Questions from a noob whole leaf piper!

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ChinaVoodoo

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I have a scale that goes to a hundredth of a gram so I've made pretty accurate measurements on oils. The ones I've used have ranged from 10 drops = 0.3g for cedar oil, to 0.6g for rose oil. But those are pure oils, w/o alcohol or glycol, so I don't know if that's helpful or not.
 

Armstrong-Joshua

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I have a scale that goes to a hundredth of a gram so I've made pretty accurate measurements on oils. The ones I've used have ranged from 10 drops = 0.3g for cedar oil, to 0.6g for rose oil. But those are pure oils, w/o alcohol or glycol, so I don't know if that's helpful or not.
I really have no idea just going by trial and error. Currently I'm just putting approximately 2-3 drops of oil (I read that they are potent and a little goes a long way) in a tablespoon of everclear 151 then adding about an ounce or so of distilled water then pouring into a spray bottle. Sprayed the shredded V Lemon I have. The apple vanilla smells really good. The citrus plus grass smells nice too but not as pronounced. Just letting it air dry I'll be trying this evening or tomorrow!
 

Armstrong-Joshua

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I really like it with the added flavouring. Both the citrus-grass and the apple vanilla is outstanding! One thing I’m noticing though smoking the shredded compared to flake tins is I’m coughing more. It’s more cigarette-like which is not my preferred smoke. I guess having it pressed means more nicotine more dense so I’m smoking less than the shredded. I dunno. Anyone else notice this? It seems a bit harsher.
 

furryfreek

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I really like it with the added flavouring. Both the citrus-grass and the apple vanilla is outstanding! One thing I’m noticing though smoking the shredded compared to flake tins is I’m coughing more. It’s more cigarette-like which is not my preferred smoke. I guess having it pressed means more nicotine more dense so I’m smoking less than the shredded. I dunno. Anyone else notice this? It seems a bit harsher.
Yep. Plug burns slower/cooler because less of the leaf's surface area is exposed, I think. Shredded leaf burns faster/hotter depending on how finely it's cut; RYO is pretty nasty in a pipe, even without all the additives etc. Also, I think plug/flake holds an ember and stays lit better once you overcome the difficulty getting it lit in the first place (though that seems to be much more of a thing with soggy commercial stuff)
 

Armstrong-Joshua

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Project press is underway! I hope I don’t mess this up lol . Very excited to be making my own flake. The flavouring already I like more than not having. I could make some fine aromatics as well as just blends. Press em and slice em then maybe food vacuum seal for preserving??
 

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Armstrong-Joshua

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My next adventure after this will be adding sweetness to the tobacco. If anyone has any info all I'm looking for is to add sweetness. Have no clue what to add the site talks about non-reducing sugars vs reducing sugars?? When I smoked cigarettes I smoked Belmonts. I like sweet Virginias. It may not need it with the flavour casing but I think it could benefits from an addition of a hint of sweetener. If anyone has experience with this please let me know! Thank you!
 

Armstrong-Joshua

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Also if anyone has any ideas about the timing for press I would like to hear about it. Some say 8-12 hours; some say 1 week-2weeks. I guess I'll be going by trial and error less someone can fill me in!
 

furryfreek

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My next adventure after this will be adding sweetness to the tobacco. If anyone has any info all I'm looking for is to add sweetness. Have no clue what to add the site talks about non-reducing sugars vs reducing sugars?? When I smoked cigarettes I smoked Belmonts. I like sweet Virginias. It may not need it with the flavour casing but I think it could benefits from an addition of a hint of sweetener. If anyone has experience with this please let me know! Thank you!
All I can say from my own experiments in the past is that simply adding regular white/brown sugar doesn't really make the smoke taste sweeter. If anything, I found it makes the smoke kind of acrid. Then again, that's exactly my take on every single Gowith Hoggarth product I've tried in recent years. So I dunno'. Maybe some people like that. Non-reducing/invert sugars may well be different but I'm a bit confused about that subject myself.

Personally, I'd be more inclined to experiment with flavors that suggest sweetness rather than actual sweeteners. For example, I find the floral scent of some Burley produces a sweet taste, even though Burley has negligible sugar content. Some scents seem to be so strongly associated with sugar/sweetness that they can trick the mind into thinking they're sweet.

EDIT: I've also tried casing with honey, which did sweeten the smoke but added an unpleasant throat hit that gave me a phlegmy cough.
 
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Armstrong-Joshua

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Flue cured virginias taste sweet to me, and if you press them, more so. De gustibus and all that. Press for a week, see what happens, and adjust from there
Yes I’m finding the V Lemon to be on the sweet side even without pressing it. It’s also acidic. With the oil flavouring and pressing I’m sure I’ll get a decent smoke that will taste mildly sweet. Probably no need to add a sweetening agent we’ll see. I’ve also got burley where I could be adding 5-10% in some blends.

I almost feel like a scientist with these processes lol. Eventually I’ll have some recipes!
 

furryfreek

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If the baccy doesn't go into the press too wet, it ought not squeeze out enough juice to make a huge mess. When I make carottes, the leaf goes in at the lower end of medium case and that usually produces just enough juice to stain the canvas wrapping; none of it actually leaks out. I mean, it's probably best to squeeze out excess moisture if there is some but you'd be squeezing out some goodness too. It might take a few attempts to strike that balance just right but, until then, I'd just keep some paper towels on hand.
 
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Armstrong-Joshua

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Just did my 1st pressing @ 6pm today. I guessed that 100g of leaf would compress into a 50g flake block. Seem about right? It’s at full pressure so 100psi. Going to sample tomorrow after 24 hours. It’s 45% Virginia Bright 25% Virginia Red 20% Virginia Lemon and 10% Burley cased in apple flavour by lorann oils and an ounce of my homemade vanilla extract that’s been aging 7 months. I have high hopes! I should really be waiting a week but since it’s my 1st I will try tomorrow or at least take out to dry. Anyone use an oven to speed up the process?
 
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