'Oil of Havana' 1883 and other age old recipes...

[ArizonaDave]

Thanks MarcL. Man, this article left me wanting more details.

Here's another similar article showing photos of the maduro dying process. When I lay one of my maduro cigars against a Rocky Patel edge it looks artificial and a bit of an odd dark color. Very unnatural.

Take a look at this mess...

http://robustojoe.com/tobacco/maduro-cigars/

I actually did this once early in my rolling once purely by being "new" to Cigar rolling last year, trying to see if I could straighten veins that were curly, by soaking around a ¼ pound or so of tobacco in a small container. What I got instead were evenly colored leaf, and nicotine water., and it didn't straighten the veins (although I got quite a buzz having my hands in the water). I decided it wasn't worth it for me, and moved on.

Interesting article! Most everyone that works with WLT tobacco knows that the maduro leaf varies in color from tip to bottom, and actually I prefer the varying color. I even had a go at trying to roll the sugars spots in Dominican Seco into a wrapper, but the spots are not evenly strong, and gave up on that too. I guess I'll try a barber poll sometime soon, but prefer the occasional different color wrapper on the foot and tip, as it does play with the flavor somewhat, and looks great.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Gdaddy]

I actually did this once early in my rolling once purely by being "new" to Cigar rolling last year, trying to see if I could straighten veins that were curly, by soaking around a ¼ pound or so of tobacco in a small container. What I got instead were evenly colored leaf, and nicotine water., and it didn't straighten the veins (although I got quite a buzz having my hands in the water). I decided it wasn't worth it for me, and moved on.

Interesting article! Most everyone that works with WLT tobacco knows that the maduro leaf varies in color from tip to bottom, and actually I prefer the varying color. I even had a go at trying to roll the sugars spots in Dominican Seco into a wrapper, but the spots are not evenly strong, and gave up on that too. I guess I'll try a barber poll sometime soon, but prefer the occasional different color wrapper on the foot and tip, as it does play with the flavor somewhat, and looks great.

Thanks for sharing!

Funny, I did a similar 'washing' in a tub of water. The water ended up looking like tea. In the end the tobacco had lost much of it's character. Fail.

If you take some scraps and boil them down you'll end up with what looks like a dark coffee solution. If you add some sugar or honey or glycerine or dark molasses to that mix to take the edge off and you're left with a dark, high nicotine topping. I posted a video where they mention spraying the leaves with a "tobacco solution" and I think this might be it. A tobacco extract. Possibly this is the "oil of Havana" that the old books talk about as a topping. (sprayed on NOT soaked)

I mentioned in another post that if you get yourself a powerful, full bodied cigar and cut the end off and take a cold draw you can taste the power of the nicotine coming through before you light it. I don't get those nicotine 'fumes' even when I roll a puro using ligero only. I've come to believe this 'tobacco solution" is a way to both boost the nicotine and add uniformity to the color of the leaf at the same time.

 

[Raodwarior]

That Gdaddy is one of the cheats to shorten the production of Maduro wrapper, akin to dying it.

 

[waikikigun]

So how did it turn out, Gdaddy?

I'm going all in...

Bought a bottle of rum. El Dorado, a nice amber color. Notes of "tobacco and butterscotch". Cask aged 8 years. Not cheap but I'm going to drink it as well so it's money well spent. I last tried Myers dark Jamaican rum and didn't like the flavors at all.

The one item I see listed in almost every recipe is 'Valerian root' oil. I don't like cinnamon so I left that out altogether.

Here's my recipe...

Valerian root... 1 tablespoon (very earthy/woody like odor. I like it. )
Vanilla extract. 1 teaspoon
Almond extract 1/2 teaspoon
Glycern ... One eye dropper full ( to carry the flavors)
Rum... 5 oz.
Add water to make a total of 16 Oz. (one pint)

Lightly misted enough leaf to do a couple of cigars. Letting it soak in a bag for a day before bringing it back to proper case.

Nicaraguan seco
Criollo98 ligero
Aleman ligero
Piloto seco

The finished mixture is a very earthy odor with a slight hint of sweetness. The one tablespoon of Valerian root really brings out the main character of earth/woodiness that I really like and retained it over the rum. The whole mixture smells amazing. There is no soda pop, candy cane or bubble gum in this solution. I really hope some of these smells carry into the smoke.

Rolling the cigar late tomorrow using an untreated criollo 98 wrapper and let it dry for at least a week before smoking it. The results come slowly but I hope it''s worth it.

G

 

[Gdaddy]

So how did it turn out, Gdaddy?

I like it very much.

Have since changed the recipe.Tweak.

I used up half of the mixture.Then got the idea to simmer (not boil) some cigar leaf scraps and made a very dark solution in distilled water with a touch of citric acid added. Soaking for 24 hours it yielded a small 10 oz. bottle of VERY dark coffee like mixture. I poured that into the remaining 10 oz. rum mixture for a total of 20 oz.

Again sprayed the leaves (binder and filler only), let them soak over night and then dried them out ready to roll.

I have not yet tried this cigar (letting it rest a few weeks) but I can say it smells even better with a richer tobacco flavor. I feel this cigar could be the real winner. The Cubans have been doing stuff like this for a very long time. They call it 'Petuning'.

These leaves can be blended with other 'non-Petuned' leaves if so desired. Have made several cigars with all treated filler and some with lesser amounts.

 

[waikikigun]

Thanks. Can you clarify one aspect of your procedure: What soaked for 24 hours? You simmered the scraps, let them cool, then added the citric acid and let the leaves continue to soak in that solution for 24 hours before straining out the leaves?

I like it very much.

Have since changed the recipe.Tweak.

I used up half of the mixture.Then got the idea to simmer (not boil) some cigar leaf scraps and made a very dark solution in distilled water with a touch of citric acid added. Soaking for 24 hours it yielded a small 10 oz. bottle of VERY dark coffee like mixture. I poured that into the remaining 10 oz. rum mixture for a total of 20 oz.

Again sprayed the leaves (binder and filler only), let them soak over night and then dried them out ready to roll.

I have not yet tried this cigar (letting it rest a few weeks) but I can say it smells even better with a richer tobacco flavor. I feel this cigar could be the real winner. The Cubans have been doing stuff like this for a very long time. They call it 'Petuning'.

These leaves can be blended with other 'non-Petuned' leaves if so desired. Have made several cigars with all treated filler and some with lesser amounts.

 

[Gdaddy]

I would add that the citric acid does seems to smooth the tobacco.

Not sure why but when the leaves are sprayed with a 2% solution and stacked in a bag they get warm to the touch.Must be some reaction with the acid.

 

[FmGrowit]

Acid cigars is another example of tobacco leaves being altered from their natural state and they have made a very successful product doing it.

 

[Gdaddy]

Thanks. Can you clarify one aspect of your procedure: What soaked for 24 hours? You simmered the scraps, let them cool, then added the citric acid and let the leaves continue to soak in that solution for 24 hours before straining out the leaves?

Sprayed the leaves with the 2% solution until they were sopping wet. Then poured enough distilled water to just cover the leaves. Used about 2 good hand fulls of scrap leaves in a pot.They loose a lot of volume when wet. Then let them soak at room temp for 8 hours then placed them on the stove at a very low temp. Strained in a coffee filter the next day.DARK mix.

You could try more or less. I'm just guessing at this point but I did very much like the result.

Also add some more Valerian root extract and a touch more vanilla to the finished solution. You can not smell the vanilla or Valerian. I also added about 3 oz. of Everclear alcohol so the mixture doesn't turn moldy.

The finished cigar smells only of rich tobacco.

The first cigar had the rum as a flavor and preservative.Though the finished dry cigar has no rum flavor. This new mix is half the amount of rum so this is the reason for the addition of the alcohol. The rum odor is non-existent in the latest mix once the cigar is rolled and dried.

You may like more or less rum. This is a base starting point.

 

[Gdaddy]

Acid cigars is another example of tobacco leaves being altered from their natural state and they have made a very successful product doing it.

Tried a few but never cared for them.

I want the cigar to taste perfectly natural with no indication of any flavorings or additives.

 

[waikikigun]

Thank you very much.

Sprayed the leaves with the 2% solution until they were sopping wet. Then poured enough distilled water to just cover the leaves. Used about 2 good hand fulls of scrap leaves in a pot.They loose a lot of volume when wet. Then let them soak at room temp for 8 hours then placed them on the stove at a very low temp. Strained in a coffee filter the next day.DARK mix.

You could try more or less. I'm just guessing at this point but I did very much like the result.

Also add some more Valerian root extract and a touch more vanilla to the finished solution. You can not smell the vanilla or Valerian. I also added about 3 oz. of Everclear alcohol so the mixture doesn't turn moldy.

The finished cigar smells only of rich tobacco.

The first cigar had the rum as a flavor and preservative.Though the finished dry cigar has no rum flavor. This new mix is half the amount of rum so this is the reason for the addition of the alcohol. The rum odor is non-existent in the latest mix once the cigar is rolled and dried.

You may like more or less rum. This is a base starting point.

 

[waikikigun]

GDaddy, I wonder what you're losing by excluding the saltpeter and aqua ammonium from the mix (putting aside the coffee thing). I think I recall a saltpeterish taste to some Hondurans I smoked about 20 years ago, which I liked. But I wonder if the ammonium actually imparts an ammonia smell and if that's something they enjoyed in the 1880s, or whether it just has some chemical compounding effect. Bentley uses quite a lot of it in his recipe.

I'm going to try to get some raw coffee beans so I can do a coffee version of your formula as well.

 

[Gdaddy]

GDaddy, I wonder what you're losing by excluding the saltpeter and aqua ammonium from the mix (putting aside the coffee thing). I think I recall a saltpeterish taste to some Hondurans I smoked about 20 years ago, which I liked. But I wonder if the ammonium actually imparts an ammonia smell and if that's something they enjoyed in the 1880s, or whether it just has some chemical compounding effect. Bentley uses quite a lot of it in his recipe.

I'm going to try to get some raw coffee beans so I can do a coffee version of your formula as well.

I tried the coffee one the best I could but had poor results. Please let me know how it goes.

The salt petre is not for flavor. If the cigar tobacco burns poorly or use thick wrappers it works well. I want to avoid this if I can. Use a thin good burning binder and a thin wrapper and it will burn perfectly without it. JMHO.

 

[waikikigun]

What went poorly with the coffee version? Did you use raw beans? I've just ordered a pound of raw Costa Rican beans for $11.

Roger re: the saltpeter. I guess I should have guessed that it was for burning since I used to make my own gunpowder.

No thoughts on the ammonium?

Thanks.

 

[ArizonaDave]

What went poorly with the coffee version? Did you use raw beans? I've just ordered a pound of raw Costa Rican beans for $11.

Roger re: the saltpeter. I guess I should have guessed that it was for burning since I used to make my own gunpowder.

No thoughts on the ammonium?

Thanks.

I've had some decent luck with whole Coffee beans with the Shade leaf the most. I have a separate container where I let tobacco rest over coffee beans. It seems to do much better infusing coffee bean flavors, than say spraying coffee on a leaf.

 

[Gdaddy]

Used raw beans from 'Coffee bean corral'. Followed the recipe. It's difficult grinding up the green beans. Those suckers are hard. My coffee grinder wouldn't grind them.

The mixture smelled unusual. Nothing like coffee and similar to pea soup. Hate to say it but it was my worst cigar to date.Must have done something wrong. I am curious to see how you make out with it. I didn't try the ammonium and that may have been a mistake.

Be aware that the mixture has to be made fresh. It spoils quickly.

I have a pizza oven and ended up roasting the beans and making coffee. It was excellent so it didn't go to waste.

This is his best recipe so I must have gone wrong somewhere.



"Pure fine 'Oil of Havana' tobacco is the great secret of fine goods. Even good Havana is wonderfully improved by it, but great care is necessary in handling it, as it is deadly poison in it's pure state."

I haven't seen or heard anyone else speak of this 'Oil of Havana'. What it is I'm not sure but if it's poison I'd imagine it would be a concentration of nicotine. Perhaps extracted from the center veins of the leaf??? I'm guessing that by soaking the scraps and center veins that I'm creating a version of this concoction but I don't have the answer. Will be smoking some in about week.

 

[ArizonaDave]

Used raw beans from 'Coffee bean corral'. Followed the recipe. It's difficult grinding up the green beans. Those suckers are hard. My coffee grinder wouldn't grind them.

The mixture smelled unusual. Nothing like coffee and similar to pea soup. Hate to say it but it was my worst cigar to date.Must have done something wrong. I am curious to see how you make out with it. I didn't try the ammonium and that may have been a mistake.

Be aware that the mixture has to be made fresh. It spoils quickly.

I have a pizza oven and ended up roasting the beans and making coffee. It was excellent so it didn't go to waste.

This is his best recipe so I must have gone wrong somewhere.



"Pure fine 'Oil of Havana' tobacco is the great secret of fine goods. Even good Havana is wonderfully improved by it, but great care is necessary in handling it, as it is deadly poison in it's pure state."

I haven't seen or heard anyone else speak of this 'Oil of Havana'. What it is I'm not sure but if it's poison I'd imagine it would be a concentration of nicotine. Perhaps extracted from the center veins of the leaf??? I'm guessing that by soaking the scraps and center veins that I'm creating a version of this concoction but I don't have the answer. Will be smoking some in about week.

In theory, I'm thinking the dry beans pull OUT the ammonium from the leaf, rather than put something in.

Yes, I've soaked the scraps and veins, and you get a very very strong nicotine tea.

 

[Sirius]

I like it very much.

Have since changed the recipe.Tweak.

I used up half of the mixture.Then got the idea to simmer (not boil) some cigar leaf scraps and made a very dark solution in distilled water with a touch of citric acid added. Soaking for 24 hours it yielded a small 10 oz. bottle of VERY dark coffee like mixture. I poured that into the remaining 10 oz. rum mixture for a total of 20 oz.

Again sprayed the leaves (binder and filler only), let them soak over night and then dried them out ready to roll.

I have not yet tried this cigar (letting it rest a few weeks) but I can say it smells even better with a richer tobacco flavor. I feel this cigar could be the real winner. The Cubans have been doing stuff like this for a very long time. They call it 'Petuning'.

These leaves can be blended with other 'non-Petuned' leaves if so desired. Have made several cigars with all treated filler and some with lesser amounts.

Could you put the whole process together? seems like you've combined two different mixtures which is pretty confusing. What do you do now since it has been about 3 years after making the original post?

 

[ArizonaDave]

Could you put the whole process together? seems like you've combined two different mixtures which is pretty confusing. What do you do now since it has been about 3 years after making the original post?

Well, I can only speak for myself. I go with a Rum/Vanilla 80/20 mixture, and now use it in my Acacia fiber glue. It leaves a subtle-sweet taste without ruining the flavor of a leaf. There are times in the winter I'll put some cigars over coffee beans. It's also possible to tinker with the Rum/Vanilla mixture to add say a 10 percent brewed coffee. I wouldn't spray them on Nic. Viso that's peppery. It could work well with Seco fillers, or Ct. Shade bind/wrap.

 

[Sirius]

Well, I can only speak for myself. I go with a Rum/Vanilla 80/20 mixture, and now use it in my Acacia fiber glue. It leaves a subtle-sweet taste without ruining the flavor of a leaf. There are times in the winter I'll put some cigars over coffee beans. It's also possible to tinker with the Rum/Vanilla mixture to add say a 10 percent brewed coffee. I wouldn't spray them on Nic. Viso that's peppery. It could work well with Seco fillers, or Ct. Shade bind/wrap.

So do you opt out on Valerian root extract?