Smokin Harley leaf curing (air cure )

[Smokin Harley]

Just one more step between seed sowing to the final smoking...
Just went out to the "curing barn " to check the leaf I harvested on Aug 10th. I had simply strung them on 18 gauge aluminum wire found at Home Depot . I looped one end around a sharpie marker and curled the end around, then I slid a computer made variety label with a 3/16" hole punched in the end. On the end of that tag I marked the approximate place on the plant ( Volado, Seco, Viso, Ligero etc) . Cut the other end of the wire at a sharp angle to create a sharp point . At about one inch up from the butt (stalk)end of the stem poke the wire through and slide the leaf to the opposite end ,leaves all facing the same way ,leaving a slight gap between each for air circulation. Once strung, secured the ends of the wires around nails driven into the rafters keeping the loaded wires as taut as possible.
When I picked them I had made the loaded wires into big loops so I could carry them to the barn easily. From the time they were picked to the time they were barn hung which was around 4 hours time,some had already achieved a slight wilt.
This afternoon being the end of 48 hours since hanging , I can definitely see most of the leaf yellowing slowly . Havana 608 leaf texture turning silky.
Barn temp is bumping 100*F with humidity around 45% . I have a kiddie pool in it with about 2 inches of water in it to add humidity . Everything is looking very good so far. Thinking about suspending a big bath towel in to wick up more moisture. Tomorrow we are supposed to hit 90*F and should continue a few days. Mid 80's for the weekend.

 

[DGBAMA]

Sounds like it is going well. I would want higher humidity, at least until leaf yellows. might consider even wetting the floor if that is a possibility.

 

[Smokin Harley]

well, thats the reason I put the kiddie pool in there. Like I said , thinking about putting in a suspended bath towel to wick more up ,maybe humidify better.

 

[Knucklehead]

What's the humidity at night? It usually goes up around here. You can leave the doors open at night to let in the humid air, then close them in the morning to trap the humid air inside.
Bunching your leaves together tighter will also allow them to "share" the moisture they are giving off as they cure.

 

[Smokin Harley]

this morning about 7 the humidity in the barn was right at 75% , temp was 65. leaf looks good. I moved them all a bit to get air circulation .
More yellowing going on...so far so good , fingers crossed.

 

[Knucklehead]

this morning about 7 the humidity in the barn was right at 75% , temp was 65. leaf looks good. I moved them all a bit to get air circulation .
More yellowing going on...so far so good , fingers crossed.

That's not a bad average. Alot better than a steady 45%. Keep doing what you are doing, watch the leaf and adjust as needed.

 

[Smokin Harley]

Yeah , I hope I'm doing good. I figure its not too far from the old ways .. grow it , throw it in a barn and wait til its dry then wait some more.

 

[Ben Brand]

Living in a very dry country, and using my car port to hang my tobacco for curing, I put loads of leaves on the cement floor and keep it wet (use it later for compost). The side are covered with shade cloth, to try and keep the dry wind out, I wet the cloth as well. It works for me. Good luck!!

 

[kullas]

Sounds like you have everything under control. Mine are all brown now. All I'm waiting on is the rest of the plants to get ripe

 

[Smokin Harley]

went out last night before dark to check the leaf,very nice progression of yellowing , not too many are solid green still...found a little green worm having late dinner on the RA Red...I squashed him and then found a small patch of tiny yellow eggs , squashed those too.

 

[Smokin Harley]

This mornings temp and rH check... 70* / 75% ,cloudy breezy day.

 

[Smokin Harley]

last night another evening barn check ...75*/70%rH ,leaves are yellowing slow and looking great .Only a few are not turning at all and those are Pa Red . I must have picked them too early, maybe I haven't given enough time to tell for sure yet.

This mornings kiln check...turned off the crockpot at 8 , opened the door at 10 to add water .Most leaf not nearly as light as it went in a week ago. Noticed mold on some leaf ,mostly Va Gold and Little Dutch but all affected were mudlug leaf. All those affected were on the top shelf. One "hand" was a bit on the soggy side .
Machu Picchu Havana leaf so far so good , no trouble. Kiln not as grassy smelling as it did when I loaded it.

I refilled the crockpot with hot water, placed a piece of aluminum foil over the ceramic then pushed the lid down on top of it to make a better seal then wrapping the corners around the outer jacket. , removed the lid, poked 8 holes in the center of the foil with a nail and replaced the lid, keeping crockpot on low ,settings still to maintain 125*F. Closed door. Waiting another couple days to see how this second week portion of the run goes.

I did buy some (grade 5) plastic totes at Menards that have a foam seal in the lids , I'm tempted to try a batch with only misted leaf in sealed tote and kiln with heat only . Thoughts ?

 

[deluxestogie]

Vegetative growth of mold doesn't occur at 125ºF, even if the leaf is soggy. You might look at improving the air circulation, to eliminate cool pockets.

Bob

 

[Smokin Harley]

Might take a visit to the home improvement center to find a 50 cfm bath fan. Apparently my 4 little computer fans aren't pushing enough air around...I know , you told me so .

 

[Smokin Harley]

Opened the barn doors for today ...its an expected high of 91*F and its very humid. Barn thermometer (at the back of the barn wall just under the gable vent)
upon opening read 100*F and 60% rH . Got a south breeze blowing directly into the barns open door so hopefully it'll cool off inside and get some air circulating. Leaf looking good. Little Dutch doesn't spend a lot of time in yellow phase, maybe a day or so then goes right to brown. Florida Sumatra, Machu Picchu Havana and Havana 608 all yellowing nicely . PA Red looks like it will make excellent binder.
Too hot and humid out to do much today . I planned on more harvest today but after the last couple days of afternoon rain its a bit buggy and wet soil in the garden so picking may wait until tomorrow morning when things have dried out and under cloud cover .

 

[Smokin Harley]

We're expected to get back to summer temperatures and humidity this week. 90*+ temps coming by mid week. I have to go check the leaf in the barn this morning since I didn't yesterday. Fender Fluff( my wife) and myself took the War Machine for a nice 250 mile ride , met some friends and went to an estate turned park (Allerton Park) run by the University of Illinois near the town of Monticello.
Now that I have my order of vapor proof plastic bags from WLT I can now start kilning the color cured leaf in a more hopefully controlled manner.
I will be out running errands today . I'd like to pick up a cheap curling iron to seal these bags. Wifes aunt is a hairdresser and maybe if I ask nice I can talk her out of one of her old ones from her arsenal.
The small batch in the kiln is now on its 3rd week as of this morning. I opened it up to add water on Saturday and found I had let it go a bit and the leaf was dry, but looked ok, still smells a bit grassy.
The Madole I steamed Friday is hanging to dry and smelling a bit like chocolate covered fruit...
The first batch (1:1:1- little dutch, madole and black mammoth) that ended up with 24 hours of steam on it is drying still but I have yet to determine what the aroma is ... its nothing specific , its not bad, but I think it may be a light flavor that I will use to tone down another flavor .
I'll have to see what other color cured leaf I have ready and take a 10-12 leaf sample for the next experimental batch of cavendish...although wife just turned on the a/c this morning. I'd hate to have the stove top (steam)and the a/c fight each other...maybe wait until later in the year when the house is dry again. The humidor rH really likes it when I make cavendish ...

Bob, How do you think FL Sumatra would do as cavendish?? Think it would add some level of spiciness?

By the way - the Ojibwe translation for Tobacco Leaf is - Asemaa Aniibish (uh-say-Mah uh-nee-Bish)...my morning bit of mostly useless conversational information. Pipe is Opwaagan (ohp Wah gun)

 

[deluxestogie]

I have a pair of Ojibwe snowshoes. Does that count for something?

FL Sumatra as cigar wrapper is mild, with minimal distinct flavor. FL Sumatra as cigar filler is just "filler," kind of like mud lugs. So, I would expect FL Sumatra as Cavendish to be about as mild as one is ever likely to get. Might be a good one for adding a subtle flavorant.

Bob

 

[Chicken]

Sounds like your on a good path..I use a 10inch oscillating fan..

Sounds like you need better air movement...

 

[Chris A]

You can pick up a cheap Foodsaver type vacuum sealer and it has many uses in the kitchen, camping,etc. Since I'm bald I have no use for a hair dryer.

 

[Smokin Harley]

Chris, I was hoping to get over to my favorite thrift store for a cheap used curling iron (or maybe I don't come to think about where its been on some people I see) and see if they had an old "seal-a-meal" unit today but my home and away chores and errands didn't allow... and I still have to finish mowing.