Just wondering why you need to dry the tobacco if we just add water back in to make the snus? The grind I’m doing is more course anyway.
Also if I just store the leaf in the bags that they arrive in in a cool dark place is that ok?
I wondered the same thing. I think maybe it's because a lot of people, including myself, follow the how to make snus videos from Snus at Home on Youtube and that's how he does it. He did say the reason for drying the leaves is so that we can add a controlled amount of water. But, when he makes American snuff, he does not dry out the leaves, and I don't remember but I don't think he adds any water or maybe very little.
The first batch I made, I followed his instructions to the T and dried my leaves in the oven. But that was a hassle so I stopped doing that. Now I just put my leaves in brown paper bags or boxes. Humidity in my room is around 50%. I leave it in the bags for a few days or weeks, depending on how lazy I am. The leaves do dry out but not as dry as in the oven. Some leaves are still a bit moist. When I work up the energy, i turn them to dust in my blender and store the tobacco flour in ziploc freezer bags.
I've learned there's no real hard rules for making snus, everyone has their own twist. Experiment with small 100 gram batches and see what works best for you. You know how it "should" be done, then from there just tweak to what works for you.
I don't know if you can store leaves in the plastic shipping bags long term. The big problem would be mold. I once had snus I made get moldy and had to toss it. I'm thinking if the leaves are dry or at least mostly dry and you turn it into flour, then it would be a lot less likely to mold. I'm thinking if the leaves are moist, they might be more likely to mold. But I'm new so I could be wrong.
