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My First Harvest and Processed Virginia.

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Goshawk

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Hi all,
I decided to grow my first crop of Virginia last year and have just completed the drying and processing.
WOW, what a great smoke I have created in just a few easy steps I will share with you as it turned out better than any cigarette I have ever smoked.

After air drying the leaves until the green color had mostly disappeared, I took the "hands" and placed them in an unused fridge. Just piled on top of one another.
I placed an old rice cooker without lid in bottom of the fridge and set it to cook. I let all the water boil off in steam (Took about 12 hours).
This resulted in the tobacco being moistened and heated to a high temperature.
The tobacco changed color from a light brown, to a dark brown/black. (I suppose I made a Cavendish of sorts).
The tobacco smelled like a herbal tea after this process.

Then I replaced the rice cooker with a crock pot filled with water (Again no lid), and kept it in the fridge for 2 weeks, ensuring there was always water in the pot.
After about 7-10 days, the tea smell became less pronounced and after 14 days the tobacco started to smell like tobacco.

The leaves were than removed from the fridge, and the "hands" were separated into whole leaves, and De-veined.

The De-veined leaves were then further air-dried and shredded.

The result:
The tobacco has a real soft feel, and is easy to roll into cigarettes.
My wife likes menthol, so I also made some into cigarettes using an electric cigarette making machine, using mentholated cigarette tubes.
The tobacco is extremely smooth to smoke, and has no harshness nor grassy taste.

Here are some pics of the product:
Tobacco-Leaf.jpgTobacco-Cut.jpgTobacco-Cutter.jpg

I only have 2 regrets:
  1. The temperature in the fridge was so high that it melted the interior (oops)
  2. I did not grow more.

So for my next harvest, I will built a proper insulated box to do the steaming and curing.
If I can manage it, I will grow enough tobacco for a whole years smoking and never do I want to buy tobacco again.

Regards,

Goshawk
 

deluxestogie

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Bravo for the endeavor. If you like Cavendish cigarettes, then you're all set. Since you are considering building a chamber, you might want to look at the threads on flue-curing. It's a 5 day regimen without the added water. The result is bright tobacco--if that's what you want.

Bob
 

Nesikep

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It definitely is rewarding to grow your own... I just find I get no satisfaction after smoking a commercial smoke.. I have one of mine, even if it's not a good blend or it's a bit harsh, I enjoy it more and don't want another 5 minutes later
 

Goshawk

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I agree, growing you own is very satisfying. You are also sure of what you are actually smoking.
 

Floppy2

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Wow! Good job sir! I will pass this information on to my son. Natural smokes. Natural cheese (which I will be making from raw milk this week), my own food from my own garden, yarn from raw wool I wash with my own soap....it all matters! There is nothing like it.

bjr
 

Brown Thumb

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Nice Work. No matter how much I cough or puke smoking one of my blends it still taste good:D
 

ProfessorPangloss

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It's the sensation of regaining control over a tiny portion of one's immediate environment. We step back from the civilizing force of modernity.

Bob

Hear hear. There's always that tiny voice that says that what you're doing could be done better, cheaper, or more efficiently by some impersonal corporate forces, if you'd just pay up. But you can't put a price on your own accomplishments.
 

Nesikep

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Wow! Good job sir! I will pass this information on to my son. Natural smokes. Natural cheese (which I will be making from raw milk this week), my own food from my own garden, yarn from raw wool I wash with my own soap....it all matters! There is nothing like it.

bjr
Yep, I have a bunch of beef cows, one I milk on occasion and make yogurt.. We also grow our own heritage wheat, of course eggs, potatoes, and the rest of the goodies in the garden
 
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