When to derib?

[jmg]

I have just a couple plants that I'm trying to salvage. Long story short I have not been able to hang the leaves to let them cure and they are coloring very unevenly and just today I notice a small amount of mold on some of the leaves. Anywho, when is it OK to derib the leaves? Will it hinder the curing process to derib the leave before it is completely color cured? Thanks, guys.

 

[LeftyRighty]

It's best to completely color-cure before de-rib. Get them hung now, let them hang until the mid-rib is completely dry, then, bring back into case (just moist enough to handle), if needed and de-rib. WHY? If the center mid-rib is not completely dry, there is very likely moisture/juice still in the adjacent leaf veins, possible off-flavor and increased mold issues. IMHO.

 

[deluxestogie]

If you remove the stem from an uncured leaf, it's no longer an easy matter to hang it for color-curing. If your leaf is for cigars, you really need to hang it during curing. If, on the other hand, you intend it for shred, then you might search the forum for "rajangan": for example, http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/7586-Attempt-at-making-sun-cured-rajangan

Bob

 

[jmg]

Thanks for the help, guys. My biggest problem is that I'm not able to hang up the tobacco where I'm at currently. I'm going to try to get them to finish color curing the best I can and then focus on the fermenting to try to reduce the ammonia. Hopefully that will help.

 

[squeezyjohn]

Where I am, the natural temperatures and humidity here almost never allow all the mid-ribs to fully dry out before the dangers of mould begin. I colour cure for as long as I can and then begin to de-rib the leaves as soon as I spot mould growth on the stems. The de-ribbed brown leaves can then be boxed up and moved in to a dryer place in the house for the winter ... as for any leaves which still have signs of yellow or green on them - I use the technique in the video below to make a "perique" or carrotte of tobacco which creates good navy rolls of tobacco for pipe or cigarette use.