Toasting cured tobacco in an oven?

[ZigZagZeppelin]

Can this change the taste of a tobacco after its cured? I've tried many diff types of casing (distilled water spritz, slight honey, lemon, orange or lime flavoring) and not seeing much change in this tobacco's taste. I bought 5 lbs of a yellow vfc off another grower (not WLT) just to try it. Nobody that has tried it likes it, lol. So I really need to alter its taste or just toss it.

I really didn't wanna post this but I'd rather not toss it if I can salvage it.

It was shipped to me pretty moist.....I left the bag open over a week.

The other varieties of tobacco I purchased taste good, no complaints.

 

[deluxestogie]

Try blending it with 40% burley and 10% Oriental.

Big tobacco toasts burley, but not flue-cured. You might also try just airing it. Take it all out of the bag, spread it out somewhere, and check back in a week or two. My own flue-cured changes when aired.

Bob

 

[ZigZagZeppelin]

Try blending it with 40% burley and 10% Oriental.

Big tobacco toasts burley, but not flue-cured. You might also try just airing it. Take it all out of the bag, spread it out somewhere, and check back in a week or two. My own flue-cured changes when aired.

Bob

Thanks, Bob.

I've tried blending it: Bursa, Prilep, YTB, Red virginia, Maryland 609

I'll try taking all of it completely out of the bag like you suggest.

 

[BigBonner]

Two questions
1 . How are you shredding ? Shred width is a key to a good smoke
2. What type of filters ? You may need to change filter types .

 

[ZigZagZeppelin]

Two questions
1 . How are you shredding ? Shred width is a key to a good smoke
2. What type of filters ? You may need to change filter types .

WLT 0.8mm manual shredder (don's el cheapo), have Don's HD shredder on the way though. Also 0.8mm.... I don't care for any shred wider then 0.8mm

I use Zen Red King Size tubes.....have a few boxes of ZigZag King Size FF tubes on the way here

btw, I did find a baggie of BURSA (nice size sample) inside the 2 lbs of the orange/red vfc. Like it.

 

[OldDinosaurWesH]

ZigZagZeppelin:

I have been using the heavy duty manual shredder for over a year now, and had good results. Two things to know. One, is to keep it cleaned and lubricated. Very sticky tobacco gums it up. If you try to force the tobacco when the machine is gummed up you will damage the combs on the underside. Two, moisture content of the leaves you are shredding is very important. Excessively dry leaves will result in dust and fines with no shred. Excessively wet leaves will ball up on the underside and gum up the working parts. You will have to experiment with moisture to get a feel for what is right. One type I grew last year, Ternopolskii 7, is a low nicotine cigarette tobacco that is also naturally sticky. This stuff gave me fits trying to shred it because it gummed up my machine so quickly.

Based on my previous experience, the commercial tobaccos I have bought from WLT have been just about right for moisture content. The types I have purchased shred very well straight out of the freshly delivered bag. Be sure to trim the big stems out. Trying to jam big fat stems through the shredder will also damage the combs.

I have to de-commission my shredder every once and a while and take it apart and give it a thorough cleaning. This takes time, is a bit messy, and I don't like doing it. Cleaning is another one of those bothersome chores in life. But it has to be done from time to time. I use 95% ethanol to cut the sticky stuff. (Good old fashioned grain alcohol) I'm sure there are other solvents that would do a better faster job, but I'm not sure I want anything like that on my hands or on my tobacco. Other than the flammability, alcohol is pretty safe. (So long as you are not drinking the stuff!) With properly humidified tobacco, you can make nice long shreds with very little dust and fines. If you take care of your machine, it will treat you right.

Wes H.

 

[ZigZagZeppelin]

ZigZagZeppelin:

I have been using the heavy duty manual shredder for over a year now, and had good results. Two things to know. One, is to keep it cleaned and lubricated. Very sticky tobacco gums it up. If you try to force the tobacco when the machine is gummed up you will damage the combs on the underside. Two, moisture content of the leaves you are shredding is very important. Excessively dry leaves will result in dust and fines with no shred. Excessively wet leaves will ball up on the underside and gum up the working parts. You will have to experiment with moisture to get a feel for what is right. One type I grew last year, Ternopolskii 7, is a low nicotine cigarette tobacco that is also naturally sticky. This stuff gave me fits trying to shred it because it gummed up my machine so quickly.

Based on my previous experience, the commercial tobaccos I have bought from WLT have been just about right for moisture content. The types I have purchased shred very well straight out of the freshly delivered bag. Be sure to trim the big stems out. Trying to jam big fat stems through the shredder will also damage the combs.

I have to de-commission my shredder every once and a while and take it apart and give it a thorough cleaning. This takes time, is a bit messy, and I don't like doing it. Cleaning is another one of those bothersome chores in life. But it has to be done from time to time. I use 95% ethanol to cut the sticky stuff. (Good old fashioned grain alcohol) I'm sure there are other solvents that would do a better faster job, but I'm not sure I want anything like that on my hands or on my tobacco. Other than the flammability, alcohol is pretty safe. (So long as you are not drinking the stuff!) With properly humidified tobacco, you can make nice long shreds with very little dust and fines. If you take care of your machine, it will treat you right.

Wes H.

Thanks for the reply, Wes.

I think the rollers and combs on the HD shredder are the same size as the shredders I've had. Its just the HD frame is more robust. I got 32 lbs of tobacco thru 2 of the el cheapos, I cleaned them often and maintained them. The frames fell apart, I keep the combs as spares and sharpen those with a wire brush, held in a vice.
~Will

 

[OldDinosaurWesH]

Wen I was looking at them, the economy model didn't look that sturdy to me so I went with the heavy duty model. I've had good luck with it.

Wes H.

 

[ZigZagZeppelin]

Wen I was looking at them, the economy model didn't look that sturdy to me so I went with the heavy duty model. I've had good luck with it.

Wes H.

Definitely looking forward to a more robust shredder! The HD is supposed to arrive later today. After this one dies I'll buy one off Tobacco and Machines I guess. Altho I've never bought anything from Europe before.

If an American manufacturer could build a manual 0.6mm HD shredder I'd pay $400 for it if all moving parts were available to replace, when needed.

 

[Alpine]

I would pay that price for an even thinner cut... I wonder how big tobacco shreds their ryo baccy so thin!


pier

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I would pay that price for an even thinner cut... I wonder how big tobacco shreds their ryo baccy so thin!


pier

I just like this vid. You've probably seen it already.

 

[Alpine]

Wow... and we call him "Big Tobacco"! Lol

Seriously, ive seen that video, but I don't think I will ever have the dexterity that guy has...

Pier

 

[deluxestogie]

The kizami tobacco video (despite its being blurry, and narrated in Japanese) shows just about the finest tobacco shred I've ever seen.

It used to be fairly easy to locate meaningful videos on industrial tobacco shredders on YouTube, but over the past few years the site has been flooded with countless, silly home videos of everything from pasta shredders to Waring blenders being used to shred tobacco--and somehow calling themselves "commercial" or "industrial". YouTube's search engine is even worse than the FTT search engine.

I think the bottom line on industrial shredding of tobacco is that the machines are mechanized, single-bladed guillotines.

Bob

 

[Charly]

Completly agree with Bob,
I think the best method to shred tobacco is to use one single guillotine blade.
There are some video on youtube showing this kind of machine, for example :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRyfuk0ydrU

without motorization :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlaPlHkt6TE
or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8T7C4HGJko

The very manual version of this is to roll some leaves together and than cut it with a sharp blade.

 

[burge]

All a guillotine cutter is a manual paper cutter. You have to make it into a brick then slice it. In reference to Zig on the yellow tobacco. I have mixed it with Dons lemon and its is exceptional. I have come up with some blends using that yellow leaf and it is really really good. So here are my blends with Big Bonners yellow tobacco. Numbers are percentages.
50 yellow 50 lemon
50 yellow 50 orangey yellow
33 yellow 33 orangey yellow 33 lemon

Other blends I can't mention here are good as well using this leaf. There are only 3 viriginia tobacco I can smoke on there own one is Bigs yellow Dons lemon and another I emailed Don about. Bigs yellow tasted better when it dried out a bit. Then it was wow. Just take your time and let the tobacco age. With all the heat here this summer and the dry humidity in some cases the chlorophyll will go away. Just be patient. I have had some of Dons lemon that was okay right out of the bag but in 6 months it was 100 times better. Try to let the tobacco rest and when shredded push it down till it forms a cake and let it ferment for a bit. My first experience with Dons lemon I went to Banff fishing on a super hot day then ran out of smokes it was a brand new tobacco exposed to the heat. The exact same tobacco can have different tastes.

 

[ZigZagZeppelin]

All a guillotine cutter is a manual paper cutter. You have to make it into a brick then slice it. In reference to Zig on the yellow tobacco. I have mixed it with Dons lemon and its is exceptional. I have come up with some blends using that yellow leaf and it is really really good. So here are my blends with Big Bonners yellow tobacco. Numbers are percentages.
50 yellow 50 lemon
50 yellow 50 orangey yellow
33 yellow 33 orangey yellow 33 lemon

Other blends I can't mention here are good as well using this leaf. There are only 3 viriginia tobacco I can smoke on there own one is Bigs yellow Dons lemon and another I emailed Don about. Bigs yellow tasted better when it dried out a bit. Then it was wow. Just take your time and let the tobacco age. With all the heat here this summer and the dry humidity in some cases the chlorophyll will go away. Just be patient. I have had some of Dons lemon that was okay right out of the bag but in 6 months it was 100 times better. Try to let the tobacco rest and when shredded push it down till it forms a cake and let it ferment for a bit. My first experience with Dons lemon I went to Banff fishing on a super hot day then ran out of smokes it was a brand new tobacco exposed to the heat. The exact same tobacco can have different tastes.

I have 11 pounds of new tobacco coming from WLT and another source, but thanks for replying.

Mostly my taste in tobacco is similar to yours. Yellows or Lemons are my main, and a bit of red.....any burley in it seems to make the cigs taste like cigars to us.

 

[burge]

I am a Virginia fan and Bonners yellow is to me a lot better than leaf only. I got some dirty crappy scrap leaf which was garbage and full of dirt. I had a bag of the sweet just leaving it in the bag it separated from the stem and turned into shake not impressed. So I am sticking now with buying from Big and Don. Consistent quality is important and these 2 guys are the better leaf sellers.

 

[ZigZagZeppelin]

I am a Virginia fan and Bonners yellow is to me a lot better than leaf only. I got some dirty crappy scrap leaf which was garbage and full of dirt. I had a bag of the sweet just leaving it in the bag it separated from the stem and turned into shake not impressed. So I am sticking now with buying from Big and Don. Consistent quality is important and these 2 guys are the better leaf sellers.

Buying "scrap leaf" will always be a dice roll. It's tobacco "not good enough."
Every bit of my recent orders is very good, I've been smiling this week.
Don's HD shredder is used almost daily, lol. I clean its rollers with Vodka twice a week after toothbrushing the debris underneath. Oil up the bushings with olive oil before every use.

 

[burge]

I am liking Bigs leaf as much as Dons.