Small Batch Orthodox Perique

[WillQuantrill]

I'm starting this thread as an evolution of my grow blog this year. It gets confusing to me when a grow blog goes far past the designated season and if things go right my updates on the Perique fermentation process will go through next year. So I start at the beginning and omit details of other varieties I grew this year and focus on the Perique. March 1st I planted seed, then May 1st I transplanted 20 Perique starts. Seed came from NWT. Once transplanted, the 20 plants were fairly low maintenance and turned into pretty uniform mature plants with topping starting at 7 weeks and ending at 10. With stalk harvest starting at 12 weeks and ending at 14. With the majority of the harvest hanging for 7-8 weeks.

 

[WillQuantrill]

While stalk curing I built my hand press that the charred oak barrel would set in. The metal hardware I had to source and assemble the 1" all-thread with detachable press plate but the wood was stuff I had lying around.

 

[WillQuantrill]

September 6 and 7, I stripped the leaf from the Perique stalks, frog-legged it and neatly stuffed all 20 plants of damp leaf into the bottom of the barrel. After putting half in I did press down then added other half for the full press. It was at this point I cut the original press plate (the lid to the Kombucha barrel) in half to enable me to exert more pressure on the diameter of the barrel closing the gap from 5/8" to 1/4". Also added a scrap piece of 2x4 to more evenly press against the 2 press plate half moons. I added enough water to keep leaf submerged and continuously checked pressure on the screw everyday cranking down a little bit more for 5 days.

 

[WillQuantrill]

A couple days after feeling confident on the setup and pressure on the tobacco I had to go a screw with it. For some now forgotten reason I became concerned about exposure inside the barrel to the open air and I covered it with a grocery sack. After about a week when I removed the cover for inspection I found some fuzzy growth on the internal wall of the barrel. So I lightly spritzed Hydrogen Peroxide on the walls and wiped out while the tobacco remained anaerobic and under pressure. To combat any future mold growth I left the cover off and I did add a drop light to the top of the barrel with UV-C bulb which thus far has eliminated any additional mold/fuzzy growth. Last picture is the most recent inside the barrel. About once every 10 days so far I do add some water to keep the organic material submerged which some has been lost to wood absorption, and now we are current.

 

[deluxestogie]

I've added this thread to our Index of Key Forum Threads, under "Curing: other". Thanks.

Bob

 

[PvtPublic]

This is amazing info! Thank you!

 

[WillQuantrill]

This is amazing info! Thank you!

Couple small details I skipped over in previous posts, the most time consuming part of this process so far was actually "frog legging" the leaf, as with any new skill I did get faster at it with practice but the midrib does come out easier in medium case if the midrib is still drier than the lamina. Also, all water used in this process is Distilled in an effort to rule out variables.

 

[MadFarmer]

I'm curious about the location of the press and the smell thus far.

 

[WillQuantrill]

I'm curious about the location of the press and the smell thus far.

The press is in the sub-basement of my house which is a stable 68-70*F. Below I have attached a picture. Honestly at 3 1/2 weeks in, not much smell to speak of. If there was, rest assured, my wife would let me know. She is like a bloodhound. Im sure this weekend when I "turn" and dry the leaves its gonna get funky. Looking forward to see whats going on in the swamp mud.

 

[deluxestogie]

I'm interested in seeing what impact, if any, the light has on the Perique's necessary acquisition of the ubiquitous, randomly airborne yeast, Pichia anomala.

Bob

 

[StoneCarver]

all water used in this process is Distilled in an effort to rule out variables.

Again, Idk if this is applicable to making perique but when I used to make sauerkraut, I used straight chlorinated tap water if I needed any water to make brine. I never noticed any delays in the onset of fermentation. I continue to use chlorinated tap water when I make wine and also I do not notice any delays in fermentation. I figure, if the chlorine in the tap water truly inhibited micro-organism growth, then my faucet would never develop a bacterial slime on the aerator as quickly as it does. However, develop a bacterial slime it does. Regardless of the effects on fermentation, it probably is a good idea to avoid chlorine in case it negatively affects the tobacco's combustibility when you finally go to smoke it.

 

[WillQuantrill]

I'm interested in seeing what impact, if any, the light has on the Perique's necessary acquisition of the ubiquitous, randomly airborne yeast, Pichia anomala.

Bob

I wondered about this myself and I dont have a solid answer. I am hoping this weekend ( 4 weeks in the barrel ) when I dry and turn the leaf inside I will find some indication the process is working or not if I have to tweak anything.

 

[PvtPublic]

Again, Idk if this is applicable to making perique but when I used to make sauerkraut, I used straight chlorinated tap water if I needed any water to make brine. I never noticed any delays in the onset of fermentation. I continue to use chlorinated tap water when I make wine and also I do not notice any delays in fermentation. I figure, if the chlorine in the tap water truly inhibited micro-organism growth, then my faucet would never develop a bacterial slime on the aerator as quickly as it does. However, develop a bacterial slime it does. Regardless of the effects on fermentation, it probably is a good idea to avoid chlorine in case it negatively affects the tobacco's combustibility when you finally go to smoke it.

I'm quite surprised that you havent noticed any off flavor using chlorinated water for brewing. When yeast are operating in chlorine or chloramine they become stressed and produce chlorophenols, which present as smokey, medicinal, or even bandaid-like flavors/aromas. Even at low levels of presence. Its possible that your senses are muted to these off flavors, my senses are blind to DMS unless at a very high amount.
I wonder if Pichia anomala is affected by chlorine/chloramines like Sacchromyses cervesa/pastorianus? Someday I will embark upon this experiment.
With all that being said, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find out that the Pichia are doing just fine in that press.

 

[StoneCarver]

I make wine from various berries. So the flavor profile is something else from grape wines anyways. Imo, red raspberry wine is always going to hint of cough syrup. And after having lost a lot of my sense of taste/smell after having covid, yeah my sense of taste/smell is a bit muted. But I'll start trying to see if I can sense these flavors/aromas you mention. At the same time, the people who I've shared my wines/meads with have always thought the wines/meads tasted fine. Ok that's probably enough thread jacking for now. Maybe I'll try a side by side test sometime.

 

[WillQuantrill]

HOW EXCITING! 4 weeks compressed in the barrel and we have arrived at our first "turning". So I drained the excess water off the top into an empty distilled water jug and pulled the press plates. I should add that at this point I tested the aroma of the excess water and it has a dinstinct sewer smell. Not like decaying yard waste, more like port a potty.
To my own surprise I was lucky enough to peel the tobacco out of the bottom in 2 compressed chunks.
So I began separating all of the frog legs from each other and interesting note at this point the leaf has a very distinct translucent Amber color to it.
I am kinda proud of myself for scraping the next part together, I didn't want to just pile the leaf on plastic or hard surface as the bottom of the pile would not get as much exposure to air and would take longer to dry the whole pile. But I had some old window screens in the garage that I rinsed off and put them on top of my yard cart, placed a box fan at the end that blows over the top and under the screens. Giving me a drying table. Once I was satisfied the leaf was fully separated I began turning the pile every 10 min. and I will tell you there is something very satisfying about picking up all those leaf strips and letting them fall through your fingers. I say strips because during the separation process it is very difficult to pull the leaf apart without stripping each side of the frog leg from its opposing side. On aroma, what I smelled in the leaf HAS to be the indicator that led early tribesmen to keep replicating this process. The smell goes past that "Date/Raisiny" phase I am so fond of in to tobacco. This smell was like effervescent Tobacco wine. Very "yeasty" as if you could distill the juices and find intoxication drinking it. Given this development I am confident in my process and will seek to make minimal adjustments moving forward.
One additional note, as the leaf dries it almost has a rubber texture and color is darkening quickly. I will update later when we go back into the barrel.