ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
He had diagonal light colored lines down his side.
More cool stuff in Cold Lake:
Maybe you can identify these guys.
More cool stuff in Cold Lake:
Maybe you can identify these guys.
China Voodoo 2018 Air-cured and Rajangan
- Thread starter ChinaVoodoo
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F-104 and maybe an F-80. The pointy nose thing may be a Douglas CC-129 Dakota (a trainer for the radar housed in the nose).
Bob
Bob
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
I picked some KY17 lugs and washed them. This is how I wash them.
The water pressure needs to be low, otherwise you will bruise the leaf. See how gravity has an effect on the water stream? About that much pressure is the most you want.
Hold leaf against a solid surface and spray.
Leave on their sides so they drain a while before hanging. Sure, they would drain while hanging, but the humidity in the shed might get too high, and you might get wet yourself.
Simple as that.
The water pressure needs to be low, otherwise you will bruise the leaf. See how gravity has an effect on the water stream? About that much pressure is the most you want.
Hold leaf against a solid surface and spray.
Leave on their sides so they drain a while before hanging. Sure, they would drain while hanging, but the humidity in the shed might get too high, and you might get wet yourself.
Simple as that.
Very tidy. What are you washing away?
Bob
Bob
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
Washing isn't an overall norm, but in this case, I'm washing dirt off. We've had some heavy rains that have splashed up a lot of dirt, and some of these were touching the ground. Later this season, I'll be washing some aphids off some Goose Creek, and in the case of some Samporis, I'll be washing needles and dust from spruce trees.
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
This is the beginning of the rajangan process. I picked 4 leaves from about a third of the Samporis plants (5 plants). These were in the front yard, and are more ripe than those in the back. As you can see, Samporis has a mottled, alligator type ripening.
(Kasturi does too.)
So, I'll pile these until they are more yellow before slicing, and follow up with more pics.
(Kasturi does too.)
So, I'll pile these until they are more yellow before slicing, and follow up with more pics.
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
I processed some Samporis rajangan this morning. Fingers crossed. It's in a mini greenhouse with a little water below it, in a real greenhouse. I hope it won't dry too fast, or too slow.
It looks wonderful. I'm sure it could use some age.
Bob
Bob
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
You know it isn't cured yet, right?
Who knows what color it will be after it dries. Last year's experiment with Delhi 34 resulted in a medium brown cure.
There's a chance I might run into Tutu in Mexico in October. I hope he will be prepared to try my raja and will put his stamp of kudos on it.
Um...I did not. I was thinking it was sun-cured, and looking like a stunning flue-cure.
Bob
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
Sadly we don't have sun.
Correction. We have an orange/red sun. There's so much forest fire smoke!
Correction. We have an orange/red sun. There's so much forest fire smoke!
So you're saying that it is fire-cured?
Bob
Bob
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
You know, I saw this Myth Busters episode once. They tested the theory that running cheap vodka through a Brita filter turned it into expensive vodka. So they produced 10 or so different vodkas, i.e. cheap vodka filtered once, twice, etc, all the way up to 9 times. They then poured shots of all these samples, as well as an unfiltered sample, and a shot of an expensive vodka.
Then a vodka tasting expert tasted them all and accurately put them in order. Perfectly!
I'm willing to bet that guy could taste the forest fire smoke in the tobacco.
...and name the tree varieties that were burned. And whether old widow Baneford's house up the mountain side was lost in the blaze.
It would be unlikely that you could notice any effect yourself, since your nose is now inured to the smoke. (It's like asking a cat owner to notice cat odor.) But a smoker in, say Newfoundland, might sense a difference in your tobacco.
In Mexico, they don't fire-cure cigar leaf, but they help curing leaf remain dry by using "small, open fires in the curing barns". When I learned that tidbit a few years ago, I was finally able to understand why for decades I've been able to identify Mexican cigar leaf by its unique aroma. It's subtle, but there.
Bob
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
I asked Alejandro Turrent about that. He said that before fermentation the smoke flavor is quite obvious.
That is truly interesting. Perhaps if a traditional fire-cured leaf were fermented, it would dramatically tone down the smokiness.
Bob
Bob
ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
Finished Samporis Rajangan. I think I might have dried it too fast. It was only 2/3 days. Previous batches last year took 3/5 days. A couple weeks in the kiln, and we'll see if it matters. And that's the thing with this rajangan, is the work is already done. I spritzed it a bit, stuffed it in a jar, and it's already in the kiln, 7 days after I picked it. Easy rajeezy
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ChinaVoodoo
Moderator
I just smoked some a Isleta Pueblo lugs and I have to say, I wouldn't have even suspected it wasn't Nicotiana tabacum.
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CobGuy
Well-Known Member
That's a beautiful site ... I'd stuff a pipe with that! 
~Darin
~Darin
Tutu
Well-Known Member
Ay ayay that is the biggest Rajangan operation i"ve seen outside of Indonesia. Also the only one, but that's exactly why it's impressive. Do you color cure these leafs until they are yellow before you cut it? Or are the lugs yellow when you prime them? Otherwise you can just cut them while green and let them color to yellow after they've been cut. Colour of the finished stuff looks good though! Especially if you consider the lack of sun!
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