Buy Tobacco Leaf Online | Whole Leaf Tobacco

1st Time Flue curing, Looking for a bit of advice, Leaf isn't yellowing quick enough.

Status
Not open for further replies.

ChinaVoodoo

Moderator
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
7,166
Points
113
Location
Edmonton, AB, CA
That's some nice looking leaf. Curious as to how the aroma is. I've read in a few places where leaf straight outta the kiln needs to rest.

I haven't put any in the kiln. Doesn't need it. After making plug or carrot, it's ready to smoke in a week or two. At least now. Maybe not the day it came out of the flue curing chamber, but it only took a couple months.
 

KiwiGrown

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2018
Messages
105
Points
18
It's been 5 days now, 70% of my leaf is still green with maybe 20% yellow, 15% is 100% brown now and the other 15% is yellow with brown tips.

At this point do I keep colour curing hoping that the majority turn yellow or should I just move on and cut out the green ?
 

KiwiGrown

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2018
Messages
105
Points
18
Sorry about this terrible photo I'm on my phone, you cant see the leaves at the back but it gives you an idea of what they all look like.

I'm thinking the way I strung them up was a huge mistake also, note the leaves on the sides have all gone brown or yellow/brown and the ones in the middle where it drops down are green.

neymtk.jpg
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
At this point, I guess I would remove the leaves that are entirely or mostly green, and keep them cool and humid. Maybe they'll hold on for 4 days. Compete the current run with the yellowed leaf.

They really look like they differ significantly in maturity. Next run, prime only leaf that has begun to yellow on the stalk, and only 3 leaves max per plant.

My very first flu-cure run produced all green leaf. It was disappointing. (It smelled like cooking asparagus.) But experience makes each run better than the last. My second run was about 2/3 brown, but with some nicely yellowed leaf. Think of it as ballet lessons.

Bob

EDIT: I would also string the leaf closer together. They emit ethylene as they yellow, and that encourages its neighbors to yellow more rapidly.
 

KiwiGrown

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2018
Messages
105
Points
18
I pulled everything out of the kiln and to my surprise it was closer to 50% that had yellowed and/or browned, I ditched the droopy string idea and instead pulled some insulated wire tightly and tied the leaves into sets of 3, The green stuff I aired out and stacked it.

My N. Rustica I harvested and stacked the same day is all yellowed nicely, I hope the Virginia I took out today does the same I suppose ill just air dry it now.

Thank you all for your help, I wont be harvesting the rest of my leaf unless I'm dam sure its ripe.
 

KiwiGrown

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2018
Messages
105
Points
18
Silly question, If stacking them works and they take on a yellow colour, could I throw them back into the flue or would I not get desirable results ?
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
The trick to flu-curing is to move into leaf-wilt with all the leaf showing a similar degree of yellowing. If your next batch completes yellowing when the green orphans are also still yellow, then just add the orphans to that run, right before raising the temp to leaf-wilt.

Bob
 

Orson Carte

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2016
Messages
246
Points
28
Location
New Zealand
When moving the batch from the 'yellowing' stage to the wilting stage does it matter if some of the leaves are still showing a tinge of green?
I understand that a homogenous 'yellowy' colour is probably the ideal but are small variations of hue in stage one likely to even-out in the four days of higher temperature?
At the risk of sounding picky (which I really don't intend) the photo examples in post 18 seem to show a slight green tinge even in the 'finished' stage (and definitely in the 'wilted').
If there is indeed a hint of green, is this normal, and will the leaf just all homogenise given time.
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
Ignore a hint of green in the lamina, as well as green veins and green stem. If you wait for everything to become entirely yellow, the final leaf may turn out brown.

Also, faint green in the finished flu-cured leaf fades with time, and also fades if you can expose it to direct sunlight.

Bob
 

Orson Carte

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2016
Messages
246
Points
28
Location
New Zealand
Moving on a little in the process; after the stem-drying is complete, I would imagine that the leaf is going to be quite dry and brittle. How is it usually dealt with at this point?
I have been considering that a slow steam-maker (such as a crockpot) could be placed in the chamber, with the heat off. Or maybe a fine misting with plain water? Or maybe just hanging in the open air and let ambient humidity bring it into manageable case?
I'd be interested to know what others do.
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
When it is humid, I just open the cooled chamber, to allow the leaf to come into case. Otherwise, either light misting or (if I'm not in a hurry to put more leaf into the chamber) I heat some water in the Crockpot.

Sometimes, I can lift very dry leaf from the chamber, and hang it in my back porch to come into case.

Bob
 

KiwiGrown

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2018
Messages
105
Points
18
I was under the impression you can leave the dampers open over night and it brings it into case ?

I'm starting stem drying in about 5 hours, the humidty is already at 15%, not sure if that means I could start it sooner ? Smells a bit like wet dog in my garage at the moment.
 

KiwiGrown

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2018
Messages
105
Points
18
Good and bad news,

Tobacco is bone dry ahead of schedule and I managed to cure some yellow, the bad news is the reason I know its bone dry is I almost burnt down the garage!

When I got the temperature to around 160F I could smell something strange when I walked into the garage, the material I made the inside of the chamber out of, a PVC sheet similar to what the inside of a fridge is made of although it stays stable up to approx 170F, it does get soft which wouldn't of been much of a problem except the glue I used to fix the sheet in place Liquid Nails doesn't do to well at high temperature, the walls and ceiling had started to fall off and warp as the Liquid nails had come away from the timber!

Moral of the story check that every material of your build can operate up to 170F at least, I thought that I had but forgot about the glue.

I think ill have to pull it all off and replace it with Fiber Cement board, Lots to learn with this Flue Curing business, Sadly I cannot at this time afford to buy the Fiber cement board (In New Zealand building materials must be a lot more expensive then in the USA, I got everything for free except my Thermostat, The MDF board that I used to back the PVC sheet, Fixing materials and silicone, That stuff alone cost me $150+ USD) so I guess I'm stuck with air or sun curing the rest of my leaf this season.
 

KiwiGrown

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2018
Messages
105
Points
18
Consider the Cozy Can Kiwi. I had great success with it last year and is quite eassy to put together.

http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/1094-deluxestogie-s-Trash-Can-Cozy-Flue-cure-Chamber?highlight=cozy+can

It sounds like you had some major humidity management issues though if it dropped to 15%

The leaf had a hard life it was probably dried or at least a bit dried during Wilting, I'd say the 2 Slow Cookers ran out of water also during wilting. I've consider the Cozy Can, the only places I can see these Galvanized Steel Bins there selling them for about $75 USD, I'm broke could probably afford it but I'm also not paying $75 USD for a steel bin, maybe I can find a 2nd hand bin.
 

ChinaVoodoo

Moderator
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
7,166
Points
113
Location
Edmonton, AB, CA
My kiln is lined with expanded foam insulation, the white stuff with green on one side and silver on the other. The rating is pretty high. I can't remember what it is exactly, but I do recall checking prior to building the kiln, and it being ok. I don't think you risked burning down your garage. The ignition point of any plastic will be well above boiling point. Also, there's glue that goes on a calking gun that is specifically for the foam.
 

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
Congratulations on not burning down your garage. The actual moral of this story is always do a test run of your new kiln or flue-cure chamber, up to the expected operating temp. A test run, in addition to verifying that your materials will endure the conditions, also out-gasses solvents, plasticizers, etc., without the presence of your tobacco.

While 165°F is "hot" for many plastics, it's way below the boiling point of water. So most natural materials will hold up quite well.

Bob
 

KiwiGrown

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2018
Messages
105
Points
18
I did in fact do a test run, it must not have been long enough for the glue to melt.

I know the plastic wouldn't of combusted but if I hadn't noticed the smell it could of very well dropped off the ceiling onto the hot slow cooker and combusted.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top