None of my batches are lasting that long...
I think the unappetizing scent of my first batch was from it being cooked way too wet and totally sealed to the atmosphere.
I also sprinkled in the carbonate dry, but I don't suspect that was the cause.
In garden compost terms, it may have gone anaerobic during the cook.
Batch 2:
100g Virginia Brightleaf, dried, ground and sifted into flour.
7g Salt
85g Water
24 hours @ 85 degrees C.
Remove from heat.
7.5g Carbonate solution in 16g of water.
15 hours @ 85 degrees C.
Results: Yes, it is insipid with only Virginia. Not much of a nic content either. I'll still use it.
The finished batch also needed to be dried in the oven to get the moisture down from the cook.
It was cooked in a sealed jar with no stirring. It took a week for the ammonia smell to settle down.
Batch 3:
150g Virginia Brightleaf, dried, ground and sifted into flour.
50g Burley, dried, ground and sifted into flour.
16g Salt
135g Water
6 hours @ 66 degrees C.
20 hours @ 85 degrees C.
Remove from heat.
16g Carbonate solution in 40g of water.
12 hours @ 66 degrees C.
I cooked this batch with no lid, and stirred the contents of the jar a few times during the cook to keep the snus 'breathing'.
Results: Batch 3 has been ageing for only a day and smells almost like snus should already. The ammonia smell is almost gone.
It hand bakes into a pris perfectly with this moisture content. Progress!
One notable thing about all of the batches. No drip at all. None. Every commercial brand I have tried starts dripping at some point. Not this stuff!
