A Lazy/Safe Kiln? or pointless fire hazard?

[SnuffmeisterUK]

This is my second year growing tobacco, last year I air cured until brown, stripped the stems, then stored in mason jars at a low case. A year ago my tobacco smelt like green tea, it now smells more tobacco like but still has a herbal tea/floral vibe to it.

With this year's batch I'd like to sweat out some of this green tea vibe, not fully fermenting them (I mostly make snus so don't need or want heavily fermented leaf)

I don't have the means to build a proper kiln, plus I live in a flat so the idea of a heat source running for weeks on end makes me uncomfortable.

I have a heat mat, a large cardboard box + a brewing bucket.

I was wondering if, placing the heat mat in the cardboard box, with the brewing bucket full of tobacco leaves on top of it, with an open jar of water in the bucket itself underneath (amoungst the tobacco) would approach being a kiln for the tobacco?

Here is the clinch - I would only turn this heat mat on when I am at home + awake. As the winter draws in I will spend more time at home, I also work from home a couple days a week so could be there to monitor it.

I'm paranoid about starting a fire so would never leave it on and go out, or go to sleep.

If I do this lazy routine, will it have any kiln like effect on the tobacco? I imagine I will reshuffle the leaves daily.

Thank you FTT!

 

[Skafidr]

The approach you describe is something like another fellow did; although, they wrapped their leaves in a damp towel and made sure the bundle was not in direct contact with the heat.

• Their YouTube video: 3rd Video - - How to Ferment Tobacco - Tobacco Farming in Brazil.
• Their post on reddit about it: My method for Fermenting.

Unfortunately they deleted their Reddit account (u/AndromedaSound) so asking them further questions will prove difficult.

FWIW, I had this thought/guess w.r.t. his method:

would it be more energy efficient and as effective, if you would place the pot directly on the burners, and put the towel/bundle on a grid _inside_ the pot? The towel itself would still be heated with radiant heat.

I have not tested any of this. yet.

 

[SnuffmeisterUK]

@Skafidr , thanks for that video was useful, although leaving a hob on that long kinda freaks me out! My other half wouldn't let me do it..

Well, here is my lazy kiln, Tobacco in bags, open jar of water, bucket, heat mat, cardboard box and towel..

 

[SnuffmeisterUK]

Second night of turning my kiln on after work whilst I had a night in - after 2 hours I checked and there is a very strong smell of fruit/peaches/funk coming from the leaves and they are in a higher case than they were going into the kiln - both signs something is happening

After 2 hours my cheap thermostat/hygrometer was reading 40 degrees c (104f) and 40% humidity... should I have any worries? I'm working from home tomorrow so will get a fuller blast.

 

[deluxestogie]

40 degrees c (104f) and 40% humidity... should I have any worries?

Mold.

Bob

 

[SnuffmeisterUK]

@deluxestogie I suspected so.. I've ordered myself a fancy brewing heat mat for my winemaking (the tobacco is in a demijohn), I'm going to double up on the heat inside the box, if it doesn't get the temp above the mold threshold I'll abandon this until summer I think!

 

[Old Gasman]

Possibly without a proper kiln you might just have to have patience and let time do its thing, in a year or two you'll have good tobacco, grow some every year and you'll have a constant supply.

 

[SnuffmeisterUK]

@Old Gasman I'm going to run with this experiment for a week or so keeping a very close eye on it.. it does seem to be doing something as all sorts of fruity/grassy/hay smells are waking up in the leaf, for risk of mold I am only using 50% ish of my years crop, the rest i will just age, its nearly finished air curing

 

[SnuffmeisterUK]

@deluxestogie the bag of rustica in the bucket smells exactly like the dreaded 'kitty litter' you experienced.. kitty litter and a plummy funk..