Again I believe this is a matter of taste. The batches I have made have not been kilned and I have gotten good reports. Personally I don't like it but am still playing with leaf choice and processing. My taste buds are shot anyway so what do I know?
Making Black Cavendish Pipe Tobacco
- Thread starter deluxestogie
- Start date
I have not tried making black Cavendish from leaf that is already kilned. I may give it a try with some kilned Little Yellow (dark air).
Bob
Bob
Question here. Since Cavendish has traditionally been used in pipe tobacco, would steaming shredded leaf cut down on the cook time due to the increase of surface area exposed to the steam?
In my experience no. I have steamed (pressure cooked) whole leaf, ribbed leaf and shred. There are always color differences but none I can attach to size.
In making my last batch in the pressure cooker, I left a dense stack of leaf (WI 901) on a perforated, aluminum pizza pan, well above the liquid, and kept the stack undisturbed during the entire 6 hours. When the cooker was finally opened, the outer portions of the leaf stack were soggy, while the inner areas were dry. All of it, of course, was subjected to the same temperature, but the outer, wetter leaf came out darker. The residual water in the bottom of the pressure cooker was nearly colorless.
So, I'm thinking that direct access to the moisture may be required for full blackening. In this context, a pile of shred might just blacken better than a stack of leaf. But I think it would be troublesome (messy) to handle it shredded.
Bob
So, I'm thinking that direct access to the moisture may be required for full blackening. In this context, a pile of shred might just blacken better than a stack of leaf. But I think it would be troublesome (messy) to handle it shredded.
Bob
DonH
Well-Known Member
I had the same problem using the pressure cooker method. I put the tobacco in a spaghetti strainer that had probably the same amount of holes as your perforated pie tin. It was made of stainless steel, not the screen mesh type. I was thinking that the next time I do this I will use a screen mesh strainer to get more contact with the steam.
Perhaps, just thoroughly moistening the entire stack of leaf prior to placing it in the cooker would remedy that.
Bob
Bob
For what it's worth all of my leaf was immersed in warm water and drained before steaming. I did it so I could get an idea of the right amount for my cooker.
docfitch1
Active Member
I would really like to try making cavendish. Where can I get some of the Maryland leaf to try? Also, how much would I need - a pound?
Ken
Ken
Can't help you with a supply but you can use any type of tobacco to make Cavendish.
DonH
Well-Known Member
BigBonner has Mayland 609 for sale.
A pound of Cavendish is a lot. Just think of how much you mix into your pipe blend. Why not try just a few leaves of what you have handy. You can get the process down and see if you like it without too much loss.
docfitch1
Active Member
Thanks DonH for the info.
I haven't really had any experience with whole leaf, so I'm not real sure how many leaves would be in a pound.
Ken
I haven't really had any experience with whole leaf, so I'm not real sure how many leaves would be in a pound.
Ken
Leaves per pound vary with the variety.
Bob
- Thin wrapper leaf (e.g. CT Shade): 80-140 /lb.
- Thick, large leaf (e.g. Burley, MD): ~30 /lb.
Bob
DonH
Well-Known Member
A pound isn't that much to buy. It's too much for one batch of Cavendish but because of the trouble you probably want to make a quarter pound at a time.
docfitch1
Active Member
Ken, Check the FAQ's It is outlined there.
docfitch1
Active Member
Well, I decided to try making some cavendish. I was gifted about ten leaves of Maryland 609 (thanks), and set a day aside to try it. It turned out just like in the instructions -although after about ten hours, it only got dark brown. About the only thing that turned black was the bottom and lower sides of the stainless steel pot! That took a lot of scrubbing. Oh well, it was a nice experience, and a tasty smoke.
Ken
Ken
Cavendish from Bolivia Criollo Black
I stemmed a very large string (~46 leaves) of Bolivia Criollo Black mid-to-upper leaf that had fully color-cured. This was compressed by hand to fit into the bottom half of a 1 gallon Ziplock, and rested overnight (to hold the compressed shape).
Using a large pressure cooker, with a tower of jury-rigged metal stacked inside, topped by a perforated pizza tin, I placed the compressed mass of leaf so that it was held completely away from the 4 cups of water contained in the cooker. It was sealed and brought up to pressure, so that the weight rocked gently.
I set a timer for 2 hours. This process fills the house with a potent (not unpleasant) aroma of cooking leaf. After each 2 hours, I turned off the heat, vented the pressure, opened the cooker, added 4 more cups of water, and loosely rearranged the soggy pile of leaf, in order to expose as much of the leaf to the direct moisture as possible. The cooker was then resealed and brought back up to pressure with heat. This was repeated for a total cooking time of 6 hours.
The wet leaf was then removed, gently teased apart, and piled onto a baking sheet that had been lined with aluminum foil. I will leave it to dry-down until it can be easily formed into roll-cake, and sliced. The slices will then be dried in the oven at 150ºF for 10 minute intervals, until the shred can be bagged. Freshly made Cavendish is very slow to dry, and will easily mold if not taken down to low case before storage.
I was pleased with the dark color. This batch turned out uniformly darker than previous batches. I do believe that direct exposure to the steam moisture within the pressure cooker is necessary to get that dark color.
Bob
I stemmed a very large string (~46 leaves) of Bolivia Criollo Black mid-to-upper leaf that had fully color-cured. This was compressed by hand to fit into the bottom half of a 1 gallon Ziplock, and rested overnight (to hold the compressed shape).
Using a large pressure cooker, with a tower of jury-rigged metal stacked inside, topped by a perforated pizza tin, I placed the compressed mass of leaf so that it was held completely away from the 4 cups of water contained in the cooker. It was sealed and brought up to pressure, so that the weight rocked gently.
I set a timer for 2 hours. This process fills the house with a potent (not unpleasant) aroma of cooking leaf. After each 2 hours, I turned off the heat, vented the pressure, opened the cooker, added 4 more cups of water, and loosely rearranged the soggy pile of leaf, in order to expose as much of the leaf to the direct moisture as possible. The cooker was then resealed and brought back up to pressure with heat. This was repeated for a total cooking time of 6 hours.
The wet leaf was then removed, gently teased apart, and piled onto a baking sheet that had been lined with aluminum foil. I will leave it to dry-down until it can be easily formed into roll-cake, and sliced. The slices will then be dried in the oven at 150ºF for 10 minute intervals, until the shred can be bagged. Freshly made Cavendish is very slow to dry, and will easily mold if not taken down to low case before storage.
I was pleased with the dark color. This batch turned out uniformly darker than previous batches. I do believe that direct exposure to the steam moisture within the pressure cooker is necessary to get that dark color.
Bob
Great post. I'm looking forward to your comparison of the Corillo Black with the Maryland.
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