Tobacco burning quality

[Chilik]

Hey everyone,


I’m currently finishing up harvesting all my tobacco leaves this is my first year growing tobacco.


About a month ago, I already had a couple of full jars curing.
Recently, I tried taking some out, drying them, and smoking them to see how the aging process is going.

However, I’ve noticed that the tobacco doesn’t combust properly it tends to go out very quickly.

From what I’ve read here, this issue could be related to chlorinated water or low potash in the soil.

I have a few questions:

1. Could chlorinated water really be the cause of poor combustion?
2. Would installing a chlorine filter help? (I know my local water is chlorinated, but I don’t know the exact amount.)
3. Could low potassium in the soil also cause this issue? If so, what’s the best way to correct it?
4. My tobacco hasn’t been cased I only brought it to low case (pliable moisture level) but didn’t use any honey/water/citrus casing. Would casing help improve combustion?

appreciate you.

 

[Sergey Ukraine]

Hey everyone,


I’m currently finishing up harvesting all my tobacco leaves this is my first year growing tobacco.


About a month ago, I already had a couple of full jars curing.
Recently, I tried taking some out, drying them, and smoking them to see how the aging process is going.

However, I’ve noticed that the tobacco doesn’t combust properly it tends to go out very quickly.

From what I’ve read here, this issue could be related to chlorinated water or low potash in the soil.

I have a few questions:

1. Could chlorinated water really be the cause of poor combustion?
2. Would installing a chlorine filter help? (I know my local water is chlorinated, but I don’t know the exact amount.)
3. Could low potassium in the soil also cause this issue? If so, what’s the best way to correct it?
4. My tobacco hasn’t been cased I only brought it to low case (pliable moisture level) but didn’t use any honey/water/citrus casing. Would casing help improve combustion?

appreciate you.

1. It depends on the chlorine level in the water. There are acceptable chlorine levels in plants, exceeding which will lead to poor combustion.

2. It is possible, but there is a cheaper option—let the water stand for a day to allow the chlorine to evaporate.

3. Yes, low potassium levels in the soil reduce the combustibility of tobacco and the resistance of plants to disease. However, an overdose of potassium is also harmful, primarily blocking the absorption of calcium and magnesium by the plant. The best option is to analyze the soil and balance the levels of substances using chlorine-free fertilizers.

4. Dry it and try again... what color is the ash when smoked?

 

[deluxestogie]

Check your local agricultural support agency. See if soil testing is available to you at a reasonable cost. If so, a soil test can clarify soil composition issues. (Where I live, in Virginia, the local agricultural research agency charged about $20 for a soil test. Just testing it once was sufficient for my needs in my garden.)

Bob

 

[Chilik]

Thank you guys, will do!
hopefully i can update here about any progress for other people with the same problems.

i will attach a photo of the ash, let me know what you think, thank you.

 

[Knucklehead]

Hey everyone,


I’m currently finishing up harvesting all my tobacco leaves this is my first year growing tobacco.


About a month ago, I already had a couple of full jars curing.
Recently, I tried taking some out, drying them, and smoking them to see how the aging process is going.

However, I’ve noticed that the tobacco doesn’t combust properly it tends to go out very quickly.

From what I’ve read here, this issue could be related to chlorinated water or low potash in the soil.

I have a few questions:

1. Could chlorinated water really be the cause of poor combustion?
2. Would installing a chlorine filter help? (I know my local water is chlorinated, but I don’t know the exact amount.)
3. Could low potassium in the soil also cause this issue? If so, what’s the best way to correct it?
4. My tobacco hasn’t been cased I only brought it to low case (pliable moisture level) but didn’t use any honey/water/citrus casing. Would casing help improve combustion?

appreciate you.

I use RV filters for campers. It removes chlorine as well as other things.

https://www.amazon.com/AQUACREST-Co...orine-Gardening/dp/B07NYVRP9R/ref=sr_1_1_sspa

 

[treecutter]

Hello Chilik, What type of tobacco have you grown? I grow mostly Burley and find that before a year of aging it tends not to burn as well, but after a year of aging it burns very well. I also smoke a pipe and am pretty good at not letting it go out, even for poor combustible tobacco. However, the few cigarillos that I have smoked early on in the aging process did require several relights.

 

[Alpine]

From the picture it seems that you use type B rolling papers (the almost transparent ones).
Try with type A (the thicker and completely white ones). Of course the smoke will taste a little different, but the combustion will be greatly improved.

pier

 

[Chilik]

Hello Chilik, What type of tobacco have you grown? I grow mostly Burley and find that before a year of aging it tends not to burn as well, but after a year of aging it burns very well. I also smoke a pipe and am pretty good at not letting it go out, even for poor combustible tobacco. However, the few cigarillos that I have smoked early on in the aging process did require several relights.

im growing golden virginia, but im sun curing it. so it might produce less sugar content in the leaf. thank you

 

[44Smokeless]

Not sure from the picture but they look like gumless...like the old Club's, which were, were, some of the finest papers.

Irony about the Club Cabarets...somebody is currently auctioning off a whole slew of cases of the old Clubs, somebody stashed away cases in a locker for years and now they come to light. Also included in this auction, a collection of Grateful Dead backstage passes and memoribilia.

Back to your to cigarette burning problem...before worrying about potash and chlorine, do the following:

1. Roll your cigarettes a bit thicker, small fires go out, big fires consume. And per Alpine's comment, lighter papers have tendency to go out, old Club gumless especially, so thicker tube will keep burning better. (? Does the cigarette light easily, does it smoke and draw easily?)

2. Make sure your tobacco is tinder dry and especially free of moisture. I use a small tin, like a candy tin, make sure there is no coatings that will vaporize. Put the tobacco in there, gently heat from underneath with lighter or candle, or torch and notice the smells coming off the tobacco.

You will probably smell an odd odor vaporizing off, it's the water and gases trapped in the tobacco. Once the water is gone you should be able to smell the tobacco oils vaporizing. NOW, it's tinder dry...to the limit that not all leafs are finished equally. Some leafs will be thicker and have more oils, and other components that decay over time, they burn slowly and are helped by mixing with cutters, or just further aging, like burley.

3. Can't tell from picture, but the cut of the tobacco will also affect the smoking quality....I prefer the "Cuban Sandwich" approach which mixing longer thin cut strands, cut with shorter bits, causes to burn a bit hotter, which in your case might help...

Cheers and congrats on the harvest, always a nice feeling, if you've got to fix it.

 

[Chilik]

Not sure from the picture but they look like gumless...like the old Club's, which were, were, some of the finest papers.

Irony about the Club Cabarets...somebody is currently auctioning off a whole slew of cases of the old Clubs, somebody stashed away cases in a locker for years and now they come to light. Also included in this auction, a collection of Grateful Dead backstage passes and memoribilia.

Back to your to cigarette burning problem...before worrying about potash and chlorine, do the following:

1. Roll your cigarettes a bit thicker, small fires go out, big fires consume. And per Alpine's comment, lighter papers have tendency to go out, old Club gumless especially, so thicker tube will keep burning better. (? Does the cigarette light easily, does it smoke and draw easily?)

2. Make sure your tobacco is tinder dry and especially free of moisture. I use a small tin, like a candy tin, make sure there is no coatings that will vaporize. Put the tobacco in there, gently heat from underneath with lighter or candle, or torch and notice the smells coming off the tobacco.

You will probably smell an odd odor vaporizing off, it's the water and gases trapped in the tobacco. Once the water is gone you should be able to smell the tobacco oils vaporizing. NOW, it's tinder dry...to the limit that not all leafs are finished equally. Some leafs will be thicker and have more oils, and other components that decay over time, they burn slowly and are helped by mixing with cutters, or just further aging, like burley.

3. Can't tell from picture, but the cut of the tobacco will also affect the smoking quality....I prefer the "Cuban Sandwich" approach which mixing longer thin cut strands, cut with shorter bits, causes to burn a bit hotter, which in your case might help...

Cheers and congrats on the harvest, always a nice feeling, if you've got to fix it.

Yes, it draws easily, but it burns out pretty quickly afterwards. I do smoke using the finest rolling paper available in my country, which is Rizla Grey.

Thank you for the recommendations I’ll definitely try them. I’m currently cutting my tobacco with a meat slicer, so the cut is very fine, though not particularly even. I might just settle for a 0.7 mm cutter, which looks like a pasta machine; I think "tobacco and machines" sells them.


I just took a sample of my tobacco and cased it with a 1:1/2 ratio of water to honey, plus a bit of lemon juice. I feel it helped a little. I cased it and then let it dry overnight outside.
This time, I used distilled water (DIY), so maybe that step made a difference. I’m thinking of trying again with boiled water next time, since boiling should remove the chlorine. Maybe the reason my earlier batches didn’t turn out well is because I always used tap water. Who knows I need to do more experiments!