Preparing Burley for cigarette blend

[Chicken]

my woman is so picky on what she will smoke,

maybe i'll try the licorice also,???

 

[FmGrowit]

Has anyone developed a measured recipe using cocoa, licorice and sucrose, glucose or fructose?

Would corn syrup work for the sugar?

 

[SmokeStack]

Heath food stores has the liquid licorice in small bottles .
I would like to find a place to get it in bulk .
Anise just isn't the same as Licorice and licorice candy has no licorice in it .

You can purchase any flavoring you want as a natural extract from the following website:

anandaapothecary.com

For licorice you would want to buy Anise Essential Oil - Natural Source. The oil is steam distilled from the seeds of Pimpinella anisum - the true source of natural licorice, not the artificial junk. I have used some of their other oils to flavor pipe tobacco and it works like a charm!

 

[Tom_in_TN]

SmokeStack, seems interesting way to introduce flavor into tobacco leaf. Please, let us know how to go about it and how much of the essential oils are you using? Thanks.

 

[FmGrowit]

Casing shouldn't impart any particular flavor in so much as it balances disagreeable flavors from the tobacco in it's natural state.

I know this is beginning to sound like a broken record, but..think of casing as the weights applied to a tire that is out of balance. You know the weights are there, but the ride is smooth.

 

[DonH]

Has anyone developed a measured recipe using cocoa, licorice and sucrose, glucose or fructose?

Would corn syrup work for the sugar?

I can give it a try once I finish the toasted Burley I have from my first try. I agree that for cigarettes you don't want to. Price the flavored, unlike with pipe tobacco. With my last batch I could notice the cocoa, so next.time I would use less.

 

[SmokeStack]

SmokeStack, seems interesting way to introduce flavor into tobacco leaf. Please, let us know how to go about it and how much of the essential oils are you using? Thanks.

I use this method for preparing pipe tobacco, but it could be easily applied to preparing cigarette tobacco. Let's say I want to make a licorice-flavored pipe tobacco...

• First I blend the base tobaccos for the pipe mixture, for example 40% Yellow Orinoco (a Virginia), 30% Yellow Prior (a Virginia), and 30% Yellow Twist Bud (a Burley).
• Then I prepare a "concentrate" tobacco which is a Burley tobacco that is heavily flavored.
• Finally, I add a small amount of the tobacco concentrate (5% more or less) to the base blend and mix thoroughly.
• After marinating for a few days, you will get your licorice-flavored tobacco.

The key is in the making of the concentrate tobacco. I prepare the concentrate as follows:

1. In a snap-lock jar with a rubber seal is placed a shredded and dried Burley tobacco that fills the jar half-way.
2. Then the licorice oil is dissolved in 100% ethyl alcohol (Everclear 190 proof will probably work.). DO NOT USE METHYL ALCOHOL - IT IS POISONOUS! Do not use anything else for that matter.
3. The licorice/alcohol solution is poured into the snap-lock jar and over the Burley tobacco. If you don't have access to 100% ethyl alcohol or Everclear 190 proof, then add the licorice oil straight as it comes from the bottle.
4. Using a spoon, mix the tobacco and the licorice/alcohol solution (or the straight oil) together thoroughly. If there're is excessive liquid on the bottom of the jar, then add some more tobacco in small amounts until there is little to no liquid remaining on the bottom of the jar.
5. Snap the jar lid closed and let the tobacco marinade overnight.
6. The following day, spread the tobacco concentrate on a plate or cooking sheet and let the alcohol evaporate. Stir the tobacco occasionally. I let it sit out for two or three days to insure that all of the alcohol has evaporated. Trace amounts of alcohol pose no detrimental effects.
7. The tobacco should be a little sticky at this point - this is the tobacco concentrate.
8. Place the concentrate back into the snap-lock for storage.

One problem I foresee is the availability of 100% ethyl alcohol or Everclear 190. I have never tried using regular 80 proof liquor so I don't know how that would work. You would have a lot of water to deal with at the drying stage (step 6).

I think using straight licorice oil (without alcohol) would work. On the positive side you can ignore the drying step (step 6). On the negative side, marinating (step 5) would require more time and more mixing. The alcohol is used to help permeate the licorice oil into the tobacco.

As far as as the amounts of tobacco, licorice oil and alcohol used in this procedure, it varies depending on the type of oil flavoring that you want to use. I have not used licorice oil before - I just mentioned it as an example. As a rough estimate, you could dissolve 50 mL of flavoring oil in 100 mL alcohol and add this solution to a half-pound (more or less) of Burley.

The advantage of using this concentrate method is that you can try it with any combination of base tobaccos - this allows you to easily tweak your blends. This method is simple despite the lengthy procedure I outlined above - just trying to spell it out.

If you try this method, please post your results - I would like to hear how is works out.

 

[Tom_in_TN]

Yeah, maybe we are a little off-topic here - belongs in the Pipe Section I guess - but some people actually do flavor their cigarette tobacco so that the flavors are noticeable. It's a big world out there.

Anyway, SmokeStack, thanks very informative and it makes sense to me. Now, using 50ml of licorice oil from the website you mentioned, costs about $20. Kind of pricey. That 1/2 pound of concentrate tobacco has to go a long ways and make at least 20 pounds of final blend(s).

Back on topic. I do see the point in using just enough flavoring to smooth out the rough edges in a fully cured cigarette blend.

 

[johnlee1933]

I

One problem I foresee is the availability of 100% ethyl alcohol or Everclear 190. I have never tried using regular 80 proof liquor so I don't know how that would work. You would have a lot of water to deal with at the drying stage (step 6).

.

I make mint extract in much the same way. 190 Proof alcohol can be purchased (I get pint sized bottles) at my liquor store.

John

 

[SmokeStack]

I make mint extract in much the same way. 190 Proof alcohol can be purchased (I get pint sized bottles) at my liquor store.

John

I found out that Everclear 190 is illegal in 14 states: California, Florida, Maine, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Washington, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Minnesota. Pretty much in Virginia also. Since I live in Michigan, I would have to drive 6 hours to Chicago to purchase it.

 

[LeftyRighty]

Smokestack........there is always a couple cycles of this method...
http://homedistiller.org/
just don't let the ATF know you're doing it.

 

[SmokeStack]

LeftyRighty - I fully understand.

 

[Knucklehead]

Lefty the resemblance to my self ventilating tobacco storage unit is uncanny. It also does a good job toasting Burley.

 

[Boboro]

It looks like it would toast about anything.

 

[johnlee1933]

It looks like it would toast about anything.

Yeah, you could have a toast to tobacco.

J

 

[Knucklehead]

No can do. For display purposes only.

 

[BigBonner]

I would like a 30 gallon one for display purposses only

 

[johnlee1933]

I would like a 30 gallon one for display purposses only

Talk with Workhorse01. Anybody had any word from/about him lately?

John

 

[BigBonner]

I recieved a email from Workhorse01 few days ago . He is having alot of back trouble .He is seeing the doctors and talking about surgery two times. TheDoctors won't do both at once .

 

[johnlee1933]

I recieved a email from Workhorse01 few days ago . He is having alot of back trouble .He is seeing the doctors and talking about surgery two times. The Doctors won't do both at once .

Thanks Larry, I don't have his Email address but please send him my best wishes for a speedy recovery.

John