Sun Curing

[Chumco]

So I've tried reading about sun curing, but it doesn't look like there is as much info on it out there as flue curing. I (hopefully) have some bursa on the way so I am trying to imagine a low-tech solution for curing a small number of plants, but I am not even sure if I understand it. I mainly have two questions, one theoretical and another a little more practical.

First, what is the difference between what sun-curing does vs flue-curing? I understand mechanically you are using the sun vs a flue, but what exactly are you doing within the leaf itself? With a flue you are fixing the sugars in the leaf and killing it... is that what you are doing with the sun? Why does sun-curing produce different outcomes from a flue?

Secondly, and related: I couldn't find definitive answers on the "best" way to actually sun cure. You can hang whole stalks, or you can hang primed leaves. You can even shred it before you cure. But I haven't figured out why you would do one method over another. I don't even know if you actually need direct sun- I've seen people putting leaf inside of a plastic enclosure. I haven't seen something that brings the info together in a way I can understand.

 

[skychaser]

Curing and Sun curing methods have a lot to do with your climate. If it's too dry you can flash dry it green. And I have never heard of shredding it first. Read Deluxstogie's grow logs and comments on curing. He is in Virginian, so what works for him should work well for you too.

 

[deluxestogie]

This was discussed a week ago.

My first tobacco: a Grow log. @ramentamer

Hello to all who read this and also to future me who is trying to figure out what I did that one time. I'm attempting to grow 3 varieties of tobacco: a Tennessee dark air cure, a Samsun Turkish and Perique. I'm planning on air curing the Tennessee, as it suggests in the name of it, and the...

fairtradetobacco.com

You can sun-cure any Oriental and any flue-cure variety. The outcome of sun-curing is between that of flue-curing and air-curing, in sugar content as well as color, as discussed in the above post.

With my Orientals and other sun-cure varieties, I usually prime the lowest leaf at signs of ripeness, string it (on 17 gauge aluminum wire) with ¼ to ½ inch spacing between the leaves, then hang it on a clothes line to sun-cure. It needs to be brought under shelter whenever rain threatens. The process usually takes me about 3 weeks, regardless of cloud cover. With the remainder of the stalks of leaf, I wait until the topmost leaf shows signs of maturation, then stalk-cut those plants, and hang the entire stalk on the line to sun-cure. With the stalk present, the risk of flash-drying green is significantly reduced. Like with sun-curing primed leaf, sun-curing it on the stalk also requires about 3 weeks.

Notice that I remove leaves in which the central vein has cured. I just toss the individual leaves into a bushel basket in my shed, until I'm ready to bag it. It is always crucial to label the leaf strings and stalks. I use a waterproof, Tyvek tag cut from an old mailing envelope, and marked with a Sharpie. The tags follow the leaf into the bushel basket, and then into the bags of tobacco. For that reason, I include the complete varietal name, the year, the priming level (or the word, "stalk"), and the curing method (a circled "S" or "FC" for sun-cured or flue-cured). Two, three, ten years from now, those same bags of leaf will still be fully identifiable.

Note the name tag in the bag.

and Xanthi-Yaka 18A primed and sun-curing:

Bob

 

[loui loui]

Can I shred it before I cure it?

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Can I shred it before I cure it?

Yes.

But it will dry much faster. 1 to 4 days has been my experience. You need to anticipate that. It will mean that it has to be quite ripe yellow at the time of shredding, unless you can maintain humidity really high.

Here's a thread

Attempt at making sun-cured rajangan

The process was briefly described to me by Tutu. In Indonesia, they apparently shred certain tobacco before sun curing them. This article sparked my interest even more: https://medium.com/@pylorns/indonesian-pipe-tobacco-71630487a33d Then I found this photo of the process I picked the...

fairtradetobacco.com

Here's a post
Post in thread 'China Voodoo 2018 Air-cured and Rajangan' https://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/china-voodoo-2018-air-cured-and-rajangan.7879/post-150796

 

[deluxestogie]

Rabbit Hole Alert! It's hard to believe that your thread on rajangan was only 5½ years ago. I just read it all again, and had forgotten much of its rich content, with trials and members from Indonesia to Canada to France and the US.

Bob

 

[Chumco]

I've read through the threads but still don't understand what is happening with sun curing. What does the sun do to bring out the signature oriental flavors? Do orientals have a much higher sugar content than brightleaf varieties and that is why they are cured for a longer period of time in the sun (vs a shorter but hotter period in a flue)?

Is there a flavor difference in the sun cured primed leaf vs stalk cured? Also, does brightleaf/VA taste more like an oriental when you sun-cure it, or does it just taste less sweet?

 

[deluxestogie]

Most Orientals have notable floral qualities that Virginia types lack. Photochemistry (photolysis) brings about distinctive chemical changes to assorted organic compounds that heat alone does not. I would suggest you undertake some trials, to learn what happens.

Bob

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

flue cured bright leaf and orientals are sweeter than sun cured. I believe you are confusing the perception of aromatic flavour compounds as sweet. Those are variety dependent.

 

[Havok]

Notice that I remove leaves in which the central vein has cured

Colour cured but still moisture rich and flexible, or fully dried?

 

[deluxestogie]

Once the central vein is brown, regardless of its immediate moisture content, I remove the leaf, and place it into a bushel basket in the curing shed. There, its case (and temperature) fluctuates up and down with that of all the other leaf hanging in the shed. Within the bushel basket, the leaf is not compressed, but is loosely resting.

Bob

 

[Havok]

Thanks Bob. I think I have a lot more I can move into the shed then!