Air Curing Question

[Davo]

So I was just up the back checking out the stalked plants that I moved for fear of Mold. They had coloured cured a while back but were staying quite damp. Crispy dry now.

I was halfway through a bowl of Samantha Jones crumble cake (blended from commercial tobacco. 2parts choc cavendish. 2parts burley. 1part Latakia/oriental blend), and I decided to chuck some of the dry leaf on top...

holy shit. I need to sit down. Very smooth and nutty, zero bite but what a nic hit.

 

[MadFarmer]

I have some dry leaf of similar color and case, are they ready for the kiln when yellow or should I wait for full brown?

 

[Davo]

I have some dry leaf of similar color and case, are they ready for the kiln when yellow or should I wait for full brown?

I wouldn’t know from experience as don’t have a kiln yet and am only air drying my crop this year. But from the pics I have seen in other threads I’m pretty sure I have seen some stuff go into the kiln while still yellow or with slight green spots. Happy to be corrected.

 

[deluxestogie]

Fully brown, prior to kilning. For burley, wait an extra few weeks before kilning.

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

I wouldn’t know from experience as don’t have a kiln yet and am only air drying my crop this year. But from the pics I have seen in other threads I’m pretty sure I have seen some stuff go into the kiln while still yellow or with slight green spots. Happy to be corrected.

Its possible you were viewing a flue cure, which can be done with the same type chamber as kilning, but a different process and for a different reason. Flue cure “process” starts with yellowed leaf and goes through different stages/temperatures to ”set” the yellow color and sugars of flue cure varieties.
The purpose of kilning is to “force age” cured leaf by providing the perfect temps and humidity for aging to occur for a whole month that generally only occur in nature at the perfect periods of the year where temp and humidity intersect. Thats why it can take years for leaf to age naturally as it occurs in fits and starts.
edit: I think DGBAMA also used his kiln/flue cure chamber as a regular curing chamber that provided the proper humidity/temp to occur during air curing conditions when our humidity got wacky during a drought.

 

[Davo]

Yes you are right. I was looking at the DIY kiln and flue threads and got the pics around the wrong way.

 

[Davo]

So I grabbed a few of the dried leaves this morning and rolled a stogie and used the ends as coins/ribbon cut for my pipe. Wow. I now understand what everyone means when they say once you have tasted homegrown leaf you won’t care for commercial blends anymore

 

[Oldfella]

Its possible you were viewing a flue cure, which can be done with the same type chamber as kilning, but a different process and for a different reason. Flue cure “process” starts with yellowed leaf and goes through different stages/temperatures to ”set” the yellow color and sugars of flue cure varieties.
The purpose of kilning is to “force age” cured leaf by providing the perfect temps and humidity for aging to occur for a whole month that generally only occur in nature at the perfect periods of the year where temp and humidity intersect. Thats why it can take years for leaf to age naturally as it occurs in fits and starts.
edit: I think DGBAMA also used his kiln/flue cure chamber as a regular curing chamber that provided the proper humidity/temp to occur during air curing conditions when our humidity got wacky during a drought.

Curious question. If kilning the leaf for one month, gives one year of ageing, would two months in the kiln give two years ? I'm gunna build me a bigger kiln and need to find out everything I can.
Thanks for your input on this.
Oldfella

 

[deluxestogie]

There is no direct correlation between kiln time and aging. I consider that "one-year" thing a metaphor. Each variety and each season's crop age differently. I routinely kiln everything for two months. At that point, everything is "smokable". The darker tobaccos seem to need subsequent aging to remove the harsher edges, and transform into truly fabulous tobacco.

I also kiln all my sun-cured Orientals. But I'm not aiming for a quasi-flue-cure with my sun-cured.

Bob

 

[Radagast]

I routinely kiln everything for two months.

I also kiln all my sun-cured Orientals. But I'm not aiming for a quasi-flue-cure with my sun-cured.

I remember you saying somewhere that you flue cure some Orientals (like your flue cured Prilep "tobacco candy" that I can't wait to try to reproduce). Do you kiln any flue cured leaf? I'm under the impression that you don't..

 

[deluxestogie]

I usually do not kiln leaf after it has been flue-cured. I have done that with some of WLT's Lemon Virginia, and shown that it somewhat darkens it, and reduces the acidity of its smoke. It came out similar to "double bright". So kilning after flue-curing is another possible method of producing a variant of flue-cured leaf. (I can say the same about Cavendish processing flue-cured leaf, which is a wonderful ingredient for pipe blending.)

Bob

 

[Oldfella]

I usually do not kiln leaf after it has been flue-cured. I have done that with some of WLT's Lemon Virginia, and shown that it somewhat darkens it, and reduces the acidity of its smoke. It came out similar to "double bright". So kilning after flue-curing is another possible method of producing a variant of flue-cured leaf. (I can say the same about Cavendish processing flue-cured leaf, which is a wonderful ingredient for pipe blending.)

Bob

Thanks for that info Bob. It was just curiosity. I didn't imagine kilning everything for six months to achieve some rediculous amount of ageing. I hope to start my new kiln build next week. As my youngest daughter is doing the work I'll be supervisor.
Oldfella

 

[docpierce]

Seems like the Kiwi's have gained full control of this thread.

 

[Oldfella]

Seems like the Kiwi's have gained full control of this thread.

Sorry
You'll be OK in a minute.
Kiwis are nocturnal and it's nearly daylight here now.
Oldfella

 

[Knucklehead]

Seems like the Kiwi's have gained full control of this thread.

They kinda took over when they started the thread.

 

[Davo]

So some of the leaf ended up getting Mold. I used some white vinegar and water to wipe it off. Made a twist. Wrapped it in foil and baked it in the oven gently. I then sliced into coins and have been watching to see if Mold will reappear. I got tired of waiting so loaded a bowl and smoked away. By far the best bowl if homegrown so far....

Just wondering if anyone else has tried to remove Mold like this? If so, do I have anything ghastly to worry about? Like did your peepee fall off?

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I've done similar. Sometimes it works. Sometimes not. Whether it's smokeable or not depends on whether the taste removal was successful or not. So if you liked it, that's great.

 

[Knucklehead]

So some of the leaf ended up getting Mold. I used some white vinegar and water to wipe it off. Made a twist. Wrapped it in foil and baked it in the oven gently. I then sliced into coins and have been watching to see if Mold will reappear. I got tired of waiting so loaded a bowl and smoked away. By far the best bowl if homegrown so far....

Just wondering if anyone else has tried to remove Mold like this? If so, do I have anything ghastly to worry about? Like did your peepee fall off?

I’ve used 50/50 water to vinegar to remove light mold and just let it rest awhile. I didn’t notice a taste in my cigarette blend but there were only a few leaves out of about a lb. of total weight.

 

[myboysarge]

So some of the leaf ended up getting Mold. I used some white vinegar and water to wipe it off. Made a twist. Wrapped it in foil and baked it in the oven gently. I then sliced into coins and have been watching to see if Mold will reappear. I got tired of waiting so loaded a bowl and smoked away. By far the best bowl if homegrown so far....

Just wondering if anyone else has tried to remove Mold like this? If so, do I have anything ghastly to worry about? Like did your peepee fall off?

Done this a couple times too, haven’t had any problems.
I have a kangen water unit at home which you can change the p.h to 2.5 which is similar to using vinegar.************************ I’m going to try it out this season with some VG leaf before hanging.

Note:I bought the unit for other health benefits,I wouldn’t suggest buying 1 just for this tho.

 

[myboysarge]

Done this a couple times too, haven’t had any problems.
I have a kangen water unit at home which you can change the p.h to 2.5 which is similar to using vinegar.************************ I’m going to try it out this season with some VG leaf before hanging.

Note:I bought the unit for other health benefits,I wouldn’t suggest buying 1 just for this tho.

Found some forum friendly info to make up for what got edited,,,my apologies to FTT.

“The water supplies oxygen to the soil as well as increases the plant’s ability to uptake nutrients. The 2.5 pH water sprayed topically kills mold, bacteria, fungus, gnats, white flies and aphids“ taken from https://www.facebook.com/notes/matt...waterthe-best-organic-choice/165111117191248/

So far as a ‘spray n wipe’ it works. This season I will a dunk a couple bunches of leaf before hanging and see if there’s any difference. Hopefully I don’t have any mould on the other leaf to compare it too.