question on "Ageing"

[bluefishjim]

I'm not sure how to word this, basically when I'm trying to do is give my blends that aged taste. I'm assuming thats what I'm tasteing with the tinned blends I smoke, like the G.L. Peace blends. I recently watched a video of this guy who would make a blend and then put in ziplock bag and leave it in the hot sun. I have also watched and read some who cook their tobacco in a presure cooker/crock pot. I buy my whole leaf and I'm assuming its not been fermented. Is that simply what I'm missing? I hope this makes enough sense that you can tell what I'm asking. I have a crockpot and pressure cooker.
Thanks
Jim

 

[GreenDragon]

I've found all my blends benefit from both pressing and then aging in mason jars for a few months. This helps blend the flavors together and smooths them out. Also, many of the GLP blends incorporate Cavendish of some sort, so you may want to cook up a batch in your pressure cooker. You don't need fancy equipment to press your blends in. Fill a plastic bag with cased leaf, place between two boards, and stick it under a pile of books, a garage bench vice, or even hand vices. Leave for a month. Put the pressed leaf in a jar and leave for a couple months. I like to put mine in the attic as it's always nice and warm, especially in the summer!

 

[deluxestogie]

With regard to whole leaf tobacco from WLT, the burley and Maryland are typical of industry standards, and not fermented. All the cigar leaf is fully fermented. Flue-cure varieties are flue-cured, and ready to go. All the Orientals are sun-cured, and ready to go. Dark fire/air cured varieties are usually not fermented. The whole leaf you get from WLT is the same commodity leaf shipped to commercial manufacturers of tobacco products.

That having been said, various methods of blending, aging the blend, pressing the blend, and cooking some tobacco into Cavendish, subjecting tobacco to anaerobic fermentation (to make Perique), exposing the tobacco to moist heat or dry heat—all prior to blending...every approach alters to final result. These variations, including the specific tobacco varieties used, and priming levels from the stalk, together with the shred size and length, lead to a nearly infinite spectrum of final pipe blends, without the need to add humectants and non-tobacco flavorants.

Keep in mind that commercial pipe tobacco always contains non-tobacco ingredients (e.g. humectants and flavorants).

Bob

 

[bluefishjim]

Ok so from what I'm reading/understanding, I'm already on the right path. I do press most of my tobacco, I use a spaghetti press, some of my tobacco has been presser cooked and that does get things closer. I guess I should try cooking for longer, I also didn't think about what additives comercial blenders are using. I could also jar up my plugs and store them in one of my sheds for a couple months, I live in coastal NC so plenty hot.
Thanks guys for the info.