Really Easy Perique Press
- Thread starter deluxestogie
- Start date
- Status
just my gut feelings on this, based on 2 decent perique batches of my own:
-- No, but it might excelerate the process for the new leaf.
-- probably not, the juices are already acidic and I doubt you'll ever smell the vinegar, and if you do, it may be a unique beneficial flavor.
-- No, mold spores are everywhere, including your original leaf. This process (anarobic - without air) won't permit mold growth.
-- probably yes, and when you periodically remove the leaf to seperate and re-pack, mix new & old leaf.
LR, I think the comments you Left are Right. I have never measured the pH of the solution in the press, but I would expect it to be slightly alkaline.
Incidentally, when I opened the press this morning, the original batch smelled like manure. So something other than fruity wonderfulness is happening in there.
Bob
Incidentally, when I opened the press this morning, the original batch smelled like manure. So something other than fruity wonderfulness is happening in there.
Bob
the smell from my perique press reminded me of the old tennis shoes I used to wear all summer long.
Week 4 Update: week 1 for added leaf
Adding a second layer of new leaf to the Perique press has been a revelation. The transformation of the leaf seems to be intrinsic to the leaf, rather than the state (or age) of the dark brew of expressed juice.
The first layer was made with lower leaf than the second, but the leaf of the second layer had color-cured for less time before being placed in the press. Because the added leaf was kept as a separate layer in the press, it has been possible to compare the two layers.
Since it had been 1 week since adding the second layer, I decided to remove all the leaf, tease it out again, in order to expose all the leaf to air. I separated the two layers, and handled them separately.
During the first week, leaf appears to mummify. It becomes stretchy, flexible and translucent. The color changes very little. The aroma is that of a fruity wine.
I see two important reasons for removing the leaf at one week, and teasing it carefully apart:
Although not readily apparent in the photo, the 4 week leaf retains its translucent quality.
I have set out a small sample of the 4 week Perique to dry, slice and smoke in a pipe, in order to judge its current status.
So far, I can say with certainty that you don't need to worry about an exact pressure. I just firmly clamp it down, and tighten a bit every few days. The cylindrical screw handle of my clamp doesn't allow the application of significant torque. My aged grip just keeps it as tight as I can turn it.
Bob
Adding a second layer of new leaf to the Perique press has been a revelation. The transformation of the leaf seems to be intrinsic to the leaf, rather than the state (or age) of the dark brew of expressed juice.
The first layer was made with lower leaf than the second, but the leaf of the second layer had color-cured for less time before being placed in the press. Because the added leaf was kept as a separate layer in the press, it has been possible to compare the two layers.
Since it had been 1 week since adding the second layer, I decided to remove all the leaf, tease it out again, in order to expose all the leaf to air. I separated the two layers, and handled them separately.
During the first week, leaf appears to mummify. It becomes stretchy, flexible and translucent. The color changes very little. The aroma is that of a fruity wine.
I see two important reasons for removing the leaf at one week, and teasing it carefully apart:
- Exposure to air will permit the leaf to subsequently darken [This may be the same process that turns Cavendish black, and why the leaf in the center of a pile does not darken as much for the same cooking time. With the Cavendish process, apparently heat and moisture require air to darken the leaf.]
- The leaf at 1 week is tacky and firmly stuck together in a tangled mess. It's difficult to separate. By 4 weeks, the leaf that had been previously teased apart was more like a handful of wet t-shirts coming out of the washer--they may be tangled, but they separate easily. Leaf that has not been fully separated is quite difficult to separate after months in a press (learned from samples by two FTT Perique makers). To properly dry and shred the leaf, it has to be separated and laid out fairly flat.
Although not readily apparent in the photo, the 4 week leaf retains its translucent quality.
I have set out a small sample of the 4 week Perique to dry, slice and smoke in a pipe, in order to judge its current status.
So far, I can say with certainty that you don't need to worry about an exact pressure. I just firmly clamp it down, and tighten a bit every few days. The cylindrical screw handle of my clamp doesn't allow the application of significant torque. My aged grip just keeps it as tight as I can turn it.
Bob
leverhead
Well-Known Member
What happened to the "Manure" smell? How long do you let air out?
I suppose that "air out" is a bit of an embellishment. Once all of it had been separated (exposed to air), and the photos completed, I stuffed it back into the Lexan jar (misting a bit with each handful), and cranked it down. I think it just needs to know that air exists.
With regard to the alleged missing manure smell, a full and thorough ground level investigation will be undertaken. We will get to the bottom of this.
It really did smell wonderful. Separating the leaf is a little messy, but not much more so than making a batch of cookies.
Bob
NOTE: It's been so humid today, that the sample Perique has not yet dried.
With regard to the alleged missing manure smell, a full and thorough ground level investigation will be undertaken. We will get to the bottom of this.
It really did smell wonderful. Separating the leaf is a little messy, but not much more so than making a batch of cookies.
Bob
NOTE: It's been so humid today, that the sample Perique has not yet dried.
DGBAMA
Well-Known Member
I have to wonder what the results of this process would be using different strains of tobacco.
Honestly, I believe the only difference is the nicotine level. The character of the tobacco is so radically altered by pressure-curing that I doubt there would be any noticeable differences. I suspect that temp and duration and luck of the ambient microbes lead to differences in batches of Perique. Maybe there are real differences in what a specific variety will produce, and the sample of 4 varieties that I've smoked as Perique just don't give an adequate picture.
Bob
Mine stinks at the 1 week mark too. The smell reminds me of a ferment gone bad. After a few more weeks I usually notice the sweet smell
I smoked some of the first-layer Perique (so, ~30 days in the press). It burns well. Although it smelled like fruity wine when wet, it re-acquired its manure smell upon drying. Not foul, but it's recognizable. Apparently the newly added leaf scented the juice. In smoking it (in a 50% blend with flue-cured VA Bright), it already has its characteristic alkaline pH, totally removing the tongue bite of the bright leaf. The smoke aroma was enjoyable.
I have several samples of BigBonner's stinky barrel of Perique. It was stored in a high temp barn. Its aroma is similar to the month-old Perique, though stronger. It also smokes nicely, burns well, and has the expected alkalinity. I'm wondering if, for his large quantity of Perique, it has yet to undergo some final chemical process. Casing it and toasting it as it is lessened, but did not eliminate the off odor. Perhaps removing all of it from the barrel, airing it, then repressing it in cooler weather might allow it to change. Maybe it needs to be exposed to some of the microbes that are ubiquitous in the air. I just don't know.
Bob
I have several samples of BigBonner's stinky barrel of Perique. It was stored in a high temp barn. Its aroma is similar to the month-old Perique, though stronger. It also smokes nicely, burns well, and has the expected alkalinity. I'm wondering if, for his large quantity of Perique, it has yet to undergo some final chemical process. Casing it and toasting it as it is lessened, but did not eliminate the off odor. Perhaps removing all of it from the barrel, airing it, then repressing it in cooler weather might allow it to change. Maybe it needs to be exposed to some of the microbes that are ubiquitous in the air. I just don't know.
Bob
workhorse_01
Well-Known Member
Bob, what do you think of making a perique like the old man in the video, then submerging it in water? shouldn't it render the same product?
Can't afford video bandwidth until the end of the month. In general, I believe the pressure counteracts the osmotic attraction of lamina cells for the surrounding liquid. Let up pressure, and it swells the cells. Maintain pressure, and the intracellular contents remain highly concentrated (desiccated), while submerged.
It may be that a key function of periodically removing, airing, re-moisturizing and re-pressing the leaf is that it is kept from prolonged exposure to air.
I don't have a good feel for how this affects vegetative mold growth--or for that matter, the pressure fermentation reactions. There's a lot of mystery here.
Bob
It may be that a key function of periodically removing, airing, re-moisturizing and re-pressing the leaf is that it is kept from prolonged exposure to air.
I don't have a good feel for how this affects vegetative mold growth--or for that matter, the pressure fermentation reactions. There's a lot of mystery here.
Bob
chillardbee
Well-Known Member
Hows the proccessing going on there Bob?
workhorse_01
Well-Known Member
Do you still think I need to release pressure, then put it back under pressure? The smell of my submerged carrot has changed, It still smells like poop but nowhere near as bad as it was.
What was the temperature ?
High temperature will sour it like mine did and smell worse than poop . Before the hot spell the aroma was just like bought Perique
Moisten the tobacco with all it can take and leave what you can on the outside .
Press the tobacco hard , leave a few day the un pack , shake out and re pack . Do that several times .
Keep covered with water at all times .
workhorse_01
Well-Known Member
It's never been higher than 70*F today it's about 60*F. I made it by taking a 1/2 lb. of tobacco soaking it in water, then I wrapped it in a new dish towel, like a giant cigar. Then I wrapped it with string. Like the old guy in Squeezyjohn's video. I haven't removed the string or the pressure since I made it about three weeks ago. It has been under pressure, under water, in a doubled (2) 1-gallon size ziplok bags since the beginning. The smell is changing, but I don't want that stank water on my hands. I was hopping to leave it until the end!
Last edited:
I'll have a look at what I've ended up with in a few days. I believe that the airing is primarily responsible for the darkening of the leaf and the liquid.
Bob
Bob
The periodic shaking apart of the leaves may also prevent the tobacco from forming a hard indestructible mass. Boboro sent me a hockey puck he made from pressing leaves. There's no way to separate the leaf and I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it. You could honestly play hockey with it and couldn't hurt it in the slightest. I tried to cut it with a utility knife and the thing bit me.
If the leaf is kept always moist during pressing, and is not over-pressed (with geologic forces, like the formation of marble), then the leaf comes apart easily. With the hockey puck, I would suggest putting it into a sealable plastic container (like Tupperware), and adding water a little bit at a time, allowing it to soak it up before adding more. Keep it closed, and in the fridge.
As I recall, I've removed and aired my leaf only twice (only once for the leaf added a month after starting)--I'm too lazy to page back through this thread. When it came out today, as a soggy lump, the leaf separated without difficulty. It smells like a yeasty, grape and prune mix. I'll post pics in a day or two, after completing the processing.
Bob
As I recall, I've removed and aired my leaf only twice (only once for the leaf added a month after starting)--I'm too lazy to page back through this thread. When it came out today, as a soggy lump, the leaf separated without difficulty. It smells like a yeasty, grape and prune mix. I'll post pics in a day or two, after completing the processing.
Bob
- Status
