I'm doing 64-128g on the higher end the plugs are a little more loose even after several days. I'd imagine going above 200g you'd need to give it a week or more if you don't want it to expand on you.
Noodle Press Plugs
- Thread starter ProZachJ
- Start date
I'm doing 64-128g on the higher end the plugs are a little more loose even after several days. I'd imagine going above 200g you'd need to give it a week or more if you don't want it to expand on you.
My second plug of Bayou Dawn. I learned the hard way with the first one that this blend does not benefit from stoving, it seemed to just mute all the best aspects. It still tastes great but not as great as it did fresh out of the press. I mixed this one up on Friday and let it hangout in the press all weekend while I was away. Instead of rubbing this one out, I intend to slice it. It will get a chance to continue aging in the jar while I finish off the first plug.
I think the new pipe that is inbound will be dedicated to this blend.
I think the new pipe that is inbound will be dedicated to this blend.
Well, the answer was 4 days 
Compared to a batch of Burley Baby that I mixed up nearly a year ago and have been working my way through, the sliced plug's jar smell is overall just moar...sweet...floral...that Latakia note...I suspect this will become my standard approach to this blend.
Compared to a batch of Burley Baby that I mixed up nearly a year ago and have been working my way through, the sliced plug's jar smell is overall just moar...sweet...floral...that Latakia note...I suspect this will become my standard approach to this blend.
When using the noodle press, do you guys notice a difference in density or texture between the top and bottom of the plug? I loaded up a small test batch yesterday and pressed it, and today applied a little low heat for a couple hours. I decided to take a peek and re-compress. It seemed to me tlike the top of the plug was a little more brown and closer to being kind of "melded" together than the bottom. I flipped it over before returning it to the press, just in case... but I don't know if was my imagination, a little difference in the distribution of the tobacco shreds on that end, or something else.
WillQuantrill
Well-Known Member
I have yet to notice much difference
Juxtaposer-
Well-Known Member
The pressure from the press is directly from the screw. The tobacco that resists the pressure is supported by all the tobacco under it. The tobacco near the screw plate receives the most pressure. To counter this effect do not tighten the press fully right away but let the plug adjust to the pressure more gradually. One quarter turn per hour or something reasonable. These are my thoughts however the uneven exposure to pressure is a thing.
Yeah, I've been tightening it a bit every hour or two. Swapping the ends sounds like a good idea -- did that this evening, and I'm only planning on another day or so in the press anyway. This is a little 16 g test plug, so it comes out maybe 3/8" thick. I suspect a larger batch wouldn't have near as pronounced a difference on the screw end. Right now I'm just trying out some blends to see what I like, so I make a small batch, try it, and if I hate it I haven't invested a lot of leaf into the experiment.
WillQuantrill
Well-Known Member
Can't remember who posted this but it had worked well for me. The first tightening I screw down snug but I don't put the wrinkle on it. For the next hour to 90 minutes I tighten a little more every 15 minutes. At the end of the hour I loosen the screw about 90* and let it set for 24 hours. It has also prevented the tobacco from sticking to the little press plate. Also the endcap and screw base I will snug up then loosen 1/4 turn beforehand. It comes apart much easier.
MadFarmer
Well-Known Member
Are all plugs pressed using shredded leaves?
All of mine have been so far, at least in the noodle press. I pressed some whole leaf last winter, and I have read posts either here or on FB (yecch) about whole leaf plugs in a noodle press.
The FB tobacco blending group has been... a disappointment, honestly.
I did one with whole leaf and just liked the result from the shredded more. I think I'd want a larger diameter to press whole leaf so that it would be easier to lay slices in flat, with the noodle press I crumpled them up and that resulted in poor plug integrity.
Surprisingly this blend has very little color or flavor change from being pressed.
I'm starting to think that the Virginias are primarily responsible for pressed blend's transformation, as it seems the blends with more Virginias, especially lemon, undergo a more radical change.
Next up 96g of my triple Virginia mix that I intend to have a go at crockpot Cavendish with.
So, do you slice those plugs, or crumble them? My first plug came out as a pretty solid mass and I sliced it. The rest are coming out in a form that I can crumble. I wouldn't mind slicing into flakes, but I'm a little concerned about ending up with "overly shredded" tobacco.
Both, just depends on the look of the plug and how I'm feeling.
Olmstead
Active Member
That one looks nice! The only problem I've found with these noodle/spaghetti presses is that they can't apply as much pressure as I'd like, but they definitely work well. Unless you really want to get your hands dirty with bigger and bulkier equipment, it's hard to beat the ol' noodle press technique.
Years ago I had some great success with a press I made from a reinforced cigar box—a small one from Drew Estate—which I modified the lid of to slide inside of the box. I used big C-clamps for the muscle, and I managed to squeeze the tobacco so hard that it oozed. I took a G.L. Pease Temple Bar plug, squashed it to about half the thickness that it comes as, and left it sitting in the press near a radiator for about two weeks. The flavor improved dramatically.
Happy pressing!
