tobaccotalk.myfastforum.org

pakidaho · Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 13

The wind has taken a few plants I did a count the other day and come up seventy. Seems I got many a bit too close together. I am allotted only so much room in the garden. It is rather difficult to toss out young starts so I planted what I could and sadly had to toss the rest,

I will try to get some photos of my crude chamber. I am currently using a hot plate and a humidifier. The thermostat I have only goes up to 110 degrees but leaf is yellowing OK. I am considering going to a hot water heater thermostat or maybe investing in a fancy Ronco one so I can get my temps. to 130. The hot plate seems to be very dry heat so the humidifier runs constantly, fortunately the tank is large enough that I only need to fill it one time each day.
I also am considering building a 6'x4'x3' box so I can hang garbage bags with yellowed leaf inside to achieve a nice cure. Same principal as putting em in the bag and setting in the sun...cept without the real sun.
Figure by the time I get to harvest temps are not going to be all that warm here.

I had the opportunity to smoke my first cigar from this years crop the other day... it was very pleasant and dark. I was quite impressed as I figured it would be harsh.

I have seen some photos of Bob Kemps chamber and read several of the discussions regarding curing in chambers on other forums. Certainly would be nice to come up with the perfect heat source that does not break the bank and is safe at the same time. Amazing how many creative ideas there are out there.

Have a good one, Erv

tanglelegs · Joined: 26 Jul 2009 Posts: 26

Would you explain more about the garbage bags. How many leaves do you put in and how long do you leave them in the bag. This is my first try i have 60 virginia gold plants hanging the whole plant for about a month now. They are pretty dry. I plan on letting them hang for 3 months before i try it. What do i do next to prepare them for smoking. They are really dry and crumbly.

pakidaho · Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 13

tanglelegs,

Hey I see that Dan Gave you a great explanation of how he uses the garbage bags. Have you softened up your crispy ones?
I have experimented quite a bit. I tend to add around twenty leaf to a bag or there about. When they are out in direct sun I check them a couple of times each day because the outer leaf in the bunch tend to dry out even in the bag.
I once tried taking green leaf straight from the plant to the garbage bag and wound up with slime in just a short time. So have learned that the leaf really does need to be somewhat yellowed before going to the bag.

Last year the leaf I had dried crisp with some very close to green. I mixed two thirds water with one third vodka into a plant mister and sprayed the leaf in the bag. I did not saturate the leaf but damped it up pretty good. The alcohol does help keep mold from growing and in the end the leaf cured quite nicely. Most of the leaf turned color after several weeks of checking the bags, turning, fluffing and respraying.

This year I am taking leaf from my cure chamber as they brown up nicely and put them in a bag. So far I have not had to spray any leaf because they still are moist from the chamber. If they are too moist I open the bag, fluff em up and reclose. Occasionally I have had to remove some leaf and set it out to dry some.

Don't be afraid to experiment. Just work toward keeping a balance between too much moisture and allowing them to completely dry out.
They never need to be wet...just moist, sort of like they would be in a humidifier. Almost dry but not...lol The first smoke I made from this seasons leaf came right outta the bag, I cut my binder and wrapper, filled them with leaf and smoked.

tanglelegs · Joined: 26 Jul 2009 Posts: 26

I have some in a bag now and they are softening up. Are you supposed to put any holes in the bag. I tried a chew of some of it this morning and it has a good tobacco taste. I am trying just a small bag right now and if it turns out ok i am going to a bigger bag. I am going to try and smoke some pretty soon. Have you ever put any it the freezer after it dries. I keep my bought cigarettes in the freezer and it seems to keep them fresher.

Dan · Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 7:33 am Post subject:

I use the opening for ventilation. I gives me more control over the process. I don't think small holes would hurt anything. Maybe they would even be better.

pakidaho · Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 13

I have not purposely added holes to the bags, they just seem to get there naturally. Like Dan I use the opening for venting as I do tend to check them daily. I can not see any reason not to give it a shot though. You might wind up having to spray them more often.
I have never tried putting tobacco in the freezer. I tend to store mine in Styrofoam boxes the wife gets from the grocery store. They were used for shipping grapes. They are large enough to hold around fifty leaf or more.
I keep it all stored in our pump room which stays around fifty to sixty degrees most of the time, and humid enough to keep the leaf pliable most of the time. Please do let us all know how your freezer experiments come out.
Seems I have read else where that others have tried it.

tanglelegs · Joined: 26 Jul 2009 Posts: 26

OK thanks. I took one of my whole plants that was dry and crumbly and hung it outside last night. This morning it was very soft. My plants have been hanging over a month now. The leaf is very dry but the veins are still a little green. Do i need to wait until the veins are brown before i try and store it in the bags and boxes.

Dan · Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 2:10 pm Post subject:

The center vein could still have a little moisture when you pack the leaf away but not have color (yellow/green). It should be brown like the rest of the leaf. The vein may even mold but it doesn't matter. You are going to strip the leaf and throw that vein away when you roll your cigar or chop for your cigarette. When I open a bale the center vein of almost every leaf has some mold on it. No problem.

tanglelegs · Joined: 26 Jul 2009 Posts: 26

Thank you and everyone for all your help.