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Hello from Las Vegas! Man o man do I have a bunch of questions...Nice to meet you!

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vegasjoe

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Hello everyone!


Here's my backstory... Started smoking way back in 1988. I enjoyed all kinds of rolling tobaccos back then. Three Castles, Virginia something...came in a green package, but my absolute favorite was Drum. At the time I was rolling Drum when it was still made by Douwe Egberts. I live in the US and when Sara Lee acquired Douwe Egberts the company decided that it didn't want to face any possible litigation resulting from tobacco use so Sara Lee stopped the importation of Drum Tobacco to the US. I tried to get into other brands...Jester, Bali Shag, Samson but I just couldn't get into them. I switched to pre-rolled and soon quality tobacco was a thing of the past and I was sucking down the "junk food" of the tobacco world; Camels and Marlboro mostly.


Then last Summer I enjoyed a really great cigar, so I bought a few of those...
Then last Autumn, I enjoyed a bowl of really good pipe tobacco on a camping trip...
Then over the holidays, on a whim I bought a pack of Nat Sherman MCD Black....and BLAM! I remembered what it was like to enjoy quality tobacco in a cigarette.


So I get online to see what I can possibly order only to find out that the rolling tobacco market in the US has been completely gutted. Not one decent brand of rolling tobacco is available anywhere. I can't find anything online. I can't order from overseas. Here in Las Vegas, every pack of the new crap Drum is drier than the desert. The only decent hand rolling tobacco I could find was Bali Shag for $40!!!! Holy Crap! I remember buying Drum for $5 (way back in 1991). I even remember buying it for $12, but $40 for a single can of tobacco that wasn't my favorite! Robbery!


As I’m searching for rolling tobacco, I stumble upon WLT. I’m just wowed! Then I find this place. My kind of people. I’ve brewed my own beer, made mead, make my own soap, and load my own ammo. Now I’m like, “What?!?! I can process and make my own rolling tobacco?!?! I’m down for this!”


So I got my first order of whole leaf. I ordered three blends from WLT: Balkan Sobranidje, Euro Halfzware and the Virginia Blend. I’m enjoying all of them. Definitely better than the “junk food” smokes.


I’m looking forward to making my own blend but have so many questions. I’ve read. I’ve searched. I’ve even looked in other forums, but can’t seem to find the answers, so maybe you all can help with the following:


1. How do I get a shred closest as possible to a shag cut like Drum or Bali Shag? I got the 0.8mm shredder from WLT and it’s nice, but I’d prefer an even finer shred. I can’t afford $300 to spend on a guillotine cutter. I’d prefer not cutting it by hand with a knife and board. Are there any shredders out there that would do the job? I know there is a new 0.7mm shredder but I don’t know of 0.1mm will make much of a difference. I’m looking for a 0.2-0.4mm shred.


2. Regarding using a kiln…I understand that a kiln is used to force age tobacco. My living circumstances don’t allow me to build a kiln. If I buy a bunch of tobacco and have it just sit, will it age producing a similar result? Will sitting in the bag prevent it from "aging". Does the kiln impart some kind of magic through forced aging that time can’t produce?


3. If I buy a bunch of leaves, how long are they good for? Will the leaves just “age” in the bag producing a better quality tobacco experience? On one hand I know that properly stored cigars will last for years and years. I know that some people will age tins of pipe tobacco before using them. On the other hand, I’ve read that cigarette tobacco should be used within 6 months. What gives? Shouldn’t the same rules apply to all tobacco regardless of the format it’s in?


4. Sometime back I got to try a vanilla hand rolling tobacco made by MacBaren. It was amazing! How the heck do companies impart that vanilla flavor? I tried vanilla extract and that didn’t work (contrary to that YouTube video I watched). I made e-juice for a while. All the vanilla and cream type flavorings contain Diacetyl which has been linked to various respiratory diseases, but they do produce an amazing vanilla flavor. Someone please tell me that there is a way to add vanilla flavor or essence to my cigarette experience without resorting to Diacetyl laced flavorings.

5. I read all the posts regarding Halfzware tobacco blends. I know it's a fools errand to try and reproduce Drum...but I'd like to ask everyone to post their favorite Halfzware Blend recipe. I'm sure through the power of the internet and of course the collective knowledge here, I'll be able to make my own stash and I'll enjoy just as much as I remember enjoying the old good Drum from the 80s.

Nice to meet you!

VegasJoe

PS, please don't get upset if you see these questions repeated in another forum...just looking for answers...I can't be the only one...
 

Charly

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Welcome on FTT VegasJoe :)

I smoke only pipe and cigars, so my answers may not be the best out there, but here is what I can tell you for 2 of your questions (I have only grown tobacco for one year now) :

2. A kiln is used to speed up the aging process, all is needed is heat and water : if you can keep your tobacco in low/medium case (enough humidity so that the leaves will not become dust when you touch it, and not too high humidity : the leaves must not feel moist to the touch) and with a temperature of around 50°C (120° Farenheit), than you tobacco will age faster than if it is under low temperatures.
(as I understood, if the tobacco is bone dry, it won't age)
I don't know if kilning is better than natural aging, but it is faster :)

3. If you keep your leaves in good conditions (not too dry, not too moist) they will be fine for many many years. I like my pipe tobacco (from commercial brands such as Cornell & Diehl or McClelland) when it has already some years of aging (5 to 10 years is great, but it's long...).

Charles.
 

SmokesAhoy

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Welcome, I don't smoke cigarettes but I can answer some of those.

2) you don't need to build anything, wlt leaf has already aged.

3) I don't think anyone knows the lifespan of whole leaf. It just seems to keep getting better. It's the additives that can go stale in store bought. The vapor proof bags allow slow aging. Many of us here buy some with no intention of using it right away. Freeze the bag of whole leaf just in case tobacco beetles were in it but then you can put it up for years, decades, whatever. Just keep away from extreme heat, maybe it doesn't even matter but that's what I do.

Basically you can store whole leaf for a very long time (possibly forever) and it just keeps improving but at the same time it's already had the necessary aging so can be used as is. It seems intuitive that there is a max shelf life but I don't think anyone has ever reached it when stored correctly.

I've tried dry snuff from the 50's and it's still good, a little too mellow to purposefully seek it out, but still good by all means.

Mould is the enemy but vapor proof bags in a desert will likely never meet that possibility.
 

Jitterbugdude

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Welcome, I'll add to the above comments: I believe you can get a .6mm shredder from Europe but I don't recall ever seeing a .4mm shredder and I look at shredders all the time. As for the Vanilla flavor the only way to get it like the pros is to use the high octane diacetyl stuff. Most people don't realize this but when a pipe tobacco manufacturer uses something like rum to flavor his tobacco he's not actually using rum but rather a potent synthetic version of rum. If you start growing your own you will probably find so much flavor in your own stuff that you will no longer seek out the flavored stuff. You could always add a little Deers Tongue to your tobacco. It is often used as a vanilla substitute but I don't know why because to me it tastes nothing like vanilla.

BTW, You being from Vegas I'm giving 10 to 1 odds that you'll like this forum!
 

rainmax

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Welcome, vegasjoe.


1.The closest is expensive. https://www.skret.biz/szczegoly-produktu/m18

2. Do you have a car?
Put your tobacco in high case into vapor proof bag and leave it in the car for one month. Every morning open the bag and rearrange all the leaf. Close it back. Check for humidity. During the summer day time temperature rise up to 130F. (sometimes more)
If it is to high just open a window for an inch. In three weeks time you will be surprised. And yes kiln makes magic. And later you can age as long as you wish.

3. Maybe you hear that ciggarette tobacco is good after 6 month of aging, before is harsh and not good. Longer aging, better tobacco.

4. I like my tobacco straight and love vanilla ice cream.

5. 60% Virginia, 25% Burley, 15% Prilep or any turkish tobacco +,-
or
50% Virginia and 50% mix of everything I have left for cigarettes... much better than any store bought tobacco...

enjoy the best tobacco forum as we all do here...

http://wholeleaftobacco.com/Flue-Cured-Virginia-Red-Leaf-FCV1.htm
http://wholeleaftobacco.com/Turkish-Oriental-Prilep-Prilep.htm
 

MarcL

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Welcome to Fair Trade Tobacco.
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s-l1600_zpsec1tblxy.jpg%7Eoriginal
 

burge

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Drum I believe is Virginia and dark fire tobacco, I find dons lemon when aged has the three castles taste. Especialy in the summer when I go fishing and take my tub it heats the tobacco and it sweats giving the three castles taste. The leaves apparently will age in the bags They will stay fresh for a long time. Balkan will be okay but buy the leaves and just let them sit. I do not use the casings as the tobacco really doesn't need it except for the Balkan.
 

ZigZagZeppelin

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Welcome, VegasJoe.

You sure found the right community for cigar and pipe smoking. There is a collection of growers and tobacco experts here and they are willing to share a lot of what they know.

Don's store "Whole Leaf Tobacco" has good product also.
 
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