Question on blending and storage..

[Olpipeman]

Hello, I just registered but have been reading extensively through the forum trying to understand how to work with my beautiful Whole Leaf tobacco. My first order came today and was of Canadian Flue cured lemon, Maryland, and some Thin Leaf. I enjoyed the Flue cured lemon already this evening and just pulled it out of the bag and shredded it. Yum! My question is two parts and I apologize that I haven't found the answers after reading many other threads. I am confused on what I think should be two basic questions.

Number One: Storage. I want to preserve the blends I make for years if I can. I'd like to create some blends that I can open in years or, maybe, decades. What do I need to do? I have always stored my commercial blends in mason jars and they do well for years. Of course, I know they have additives that preserve them. Can I do the same thing with Whole Leaf tobacco? If I shred it right out of the bags it comes in and stuff it in the mason jars will it last safely for years? Can it be stored years in the vacuum bags it comes in?

Number two: "aging". I enjoyed the tobacco right out of the bag but I assume it can get even better with some time. I have read many of the threads on using kilns. I am trying to understand the need for them. I'd like to keep things simple and I don't mind waiting a year (or three) if I can simply get the same results by setting the tobacco blends away in safe storage (the jars) for aging. I have plenty of tobacco in storage to last awhile as my new pure Whole Leaf mellows and ages.

If I do the following will it work for a good smoke that just improves with age: Order Virginia Blend from Whole Leaf. Shred it right out of the bag at the case it comes in. Stuff in clean mason jars. And set away for the future as it slowly improves?

Thank you very much for any help with this and clarification (dumb it down to simple steps for me?!) on how to store and enjoy aged tobacco!

Dan

 

[Knucklehead]

Aging requires a little moisture. No moisture, no aging, add a little water, aging continues. Without the preservatives, you will need to occasionally spritz the leaf with a little water. It will not hurt for the leaf to become brittle dry, but the aging will stop during that period. Since the leaf will be going in and out of case (out of case equals dry) the leaf will be very fragile while totally dry and the shred will be especially fragile. Mason jars are great. I use the poly nylon bags like the whole leaf comes in and just roll the top down about three times and secure it with a wooden clothes pin, and store the bags in boxes. Some store their leaf in plastic totes, although you will want to avoid plastics that off gas or smell bad. Don’t let your tobacco get too moist or it can mold.

The tobacco from www.wholeleaftobacco.com is already aged, although it may also get even better with age. Kilning is used for freshly cured tobacco that has not aged naturally. Kilning “speed ages” the freshly cured tobacco to avoid the years of wait. Natural aging only occurs a few times a year as the necessary heat and humidity intersect with the proper conditions. A kiln provides those conditions continuously for a month, so you have several years worth of aging in a month.

 

[Olpipeman]

Thank you so much for your prompt reply Knucklehead! I am glad that with Whole Leaf I don not have to worry about using a kiln! It sounds interesting but I have enough else to do in my life right now. I worry about molding but it sounds like if I keep it no more wet than the case level it arrives it will be ok.
Any suggestions for blending a good basic Virginia? Which leaf would make a good addition to the Flue cured virginia (Canadian)? I was thinking of trying their Virginia Blend...

 

[Knucklehead]

There are some good threads on making your own Cavendish by steaming or with a pressure cooker, and threads on making your own Perique process under pressure. Using the Search button can save you some time if you are looking for something specific. If you mainly smoke Virginia pipe blends then you can’t go wrong with the WLT Virginia blend. Each one adds just a little something different. Playing, experimenting, and creating your own blends is part of the process and enjoyment. (Not to mention saving $$$ and avoiding those chemicals) Enjoy.

 

[deluxestogie]

Familiarity with commercial pipe blends means that you are accustomed to tobacco that feels eternally soft. A sealed Mason jar will maintain whatever humidity it starts with. I would suggest storing a pipe blend that seems dry, but does not crumble when crushed. Once sealed, store it in a stable temperature environment, to avoid condensation.

I never worry about storing a blend, since I make up a 1-2 ounce batch, often have 3 or more current batches of different blends, and keep them in quart freezer Ziploc bags at my desk. I smoke them until they are gone. No prolonged storage. That allows me to experiment with new blends weekly.

This thread describes scores of pipe blends that you can make, and that use zero casings.

Pure Tobacco Pipe Blends You Can Make

While some varieties of tobacco can be enjoyable when smoked straight in a pipe, the flavor horizon can be broadened by simple blending of contrasting varieties and cure-methods. My goal in this thread is to present some pipe blends that do not use casing of any kind. [Practically all...

fairtradetobacco.com

With Virginia tobaccos, I usually prefer to balance the pH to eliminate tongue bite. The most effective ingredient for that is Perique (excellent, St. James Parish Perique is available at WLT). A pure Virginia/Perique blend seems to pH balance at about 5 parts Virginia to 3 parts Perique. Another approach to balancing Virginia is to use Maryland or Burley or Dark Air-Cured instead of Perique, though the ratios differ for each variety. For your Maryland, start with the 5:3 ratio, and adjust it from there.

Do read about making your own Cavendish, since it is quite easy to do, and adds wonderful notes to your blending experiments.

Bob

 

[MarcL]

I use mason jars. I really just visit them ones in a while. I have found mold is a hard thing to come by but, maybe its because its kept in a cool place.

 

[Olpipeman]

Thank you very much Bob for your response! I guess part of my long-term storage goal is to have a sufficient cellar full incase the (gasp!) government bans online tobacco sale. The other reason as stated above is the assumption that a long-term storage will slowly be improving by slow aging.
I am excited to try your suggestions, though I think the Perique was sold out when I checked...

 

[BarG]

If you are shredding and storing I hope you have no probs. I had problems if my stems weren't dry enough from tobacco beetle getting in my baccy., I am in central Tex and it's tough to store if not dried properly

 

[deluxestogie]

You can make Perique at home fairly easily, though once set up, it takes at least 3 months to finish. It can be made with any variety, but burley, Maryland and Dark Air-Cured make some really dandy Perique. Read the thread on it. (Hint: you basically stuff a container capable of holding liquid with a bunch of soggy leaf, clamp pressure on it, and maintain a water seal around the edges. It stinks for a week or three, then it smells fruity, then it becomes wonderful.)

Cavendish is essentially cooked tobacco. It takes a pressure cooker about 5 to 8 hours, or in a boiling water bath 8 to 20 hours. I presently stuff very damp leaf into a canning jar, seal it, and cook away. I typically make 4 to 6 different varieties of Cavendish (in separate jars) each time I set it up. Once a jar if finally opened--and will therefore no longer be sterile, I dry down the contents of that jar for shredding and storage. An unopened jar can store indefinitely, even though the leaf is soggy. Unlike commercial Cavendish, which always is infused with propylene glycol, home-made Cavendish will dry down to a dull brown, and be much smoother to smoke. I've made Cavendish from probably 20 different tobacco varieties.

Bob

 

[tullius]

Welcome. Assume you are blending for pipe by your username. If not, same notes below apply anyways.

1. For tobacco that is not stoved, toasted, cased, pressed, made into perique or turned into cavendish (i.e., exactly how you get it from WLT): I shred and store in a semi-breathable container in my humidor until I'm happy with the taste and smell of each individual tobacco. Many times, it's ready to go into a blend right away. Then, I'll make the blend and vac seal it in mason jars. The vac seal will slow down some aging reactions but not stop them, and you can store the jars out of the humidor indefinitely without risk of mold, major change in flavor, or loss of case. All commercial tobacs are vac sealed this way in metal tins which are good for decades if not more: have some in cellar going on 25 years. I use a foodsaver type vacuum machine from aldi with the foodsaver brand mason jar adaptor, works great.

2. You don't need to kiln or flue cure tobacco from WLT, it already has all that done if it needs it by the time it gets to us.

3. You can store in non-vac sealed mason jars, but you'll have to keep watch to make sure the case isn't too high that you get mold, or too low that it gets dry and crispy.

 

[Olpipeman]

Thank you, each one of you, for all the helpful replies! I am going to get another order in to try a few other types. I hope to get some Preque and make that Cavendish for sure! In getting the moisture right for storage, is the level of case it comes in from WLT about right or should I go a bit more dry?

 

[tullius]

Level of case out of the WLT pack, after shredding & blending operations, is in the right case for storage for me where I'm at.

 

[deluxestogie]

in the right case for storage for me where I'm at.

The "where I'm at" is important. The percent moisture content of tobacco as it is received (sealed) from WLT varies, but not by much. It is ideal for long term storage at the WLT warehouse in Akron, Ohio, in their ambient warehouse temperature and humidity. For unopened bags of tobacco from WLT, the case is likely to be just fine for weeks to months in the ambient conditions of most recipients, though not necessarily during the shipping journey. But since the relative humidity within a closed container varies by temperature, it is important to store unopened bags in a stable temperature environment, and wise to open and inspect the case of the tobacco in your conditions within the first few months that you have it--certainly within the first year that you have it. Tobacco that is just barely over ideal relative humidity may begin to show mold (on the stems first) over a period of months to a year.

The mantra that WLT tobacco in unopened bags is in ideal case for storage is relative to your location and your conditions of storage. It never hurts to carefully open the bag, and inspect the contents for moisture, so long as you re-close and seal the bag. [Rolling the cleanly cut, open end, then clamping it works well for prolonged storage.]

Once you open the bag, whether or not you go on to further process the tobacco, the state of its humidity is entirely in your hands. If you fail to inspect the tobacco within the first few months, then you may discover that the universe is not friendly.

Bob

 

[Olpipeman]

Thanks again for the help and suggestions! So much wonderful knowledge on here...
I have another small order coming with Red and some Oriental to mix with the Canadian Flue cured lemon I have. Can't wait to mix her up! Is pressing something that changes or improves the blends significantly? Again, I am trying to keep it simple...

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

There are different techniques for pressing. Results from moderate pressure, moderate moisture levels, and short time periods, in my opinion, are anecdotal and probably due to regular old natural aging.

As soon as these factors are taken to higher levels, ie high pressure, high moisture, the changes become more apparent. I hesitate to try to summarize exactly what the changes are under various parameters. I have theories but I could be off base.

I can tell you my observations though.
I just undid a high case, one month, bright tobacco carrotte, and it is much darker, and smells different, and is reminiscent of MacBaren Dark Twist in scent. It was more cigarette tobacco like before.

 

[deluxestogie]

I just undid a high case, one month, bright tobacco carrotte, and it is much darker, and smells different, and is reminiscent of MacBaren Dark Twist in scent. It was more cigarette tobacco like before.

Flue-curing achieves a desired state of maturation/oxidation, then intentionally nukes the primary oxidizing enzyme, and dries the leaf.

What you may have witnessed with your carrotte is the creation of conditions in which the remaining (temperature-resistant to 191°F) oxidizing enzyme in the previously flue-cured tobacco has been allowed to resume significant oxidation. But that possibly in combination with microbial action.

The spirit has withdrawn from my crystal ball, and refuses to say more.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

My chicken bones in my wooden bowl tell me that chemical reactions can surprisingly happen without the assistance of enzymes.

I think leaf chemistry is less dependent on enzymes when pressure is introduced to cased leaf because rupturing of the cell walls allows for distribution and mixing of both liquid and solid leaf contents that would normally not interact. Pressure plus complex mixture equals stuff happening.

 

[deluxestogie]

The subject of chemical reactions can become complex in a hurry. No enzyme (or more generally, no catalyst) can cause a chemical reaction that does not already occur in its absence. The role of an enzyme (or more generally, a catalyst) is to exponentially increase the reaction rate. I really try not to make the answer to a question require a deep knowledge of a branch of science. On top of that, my own understanding of the poorly studied processes of tobacco senescence, color-curing, fermenting and further aging is incomplete.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Me too. That's why I referenced voodoo as my source of information.

 

[matheuse]

There are different techniques for pressing. Results from moderate pressure, moderate moisture levels, and short time periods, in my opinion, are anecdotal and probably due to regular old natural aging.

As soon as these factors are taken to higher levels, ie high pressure, high moisture, the changes become more apparent. I hesitate to try to summarize exactly what the changes are under various parameters. I have theories but I could be off base.

Voodoo, I'd love to read those if you could share.