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Info On casing

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Jitterbugdude

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Just a little filler for you all that are playing with casing.

There are two types of "sugars" used for casing. These are Reducing Sugars and Non Reducing Sugars.

Reducing Sugars: These include glucose, fructose and invert sugar. These are considered more chemically reactive than non reducing sugars
Non Reducing Sugars: sucrose

Reducing sugars react with the free amino acids (FAA) in the tobacco leaf as well as with the FAAs from other substances such as cocoa and licorice. These are very pH dependant.
The reaction is usually not a complete reaction so a secondary casing is often added. This is where the non reducing sugars come in to play. Brown sugar or regular white sugar are often used.

Non reducing sugars caramalize more than reducing sugars.

Honey is a mix of glucose and fructose. The ratio changes depending on the type of honey.
 

Planter

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Re: Info in casing

The reaction is usually not a complete reaction so a secondary casing is often added. This is where the non reducing sugars come in to play. Brown sugar or regular white sugar are often used.

So the reaction takes place directly after casing, not during burn?
Would heating the cased leaf help? Or aging? (That´s what I do currently - let it rest in a jar for as long as possible.)
 

Planter

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Re: Info in casing

That´s what I thought, but wonder about the "secondary casing". Can you elaborate on that?
 

Jitterbugdude

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Re: Info in casing

The secondary casing would come in to play if say you make a batch of casing consisting of maple syrup and cocoa but it doesn't quite give you the taste you are looking for. Adding a secondary casing just might let the sugars react more with the free amino acids thereby giving you the taste you are looking for. This scenario doesn't include adding a topping which also might react with your tobacco and change the flavor again.
 

Smokin Harley

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Just a little filler for you all that are playing with casing.

There are two types of "sugars" used for casing. These are Reducing Sugars and Non Reducing Sugars.

Reducing Sugars: These include glucose, fructose and invert sugar. These are considered more chemically reactive than non reducing sugars
Non Reducing Sugars: sucrose

Reducing sugars react with the free amino acids (FAA) in the tobacco leaf as well as with the FAAs from other substances such as cocoa and licorice. These are very pH dependant.
The reaction is usually not a complete reaction so a secondary casing is often added. This is where the non reducing sugars come in to play. Brown sugar or regular white sugar are often used.

Non reducing sugars caramalize more than reducing sugars.

Honey is a mix of glucose and fructose. The ratio changes depending on the type of honey.

How about molasses ? I'm thinking that this sugar casing is being referred to the chewing tobacco crowd. Somewhere in my years I read a buckskinners book that explained how chewing tobacco was made . a Maple log or beam had a series of large holes bored into its length ,tobacco and flavorings (including rum,vanilla,honey,molasses were mostly used) were then alternately packed into these holes and a wooden bung much like a barrel or plug forced by mallet to seal the hole . This was let to age over a period of time up in a barn rafters and then as needed the then aged,fermented and flavored chewing tobacco was removed for use by sawing off at a particular hole and removing the "plug" of tobacco .
 

CT Tobaccoman

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I'm thinking how to make a casing myself, a big batch. Possibilities are corn syrup, vanilla, brown or white sugar. Or a citric acid solution, as mentioned elsewhere as a way to smooth out cigar tobacco.

I figure that all of us raised on American made cigarettes are expecting some sort of sweetening casing, since I believe that most if not all cigarettes made by the big companies have always used a sweetener, and so we are used to it.

Wondering if it is best to spray the casing on a completed shredded cigarette blend or to use it on the whole leaf before shredding it? Applying casing before shredding would ensure that more casing gets sprayed on to more square inches of leaf, I guess. The citric acid was sprayed onto cigar tobacco while turning the bulks. It's cigarette tobacco that I am working with. The casings from WLT are fine, but there isn't much in a bottle. I'd like to make up a big batch.

My aim is to smooth out the smoke, not to flavor it. Been looking for liquid citric acid--hard to find in stores. Maybe the 2% citric acid solution for cigar tobacco would be the way to go. I'm sure I can buy it online. It probably should be "pure" and not contain preservatives, binders, etc.

I'd be interested to hear what results people have had with home made casings.

CT
 

ChinaVoodoo

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Homebrew stores sell something called acid blend. It's citric acid, malic acid, and tartaric acid. Different brands have varying percentages. I know you can also get malic acid, straight, as well as lactic acid. That's where I would start of I was looking for food quality acids.

Solid acid and liquid acid only have one difference: water content. Just get a powder and dissolve it, and you'll have what you would have if you found liquid acid.
 

leverhead

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Citric acid crystals look like sugar crystals and are easy to find, making a solution of your ingredients is pretty easy too. If you're casing cigarette tobacco, I'd case it after shredding. The shredders get gunked up bad enough as it is, without any sticky stuff added.
 

Jitterbugdude

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I would shred, then apply the casing. Depending on what you add the casing can get a little sticky and that's the last thing you want running through your shredder.
As far as to what type of sugar to use (molasses, honey etc) I'd say it's up to the guy doing the mixing. I think if you use molasses you'd probably want the get the sulfur free kind. Maple syrup makes a nice casing.
 

Gdaddy

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I gave up on using sugar. Never got the sweetness I was looking for. When sugar is burned it turns acrid tasting and was not good. The Citric acid is undetectable and smooths the tobacco by lowering the ph. My suggestion would be to try that first. Spray a 2% solution and allow 24 hours to soak in. Then dry to proper casing. Walmart has it in powder form for around $2. Very easy to mix using warm water and makes a lot of solution.

Licorice is another popular additive that does sweeten the smoke but it has been determined that when burned, it produces bad chemicals one of which is benzene, a known carcinogen.
 

CT Tobaccoman

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Homebrew stores sell something called acid blend. It's citric acid, malic acid, and tartaric acid. Different brands have varying percentages. I know you can also get malic acid, straight, as well as lactic acid. That's where I would start of I was looking for food quality acids.

Solid acid and liquid acid only have one difference: water content. Just get a powder and dissolve it, and you'll have what you would have if you found liquid acid.

Thanks for that info, CV. But I have no idea what effect malic acid or tartanic acid might have on tobacco.
 

CT Tobaccoman

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I gave up on using sugar. Never got the sweetness I was looking for. When sugar is burned it turns acrid tasting and was not good. The Citric acid is undetectable and smooths the tobacco by lowering the ph. My suggestion would be to try that first. Spray a 2% solution and allow 24 hours to soak in. Then dry to proper casing. Walmart has it in powder form for around $2. Very easy to mix using warm water and makes a lot of solution.

Licorice is another popular additive that does sweeten the smoke but it has been determined that when burned, it produces bad chemicals one of which is benzene, a known carcinogen.

Thanks Gdaddy. You told me what I want to know. What department in Walmart has citric acid? Powder is better than liquid for making a 2% solution, seems to me. Would you spray the whole leaf or the shredded finished blend?

I think licorice is in WLT's all purpose casing. It almost smells like A-1 Sauce. No idea what is in his FC casing. I find WLT's casings helpful but they don't quite smooth the cigarette blend enough for my taste, so I'll get over to Walmart and get citric acid. Thanks for the warning about sugar--need not waste time and leaf with that.

Thanks Gdaddy for bringing this old method to light. I used to be involved in the bulk sweat of Conn Shade when I worked there, but nothing was added by us. Maybe in the actual factories, I don't know. All who grew up on American cigarettes are accustomed to sweetening agents, which I guess is why many find raw leaf to be harsh.

CT
 

Gdaddy

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Thanks Gdaddy. You told me what I want to know. What department in Walmart has citric acid? Powder is better than liquid for making a 2% solution, seems to me. Would you spray the whole leaf or the shredded finished blend?

I think licorice is in WLT's all purpose casing. It almost smells like A-1 Sauce. No idea what is in his FC casing. I find WLT's casings helpful but they don't quite smooth the cigarette blend enough for my taste, so I'll get over to Walmart and get citric acid. Thanks for the warning about sugar--need not waste time and leaf with that.

Thanks Gdaddy for bringing this old method to light. I used to be involved in the bulk sweat of Conn Shade when I worked there, but nothing was added by us. Maybe in the actual factories, I don't know. All who grew up on American cigarettes are accustomed to sweetening agents, which I guess is why many find raw leaf to be harsh.

CT

They have an area in 'Housewares' for canning supplies. It's not in the food area. Around $2. Powder.

You need a scale to measure a 2% solution. Let me know if you need help.
 
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