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by bob_kemp
on Thu Oct 29, 2009 3:54 am |
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Hi --
The only time I've ever seen "boiling" used on tobacco leaves is to make chew or twist. Then, the leaves are rough cut and simmered in a flavored syrup gently for around 5 m inutes, then taken out, drained, air-dried and packaged for aging. This also destroys much of the nicotine, making it weaker - which seems a good reason not to do that for smoking tobacco.
You will still be able to use your brick press, just do that instead of using my plates and weight below. You do not need the leaves to be so wet they are soaking/sopping wet. You will want them to be in slightly more moist than "case" condition, or what the trade also calls, "in order". This is about 20% moisture. This is the point where the leaves just stop being crispy and are able to be handled without crumbling. Too much moisture invites mildew and mold. You want them a little more moist than that for pressing bricks.
When you've handled enough tobacco, either drying it or processing it, you will become very sensitive to ambient RH (this is the current environment humidity condition). Too much humidity in the air and the tube injector binds up with too wet shreds and your cigs burn irregularly. Too little and the leaves shatter into powder at the slightest touch. Also, your smoke will be harsh. Your microwave oven and hand-held misting bottle will be your friends.
The reason that commercial cig companies use glycerine and propyline glycol (yes, anti-freeze) in their products is to provide some independence from ambient humidty conditions. Of course, once you've spent 7 months carefully avoiding pesticides, fungicides and other crap in you crop, you wouldn't then add all that trash to the smoke, would you?
There are two ways to shred tobacco by hand for cigs that work pretty good. both methods start with leaves that are slightly more wet than case. I put the leaves in a plastic bag (one without any odor, Wal Mart bags work pretty good), misting them as I put them in, then close it up for a couple of hours. After that they should be supple, pliable, and not shatter when pressed flat.
For small amounts, just remove the midrib and stack up the leaf halves on top of each other, I find about 8-10 halves makes a pretty good amount. Fold the whole thing in half so that the small ends line up and starting at the small end, roll it up into a tight cigar shape. Then, with a pair of sharp scissors, start cutting at one end at a slight diagonal trying to make the shreds as small as possible. You will be cutting off oval shaped slices of the cigar. Then process in the microwave as below.
I developed this other method to shred tobacco to about 1-2 mm widths and it seems to work pretty good once you get the knack of it.
I make a brick by putting about 50 lbs of rock on top of two ceramic plates with the tobacco inside. Let it press for about 4 hours or overnight. Then take it out using a butter knife to get it unstuck from the plates without pulling leaves off the brick too badly.
At first I used a metal ruler, but got anxious about my fingers being so close to the razor knife. This metal staple gun works great!
This works best on small bricks about 4-5 oz. and a bit over case moisture although not enough to drip out when the weight is applied. At first, I would cut diagonally under the stapler, but it turns out that a shaving action almost vertical works best for getting thin shreds.
After I'm done shredding, I put it in the microwave for 2 minutes on 10% power setting, then take it out, fluff it and let it cool, then repeat until it's fairly dry, but not so crisp that the next step doesn't powderize them. With 3-5 seconds in the food processor to separate the shreds and chop them a little smaller it is usually ready to smoke. If it's too dry, I just put it in a plastic ziplock bag and mist it and wait a little.
Check out the video here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8KFVkz3Etk
Bob |
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by vredeman
on Thu Oct 29, 2009 1:05 pm |
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How is it going my friend. What are the odds that we would run into each other on another Tobacco site?  |
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vredeman
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by bob_kemp
on Thu Oct 29, 2009 1:13 pm |
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Hey vredeman,
Good to see you here! You can help me out! I started this thread to cover every aspect of tobacco growing to help people here protest the high taxation and insure supply even if De Gumbint bans it.
Be sure to check out the Bob's Fox News interview thread in the News section too!
Bob |
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by vredeman
on Thu Oct 29, 2009 2:41 pm |
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Yeah I'm going to post some pictures of some almost finished Tobacco here soon. When it come to laws for me your the go to guy. I'm not sure what to say other than if the midrib is out of the leaf its now a Tobacco product. I'm sure we will be seeing some changes to this in the near future. We as in Tobacco users are now almost looked at as criminals now.
The website I built is geared towards buying seeds/plants & some growing supply's. This all related to growing your own Tobacco. But some of that might just be outlawed or highly taxed before I can even launch it.
I think the best stand you can take is to grow your own. This will show the States & Government you have had enough. If I can't buy it then you will grow it. |
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by libertarian99
on Sun Nov 01, 2009 12:00 pm |
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bob_kemp wrote: The reason that commercial cig companies use glycerine and propyline glycol (yes, anti-freeze) in their products is to provide some independence from ambient humidty conditions. Of course, once you've spent 7 months carefully avoiding pesticides, fungicides and other crap in you crop, you wouldn't then add all that trash to the smoke, would you? |
Last edited by libertarian99 on Sun Nov 01, 2009 2:09 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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libertarian99
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by bob_kemp
on Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:28 pm |
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Hi --
I suppose I should show y'all what it all ends up as after it's grown and dried. I've posted pics of various kinds of tobacco and a shameless plug to sell some here (sorry about the pun):
http://tobaccotalk.myfastforum.org/about170.html
This is the 2009 crop, dried and ready to be used to make into cigarettes. I'm smoking some now as I just had a group of folks over to taste some and have some left over. Mostly it's Virginia Flue-Cured, sometimes called "Gold" in some varieties for cigs, a common air-cured burley for cigs and some dark fire-cured burley for making chew/snuff/dip.
Tomorrow I'm going to describe how to start seeds indoors 6-7 weeks before your last average frost.
Bob
GYOtobacco@yahoo.com |
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by libertarian99
on Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:02 pm |
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bob_kemp wrote: I developed this other method to shred tobacco to about 1-2 mm widths and it seems to work pretty good once you get the knack of it.
I make a brick by putting about 50 lbs of rock on top of two ceramic plates with the tobacco inside. Let it press for about 4 hours or overnight. Then take it out using a butter knife to get it unstuck from the plates without pulling leaves off the brick too badly.
At first I used a metal ruler, but got anxious about my fingers being so close to the razor knife. This metal staple gun works great!
This works best on small bricks about 4-5 oz. and a bit over case moisture although not enough to drip out when the weight is applied. At first, I would cut diagonally under the stapler, but it turns out that a shaving action almost vertical works best for getting thin shreds.
After I'm done shredding, I put it in the microwave for 2 minutes on 10% power setting, then take it out, fluff it and let it cool, then repeat until it's fairly dry, but not so crisp that the next step doesn't powderize them. With 3-5 seconds in the food processor to separate the shreds and chop them a little smaller it is usually ready to smoke. If it's too dry, I just put it in a plastic ziplock bag and mist it and wait a little.
Check out the video here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8KFVkz3Etk
Bob
While I was watching the shredding video, I saw a link to another video that I really got a kick out of and thought you might enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SDpGxvbYOI&feature=fvw
If you really want to grow your business, you could make a promotional video like that with music in the background. It's fun, isn't it? Makes you want to go tend your plants.
I'm just kidding. Do you have any other instructional videos on YouTube? |
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libertarian99
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by alist
on Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:35 pm |
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bob_kemp wrote:
For small amounts, just remove the midrib and stack up the leaf halves on top of each other, I find about 8-10 halves makes a pretty good amount. Fold the whole thing in half so that the small ends line up and starting at the small end, roll it up into a tight cigar shape. Then, with a pair of sharp scissors, start cutting at one end at a slight diagonal trying to make the shreds as small as possible.
Hi Bob. Thanks for posting and sharing your info. I was wondering if you had any suggestions for grinding the leaves to powder, in order to make snus, or moist snuff. For snus, I know that 90 days of air curing comes first, then the leaves must be ground prior to pasteurization. Would it be best to let the leaves dry out before grinding and what methods might you recommend for grinding the leaves to powder? |
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alist
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by alist
on Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:37 pm |
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libertarian99 wrote: What? I did not know that antifreeze was added to commercial cigs.
Although it is true propylene glycol is in antifreeze, it is also added to tobacco as a humectant, just as it is added to various foods for the same reasons. It's nothing to worry about for sure. |
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alist
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by bob_kemp
on Mon Nov 02, 2009 9:04 pm |
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Hi --
libertarian99, I have the Fox News interview I did and the shredding tobacco by hand videos and that's it so far. I want to make one of cutting shreds using scissors.
alist, I think if you put tobacco through a meat grinder wetter, it will make a lot less powder. For snus, you'd want more powder than for dip (moist snuff), so I'd grind it finer. Then I would put it in a food processor very dry and sift it out. isn't snus a fine powder contained by a fabric? I could be wrong. I have a pack of Marlboro snus here and that's what it looks like to me.
You said "Although it is true propylene glycol is in antifreeze....<snip>.... just as it is added to various foods for the same reasons."
All I can say is that just because you can eat it, doesn't mean you should smoke it. Burning it first is certainly work added that changes the chemistry. That could result in all kinds of complicated consequences. I tried additives in my tobacco and I've ended up not adding anything.
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