mwaller
Well-Known Member
This is a great mold! Thanks, Maks and WLT!
Are these ready for the garden?
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Tutu
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It does indeed look very good, and new!
mwaller
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First two sticks complete from homegrown Corojo 99!
Tutu
Well-Known Member
Nice and dark. The colour is not very different from the Corojo I use, which is not homegrown. I see you even went about and made caps!
mwaller
Well-Known Member
I'm running the kiln at 128F. Humidity is supplied by the crockpot, and is not independently controlled. During my first kiln run, I had some mold problems that were the result of over-stuffing the kiln and excessive condensation.
I found that covering the kiln with a heavy blanket helps reduce the amount of condensation that forms. Now that I run fewer leaves in each load, it seems to work very well.
I found that covering the kiln with a heavy blanket helps reduce the amount of condensation that forms. Now that I run fewer leaves in each load, it seems to work very well.
mwaller
Well-Known Member
Thanks, Charly! I'm afraid that I will have to wait for quite a while to sample them. Some of the filler was in medium-high case, so it may take a long time to dry.
I welcome any tips you have for helping cigars dry down more quickly....!
I welcome any tips you have for helping cigars dry down more quickly....!
mwaller
Well-Known Member
Ok, folks. The verdict is in and the results are... not good!
I've rolled samples of each of my cigar leaves - Corojo 99, Havana 142, Vuelta Abajo, and Little Dutch. Quite frankly, none of them taste much like a cigar. The Corojo 99 is probably the pleasing of the lot, but it hardly tastes or smells like a cigar. At best it has a vegetal / floral character with with touch of burnt raisin toast flavor.
I'm wondering where the problem lies... is it in my soil or in my processing?
Thanks!
I've rolled samples of each of my cigar leaves - Corojo 99, Havana 142, Vuelta Abajo, and Little Dutch. Quite frankly, none of them taste much like a cigar. The Corojo 99 is probably the pleasing of the lot, but it hardly tastes or smells like a cigar. At best it has a vegetal / floral character with with touch of burnt raisin toast flavor.
I'm wondering where the problem lies... is it in my soil or in my processing?
Thanks!
First off... nice looking cigars
Assuming you kilned your leaf for about 4 weeks it could be many things.
1. Soil fertility: low nutrient levels, high nutrient levels or nutrient levels out of balance.
2. Time to harvest: You might have picked your leaf too early or too late.
3. The tobacco Gods do not like you.
4. Varieties chosen: I do not like Havana 142 for cigars. I like Little Dutch but it has a very unique "non-cigar" type flavor. Vuelta Abajo on the other hand is excellent. Not sure why it doesn't taste good other than #3 (above).
Assuming you kilned your leaf for about 4 weeks it could be many things.
1. Soil fertility: low nutrient levels, high nutrient levels or nutrient levels out of balance.
2. Time to harvest: You might have picked your leaf too early or too late.
3. The tobacco Gods do not like you.
4. Varieties chosen: I do not like Havana 142 for cigars. I like Little Dutch but it has a very unique "non-cigar" type flavor. Vuelta Abajo on the other hand is excellent. Not sure why it doesn't taste good other than #3 (above).
mwaller
Well-Known Member
The leaves I sampled were indeed kilned for 4 weeks at 128F. Is this an appropriate temperature?
I had my soil tested at the beginning of the season. There was nothing too surprising or out of whack; nitrogen was a bit low, so I added some 'natural' type fertilizers and compost. I had read that tobacco really likes potash, so I periodically added kelp meal and other slow-release amendments that add K.
If any of you 'experts' are willing to play Dr. Tobacco, I'd be happy to send some samples for comment and/or diagnosis.
I'm honestly no sure what I would do differently next year, and you know what they say about doing the same thing over again and expecting different results.... :-(
I had my soil tested at the beginning of the season. There was nothing too surprising or out of whack; nitrogen was a bit low, so I added some 'natural' type fertilizers and compost. I had read that tobacco really likes potash, so I periodically added kelp meal and other slow-release amendments that add K.
If any of you 'experts' are willing to play Dr. Tobacco, I'd be happy to send some samples for comment and/or diagnosis.
I'm honestly no sure what I would do differently next year, and you know what they say about doing the same thing over again and expecting different results.... :-(
Let your kilned tobacco rest for a few months. Roll cigars at the proper case, so they don't need to be dried out after rolling. If the tobacco smelled like decent tobacco prior to rolling, it should continue to have a similar smell after rolling.
I have no idea what impact "kelp meal and other slow-release amendments that add K" might have. Too many variable for my brain.
Next year, just use a single application of a low-chlorine fertilizer (5:15:5 or 10:10:10, etc.) and see how it turns out. The varieties should all be excellent.
Bob
I have no idea what impact "kelp meal and other slow-release amendments that add K" might have. Too many variable for my brain.
Next year, just use a single application of a low-chlorine fertilizer (5:15:5 or 10:10:10, etc.) and see how it turns out. The varieties should all be excellent.
Bob
mwaller
Well-Known Member
Thanks, Bob. The leaves don't smell bad at all, but they don't smell anything like cigar leaf. They smell more like hay or tea - pleasant, but not what I expected. I'm hoping time will help bring them around.
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