These tobaccos are
raised in the cultivation districts of Erbaa, Niksar, Taşova
and Tokat at the south of the Black Sea coastal area.
The leaves are medium size,
broad and medium winged. The texture is fairly thick, elastic and resistant to stress. The
colour is light yellow or yellow and rarely light red.
Generally they have a mild
and sweet taste. Tobacco leaves with a light red colour are of a rather satisfying taste ;
they contribute to the mild and sweet taste of blends and improve their colour as well.
This type of tobacco is very popular in Central Europe due to its special taste.
Another type of these
tobaccos grown around the Tokat district is called
"Topbaş", however it is still of the same variety. Topbaş tobacco leaves are road on
the lower half and narrow winged. Their texture is medium thick, elastic and durable.
Their taste does not differ from all other Taşova tobaccos.
Compared with all other producing areas of Taşova, Erbaa yields the
highest quality and quantity of variety. Tobacco is produced here on rough, uneven
surfaces (broken lands) ; on one side bordered by the Yeşilırmak River and on the other
by the Kilit Brook.
Taşova Tobaccos have a high
hygroscopicity and good combustibility, however a moderate filling capacity. Their
nicotine content is in the regin of 1%, and the sugar content is the same as in the Izmir
variety tobaccos. However sometimes higher. These tobaccos which have a very high
industrial value, show homogeneous chemical composition, in one year's crops as well as
in the crops of previous years from all the various production areas.
The soil in which this
variety is grown has a rough, uneven surface (broken lands) which can be classified into
two slightly different groups according 10 their physical structure: One of them has
chestnut whereas the other has brown coloured forest and podzolic soils. The top soil is
the same in both groups. Regarding the principal characteristics. The soil is greyish
brown in colour, loamy, granular, calcareous and shallow.
Average temperature during
the growing stage is 17.8º C, total rainfall 80.1 mm. and average relative humidity 54%.
Farmers bale their tobaccos in the İskenderiye method, each bale weighing approx.30 kgs. After
processing, the tobaccos are stacked again into İskenderiye bales. The same weight.
However, also ble baled into 20-25 kgs small tongas.