Using WLT'S bacca for making snus

[alopezg1]

a friend told me i should put the tobacco leaves in the freezer for 3 days when they arrive just to make sure i don't get tobacco beetles
does anyone else do this? are tobacco beetles an issue? I would have thought putting the leaves in the freezer may not be so good for them

 

[alopezg1]

I sure do.
Think you have to make it first to get an opinion of it.
This one is very special in its own way , nicotine is high but not too high , myself just had pleasures with the taste of it.
Storing it in the fridge for a couple of weeks makes wonders to any readymade snus.
Was just thinkin about it yesterday and got to check but think I got one Ibs , if not got to order 'cause I don't wanna be without it.

Excellent, that is good to hear, thanks

 

[squeezyjohn]

a friend told me i should put the tobacco leaves in the freezer for 3 days when they arrive just to make sure i don't get tobacco beetles
does anyone else do this? are tobacco beetles an issue? I would have thought putting the leaves in the freezer may not be so good for them

Welcome aboard alopezg1 ! Nice to see you over here.

I've never heard of the tobacco beetles - and I've never seen any on the leaves I've had.

As for freezing cured leaf - I don't think it would hurt it too much - especially if you're going to be grinding it up for snus. For preparation of grinding I toast my leaf in the oven or leave it out in scorching hot weather like we have at the moment so it becomes crispy enough to grind finely ... I don't think the beetles would like the oven either!

 

[Jitterbugdude]

No need to freeze your tobacco if you are making snus. The heat process will kill any potential critter.

 

[POGreen]

Agree JBD , as long as he uses the right temp/degs in his oven during the heatprocess.
I'm set on 100 C + or 212 F + when I make my snus over a period of one full week , take the batch out once a day and check water/texture.Add water if needed.
You mite be able to do it over 4-5 days , I don't know that.
I'm in no hurry , so I let it treat for a week and I know its going to end with good results.
In the snuskits over here they tell folks to use 90 C over 36 hours , I don't think thats enough and u won't have the natural aroma from the tobacco either.
Everything has to happen soo quick an fast , don't like that stuff.
At this heat the snus turns black instead of brown as it does on lower temps/degs and will probably kill all microbes in the batch.

 

[alopezg1]

Welcome aboard alopezg1 ! Nice to see you over here.

I've never heard of the tobacco beetles - and I've never seen any on the leaves I've had.

As for freezing cured leaf - I don't think it would hurt it too much - especially if you're going to be grinding it up for snus. For preparation of grinding I toast my leaf in the oven or leave it out in scorching hot weather like we have at the moment so it becomes crispy enough to grind finely ... I don't think the beetles would like the oven either!

Ahoy there squeezyjohn! thought you wold be on here .

 

[alopezg1]

No need to freeze your tobacco if you are making snus. The heat process will kill any potential critter.

Thanks jitterbugdude

the only things is I have orderred quite a lot of tobacco. Porbably enough to keep me in Snus for 2 years! - i have a deep distrust of the EU- so i will need to store the tobacco long term as i am not going to convert it all into snus straight away. I was thinking of grinding it all up into flour though and storing in masons jars

 

[deluxestogie]

To answer your primary question, freezing tobacco that has already cured (i.e. it's not fresh, green tobacco) causes it no harm at all. Tobacco beetles originated in Southeast Asia, and have since spread throughout the world via shipped tobacco products. If you have the ability to freeze the large quantity of tobacco that you are buying, then it would be a reasonable thing to do.

Bob

 

[alopezg1]

thanks bob

i'll pop it in the freezer for a few days. Would grinding the the leaf into tobacco flour also kill the little buggers?

 

[alopezg1]

I have orderred 20lbs altogether ... i am really not sure how large this is.

 

[deluxestogie]

Grinding, heating and other clearly lethal means will kill tobacco beetles. For storing whole leaf, freezing works.

Bob

 

[POGreen]

Using a high temperature when heatreatng the grinded tobacco will kill the microbes and when I say high I mean 100 C + or 212 F over 5-7 days.

 

[POGreen]

I have orderred 20lbs altogether ... i am really not sure how large this is.

That would be some 9 kilos +
For every kilo of flour you should get 2,5 kilos of ready made snus I reckon , since u probably will add 1,5 L of water to each kilo of flour.
So 9 x 2,5=22,5 kilos of snus , about 2 years of supply.
Buying 22 ,5 kilos here in sweden you'd have to pay some 2200 GBP
Divide the Ibs with 2.2 to get kilos
Multiply the kilos with 2.2 to get Ibs

 

[POGreen]

One thing I have experienced , using both WLT's and my own tobacco , is that when made into snus they keep getting better by time.
More full body taste , aromatic and noteful for every day/week/month that passes by.
Have quite a few batches ready made by late June , and they are all just terrific.They're all stored in the fridge ofcourse.
The oldest one is a Fire cured edition from February this year and this is also very much to my satisfaction.

 

[POGreen]

The latest expression I've found to fit in on WLT's every variety I have made snus of is that they are all horrendously good to make snus from.

 

[DGBAMA]

The latest expression I've found to fit in on WLT's every variety I have made snus of is that they are all horrendously good to make snus from.

Does each variety maintain unique flavor profile for snuss, as when smoked? Or does the high processing temp make them all taste similar, with the primary difference being nicotine content?

 

[POGreen]

To answer that I would say a clearly yes to your first your first question.
The different varieties does not taste similar due to using a high processing temp , they all have different properties which comes forward due to using a high processing temperature.
Amongst the different varieties nicotine content varies a bit , one that sticks out a bit is Dark Air Cured , having somewhat more nicotine content.
As I have experienced , if I would have used a temp like 70 80 or 90 C , the very unique properties would not come alive/wake up and I would not be able to enjoy them like I do.
The tobacco needs this this treatment to taste great and another good thing about using 100 C for a week is that the chance it will mold for you is very slim , since you have probably killed every eventual microbe in that tobacco.
Storage in a fridge for a couple of months makes wonders on a well processed snus , it develops by time and the balance of tobacco , water , salt and potash carbonate will be accomplished at the same time.
After 2 weeks in the fridge I start using the snus and it tastes good , after 2 months it is indescribably great.
The big problem when ppl make snus today is that it has to be made quick/fast when good things take time.
This is a reason to why I make a number of batches of snus when knowing they will develop over time , now I might have 6-8 kilos in the fridge.
Color of it should be blackish.

 

[POGreen]

I want to add that I never leave the batch in the oven on 100 C just like that , I check the moisturecontent once a day , if its too high I leave it be and if too low I add some more water ( hot) from the faucet.
If left in the oven for a week on 100 C without checking the moisturecontent , I would destroy the tobacco within 2 days I figure.

 

[squeezyjohn]

I too have found that the tobacco I have got from Don has made very different snus types if I make a "puro" batch ... if I can borrow that terminology from the cigar making world!

Bright leaf (flue cured) - makes a nice balanced medium strength snus if I use only the lamina part of the whole leaf - it seems a bit weak if I include grinded stems. This leaf seems to grind up nice and fine which gives the snus a nice texture. The aroma of this leaf comes through a little - but it is muted compared to the smell of the leaves themselves. There is a little residual sweetness and it's nice mild balanced flavour.

Red leaf virginia - I find this makes a very harsh tasting snus even after lots of ageing - at least using my process it does!

Burley - This snus is very very strong if made purely with Don's burley - I get around this by using a bit less potash in the recipe ... it gives off much more ammonia in the process and so needs a longer ageing time. However - after ageing it is rich, dark and chocolatey and of a pretty high nicotine strength.

Fire cured VA - An experimental batch of snus using 100% fire cured showed that it is far too smokey to make a nice snus out of ... my technique of making snus seems to change the smokey chemicals in to a kind of burnt rubber taste and it was unusable ... in fact any blend I have used this in quantities of over 5% have been unusable due to this flavour change.

Izmir - Makes a snus that smells deliciously aromatic - but has little or no nicotine content to it and it is a bit bitter. As such I only ever think about using it to cut the nicotine down in a strong tobacco blend or as a flavouring ingredient.

Dark Air Cured ligero (3rd priming) - This makes a high nicotine snus which is very bitter indeed. If it wasn't for this bitterness then the lovely cigar like properties that come through the making process would be a fantastic taste ... but as it is, even 10% in a blend will render any snus I make quite bitter. Anyone who wants some of this tobacco and can collect it in the UK - you're welcome to it! It was an early mistake buying lbs and lbs of it early in in my snusmaking career!

 

[squeezyjohn]

I also have some latakia which I have not yet ground up in to snus flour. I am worried that I might get similar results with this that I do with the fire cured VA ... however the smell of the leafl is far more refined and less like a bonfire ... I think in a blend it could be very nice indeed!