Fermenting leaves for dip

[Jimbo92]

Hello fellow tobacco lovers. Have been lurking around here for a while but haven't been able to find the answer I'm looking for.

I live in a part of the world where the tobacco laws are extremely strict and frankly unfair. It is illegal to sell oral tobacco here, but you can import it for personal use. The catch is if customs intercept your package of lip candy, you will get charged a tax duty of around $450-$500 for a 5 can roll of dip.
Growing your own tobacco is also highly illegal, you would be better off cooking crack.

That being said, HYPOTHETICALLY, if someone were to grow a burley tobacco with the intention of making dip, once it has been picked and colour/air cured, would someone be better off fermenting the leaves or does it not matter so much when it gets 'cooked' the the process of making the final product.

Thanks in advance for any help in putting my mind to rest with this completely hypothetical question.

Jimbo.

 

[deluxestogie]

I don't use smokeless tobacco, so my reply is hypothetical. I suspect, after cooking and the addition of a strong base (alkali), prior fermentation won't make much of a difference, so long as the leaf has been well color-cured. For burley, that means allowing it to air-cure well beyond (3-6 weeks more) the stage at which it become brown.

Do read the Smokeless section of the WLT Wiki, which is linked at the top of the page.

Bob

 

[Alpine]

Welcome to FTT

pier

 

[deluxestogie]

And yes, welcome to the forum. Feel free to hypothetically introduce yourself in our Introduce Yourself forum.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Charly]

Welcome to FTT.
I have never tried to cook some dip, but your question is interesting, maybe someone had already tried to compare dip made with fermented VS non-fermented (or aged VS non-aged).

 

[plantdude]

I've done a few small batches for fun but don't have an exact recipe. I've tried it with aged leaf and fairly fresh leaf and did not notice a big difference.
Just going by my weak memory - I take about a handful of tobacco, roll it then chop it up fine. Toss it on a heated skillet at medium low heat and add a little whiskey (enough that the tobacco is moist and sitting in a little pool of it). Mix in a little salt, about 1/4 teaspoon, add more whiskey and let it cook most of the way off. Add a little pepermint oil extract to taste and about a teaspoon or so of molasses. I add a touch more whiskey and let it cook down until it's about at the moisture I want. I then add a pinch or two of sodium carbonate, which is optional but gives it the alkaline kick for nicotine absorption. It tastes ok when it cools but it improves after it sits for a few days. It will stink up the house a little while it's cooking.
Just as a note the sodium carbonate is not something you want to put in you mouth until it's mixed with moisture and the ph has a chance to neutralize somewhat. It can cause burns and is dangerous if you get it in your eyes or inhale it. Sodium carbonate can be made by heating baking soda to 200 degrees farenheight in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour. It works great for making your own laundry detergent as well Store any excess sodium carbonate in an airtight container for future use.
I'm sure there are probably better recipes out there, this is just close to a simple one I ran across awhile ago and tried a few times for fun. The end product turns out pretty good but with less kick than the store bought dips. I don't know what they do to the commercial stuff but it's scary.