First time whole leaf buyer

[barb]

Hi all..Im from NZ and have just bought some leaf from WLT..hope it gets to me without any majors. Price here is rediculous and i resent being told by the govt to give up. Curious tho..when (if) i get the whole leaf do i just shred and use casing then smoke? or do i need another step or two. Cheers, will be ordering a lot more if this first lot goes well..looking forward to it

 

[Orson Carte]

It's good enough just to shred and smoke. It's up to you as to how you might 'blend' the types that you've bought.
One other thing you may not be aware of - although you could get lucky and receive it on your doorstep within two weeks of ordering it's more likely to take around six weeks to arrive. If it is held-up by MPI (for 'heat treatment) it will cost you an extra $45 which has to be paid before any progress is made.
If you paste your tracking number into the online tracker you will be able to follow its progress. https://www.17track.net/en
Oh, one more thing - don't order any more than 8 lbs at a time.

 

[deluxestogie]

Welcome to the forum. Don't forget to remove the central vein from the leaf prior to shredding.

Bob

 

[barb]

thanks i figured on about six weeks plus to receive..MPI are slow and of course want extra for @#$% all lol..got my shredder..tried growing my own a couple of yrs ago but quite frankly i suck at it. Hence i'll go with someone who knows what theyr doin and i can shred. Also going to buy some 100% PG rum flavour from the vape shop to experiment with..i like the winfield rum tobacco so hopefully i can get close to that flavour.

 

[Alpine]

Welcome to FTT.

pier

 

[JennyLeez]

Hi Barb,

Welcome to where a few kiwis are hiding out trying to beat the system

As above, de stem, shred, roll and smoke.
1 of my recent pounds was real wet. So I hung it for a few days first. But dont let it dry out too much otherwise it will crumble when you shred it

I am on my second year of growing. So far so good thanks to all the info found in this forum. Having an excellent climate also helps. What I grew last year is all boxed up for next years smoking. Hence why I have also purchased from WLT.

Cheers
Jenny

 

[stic]

I found my homegrown good enough to smoke without any flavouring...you get used to it pretty quickly.

May order some myself shortly, gonna be a few months until my plants are grown...

Also, I would just shred enough for a 50g bag at a time. Leave the leaf whole in an airtight bag inside the house somewhere cool until you need to shred some more...save it drying out too much.

 

[Charly]

Welcome

 

[MarcL]

Welcome to Fair Trade Tobacco.

 

[Alpine]

Welcome to FTT

pier

 

[2Baccy]

If your leaves shatter and break going through the shredder they are too dry. If the leaves wrap around and clog your shredder they are too wet. Finding the perfect moisture in between there will be your first job.
If you squeeze your shredded tobacco and it puffs back out you are close to right.
Too dry = harsh
Too wet = won’t burn
These were my hurdles when I started RYO. A little spray of water will go a long way when bringing tobacco into case. (Proper moisture content)
I agree with above casings are not needed but hey I drink my coffee black too.
Welcome

 

[greenmonster714]

Welcome aboard. We sure get a lot of NZ folks here.

 

[barb]

thought id bring u all up to date..got my order delivered today..no heat treat from customs..not sure they even looked at it to be honest but that will change with next order im sure. Shredded it all as i bought a pre blended bag and want to keep to what i got, not pick out some and end up with a completely diff smoke each time. misted it as it was a bit "rustly" so now it sitting shredded back in its bag and ill leave it for about 24hrs and see how it feels and try smoking it..only did the virginia blend and still have the turkish blend to do. You know ill smoke it even if it tastes like ^%&^ cos im not paying 100 bucks for another commercial packet lol. Thanks for all your feedback and congrats on such a great informative forum

 

[deluxestogie]

Sounds like you've got this under control. Be sure to store it slightly dry, to avoid mold.

Bob

 

[Orson Carte]

Barb -

I haven't really got any explanation for it - apart from 'beginner's luck'.
Quite regularly I hear that a first-time buyer has received their package, on the doorstep ten to twelve days after ordering. That is, without any hold-up with Customs and Quarantine 'heat treatment'.
I've ordered many packages over the past two years or so and I've never ever had one delivered without some hold-up. (Six weeks seems to be the average delay).
I wish you well for the future but I have to tell you that I've never heard of anybody yet who got a second one through unscathed.
If you just got one bag (say, the Sampler Pack) that may be the key to it - smaller amounts may fly under the radar. I always buy slightly larger amounts (8lbs) because it is far more economical this way. However, it's probably the reason I perpetually get slammed with the heat-treatment saga.

 

[barb]

Barb -

I haven't really got any explanation for it - apart from 'beginner's luck'.
Quite regularly I hear that a first-time buyer has received their package, on the doorstep ten to twelve days after ordering. That is, without any hold-up with Customs and Quarantine 'heat treatment'.

Hey Orson..i only ordered 2lb so u may be right that thats the reason i got it without delay or customs hold up.

 

[stic]

I ended up ordering 3lb's...it's a wait and see game now...

 

[stic]

Went through NZ customs and was picked up by postal service today at 3.44pm...on it's way to me now...

 

[barb]

must be a good time to order a.t.m..putting another order in next week..might be swamped at customs seeing as its close to xmas

 

[JennyLeez]

Apparently Customs is busy so I was advised today. They have had a parcel for us for 4 weeks that has come from the states. It contains books, newspapers and a couple of tee shirts.
I have yet to work out why this needs checking and yet our tobacco is sailing through at present.
Go figure