My attempts at Plug/Flake

[smokinghole]

I am planning on making a mold from HDPE sheets and bars via McMaster Carr but until I can justify spending the dough on the plastic cutting board material and SS screws I went this route.

I found a piece of 4x4 SS tube in the recycling bin at work so I grabbed it and a small length of plate. So there's my rudimentary mold. It worked pretty well on the first plug that I might not even spend the money on the HDPE stuff. The benefit of the HDPE and the design I'm thinking of would be the ability to compress the tobacco and then tighten some tensioning bolts and hold the compression with out the machine. The desire to use stainless hardware is that I could hang the mold with the tobacco inside a boiling kettle as done to make cavendish in an attempt to mimic a steam press.

My first attempt was 250gr total of Bright Virginia and 50gr Latakia. It came out nice after only 5 days being pressed. I figure it can mature a bit more as is to better come together.



My second attempt is a blend of virginias. 200gr Red Virginia, 100gr ea. Bright and Lemon, all WLT. The red was very beat up and brittle compared to the bright and the lemon. I don't know if that was just because of the different kiling temp or what, I made it all up to case in a tupperware container so I could easily fold and stuff the leaf. The red was pretty crumbly anyway with the bright and lemon being very supple/pliable.

[URL="http://s46.photobucket.com/user/eodcole/media/IMG_20140903_075958_zpsac448b67.jpg.html"] [/URL

 

[smokinghole]

Edit: The VA/Latakia blend was more like 45-50% latakia. I must have missed a scale tare or something when I was weighing the bright leaf. I just weighed the plug and trimmed edged out to 90gr and I had taken two flakes off for smoking on Monday.

.....oops. It's certainly latakia dominant but it's still very good.

 

[rustycase]

IMO

it looks very good

yet, seems like too much compression
and it should age much longer

...get a 2nd opinion!
rc

 

[smokinghole]

I thought it was too much at first too but it rubbed out pretty nice just like other flakes I'm used to smoking. The two side clamps are just to keep the bottom from separating since it is just a plate that's not attached. That way I can just pop the plug out the bottom when I'm ready to finish it up. I didn't think it was possible to throw too much on a 4x4 square with just a c-clamp. I think with this being a cheapie c-clamp it isn't possible of anything over 2000lbs clamping pressure. So at most its getting about 75psi which I do not have it maxed out. We'll see I guess on this second one. I think this thicker plug will be more appropriate since it has way more tobacco to press compared to the first plug.

 

[istanbulin]

It looks good. I prefer flakes rather than ready rubbed tobacco. What's the thickness of your flakes ?

 

[smokinghole]

The thickness of my cut from the plug or the thickness of the plug? If cut from the plug they were pretty standard around 1/8" or more accuretly measured at ~2mm. I have a very sharp knife that my brother gifted me from Ken Shun. It makes hand slicing cured sausages and meats easy and cuts flakes like a dream.

I too like flake or rope tobaccos. Ready rubbed or just plain ribbon cut isn't really my thing. I don't smoke on the go and I'm not ever really in a rush. So taking the time to cut a few flakes or coins is an extension of the enjoyment of smoking for me. I just hate when there's so much water in commercial tobacco house blends that you need to leave it out to dry for a day letting your $ evaporate since you paid for all that water.

 

[deluxestogie]

...letting your $ evaporate since you paid for all that water.

Kind of like Perdue chicken. Enhanced with 20% solution of natural chicken broth.

Such adulteration, mostly for inflating the apparent weight of a product, was what led to the British laws forbidding any additives to tobacco.

Bob

 

[smokinghole]

Here is the VA plug. I'm cut one flake and trimmed it for squareness and I'll smoke some of that today to do a young check it as an unaged smoke. Well not aged beyond the age of the leaf itself. Sorry for blurry pics. My cell takes bad photos and I haven't replaced my digital camera since it died a year ago. Cell phones suck at taking real pictures if you ask me.

 

[Blender86]

Nice plugs and flakes! Is that a Jake Hackert pipe?

 

[smokinghole]

Yep it is. I got it at a local shop in Lebanon, he sells direct to this shop owner from what I'm told. When I got this there was two pokers and two churchwardens.

 

[smokinghole]

Smoking some of the first flake and edge trimmings right now. Damn this is good tobacco! I look forward to this aging and maturing. I love the much more natural tobacco flavor. That might be due to my much longer affinity for cigars and the nice unadulterated flavor I got from cigars for so long. Why add extra sugar to this, it's plenty sweet on its own!

 

[Blender86]

Nice!

 

[deluxestogie]

You've made a beautiful plug. My own experience is that a thinner plug (not stacked as high as commercial plug) is a world easier to slice by hand. Maybe a broad bladed santoku would do the job.

Bob

 

[smokinghole]

You've made a beautiful plug. My own experience is that a thinner plug (not stacked as high as commercial plug) is a world easier to slice by hand. Maybe a broad bladed santoku would do the job.

Bob

I would probably have to.agree. I am still getting a.feel for how much tobacco makes for a certain plug thickness. This VA was 400 gr. The first was more like 100gr. I think I'd be happy with between 200 and 300 as a happy middle ground.

 

[Bruck]

Nice looking flake!
I've been experimenting with making flake the past few months myself. I have pretty much the same type of chamber, but I use a hydraulic press. Mainly I'm trying to use up scraps from cigar rolling. Right now I'm smoking some cigar scrap flake mixed with latakia.

 

[Briar Spirit]

Wow, that Va Plug looks amazing, I'm a huge fan of Plug tobacco myself and I can tell you even with the blurred images it looks like a good Plug of tobacco, bravo.

 

[smokinghole]

Here's my most recent plug. It's a tweaked blend of deluxstogie's warspur blend.

 

[deluxestogie]

I don't know how that tastes, but it's really photogenic. Beautiful plug.

Bob

 

[smokinghole]

Smooth comes to mind, really smooth.. Want to find out how it tastes?

 

[deluxestogie]

Want to find out how it tastes?

Like pressed Warspur?

Bob