A Kiln, Tobacco, the Process, and Why

[vinconco]

Brent;
I tried kilning in vapor proof bags in a "dry" kiln. It worked ok but the leaf would dry out on the end closest the heat source (empty crock pot). I had to mist every couple days but the end result was good.
Perhaps placing the (stacked) leaf, med/high case into a vapor proof bag tight and then into the ziplok tub might help maintain the moisture level and mitigate the problems with the air spaces that cause dry/wet areas...... just thinking out loud here. I'm trying to keep the leaf stacked and tight instead of a tangled mess.

 

[DonH]

DonH I'm tickled glad to have been of help. Yep I remember days of going to fill the water and finding puddles to mop up.

Can I suggest pushing your boundaries to discover just how moist you can get the tobacco and not mold. It can lead to some interesting tobacco - rich and silky smooth with deep dark color. I've had some almost black.

I may do that with cigar tobacco, but I don't like it when flue cured types get too dark. Some leaves have done this on my run but others didn't. The upper leaves seem to all turn dark.

 

[DonH]

Another tip. When I kilned Turkish, I just put the leaves in bud bags and put the bud bags right in the storage containers. When I needed to moisten them I just misted the outside of the bags. Saved having to stack all those little leaves. Seemed to work really well.

 

[AmaxB]

Vinconco Keeping the tub away from direct heat should help that. I stack tubs two or three high tubs at the top don't seem to have that problem. Maybe a sheet of insulation and some kind of reflective material would help.

DonH that is a good tip

 

[vinconco]

Another tip. When I kilned Turkish, I just put the leaves in bud bags and put the bud bags right in the storage containers. When I needed to moisten them I just misted the outside of the bags. Saved having to stack all those little leaves. Seemed to work really well.

Don;
What is a "bud bag"?

 

[vinconco]

Don;
What is a "bud bag"?

Don; Nevermind.... it was late. I've got 5 of them full of seed ..... DUH

 

[AmaxB]

Fermenting Tobacco end of week 1
There are 4 tubs of tobacco in the Kiln only one of the four needed attention.
I removed the tubs once a day checking moisture and allowing release of gases by removing the lid and putting it back. Will give you another look at the end of week two.
.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

Brent;
I tried kilning in vapor proof bags in a "dry" kiln. It worked ok but the leaf would dry out on the end closest the heat source (empty crock pot).

When I started kilning in jars a few years ago this very thing happened to me too. I just rotate the jars away from the heat source every few days.

 

[AmaxB]

Since this was brought up (a while ago) I started putting card board under the tubs it see if insulating would help. It seems to.....

1,2,3 pieces did not have much impact but 6 has made a big difference

 

[BarG]

I can't kiln well in winter months with my crockpot fridge kiln. I wait till spring and summer. My kiln is located in my shop with no heat unless I crank up my wood burning stove.

 

[AmaxB]

Aging Tobacco in the kiln end of week
.

 

[AmaxB]

Apologies for not getting the final video clip/s up. I simply became side tracked with another project which required all of my time. So the tobacco has been in the kiln for some weeks now 7 I think.
While in the kiln I have checked and aired it daily.
If interested in my latest project see my youtube channel, it is not completed but the videos will give you a glimpse of what I have been up to. I have a long road of self education ahead.
The next and final video is processing I'll post it here when it has finished.

 

[AmaxB]

The final video on how I age/ferment my tobacco - to each his own - we all develop our methods after acquiring some understanding.
I hope to give a bit of that - Brent
.

 

[Rickey60]

Good video Brent. What are your plans for this year? Are you going to grow another crop to flue cure?

 

[AmaxB]

Good video Brent. What are your plans for this year? Are you going to grow another crop to flue cure?

No I don't think so, I'll be involved with trying to produce my own power. That is what took me away from the tobacco in the kiln here in the videos. I've got a lot of studying to do looking back on the late 1800s & early 1900s text books. I did a google for Bipolar generator and came up with a Wiki that lead to "Hawkins_Electrical_Guide" which in turn lead to other interesting books. I plane on being utility free when I retire. (with Luck)

 

[AmaxB]

Chicken you can, they are just temperature control PIDs you can get a descent one for around $50.00 and a couple bucks more for censers.

 

[bonehead]

thankyou for the video. i always like your videos. some day i have to try cigarette tobacco in the kiln. i just leave my tobacco hanging then packed in boxes. once my tobacco is around two years old do you think it would make a measurable difference if i kilned it. it is pretty good after it just sits around. what would be the difference of the smoking quality?

 

[DonH]

thankyou for the video. i always like your videos. some day i have to try cigarette tobacco in the kiln. i just leave my tobacco hanging then packed in boxes. once my tobacco is around two years old do you think it would make a measurable difference if i kilned it. it is pretty good after it just sits around. what would be the difference of the smoking quality?

It will definitely change it. Kilning does other things beside speed up natural aging. I had a lot of Virginia Bright Leaf in my 2012 crop. When I harvested it, I didn't have a kiln, so I just stored it like you did. I started smoking it at about 6-8 months aging. The next fall I got a kiln and kilned some of it. The stuff I left in the kiln for four weeks got overcooked but still tasted OK. My favorite was taking the aged leaf and kilning it for just one week. I still have a little bit of that and also some unkilned of the same crop. The unkilned is a much brighter color and tastes good (I would describe it as "bright") The kilned leaf tastes richer, though. I will be sad to see it go. I am toying with the idea of not kilning some of my Virginia varieties this year. Since I had a small crop in 2014, I couldn't wait on it, so I kilned it all.

Kilning really alters high sugar varieties like flue cured and Turkish. For Burley varieties it just seems to speed up aging.

 

[AmaxB]

It would be good for me to add, that when using tubs in this fashion the moisture in the leaves will have a tendency to move to the top of the pile over time. So paying attention to the leaves at the bottom of the tub is important. I have not yet come up with a great solution to this problem other than, dumping the tobacco and reordering it, or possibly turning the tub upside down. Putting something on the bottom of the tub to hold moisture will lead to mold likely, I know this to be true. I've been thinking insulating the outside bottom of the tube may help, I've yet to try it. I do know pieces of cardboard between the tube bottom and what it may be sitting on helps.
Brent

 

[chuditch]

I posted a thread about my kiln that I built and links to all the bits and pieces I used and it has worked fantastic for me so far.
I tested everything in a small foam box and it worked great I did my tobacco in it for 6 weeks and it smokes delightfully.
Have now moved all the bits and pieces into the big kiln and it is working even better and holding the temp and humidity right on the mark.