Youll need to keep the humidity relatively high to keep the leaves from drying too quickly. Yes I agree that there was too much moisture. Question: When growing and curing tobacco at home, do we do a fermentation/sweating process after drying? Answer: Give it a try, it certainly won't do any harm. dry in shade, this process avoids crumbling product also. You don't mention this stage, what are your thoughts on fermentation? Regarding smoking the tobacco though, cigarette and pipe tobacco available commercially is a bit "moist" and pliable. you have done a excellent activity on this matter! Great read. Putting them in an oven at VERY low heat for an hour or so will also dry them ready to cut and smoke but I can't guarantee that they'll yellow as much as slow drying. The process can take up to 8 weeks, and the longer you wait, the better it may taste. Good job documenting your work! This instructable picks up after you have air cured your green leafy bounty and is one possible way to simulate the needed conditions for fermentation at home. Email Us | (888)366-0345 Account Login Create Account. The warm, dry days and cool, relatively humid nights of the late summer and early fall provide the perfect conditions for drying tobacco leaves. Very educational. You'll get better results by leaving those tins be until it's time to smoke the contents. Havana tobacco seeds are good for making cigars, particularity cigar wrappers because of the broad leaves, flavor and smooth appearances once cured. That being said, lets get started! Answer: You keep them, yellowing means that they're partly cured. -An extra week or two of fermentation beyond the 4th week wouldn't hurt. There are other ways to grow tobacco and other ways to cure the stuff. Whoo-hoo! proberly down to the paper.. the best way i found was hung up in a garrage. I'd also suggest that you let the plants flower and save the seed, you'll get enough to plant half of Kansas and be very popular with your smoking friends! Thanks. I did miss a stage in my above aromatic observationsbetween the wet grass and raisin stage there was a strong cereal smell..like toasted corn flakes, which probably lasted for the entire 2nd week. If you live in a place that's warm enough to grow cabbage, tobacco will thrive. Some of my friends nuke the leaves and seem happy with the results, the only way to find out which best suits you is to try it yourself. The dried leaves should have a slightly sweet smell from the curing process. I don't really monitor the humidity too much, I just give it 15-20 distilled water misting on and between the hands about 2-3 times a day, just to keep the leaves semi-moist. References. But to me, all of these smells were delicious!! The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on July 05, 2016: The blog given to us has some exciting features. Keep in a cool, dry place out of direct light. Answer: It shouldn't make any difference. Have fun, good luck, and thanks for dropping in. The tobacco is best if the leaf stems are still slightly most when you remove from the stems. Hanging Tobacco Leaves for Drying 1 Dry tobacco in the fall for the best results. [4] Flue [ edit] Sit back, drink your moonshine (I'm writing an article on distilling), and watch them grow. It realy increase my knowledge about the topic. Drying or "curing" home-grown tobacco leaves. One dampens and presses the leaves for a few days (in a shallow tray with a board and a weight on top) then rolls up the leaves like a newspaper roll, and slices thin rings off it which are then cut cross-ways for cigarette tobacco. on Step 5, when air curing has happened with my plants there are vast diffrents in colour between the diffrent leafs some are dark brown - light brown but some are a very dark green.. they are cured they just seem to hold there colour..? 1 & a half tablespoons liqueur or spirit syrup (Bin Inn). I threw a hand at it but it didnt come out the way I hoped. fcbdadk, Howdy! This is a brilliant step-by-step on how to get to the end product I'm looking for so thanks so much mate! and is it any good? We are in your debt, Thanks again. 50% of these commercial growers cure for between 7 and 14 days. I'm sure they will be benefited from this web site. . Answer: You can surely use a humidifier and see how it goes. Our temps range between 70 and 100 degrees in the summer. Remember that smoking tobacco probably would not have caught on if it weren't for the process of cramming it into barrels and sending it on a sea voyage in sailing ships - which is how the above process was discovered. Avoid over-watering. Would also be interested to read the article you mentioned on distilling but can't find it? Also does anyone know how to make Copenhagen style "dip"? Answer: If it works for you, keep doing it. This is an excellent time to test whether you have dried your nugs properly. I just wondered whether the hot water cupboard would be a better spot as opposed to fairly consistent room temp in a living space. It was a good shot at it though! A previous blog post by Chuck discussed the effects of aging tobacco, the impact the curing process has on aging blends, and the chemical changes that occur inside a tinned blend. See what your first try is like, you can always tart it up as you go along. Give them a dose of general garden fertiliser now and again. I smoke about 50grm/week -say 1 3/4 oz/week. Answer: Dissolve a little honey in alcohol, (Rum, Vodka, Port through preference.) The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on January 21, 2016: Hi Hops, beer and 'baccy go together mate, have a top New Year too. and still have some tobacco from afew years ago. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Answer: It should be okay in a large bucket. You'll have lots of them. Fill the jars about three quarters of the way, leaving the other quarter empty. The best temperatures for growing tobacco is 68 to 86 F (20 to 30 C). on Step 6, Do you ferment all leaves that you want to use as in the cigar or just the outer leaf of the cigar. I would like to make a kiln, and Im thinking about rigging it up with 12v solar so I can justify leaving it on, but in the meantime I wonder whether leaving the jars there as opposed to somewhere else for a year would make a significant difference. An air-conditioned home would probably be too dry for air-curing tobacco. Thanks heaps for your all your good work and effort.. As you are aware, we are being raped by our jackboot government, overtaxing and discriminating against smokers.. Prices are going through the roof. I can't be bothered, think up a few for yourself. Very refreshing to be able to find the simple info you want without having read heaps of seriously boring rubbish at the same time!! I know people who smoke tobacco at every shade, as the whim and their approach to curing takes them, and they seem no worse off than off the shelf smokers. Little green capsules about 1/4 in long will be left behind. Instead of a timer you could also use an eight dollar dimmer cord found at any hardware store, it will adjust the power and heat output of any bulb. The seed will have adapted to your environment. Every council and government department has a proliferation of the swine at their lower levels trying to screw up the doers. Tobacco is an amazingly prolific plant. Temperature range in fermenting. Spread the leaves out so they're at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart to give them plenty of space to dry. My tobacco does not smell like tobacco at all. Does the Brod and Taylor bread proofing cabinet work good for cureing tobacco? Most of the tobacco that I smoke has been aged 4+ years, but I don't let cannabis sit in a jar beyond six months. Answer: I grow the one that I originally bought from King's Seeds in Katikati NZ years ago. Just to clarify Im not trying to cheat my way out of setting up a kiln. There are several websites dealing with curing chambers and the standard home made type is made of foam wall insulation and an oil heater. Not to mention the moaning at the forever price hikes in Tobacco. Got the seeds in the germinator today , wanting an early jump on the season , great weather this last week and hoping for no frosts.. Pick whichever leaves are ready, and cut a slit near the stem end of the centre rib of each leaf. Wrapping them in a bit of paper or square of toilet tissue and placing them in a little jar or pill container is fine. It kind of feels that you are doing any distinctive trick. Question: Is a tobacco crop ok around frost? So how do you raise the delicate little darlings? Within two to three months of picking a healthy green leaf, it would dry to a complete dark brown, and if even touched it would crumble into a million shards. You do need LARGE pots, it grows a huge root ball. Thanks for putting it together, at least I know what a tobacco plant looks like now. After drying the leaf, should it be re-hydrated or something. Answer: Curing tobacco is pretty much just letting it dry until it turns goldish. I cured a bit with bourbon in the oven and got a nice pipe smoke. It's only a few. After all, cigarette butts soaked in a bucket of water was an old way of making insect spray that my parents and grandparents used. From new and estate tobacco pipes to tin pipe tobacco and bulk pipe tobacco, we have everything you need. The tobacco color should also change to a much darker hue of brown. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on September 11, 2014: Great stuff John, (We're in for a long summer, my banana plant set its first bunch a month ago, although the stalks are still all brown with dead and wind battered leaves; and the raspberry canes are budding) Please keep us posted on how you're going. The same regulations govern brewing, winemaking, and the distilling of alcoholic beverages. Also provided is an example of how one may be able to affordably recreate the conditions needed for tobacco fermentation. Keep their soil moist but not soggy when they're young. This article is not about health issues; it's about growing tobacco and curing it. whether it's fit to drink is another matter! You know what to look for.) Anyine got pointers on aging? I just save some seed year by year. For tips on how to separate the tobacco from the stem when the leaves are dry, read on! Multiply it by 52 to find what it costs you a year (over $2,500?). When the flowers die off each will form a green pod which will slowly turn dark brown. to avoid harsh taste one step of curing process missing - fermentation. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on March 15, 2014: [img]http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/biguran/s[/img], GOT it, Prilep 66, oriental fom macedonia, and i love it, has a taste like diped in honey, TY Mr. TOF :), im getting some cured orientals prilep 66, will try and let you know. I have smoked for over thirty years and have been growing tobacco for two seasons. He left the element on about 150 C for a few days. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Thanks again for this information. Do you've any recommendations? Pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff are fire cured. After drying my iwn tobacco I put a little bourbon on it in a deep pot and roasted in oven at 50 degrees with a lid on. When is the best time to plant? It looks and smells good but it will not stay burning. When you cure tobacco leaves, you're breaking down ammonia in the plant matter. this is a couple of hours later.. its a little sweaty box now, Reply this pic is just a couple of late bloomers that iv put in a pot outside if you notice on the dried leaf there is type of mould when cured outside have you had this proble befor or has this happened because its still attached to the plant?has not been a good year for growing this year but the other plants were about 5ft with broard leafs what was left after the slugs, Reply It depends on what you want the tobacco for. and all so i listened to my mums idea of putting it between news paper which was silly thing to do, it stuck to the sheets of paper and when mouldy! on Step 5. sounds like the uneven curing is due to inconsistent humidity and too dry of an environment. Find a shelter where youll have some control over the humidity by opening or closing doors, windows, or vents. At which temperature fermentation stops? What you describe looks like a quick way to cure, nothing wrong with that. Put a fine sieve in the top of a clean, dry bowl, or on a sheet of paper. Do you have any advice on how to grow these for cigars? In about two weeks, the seedlings should start showing. I have it running on a low heat for up to two hours checking on the tobacco and turning it throughout the process. If this seems a. little tricky here, it is. During the fermentation, there are several aromatic stages: The Wide mouth 1-gallon glass jar with lid is one of the most popular jars today because it's cheap and effective. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on December 23, 2014: Hi John, I hope that all's well with you now. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on October 21, 2015: Hi Guys (and Gals) sorry that I've been AWOL for a while. I've been toying with the idea of growing my own tobacco for a year now and just found your site by looking for how to cure tobacco. Right now I have a number of shirazi leaves shade curing and I'm using this time to do some research about apothecary jars, but i've got to move fast and get some jars here in order to make sure the leaves don't dry up. I got leaves as big as my face but im sure they could have been better. Mastering this art enables you to produce high-quality, potent flowers that leave all your senses tingling with every whiff or toke. tobacco enthusiast on September 15, 2014: Thanks to this hub I just pulled in my 4th batch of leaves and hung them to dry. Make sure kiln has good air circulation and that jars aren't touching walls to prevent condensation in jars. Cigar tobacco producers ferment tobacco naturally by creating huge piles of air cured leaves. In addition, The contents are masterwork. Keep their soil moist but not soggy when they're young. Im wanting either a mild hazlenut or chocolate flavor. Question: I am following your method of growing tobacco at home, though I am getting my brown leaves within a few weeks or less. Youre actually a good webmaster. We seem to be in the perfect climate. Take what you pay a week for smoking (probably around $50). Mary Wickison from USA on March 23, 2014: After years of nagging (I mean politely requesting) my husband to stop, now I find your page. If you hit 71% or greater, you will have to take the bud out to dry more. After that I shredded them. x3' high lined with 1 1/2" styrofoam 3 100w heaters in bottom controlled by cookerstat,fed in moist air from a humidifier.Humidity 80% temp 120/130.Cured leaf for 4 weeks. Simply hang in a sheltered area and let nature take its course. 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