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multiple kilnings....good or bad?

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Smokin Harley

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While I'm still getting my feet wet on the whole growing (Cigar) tobacco for the first year, I'm also diving head first into the kilning process of the same .Trying to wrap my brain around all the hows and whys while I get experience in this whole thing.
I understand the kilning of air cured tobacco is to simply speed up the aging process. One month of kilning basically taking the place of a long wait , possibly up to one year or more of natural aging. I am wondering now what multiple kilning will do to the leaf.
Is it just more "speed aging"?
Will mellow it out just as if it were forgotten and aged ?
Is there a point where additional kilning will not do anything but make my electric bill higher?
Will the leaf reach a "peak" of characteristics at a certain point and more kilnings will only just begin to decline the leaf?
Should each additional kilning be treated just the same as the previous?
Should there be a rest period?
Should each kilning in succession increase or decrease heat or humidity... heat yes, humidity no...vice versa...or does it matter?

I'm trying very hard to take the baby steps , not jump and make short cuts just yet. Hoping the next time I grow and cure I will have a better understanding on what I'm doing and most importantly why and then pass on what I've learned to the next guy.

Thanks to those FTT members /BOTL's who have helped me throughout the last year , the current grow and anything I may ask in the future. Always a great place to come bounce ideas off each other. Almost wish we could have some kind of live video chat once a month to discuss this stuff real time.
 

Chicken

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It's a good question...one I don't know the proper answer to.

But it would seem like one proper cooking is all you'd need to do.
 

SmokesAhoy

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Speaking of kiln basics, could anyone try this? Make 2 small twists, one with all green wilted leaf and one with yellow leaf, all juicy with sap from twisting and add them to the kiln with your normal run? I'm curious how they would turn out.
 

Smokin Harley

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ok heres another question ...say I've got my load in the kiln and its a 6 week expected time in ...its rolling along good at 125 and in the 3rd week , the power goes off for like one or 2 days ,temp declines to room temp(or say an unheated garage in upper IL in mid winter temp) ... do I need to start over or can I just resume temps at 125 and the other 3 weeks . Reason I ask that is -the neighborhood we live in tends to have flash power outages in inclement weather. My cousin around the corner from us says if a squirrel farts,it knocks out the power . Shortest time span was from a moments flash , on /off/on just enough to have to reset every clock in the house, to one time it was off for over a 24 hour period,through the middle of the night. The house which we keep at 72 went down to mid-50's . I know the garage was below freezing.
 

deluxestogie

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When the power goes out during a 5-day flue-curing run, there's a good chance that it will be a poor cure.

When the power goes out during a 30 day kiln run, I unplug the Crockpot, open the kiln door, and allow it to dry down to ambient. Once the power is back on (in 3 minutes, or 3 days), I add water to the Crockpot, then continue the kiln run where it left off.

Bob
 

kullas

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Some where on the forum I have read the ageing continues unless the temp gets up to a certain temp I want to say 169? I can't remember the exact temp. So to me another kiln would just be a extension of the first so that would take care of the 2nt question to. If I'm am right?
 

deluxestogie

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The oxidase enzyme within the leaf lamina is denatured (broken down) at ~149ºF. This is the principal "aging" enzyme. Peroxidase is stable up to about 191ºF, but its action is much slower than that of the oxidase.

Kiln temps should retain both oxidizing enzymes. Flue-curing eliminates the most active enzyme--oxidase, while preserving the slower peroxidase enzyme.

I have no idea what the "2nd question" is.

Bob
 

kullas

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The oxidase enzyme within the leaf lamina is denatured (broken down) at ~149ºF. This is the principal "aging" enzyme. Peroxidase is stable up to about 191ºF, but its action is much slower than that of the oxidase.

Kiln temps should retain both oxidizing enzymes. Flue-curing eliminates the most active enzyme--oxidase, while preserving the slower peroxidase enzyme.

I have no idea what the "2nd question" is.

Bob

Thank you i could not remember the temps
 

USHOG

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Kilning can alter the flavor dramatically in some tobaccos where as other tobaccos there seems to be not much change from natural aging. There doesn't seem to be a standard time for any leaf even from year to year but once you start tasting the leaf at different stages you will learn what you like from killing the leaf.
 

LeftyRighty

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I've got about 5-years experience and experimentation on kilning. My kiln was always set to the 115º to 125ºF range, somehow, I always felt more comfortable letting the temp fluctuate as that meant the humidity also fluctuated a bit. RH ranged from 70 to 80%. Two to four batches per season.

Experimenting – I found little difference between a 4+ week ferment and extending to 6 or 8 weeks, with the same tobacco strain, same year’s crop. Once, I did a 12+ week ferment, no noticeable difference. Most fermentation was at the 70-75% range, but if allowed to 80+% RH, outer leaf and leaf edges would go to high-case, making it easier to handle. Thus after the 1st year, I always forced the RH to 80-100% for the final week, and fluff the leaf, to bring all leaf into high-case so I could go straight to shredding for cigarettes. (after shredding, I’d open-air dry the shredded stuff to crispy-crunchy dry before packing into plastic bag storage. My experience, when shredded, and excessively dry, there always seemed enough ‘internal’ moisture that the tobacco returned to low-to-mid case in a few week’s storage. Thus, I’ve never worried or encountered mold in storage.)

I have the equipment and means to accurately determine exact % moisture by weight – just never bothered to do, as I’m comfortable with learning the state-of-the-art of it, in lieu of the science.

I will say that my tobacco seems to mellow or become milder after a few years storage. But all this is highly subjective, as every year I’ve added a few different strains, and blend strains indiscriminately, and smoke what I’ve got. I’m not picky!

Never had an extended power outage, usually just a few hours, and did nothing to the kiln. Although, if I lost power for days, I’d probably open the kiln and fluff leaf to allow it to go dry, as I’d worry about mold.

Most of last year's crop is still air-cure hanging in the shed, due to laziness. Am thinking of leaving about half for another year. Just curious! and lazy. Am currently taking a break from growing, as I have a 10-year supply in storage, but may try cigar strains next year.
 
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