Pressing a VA flake with color cured leaf?

[aguineapig]

Hi all and first of all thanks for the magnificent treasure trove of information here.

I grew a few plants several years back, at the beginning of my stint with the pipe. I've also been gifted some leaf from others who grow their own. I loved the process, and the idea of it, but I decided to leave it off for a while until I really developed a good palate for tobacco. It's been a few years, and now my curiosity is piqued again (and it doesn't hurt I've fallen in love with companies like C&D and D&R, very pure tobaccos with no humectants or crap added).

What I wondered, being ever in favor of simplicity, was if any folks had just taken color (air)cured Virginias, and pressed them into a flake and called it good. I've heard that bright and Red (Virginia) are just leaves from different sections of the same plant. Although that could be wrong, since the nomenclature was some of the most confusing I've ever read when I was reading into heavily a few years back.

So theoretically, a breadth of Virginias, color cured, and then pressed and aged. Has anyone who has done something that simple have any feedback?

For what it's worth, my understanding of color curing, is leaf that has been hung, and has turned (in the case of Virginias) gold/yellow or sightly darker for Reds, but still has an extremely raw character. sweating/fermentation/flue curing/simple aging (waiting) are all ways to facilitate improvement in that regard.

I was also under the impression that pressing tends to facilitate an aging process. On the other hand, that might only apply to secondary aging/fermentation (or just the marrying of different leaf), and possibly wouldn't benefit extremely young leaf-- or even trapping some of those undesirable traits within for longer than aging loose.

Sooooooo..... That's why I'm askin'!!

 

[deluxestogie]

Welcome to the forum.

When a flue-cured variety is air-cured (rather than flue-cured), the leaf colors to various shades of brown. Bright Virginias have to be flue-cured to be bright. The flue-curing fixes the color, and retains an acidity that is much less noticeable in air-cured Virginias. Sun-curing comes out in between, and ages to a darker color thereafter.

Be sure to check out (and bookmark) the Index of Key Forum Threads: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/3868-Key-threads-in-the-FTT-forum

In that index, read about various methods of curing and fermenting.

In particular, read about making Cavendish, Perique and "Latakia." All of these can begin with color-cured leaf of just about any variety of tobacco. The Cavendish thread includes details of pressing, slicing and rubbing, to make flake or shred.

An important factor in removing the raw taste of color-cured Virginias is aging--sometimes a year or more. Just by hanging in a shed, the leaf cycles through periods of aging, depending on the temp and humidity.

Making a firmly pressed block of leaf, assembled in layers of stemmed, color-cured leaf, alters the flavors. Keeping pressed for weeks or months may yield some very tasty pipe tobacco.

You'll have the most fun, by far, by purchasing whole leaf of

• flue-cured (Lemon and a standard or "red" selection)
• Oriental (Prilep and Izmir are often in stock)
• Cyprus Latakia
• Dark Air

from http://wholeleaftobacco.com , and then playing with the pipe blending recipe matrix here: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads...nds-You-Can-Make?p=96426&viewfull=1#post96426

Good luck.

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

I agree with deluxe. Start with purchased whole leaf from www.wholeleaftobacco.com and play with some blends. You'll immediately start saving money and will develop a good idea of which varieties you want to grow when that time rolls around. I went that route with my cigarette blends. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Jitterbugdude]

I've pressed air cured and it just doesn't impress. You need to add some flu cured, maybe Perique and Latakia too.

 

[Smokin Harley]

I grew Virginia Gold in 2015, color cured in the barn and then kilned for 4 weeks late that year/early 2016. It then rested in vapor proof bags . Just a few weeks ago I got it out to make a flake plug as you are describing. It wasn't very moist ,just pliable . I sprayed it down with a very tiny solution of raw local honey and distilled water. I would say I mixed up a teaspoon of honey with a cup of water. Made sure it was dissolved before spraying the leaf lightly . Not so much to make it wet and sweet , but damp and a little tacky like a post-it note adhesive would be. Into the (poplar) wooden press it went . I lined the box with kitchen parchment paper ,which helped a great deal in the plug removal. I clamped the leaf down as much as a woodworking grip clamp would go. There was a small amount of brown juice that exuded from it which over the course of the 3 days , re-absorbed into the leaf and the wood box. Probably more the wood than the leaf plug but I figure that its "seasoning" the plug box .The leaf that went in a very light tan with a lightly sweet grassy aroma came out quite a bit darker and more of a vanilla aroma yet holding a light grassy/ hay aroma, not in a bad way. I took the plug to the kiln for further drying ,a few hours at 120*F is all it took. Just enough the plug was still pliable but not dry to crumble when sliced into ribbons. It did smoke rather well, but I think the next time I try to make a plug , I'd let it rest in the press much longer.