Little Yellow/One-Sucker snus

[wruk53]

I started cooking another batch of snus this morning. I used 500 grams of Little Yellow, 100 grams of One-Sucker, 48 grams of Kosher salt, 36 grams of washing soda and 600 grams of water. I'll cook it for about 48 hours at 176 degrees, then store in the fridge for a few weeks while it matures. I made a puro batch of Little Yellow a while back and it was one of my best batches ever. I added the One-Sucker to give it a little bit of a nicotine boost. I added the alkalizer at the beginning to simplify things. I'll give a review in a few weeks.

 

[wruk53]

Removed from the cooker after 48 hours. After they cool down completely, the jars will be on vacuum. At that point, I'll remove the rims, leave the seals in place and store for aging. Target date for sampling is at least two weeks distant.

 

[WillQuantrill]

Maybe dumb question I've had tumbling around my head, will tobacco age under vacuum? Hope this doesn't hijack your thread, just genuinely curious.

 

[ShiniKoroshi]

Maybe dumb question I've had tumbling around my head, will tobacco age under vacuum? Hope this doesn't hijack your thread, just genuinely curious.

Im sure it would, faster in a kiln, just sayin'.

 

[wruk53]

Maybe dumb question I've had tumbling around my head, will tobacco age under vacuum? Hope this doesn't hijack your thread, just genuinely curious.

I've done it this way the last few batches and I can't tell any difference from storing it in a bowl. I am not a chemist or scientist or any other kind of "ist", but here's what I believe, when the alkalizer is added to the snus that is only the beginning of the alkalization process. It takes a few weeks for the process to complete and for the snus to settle down. In other words, alkalization is not instantaneous but occurs over time. I've not noticed any kind of off flavors or smells from the sealed jars once they are opened. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, with snus, the alkalization process is a large part of what is commonly called the "aging" process. Other, more experienced snus makers may be able to shed more light on this.

 

[deluxestogie]

Your 1) suspicions, followed by 2) experimental trials, and your eventual 3) comparison of your results with your suspicions [repeat 1-2-3 as needed, to be sure]—that process is the very core of scientific method. You are a scientist!

Bob

 

[WillQuantrill]

I've done it this way the last few batches and I can't tell any difference from storing it in a bowl. I am not a chemist or scientist or any other kind of "ist", but here's what I believe, when the alkalizer is added to the snus that is only the beginning of the alkalization process. It takes a few weeks for the process to complete and for the snus to settle down. In other words, alkalization is not instantaneous but occurs over time. I've not noticed any kind of off flavors or smells from the sealed jars once they are opened. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, with snus, the alkalization process is a large part of what is commonly called the "aging" process. Other, more experienced snus makers may be able to shed more light on this.

You sir are a tobacconist! And I get what you're saying once the alkali is in might as well keep the "good stuff" in to let it do its thing.

 

[wruk53]

Today is 2 weeks of aging for my Little Yellow\One-Sucker snus. The smell upon opening the sealed jar was quite nice. There's a little bitterness when first placed in the mouth, but not enough that any sweeteners or flavoring is needed. Verdict = Very good. From here on out, I will add the alkalizer with the salt and water at the beginning of the cook. Also, the last batch I made was too salty. I reduced the amount of salt from 10 grams per hundred grams of flour to 8 grams per hundred of flour, this is about perfect for me.

 

[Anders A]

Today is 2 weeks of aging for my Little Yellow\One-Sucker snus. The smell upon opening the sealed jar was quite nice. There's a little bitterness when first placed in the mouth, but not enough that any sweeteners or flavoring is needed. Verdict = Very good. From here on out, I will add the alkalizer with the salt and water at the beginning of the cook. Also, the last batch I made was too salty. I reduced the amount of salt from 10 grams per hundred grams of flour to 8 grams per hundred of flour, this is about perfect for me.

I also think that 10g of salt to 100g of tobacco flour is too much. Nowadays I use about 5-6g of salt to 100g of tobacco. Otherwise it corrodes the lips and gums too much.

 

[adamziegler]

I also think that 10g of salt to 100g of tobacco flour is too much. Nowadays I use about 5-6g of salt to 100g of tobacco. Otherwise it corrodes the lips and gums too much.

What is your general recipe of you don't mind sharing?

 

[wruk53]

What is your general recipe of you don't mind sharing?

For each 100 grams of tobacco flour, I use 8 grams of non-iodized salt, 6 grams of sodium carbonate and 100 grams of water. I warm the water up first and dissolve the salt and carbonate in it, then dump it into a mixing bowl containing the flour. Mix it with a fork until the flour is evenly moist, then pack it into a one-pint mason jar, place a seal on the jar and screw the lid on just finger tight. This will allow any pressure to escape and still prevent any water from entering the jar. At that point I place the jars in my instant pot, fill the pot with enough water that the jars almost float, then turn it on low warm and cook for 48 hours at 175 degrees. After cooking, let the jars cool down on the counter, then store the sealed jars in the fridge for a few weeks before sampling. I normally will use 600 grams of flour for each batch; this amount will fit into four-pint size regular mouth mason jars if it's packed in pretty tight. I end up with about 1300 grams of snus from each batch. A lot of people cook at higher temps for shorter times or even use a pressure cooker for just a few hours. As far as tobaccos, I normally use about 50% dark air cured with 50% of a lower nicotine variety. Some tobaccos are very bitter and may need some added sweetener or flavoring. Lots of different ways to do it, but this is the method I've settled on.

 

[deluxestogie]

I've added this thread to our Index of Key Forum Threads.

Bob

 

[HappyHawaiian]

I also think that 10g of salt to 100g of tobacco flour is too much. Nowadays I use about 5-6g of salt to 100g of tobacco. Otherwise it corrodes the lips and gums too much.

I had no idea too much salt was bad. I had gone up from 7 to 10 grams of salt because I like the salt taste. I'll back it down now. Thanks.

 

[Toolandiemaker]

Fascinating, this seems like a simple canning recipe. 2 weeks and still under vacuum makes me think that the inside of the jar is essentially sterile, I wonder if they would keep well in a cupboard provided the seal isn't broken?

 

[wruk53]

I don't think I would trust it unless it was pressure canned, and that process might ruin the snus because of too high heat. Just my thought, I'm not really sure.

 

[deluxestogie]

150°F will kill most bacteria. Bacterial spores and fungal spores, by contrast, usually require temperatures above boiling (>212°F) to kill them.

You might try processing the snus as usual, then conducting a trial with a single, small jar of that batch being subjected to pressure canning standards. Compare.

Although I have never made snus, I have used 5+ hours of pressure cooking in sealed jars to make Cavendish, always with flavorful results.

Bob