Finishing tobacco to a usable product is a very important topic. The art of taking tobacco through the steps to make it good tobacco are many. From knowing when to harvest and how to harvest, how to color cure, how to store for aging, Fermenting, de-ribbing,shredding and proper storage after shredding.
I started growing my own tobacco to save on the high cost of cigarettes or cigarette tobacco. It seemed simple enough, get some seeds, grow some tobacco,dry it out and presto smoke it up,,, Free smokes!! They were free alright Heck I couldnt give em away! They smelled like burning grass, tasted like a smoldering moldy sock and made me sick to boot! I did not have anything to brag about.
It was time to learn how to make this stuff usable. I could just let it hang for a couple of years, or I could cure it. Reading up on the subject it appeared that if I could hang it in a chamber at 120 degrees and 70% humidity for about a month I would have good tobacco and not have to wait a couple of years for it to be ready.
I found many ways that had been tried but the most appealing way I found involved the use of an electric heater and a humidifier to keep the condidtions just right to speed up the aging process. I guessed that a standard crockpot should do the job of both the heater and humidifier. I struck a home run on the first attempt! I have been using the same method ever since.
I know this is not the only way, but it does work well for me.
Dr.Bob
I started growing my own tobacco to save on the high cost of cigarettes or cigarette tobacco. It seemed simple enough, get some seeds, grow some tobacco,dry it out and presto smoke it up,,, Free smokes!! They were free alright Heck I couldnt give em away! They smelled like burning grass, tasted like a smoldering moldy sock and made me sick to boot! I did not have anything to brag about.
It was time to learn how to make this stuff usable. I could just let it hang for a couple of years, or I could cure it. Reading up on the subject it appeared that if I could hang it in a chamber at 120 degrees and 70% humidity for about a month I would have good tobacco and not have to wait a couple of years for it to be ready.
I found many ways that had been tried but the most appealing way I found involved the use of an electric heater and a humidifier to keep the condidtions just right to speed up the aging process. I guessed that a standard crockpot should do the job of both the heater and humidifier. I struck a home run on the first attempt! I have been using the same method ever since.
I know this is not the only way, but it does work well for me.
Dr.Bob