PressuredLeaf's 2021 desert grow

[PressuredLeaf]

Good luck with the cozy can. It can get the job done for small batches.

Bob

Thanks Bob, my kiln was inspired by your post. I don’t have too many plants this season, so I’m not too concerned about overfilling it. Also, it helps that my garage runs around 100f anyway. I might build a better kiln later on, but for now I think this one will work well.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

Question for the group: Does anyone know what wood/plants are used to generate the smoke for San Andres tobacco? I really like MSA, and would like to make something close to it. I understand a big part of the flavor comes from the fires lit in the curing barns. I was thinking of user my smoker to fire some color cured leaves before looking. I have some guava wood I was thinking of using, but am open to more authentic suggestions.

 

[deluxestogie]

Here's @Tutu's answer:

Mexican San Andres seeds

I'm not sure if this has been posted already and web searches have been fruitless. I figured this is the best group to ask. Anyone know where seed for San Andres tobacco can be obtained? I recently smoked a very tasty cigar by La Galera (80th Anniversary Special Edition) and they actually...

fairtradetobacco.com

Bob

EDIT: scroll backwards through that thread for the assorted conjectures. It sounds like the Latakia story. In Cyprus, they use whatever crappy scrub debris is available. In San Andres Tuxtla, they use whatever crappy, combustible vegetative waste is available.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

Thanks Bob,

It sound like the candidates are, charcoal, and tropical woods. The only wood that I can get that grows down near Veracruz is alligator juniper, I may give that a try. Charcoal seems intriguing too, since the MSA character is much less pronounced than dark fire cures. Looks like I have some experimenting to do.

Also, I strung up the Prilep and loaded it in the can for yellowing. I’m shooting for 102f to yellow, then 130-135 for wilting and setting. After wilting and setting, I’ll remove the humidity source for final drying. Will be interesting to see how it goes. The other tobacco has only been in the kiln for a day or two, but it already smells much better. Kind of sweet and spicy.

 

[deluxestogie]

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

Robcars flue curing thread

I could use some clarification on wet/dry bulb thermometer. I'm getting some mixed results searching for them

fairtradetobacco.com

2015 Knucklehead Grow Blog

What did you think about the K326 you grew? I'm growing some this year that I got from Larry, but I don't know anything about it other than it is a flue cure Bright leaf. It was okay, but I air cured it. I've sun cured all my flue cure varieties for the past two years and prefer that method. I...

fairtradetobacco.com

 

[PressuredLeaf]

Thank you Bob and Knucklehead. How yellow do you let the leaves get before ramping? Mine aren’t fully yellow (more mottled) at the 36hr mark.

For my mystery tobacco, I think it’s CT broad lead, based on the huge wide leaves and lack of the sharp appiculate tip. However, I need to let them go more before I can be conclusive.

 

[deluxestogie]

How yellow...

Mostly yellow lamina, while persistent green in the stem and veins is okay. If you wait for total yellow, then the final leaf will more likely end up brown, rather than yellowish.

Bob

 

[Knucklehead]

Thank you Bob and Knucklehead. How yellow do you let the leaves get before ramping? Mine aren’t fully yellow (more mottled) at the 36hr mark.

For my mystery tobacco, I think it’s CT broad lead, based on the huge wide leaves and lack of the sharp appiculate tip. However, I need to let them go more before I can be conclusive.

I may have been premature in my answer. Are you kilning or flue curing? Bobs chart and my links were for flue curing. Prilep flue cures nicely but I’m not sure how well CT Broadleaf flue cures. Perhaps Bob has tried it.

 

[deluxestogie]

Cigar and broadleaf/seedleaf varieties (as well as burley) flue-cure poorly.

Boib

 

[PressuredLeaf]

I may have been premature in my answer. Are you kilning or flue curing? Bobs chart and my links were for flue curing. Prilep flue cures nicely but I’m not sure how well CT Broadleaf flue cures. Perhaps Bob has tried it.

Sorry, my posts are sort of all over the place. I’m flue curing the Prilep, and will be killing my cigar leaf varieties.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

Pulled the flue cured Prilep today. It looks great, a little darker than traditional bright VA. It smells very interesting, not quite like traditional flue cured, kind of biscuity.

 

[deluxestogie]

When I flue-cured Prilep, the aroma reminded me of a bakery.

Bob

EDIT: I suspect that some amino acids (from proteins) react with some reducing sugars within the leaf, generating over the span of the flue-cure a low-temp Maillard reaction that resembles something that happens with baking wheat flour. (Whether it smells like seared beef or sugar cookies will depend on the specific combination of amino acids and starches that react.)

 

[PressuredLeaf]

When I flue-cured Prilep, the aroma reminded me of a bakery.

Bob

EDIT: I suspect that some amino acids (from proteins) react with some reducing sugars within the leaf, generating over the span of the flue-cure a low-temp Maillard reaction that resembles something that happens with baking wheat flour. (Whether it smells like seared beef or sugar cookies will depend on the specific combination of amino acids and starches that react.)

That makes sense, I would guess during the yellowing and wilting there is a lot of cell lysis going on, and all sorts of reactive small molecules. Even if the temp doesn’t reach the excepted Maillard range, I would speculate that the removal of water favors the forward direction for most of those condensation reactions.

I’m excited to give some of this a sample tonight after work.

 

[PressuredLeaf]

Picked some more Prilep and YTB today, with the heat building, these leaves are getting very sticky. Hopefully that translates to flavor, and not just nicotine.

Regarding the unknown cigar variety, I’m thinking it’s CT broadleaf, based on the broadleaves
.

 

[koceff]

How do you guys pronounce "Prilep"? Just curious

 

[deluxestogie]

I pronounce "Prilep" as though it were written in Latin. Do us a favor, and post a video of the correct pronunciation.

Bob

 

[koceff]

@deluxestogie
Here is a link of I think American tourists. They mention the name a few times.

 

[Knucklehead]

@deluxestogie
Here is a link of I think American tourists. They mention the name a few times.

Like Pree-lop?

 

[koceff]

@Knucklehead Not with an "O" but with the first sound from "every" .