Buy Tobacco Leaf Online | Whole Leaf Tobacco

Brown Thumbs Walk In kiln, Flue Cure, Attempt

Status
Not open for further replies.

deluxestogie

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 25, 2011
Messages
23,931
Points
113
Location
near Blacksburg, VA
The ventilation of a Roanoke Barn forces air through the leaf. So long as the humidity is on-program, that air is recirculated. When the program needs to lower the humidity, a valve opens in the ducting to variably vent the circulated air to the outside.

[By the way, I've seen used Roanoke Barns for sale for about $1200. That was several years ago.]

Bob
 

Knucklehead

Moderator
Founding Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2012
Messages
12,171
Points
113
Location
NE Alabama
The ventilation of a Roanoke Barn forces air through the leaf. So long as the humidity is on-program, that air is recirculated. When the program needs to lower the humidity, a valve opens in the ducting to variably vent the circulated air to the outside.

[By the way, I've seen used Roanoke Barns for sale for about $1200. That was several years ago.]

Bob

$1300.00 in Craigslist. $1000.00 without the racks. Decent photographs. Listed this month: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/grd/5173147927.html
 

Brown Thumb

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 4, 2012
Messages
4,057
Points
113
Location
Pa
But think of how impressed all the forum members would be. I'll bet there's away to partition it, and block of the vents to the rest.

Bob
I think I will pass.
Im just a little obsessed with making Bright Yellow flue cured leaf.
I like a challenge.:p
 

Brown Thumb

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 4, 2012
Messages
4,057
Points
113
Location
Pa
Jeesh I climbed up the ladder to check the fan rpm and cfm label and noticed the last Idiot that worked on the fan to free it up when it was frozen up and re seal everthing knocked the fan assy off somehow.:mad:
image.jpg
 

Brown Thumb

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 4, 2012
Messages
4,057
Points
113
Location
Pa
What are we looking at? Looks like some kind of dessert.

Bob
Lmao. Whipped cream strawberry pie.;)
actually the Red firesafe strawberry sealant should be connected. The whipped cream white sealant is covering some of the straw berrys.
Now Im hungry for some Pie.
A big leak at the the blower this season messed me up, I think. Not enough CFM. My own fault.
One last small load to go.:confused:
 

DGBAMA

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Messages
4,418
Points
63
Location
NORTH ALABAMA
I have come to similar conclusions this year. Once colored we want to evaporate moisture out of the leaf as rapidly as possible, not cook it out. Rh is important, but not as much as leaf moisture content. The sweetness comes from dwell time in the 120-130 deg range, much like making grain alcohol, carbohydrates to sugar. The fact that leaf yellows better for me in the greenhouse indicates a lack of fresh air or circulation within the chamber.

Yellow, then dehydrate as fast as possible. Hold 120-130deg long enough to create sugars, then go to stem dry to lock in the color/sugar (kill natural aging enzymes).

My last run may be my best yet, and I added no water at any point in the process.
 

Brown Thumb

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 4, 2012
Messages
4,057
Points
113
Location
Pa
Good Luck, DG.
The last batch could have been a little brighter yellow.
This is the first time I flue cured Bamboo Shoot.
I read somewhere that Bamboo shoot was a burly at one time then a flue cured?
Anyone know anything about it?
 

DGBAMA

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Messages
4,418
Points
63
Location
NORTH ALABAMA
Bamboo cured well for me, but thin, much like African red. Great plant but will probably leave the rotation next year.
 

Knucklehead

Moderator
Founding Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2012
Messages
12,171
Points
113
Location
NE Alabama

Brown Thumb

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 4, 2012
Messages
4,057
Points
113
Location
Pa
Bamboo cured well for me, but thin, much like African red. Great plant but will probably leave the rotation next year.
Nice plant but not a big producer and my leaf is thin also.
The flue cured smells great, I haven't tried tho.
It went in late late so that might be a issue also.
Got to go make some Tomato Jam:(
 

Gmac

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2014
Messages
200
Points
18
Location
Central Mississippi
My current theory on bright cure, is that after yellowing, humidity is the controlling factor to get a "bright" cure.

104 deg seems to be accepted as the temp where any green becomes ”set".

As far as drying brown/losing color, there seem to be thresholds too, where the rh/moisture content is too high for the temp, and the leaf cooks brown. Ie, don't go over 100 unless rh is below 90, 110 below 80, etc. I really think with enough airflow, Leaf drying could be done at normal wilting temps, then run straight to 155-160 to kill the oxidaise enzymes to lock the color. Moving temp in steps instead of gradual, is working fine, if using the falling rh to indicate when the next step should be taken.
I just did a batch exactly like you talked about here. when the humidity came down I really ramped the temp. when it got to 60% I jumped 5 degees an hour. from geen to finished in a little over four days.IMG_1887.jpgWill send another photo when I get it cased and spread out. Thanks, Gmac
 

DGBAMA

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Messages
4,418
Points
63
Location
NORTH ALABAMA
Bring those few green ones to high case and place in direct sun for a couple days, misting with water every so often. Most/all of the green will go away.
 

Brown Thumb

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 4, 2012
Messages
4,057
Points
113
Location
Pa
I Found a new use for the chamber.
We have had this rocking chair laying around in pieces for over 30 yrs.
It was my wife's Great grandmothers and it was so bad no one wanted it so my wife grabbed it.
We started restoring yrs ago and gave up, it that was that bad.
My wife and boy pulled it out a month ago to finish it for Grammy for Christmas.
Its More like me finishing it up. After a lot of dowels and biskets it actually is actually looking pretty good.
The back had me stumped tho. It is curved decorative wood V/S dowels like most.
Sometime last night in my dreams I figured it out.
Chuck the wood in the kiln.
It worked great, steamed at 220 in no time.
It is now strapped around the well expansion tank drying.
image.jpg
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top