many ways it is similar to Dubek 2023. The leaves themselves are different - rough and dense.
5. Dyubek 44N. Subspecies Dyubek 44 with the addition of components that enhance aromatic properties. The leaves are mid-season, reaching 35x18 cm in size. From 1 bush with a maximum height of 150 cm, 32 leaves are obtained.
6. Dyubek Yuzhnoberezhny. The first seeds of this type of tobacco were bred in the USSR. By the time it ripens, a red flower blooms on the plant. The ripening period takes up to 70 days. The height of the bush reaches only 1 m, the size of the leaves is 23x12. Despite its small growth, you can get up to 18 leaves from a bush. The variety is absolutely unable to resist diseases.
7. Dyubek Ukrainian 8. The plant reaches a height of only 130 cm. The taste and aroma of this variety is inferior to other species. When ripe, pink flowers appear in the middle. The variety is not resistant to diseases. From 1 bush, up to 20 leaves measuring 32x21 cm are collected.
8. Dumar. It's a mix of original Dubeque and Maryland. The variety is extremely disease resistant.The ripening period is up to 62 days. Maximum height - 30 cm, yield - up to 25 leaves from 1 bush. Dry leaves are yellow-brown in color and reach 31x16 cm in size.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The variety has practically no disadvantages, except that it requires an absolutely dry environment.

The advantages of this variety include:

• bright aroma;
• absence of resins;
• sweet taste;
• low maintenance requirements.

Due to its well-known characteristics, Dubeck is often added to many blends for pipes, cigarettes and cigars.

Regions of growth

This tobacco was originally grown in Turkey, but it can be cultivated in different regions. Turkey, Macedonia, Krasnodar, Crimea and part of Central Asia are ideal for Dubek.

Dyubek has long been considered a Crimean version of Basma, grown in Turkey. First-class Dubek is grown in the foothills of the southern coast of Crimea, since there is practically no snow there in winter and little moisture in summer.

The variety is strongly influenced by changes in microclimate, so raw materials with different characteristics can be obtained from it. For example, tobacco grown in Crimea may have a lemon-yellow color and strong aroma after drying, while tobacco grown in Kazakhstan may have an orange-yellow color and a medium aroma.

Growing and care

The plant is grown by seedlings or by sowing seeds directly into the ground. The second option is used in the southern regions, and the seedling method is used in places with a cool environment.

Before planting seedlings, the soil must be disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate or calcined. If you don’t have time to prepare, you can buy ready-made soil in the store.

The best time for planting tobacco seedlings is considered to be the beginning of March. Stages:

1. Pour the soil into a small container with a side 5-10 cm high and level it.
2. Moisten the soil with a spray bottle.
3. Plant the seeds to a depth of no more than 1 cm, leaving a distance between the seeds.
4. Cover the container with film, which should be stretched to the height of the side. You can use a sheet of glass.

The container with sprouts must be placed in a bright, warm place.

Plant the grown seedlings in moderately acidic soil, choosing an unshaded area. Plants need to be watered daily, but water should not stagnate. If the plant’s root system has strengthened, watering is reduced to 3 times a week.

Tobacco is fed with fertilizers suitable for tomatoes and peppers. A complex fertilizer with a high nitrogen content is suitable. You can use urea: 1 tbsp. l. dissolve in 10 liters of water and pour the solution under the root.

Plants are often affected by tobacco aphids, field slugs and tobacco thrips. To control pests, chemical preparations “Aktara”, “Fufanon”, “Iskra Zolotaya” are used.

When the plants bloom, the flowers need to be torn off in order to later obtain dense, large leaves.

Processing Features

Many types of tobacco require special drying conditions, Dubek is no exception. It requires solar drying, during which chemical reactions occur when sunlight hits the leaves. The result is a long-lasting and soft aroma.

Dubek - small-leaved tobacco, it tends to change color to yellow. This feature makes it possible to dry tobacco as a whole bush. After drying, the leaves become yellow or red in color, which does not require artificial fermentation. The advantages include the ability to use tobacco immediately after drying.

Attention! If it is necessary to obtain first-class raw materials, tobacco must be aged for at least 1 year.

Fermentation

After drying the leaves are required ferment to reduce the amount of tar and nicotine in tobacco, which allows you to reveal the taste and aroma.

For fermentation at home, use an oven:

1. After drying, the leaves need to be moistened (alternatively, use a spray bottle).
2. Form a stack of leaves, cover with film and leave for a day.
3. Release the leaves from the central vein. However, if the plate is too wet, it is cut only after drying.
4. Slicing is done with a width of 2 mm using a knife or a noodle cutting machine.
5. The slices are placed in jars, filling them almost completely.
6. The jars are sent to the oven, the temperature is set to 50°C and the duration of the procedure is 1 week.

After fermentation, the tobacco is subjected to additional drying in fresh air, then stored in an airtight container.

Reviews

Gardeners are beginning to master growing tobacco on their plots. Reviews about the Dyubek variety are positive.

Ilya, Belgorod: «This is an unusually large tobacco. In the description the sheet is 30x20 cm, but mine is actually 40x30! And he’s not fully grown yet.”

Grigory, Novorossiysk: “You can smell tobacco and prunes, I liked it. I don’t recommend drying it in the oven; it’s better to leave it in the sun on a metal sheet for 10 days.”

Conclusion

With proper care in your area, you can get excellent quality tobacco to use in its pure form or in smoking mixtures. Important steps for obtaining a fragrant product - drying and fermentation - can be carried out at home.