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A Kiln, Tobacco, the Process, and Why

gargynko

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Hi AmaxB!

You kilning method really insipred me so I will do it after you in my first year growing. I just have a few questions..

1 - How often do you have to re-humidify the leaves in box if any?

2 - I am worried about plastic box will affect the leaves by its smell. Does any box made of polypropylene work without affecting the leaves??

3 - What water should I use for spraying over leaves? (maybe destilled water??)
 

AmaxB

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Hi AmaxB!

You kilning method really insipred me so I will do it after you in my first year growing. I just have a few questions..

1 - How often do you have to re-humidify the leaves in box if any?

2 - I am worried about plastic box will affect the leaves by its smell. Does any box made of polypropylene work without affecting the leaves??

3 - What water should I use for spraying over leaves? (maybe destilled water??)

Question #1 If the leaf feels dry I'll add moisture (spring water)
Question #2 See page 3 post number 22
Question #3 Spring Water

Happy growing gargynko
 

Baylor

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Son of a gun......a fellow asks about a sticky on kilning, and a week later we have one that is top notch. Many thanks Folks, I have a much better understanding.
In the Pipe World, we have a similar process we call "Stoving", which takes place both commercially and on the home blending front. Personally I use the closed environment...Ball/Mason jars and a crock pot dedicated to tobacco (keeps the RedHead happy that I do not use the one for food). I have the tobacco already prepared for blending, and the temperatures are a bit higher, as the old school crock pot is limited to low/medium/high. My thinking has always been that while this process mimics aging a tobacco, in terms of color and taste, it limits how the tobacco will age long term in a blend. I think of "aging" in terms of years in a closed environment....5 to 10 years being optimal for 'Virginia based blends.


Would putting lightly moistened tobacco in a mason jar into a crocpot on LOW mimic the kilning process? I put a jar in my crockpot to try this out. Its been about36 hours so far. Definitly some changes going on. I opened it up to get some air exchange and mix it up. The smell is very sweet. I guess i would describe it as fruity? Ive never kinled before so not sure if this doing the same thing as a drbob crockpot kiln or if im doing something else to the leaf. I did put out a pinch and try at about 24 hours. It was VERY smooth. I was very surprised at the difference already.

I have the jar, lightly screwed on so the pressure doesnt build up an explode. Also set the jar onto a jar ring so its not touching the bottom. I put a couple inches of water in there(not sure if you can run a crockpot dry). There is no excess moisture in the jar, the leaf has evenly absorbed it. Its not wet or soggy, just in a med/high case.

Any advise if im doing something good or not? At least its just a pint sized jar if i ruin it or create a mold factory :)
 

AmaxB

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Sounds about right - a note - If your temperature is to low you may develop mold above 122F is usually safe if leaves are not to wet but keep below 127F. I find I get best results between 122 and 127, the fruity smell is good it will change to that of good tobacco some time during the third week. Tobacco color will go dark, I have found for a blend you can age tobacco together or after aging create the blend. Creating after seems to be better to me but you may want to let the tobacco rest after kilning (it will improve), put it in a good sealed container in a low / low medium case no stems for a week or two before using.
Kiln at least 4 weeks, some tobaccos seem to improve with more weeks.
In the kiln you want a medium high / high case
 

Baylor

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Thanks AmaxB, you are a wealth of knowledge and helpfulness. Your kilning process is impressive. Im trying to mimic a smaller version of what you have going. Ill have to go check what temp im running at. If this works, i can fit probably 3 quart size jars in there. That will last me a long time as I dont smoke alot. Ill update whenever it succeeds (or fails).
 

deluxestogie

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Baylor, that method sounds like it might work, if you can somehow regulate the temp to stay below 130ºF. Even the "low" setting is designed to reach simmer temperatures over several hours. You may already have cooked the leaf (and ended up with a Cavendish process).

A canning jar with a two-part lid/rim can be tightened finger snug without risk of exploding. Excess pressure will seep past the rim (the bubbles seen when canning under water). When cooled, it will form a secure seal. Since these modest temps do not kill mold spores (only prevents vegetative mold growth), I would not simply set it aside to age, but open it and check its case before storage.

Crockpots do work dry.

Bob
 

Baylor

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Yep Deluxestogie, I dipped a meat thermometer in the water...140 degees. Ill turned it down to the warm setting and will give it a few hours to regulate and see what temp that is running. If its too low I guess my only other option is to put it back on LOW and prop the lid open a bit to let some heat out and see if i can get it down lower. I have an improvised lid on this crockpot, a pot upside down that fits perfect, so that gives me about a 14" depth inside. Maybe if i put a rack in there and raise the jar up. Maybe prop the lid open a bit.... Or if can be ran dry, maybe not having it sitting in water and proped up on a rack would help....

If not, its back to the drawing board.... Ill head into the garage and see what other gizmos i got to play with. Maybe a big old ice chest turned on its side standing tallways and use that instead of a fridge..... I could put a in a vent, crockpot or heating pad...a little fan...... This is too fun. Ill figger something out before long. Trial & error!

My oldest tobacco is about 3 months aged and i enjoy it as is, Im just experimenting around for fun.
 

AmaxB

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You could use most any box type ?? that won't burn / melt, a cheap thermostat tied into an outlet (outlet inside box), a small griddle, and small fan with griddle and fan inside the box. Load your jars on a rack set the thermostat to say 122F and plug the fan and griddle into the outlet. The thermostat will turn the griddle / fan on and off as needed the box needs no vent. Every few days dump the tobacco and repack the jars, check moisture if needed give the tobacco a misting and put it back in the kiln.
A kiln need not be complex if using a closed environment for the tobacco (your jars). I say a small griddle because it cools and heats quickly.
 

DGBAMA

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Using an old ice chest, a single 100 watt light bulb would likely reach 125deg. A meat thermometer poked through the lid would allow you to see the temp inside without opening. A simple dimmer switch wired into the light cord could be used to adjust temperature.
 

Gmac

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Is it important that the containers have a rubber seal on the lid. I have found some suitable containers but they do not have a rubber seal on the lid.
Can you stack the containers one on top of the other in the Kiln, or do they need space between them?
 

Jitterbugdude

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I use a similar method but instead of plastic tubs I use mason jars. Since my heat source is on the bottom I have to rotate my jars every few days. The one's nearest the 100W light bulb are much hotter than the jars on top. I keep my thermostat probe about midway in my kiln.
 

BarG

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You must be thinking of the incandescent light bulbs of yesteryear.

Bob
We are still shining bright in Texas. We are are not outlaws for using or distributing incandesant. Phew, what a waste to worry about it.

Compared to other bulbs I like em. If we quit making them I will buy them from china just because I can.
 

AmaxB

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Hows that working for ya DGBama -- I can smell it from here..

I really need to check in here more often had no idea the method was being used by others.
 

DGBAMA

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Hows that working for ya DGBama -- I can smell it from here..

I really need to check in here more often had no idea the method was being used by others.

Good to see you Brent.

Working great. I didn't spring for the high dollar sealed container, so I do have to open them and mist with water every 7-10 days for the whole leaf, the shredded stuff in ziplocs in the containers, needs no additional moisture.

Home flue curing made some huge progress last year with all the info that was shared here, and you were a big part of the success. BT really got his setup dialed in this year.

Yes, my garage smells wonderful the last few weeks.
 
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