The Workhorse baby curing chamber

[workhorse_01]

I find the same thing. Mine had almost no smell. What beautiful yellowish gold. pictures coming tonight. The next batch will go straight in the box from the patch. On the first run I let it hang in the barn for a couple of days, while I got the chamber set up. I think that was a mistake, as a few leaves are a little more gold than I wanted, and I think the smell should be much sweeter. I'll be sticking to the schedule on the next one like glue. Kind of a build it and they will come idea. I waited at the yellow phase too long this run and I think it cost me in sweetness. The smell is not where it should be. From what I've read, and Bob has posted, I think the speed at which we cure from patch to dried stems is how the tobacco becomes sweeter. If I wait an extra day for yellowing @ 105*F- db, I think there is a loss of sweetness. Otherwise why do they give a time frame to ramp up? Why not just say when you're satisfied that enough is yellow begin to ramp up? My great grandfather did this with a log barn, and a fire, with nothing but a mercury thermometer, and they say that every year he had the best quality and the most lbs. per acre of anyone in Kingstree SC. He always received more money for his than his peers.

Below is our recomended curing schedule.

Hours	Dry Bulb	Advance Rate	Wet Bulb
0-24	90°-100°	1°/HR	95°
24-48	100°-105°	1°/HR	102°
48-72	105°-120°	1°/HR	105°
72...	120°-165°	1°/HR	105° Lower Stalk 108° Upper Stalk

• Do NOT leave 120° Dry Bulb until the tobacco is yellow
• If you use curing gas, do so during 24-48 hour period
• This schedule is tested and proven, some variation may occur depending on your tobacco
• To attain proper Wet Bulb reading change wicks every cure
• Proper Wet Bulb reading is critical to maximize fuel efficiency
• Periodically check Wet Bulb accuracy with a hygrometer

140 ish is when mine smelled the best. By thetime stems dry good almost no smell at all.

 

[AmaxB]

Smells good don't it? Ah-Hu
Mine comes out today then in with another one.

 

[workhorse_01]

It isn't like yours......... Yet.

Smells good don't it? Ah-Hu
Mine comes out today then in with another one.

 

[DGBAMA]

WH...can you add rh values to that schedule? I am not up to speed with the wet bulb temp relationship.

 

[Chicken]

im looking forward to seeing some of nice coloured leaf<

all my leaf is mainlly of a dark tobaccoo. so i dont get the pretty colour's you guy's are producing,

but that yellow leaf. is nice to look at.

i may have a coffee coloured light brown leaf<<<<

 

[workhorse_01]

All you have to do is put a wet shoe string over the thermometer, but I can convert it to RH for you.

WH...can you add rh values to that schedule? I am not up to speed with the wet bulb temp relationship.

 

[workhorse_01]

I finally got them back in to case, and out of the chamber. Three different varieties in one run. Here comes the picture overload..........

 

[AmaxB]

What was the Stalk position on those workhorse?
What varieties?
My PHYB 1 & 2 came out coco brown, Silk Leaf Lemon & mixed (different stalk positions), VA Bright yellow orange.

 

[DGBAMA]

You got some nice leaf. Were the darker ones lower stalk position? My first run came out much darker than the second priming. Some of my first run had air dried a couple days before going in the kiln. They definitely did not color as well.

 

[workhorse_01]

Mostly lower and sand lugs. There were 4 different varieties in there on that run. I'm just happy the VA Gold came out so lemony. It smells so sweet, if I didn't like bacca smell it'd be sickening.

What was the Stalk position on those workhorse?
What varieties?
My PHYB 1 & 2 came out coco brown, Silk Leaf Lemon & mixed (different stalk positions), VA Bright yellow orange.

 

[workhorse_01]

I do like the cow rod heater being up top. when the little tips or something falls off it cant burn.

 

[DGBAMA]

The smell gets better after they air out a few days too.

 

[workhorse_01]

I'm glad y'all started the flue cure. I wasn't going to do it, but it is nice to skip a year of ageing. It's also going to be good for the new starts next year. I'm on the hunt for a aquarium metal halide light.

The smell gets better after they air out a few days too.

 

[workhorse_01]

Check out this one. I may start a new thread. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lumatek-Met...878?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item232f1e6a96

 

[Knucklehead]

Wow. Those look nice. You guys are making it hard on us guys with no chamber. It's like looking in a bakery window with no money in the pocket.

 

[workhorse_01]

Blame amax for sending me that bacca candy! I had no wish to flue cure until that.

Wow. Those look nice. You guys are making it hard on us guys with no chamber. It's like looking in a bakery window with no money in the pocket.

 

[DGBAMA]

Wow. Those look nice. You guys are making it hard on us guys with no chamber. It's like looking in a bakery window with no money in the pocket.

I agree with WH. I had no desire to build a chamber......grow, dry, smoke, simple.

Mine should still age well, keeping the drying temp below 155, but Not having to wait months for it to be good....priceless. Looking forward to a good 30 day kiln cycle. Our weather has been too strange to rely on "air curing" this year, and I did not have space for stalk curing, so I decided it was a necessity.

Let me add that flue cured turkish izmir is truly a wonderful cig.

 

[AmaxB]

That samsun Hybrid PHYB come out CoCo colored was to busy to try any. I'll get to it tomorrow spent a few hours loading up batch 5 got about 250 to 300 leaves in it this round that put a dent in the patch.
Got maybe another 5 loads left. I'll post pics later - read em an weep fellas...

 

[workhorse_01]

The chamber is now loaded to the doors. Front to back, top to bottom. This is the most I've had in it at one time so wish me luck!

 

[Knucklehead]

Good luck, brother!