Tobacco does not contain ammonia that needs to gas-off. Ammonia is chemically created when the leaf's oxidizing enzymes break nitrogen moieties off of the proteins they are degrading.
Bob
How I process my whole leaf
- Thread starter Juxtaposer-
- Start date
Bob
Juxtaposer-
Well-Known Member
Irish Cake will be three years old in November. It was tested to check that the licorice root brought balance to the bitterness. It certainly did and the inverted sugars were noticed as well. Sour light fire cured, bitter earthy dark air cured both brought together and rounded out by red VA. Very high nicotine! The next time I smoke it I will be sure to withhold snuff and snus use beforehand.
Besuki Coin Wreckage is simply wonderful. The Perique and Besuki are amazing together. we’ll see how long I can stay away from the coins. I am a bit curios about the pennies having no centers.
Besuki Coin Wreckage is simply wonderful. The Perique and Besuki are amazing together. we’ll see how long I can stay away from the coins. I am a bit curios about the pennies having no centers.
Juxtaposer-
Well-Known Member
I don’t myself but many use pressure cookers. From what I have gathered it is a good way to make what one would call cavendish.
I guess I should rephrase that. I'd like to gently heat the tobacco in a press somehow. Perhaps ~120°F. I've made Cavendish a few times, and that's not quite the effect I'm looking for here. Maybe using a noodle press in a Ziploc on my dash this summer... even though that will get higher than 120.
Juxtaposer-
Well-Known Member
I have my noodle pressed plug screwed into a jar to be clenched by its lid. In this condition It can immediately be placed in an oven to preheat. I have gone as high as 200F for two hours. Higher temperatures should be managed with research. At 120F I would expect a cook time of four weeks. I have a few jars in an outdoor drawer that enjoy the warm weather here in the Mojave desert. On the dashboard is a common method. I do recommend protecting from sun exposure including the plastic and the metal if that is the hold container used. Mold growth is a concern for temperatures below say 125F. You may be interested in Kilning, or specifically, Jar Kilning. There is no adept information on kilning in this thread however this forum is full of experts and expert advice.
Juxtaposer-
Well-Known Member
Checking in on the Basma that has been under water for five months now. I don’t know why it gets so messy above the screen. I am glad the stink doesn’t surface. I gave everything a thorough treatment. I sieved the cover water and put it aside to put back in. Forked out the silage put it in a bowl and set it out side. It is still stinky but there is a distinct fruitiness that holds a promise. Washed and sprayed with alcohol both the pot and plunger. I am tempted to let the tobacco dry out completely as its smell seems to improve while it is out of the water but this batch is testing the necessity of complete airing with this type of processing. I did add a bit of distilled water when it was put back together.
A bowl of 2XO2 with some Drowned PA.
This Virginia is pretty good showing itself wonderfully in the first ten minutes. Somewhat suddenly the bowl became spicy, bitter, woody, earthy, and nutty in the same order strength wise. I had obviously put too much PA in this. As the bowl progressed the VA poked through minimally with some impressive flavors. Mid bowl the ghost of St. Bruno showed up. Damn that tonquin. It smoked just fine through this and maintained a reasonable balance. With the nicotine levels being very high I considered putting the bowl down but the flue cured flavors had me doing a relight. Lots of tunneling going on so I really can’t tell how scary the ghosting is. A smaller percentage of PA would make an excellent mixture of these tobaccos. I better check the cake I already made with this special PA.
Honey Red 175 VA/PAper 12/25 is how the label reads. It is loosely caked and long thin strands of shag pull off easily. I believe I have only smoked this once before right after its jarring. I recall noting both tobaccos were still in need of rest. Good Red VA flavors soon after lighting up. Some balancing bitterness and a building spiciness. A little after the half way mark the PA overpowers the VA and at the same time the bowl is noticeably wet. At three quarters down the ash is dumped and the tobacco stirred. Without tamping, I let it dry and cool in the breeze for a few minutes. Subsequent relights very spicy and slightly woody with some dark fruit and nuttiness below. A few juicy hits off the wet dottle leave me pondering the addition of some of the double pressed VA (2XO2). This mixture has twenty percent of the Perique style processed PA binder and as it is that is a little much. Still young, not even six months, I will leave it to age.
It has become obvious that I did not leave the PA under water for long enough. Although it has been improved, the spiciness is overwhelming. It was still smelling of ammonia when it was taken out indicating that the process was working but not complete. Putting it back under water would be the best solution in order to follow through on the experiment. I could try casing it although I don’t know if that would deal with the spice. I will try it in smaller amounts with the 2XO2 to see if the VA/PAper can be fixed. Otherwise the PA is what needs to be fixed.
Picaroon Mixture test #2 has the VAs in good proportions. The DAC gets kicked for test #3.
Test #3 has the 16.67% Picaroon Cavendish showing much more clearly without the DAC. Within the first ten minutes it is already noticed and it gets stronger throughout the smoke. Hot dirty diesel wood is what it could be called. I will be testing it at around ten percent after a quick check on the VAs by themselves.
60% Honey Hibiscus
20% Lemongrass Lemon
20% Stoved Red Flakes
Test results yield a stand alone straight VA mixture. I will continue using it for testing Picaroon percentages however this may be a valuable pure flue cured mixture to have.
Testing with smaller amounts of Picaroon have me rethinking its use. It seems that it does need another stronger tobacco to balance it, perhaps Perique.
Concerns for mold have me airing the jars of coins as well as the pigtails. Simply leaving the jar lids off for a spell. Put pigtails outside for summering.
18 VA/BUR was and aged twist that was more Burley than Virginia. Kentucky Burley specifically. The recently added citric acid did help smooth it out a bit. My notes say decide on the addition of licorice root by January of 2027. Well, having smoked a bowl of this has me saying no, right away. Intending on preserving the pleasant bitterness it has I will be simply adding more flue cured to it to achieve a more balanced flavor profile.
‘18 VA Cut plug Osmanthus tested with a pinch of VA Cavendish seems a worthy addition. A pleasant smoke on its own the othmanthus is evident throughout the bowl. It can only be identified by the attributes it adds. It certainly certifies the stone fruit of the plug. The notification of any floral aspect in the flue cured is also brought up by the elusive othmanthus. A mild bitterness that plays with woody notes can also be found in this mixture.
The combination of these mixtures with one third being Cut Plug is tasty enough to be the final iteration. The Kentucky Burley stands up throughout. The Virginias inject their own interest. Enough to confirm that this is a certified VA/BUR. Nuts and fruit with a top note of the bitter poison C10H19N2. The occasional floral note reminds me of the desire to develop a nutty floral mixture.
Done deal… I used the noodle press to put this mixture back in the jar. Very light pressure but this will insure more even pressures within the jar and a lower likelihood of moisture pockets than thumb pressing.
The talk regarding kilning has me opening up to supply fresh air the jars of Cube Cur Burley and Cube Cut Maryland. They are humid enough to handle quite a bit of air time. I may schedule this airing perhaps every three months. Both of these are not smelling great when opened to smelling fantastic after airing. I would consider these done when they smell fantastic when first opened.
A Cube Cut Mixture was also opened up not smelling too bad. BRM 321 is its label representing the parts of tobaccos in the blend. Burley, Red(stoved), and Maryland at 3,2, and 1 part each respectively. Plenty moist it was microwaved for smoking a quick bowl. Not so quick as the cubes smoke rather slowly. Super tasty but very strong. It certainly could use the refinement that I hope an airing protocol might bring.
Taking this “airing” a bit further these small jars of cube cut were dropped into larger jars and not vacuum sealed to be breathed in three months.
Moving on with the VA/PAper the 2XO2 was used to bring the PA percentage down to 13.333%. The PA again steals the show at the ten minute mark. The suggestion of bitter nuts is carried around by the woody body. The fumes of diesel diligently try to hide the devil. In fact the cauldron was left to go out at the half way point. The DGT will hopefully reveal the value of the flue cured. Not too spicy now so this can certainly be salvaged. The Red base shows its youth so the older 2XO2 VA will be saved for elsewhere.
The second half of the bowl had not as much as I thought left in it. A bitter relight calms to find the special PA leaf still leading the way. The flue cured does not go unnoticed but a touch more is on order. I will drop a pinch of that Lemon Lemon in the test jar.
A suggestion to incorporate a mild brine to the Drowned PA to manage its spiciness was given at Speak Easy. Brine made with a fermented lemon half soaked in water. The lemons had been boiled in salt water before sun drying and jarring to age. Tried on the mixture with 17% PA. Worked extremely well. Will try the mixture as is at 20% and perhaps on the 100% Drowned PA.
A bowl of 2XO2 with some Drowned PA.
This Virginia is pretty good showing itself wonderfully in the first ten minutes. Somewhat suddenly the bowl became spicy, bitter, woody, earthy, and nutty in the same order strength wise. I had obviously put too much PA in this. As the bowl progressed the VA poked through minimally with some impressive flavors. Mid bowl the ghost of St. Bruno showed up. Damn that tonquin. It smoked just fine through this and maintained a reasonable balance. With the nicotine levels being very high I considered putting the bowl down but the flue cured flavors had me doing a relight. Lots of tunneling going on so I really can’t tell how scary the ghosting is. A smaller percentage of PA would make an excellent mixture of these tobaccos. I better check the cake I already made with this special PA.
Honey Red 175 VA/PAper 12/25 is how the label reads. It is loosely caked and long thin strands of shag pull off easily. I believe I have only smoked this once before right after its jarring. I recall noting both tobaccos were still in need of rest. Good Red VA flavors soon after lighting up. Some balancing bitterness and a building spiciness. A little after the half way mark the PA overpowers the VA and at the same time the bowl is noticeably wet. At three quarters down the ash is dumped and the tobacco stirred. Without tamping, I let it dry and cool in the breeze for a few minutes. Subsequent relights very spicy and slightly woody with some dark fruit and nuttiness below. A few juicy hits off the wet dottle leave me pondering the addition of some of the double pressed VA (2XO2). This mixture has twenty percent of the Perique style processed PA binder and as it is that is a little much. Still young, not even six months, I will leave it to age.
It has become obvious that I did not leave the PA under water for long enough. Although it has been improved, the spiciness is overwhelming. It was still smelling of ammonia when it was taken out indicating that the process was working but not complete. Putting it back under water would be the best solution in order to follow through on the experiment. I could try casing it although I don’t know if that would deal with the spice. I will try it in smaller amounts with the 2XO2 to see if the VA/PAper can be fixed. Otherwise the PA is what needs to be fixed.
Picaroon Mixture test #2 has the VAs in good proportions. The DAC gets kicked for test #3.
Test #3 has the 16.67% Picaroon Cavendish showing much more clearly without the DAC. Within the first ten minutes it is already noticed and it gets stronger throughout the smoke. Hot dirty diesel wood is what it could be called. I will be testing it at around ten percent after a quick check on the VAs by themselves.
60% Honey Hibiscus
20% Lemongrass Lemon
20% Stoved Red Flakes
Test results yield a stand alone straight VA mixture. I will continue using it for testing Picaroon percentages however this may be a valuable pure flue cured mixture to have.
Testing with smaller amounts of Picaroon have me rethinking its use. It seems that it does need another stronger tobacco to balance it, perhaps Perique.
Concerns for mold have me airing the jars of coins as well as the pigtails. Simply leaving the jar lids off for a spell. Put pigtails outside for summering.
18 VA/BUR was and aged twist that was more Burley than Virginia. Kentucky Burley specifically. The recently added citric acid did help smooth it out a bit. My notes say decide on the addition of licorice root by January of 2027. Well, having smoked a bowl of this has me saying no, right away. Intending on preserving the pleasant bitterness it has I will be simply adding more flue cured to it to achieve a more balanced flavor profile.
‘18 VA Cut plug Osmanthus tested with a pinch of VA Cavendish seems a worthy addition. A pleasant smoke on its own the othmanthus is evident throughout the bowl. It can only be identified by the attributes it adds. It certainly certifies the stone fruit of the plug. The notification of any floral aspect in the flue cured is also brought up by the elusive othmanthus. A mild bitterness that plays with woody notes can also be found in this mixture.
The combination of these mixtures with one third being Cut Plug is tasty enough to be the final iteration. The Kentucky Burley stands up throughout. The Virginias inject their own interest. Enough to confirm that this is a certified VA/BUR. Nuts and fruit with a top note of the bitter poison C10H19N2. The occasional floral note reminds me of the desire to develop a nutty floral mixture.
Done deal… I used the noodle press to put this mixture back in the jar. Very light pressure but this will insure more even pressures within the jar and a lower likelihood of moisture pockets than thumb pressing.
The talk regarding kilning has me opening up to supply fresh air the jars of Cube Cur Burley and Cube Cut Maryland. They are humid enough to handle quite a bit of air time. I may schedule this airing perhaps every three months. Both of these are not smelling great when opened to smelling fantastic after airing. I would consider these done when they smell fantastic when first opened.
A Cube Cut Mixture was also opened up not smelling too bad. BRM 321 is its label representing the parts of tobaccos in the blend. Burley, Red(stoved), and Maryland at 3,2, and 1 part each respectively. Plenty moist it was microwaved for smoking a quick bowl. Not so quick as the cubes smoke rather slowly. Super tasty but very strong. It certainly could use the refinement that I hope an airing protocol might bring.
Taking this “airing” a bit further these small jars of cube cut were dropped into larger jars and not vacuum sealed to be breathed in three months.
Moving on with the VA/PAper the 2XO2 was used to bring the PA percentage down to 13.333%. The PA again steals the show at the ten minute mark. The suggestion of bitter nuts is carried around by the woody body. The fumes of diesel diligently try to hide the devil. In fact the cauldron was left to go out at the half way point. The DGT will hopefully reveal the value of the flue cured. Not too spicy now so this can certainly be salvaged. The Red base shows its youth so the older 2XO2 VA will be saved for elsewhere.
The second half of the bowl had not as much as I thought left in it. A bitter relight calms to find the special PA leaf still leading the way. The flue cured does not go unnoticed but a touch more is on order. I will drop a pinch of that Lemon Lemon in the test jar.
A suggestion to incorporate a mild brine to the Drowned PA to manage its spiciness was given at Speak Easy. Brine made with a fermented lemon half soaked in water. The lemons had been boiled in salt water before sun drying and jarring to age. Tried on the mixture with 17% PA. Worked extremely well. Will try the mixture as is at 20% and perhaps on the 100% Drowned PA.
