What causes dry plug?

[piping_presbyter]

Thank you in advance for any insight you have.

First of all, my objective: I'd like to reproduce the slightly moist style of flakes which Dunhill and Peterson are known for, which hold together well yet remain pliable.

Background: I posted yesterday about pressing my first whole leaf plug. I pressed low-case leaf for 24 hours. Every layer received a very light misting of rum as a binder. The first 12 hours, I was at 100 psi. I gradually increased the pressure so that for the last eight hours, it was closer to 500 psi. The result is a 1/4 inch-thick plug as hard as fiber board, lol. I'm confident it won't delaminate if left to rest.

But as I attempted to cut a flake, the layers sprang apart into individual ribbons. They are springy but not brittle. I'm smoking them right now—smokes cool, fairly smooth, and tastes great. But I'd like the flakes to be easier to cut and to hold together.

So, how do you make a slightly moist plug that doesn't delaminate upon cutting? Should I:

A.) use higher-case leaf to start?
B.) apply less pressure?
C.) both A & B
D.) something else

PS: my first-ever blend is good enough to replace 90% of the commercial blends I've tried over the past ten years. Amazing!

 

[Alpine]

All commercial blends use propylene glycol as a “moistener” (the tobacco almost never dries, since PG is not water and doesn’t evaporate) and it prevents the formation of mold. They also add, especially in many aromatic(ized) blends, syrups and sugars that are naturally sticky.
I add very little honey, dissolved in water, to my daily cigarette blend. If I go too far with the honey, the shredded baccy turns a bit sticky, which is not bad since I roll by hand, but makes the puffing harder.
I would suggest to add some natural sugar to your favorite booze (honey, maple syrup, molasses, cane sugar etc), spray it on the leaves then press. Start with small quantity and increase the sugar gradually. And let us know your results!

pier

 

[Hayden]

I would try adding more water. My tobacco is quiet moist if i decide to press it so at least high case if not wetter. That leads to sticky leaf which holds together quiet well.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

I vacuum seal them immediately after pressing for an hour or two. I EDIT : I PRESS THEM for an hour or two then vacuum seal them. It duplicates being pressed for days /months. I think they would stick together as well as commercial plugs if I didn't have to saw the crap out of the edge with a knife to take off a slice. If it was one swift cut, I think it would be pretty resilient.

But I think it's the humectants they use.

 

[piping_presbyter]

Follow up. I made another plug, this time tripling the amount of leaves and bringing them to high case first. I also used some honey in the water with the Bright Virginia and rum with red Virginia.

Instead of applying full-pressure for 24 hours, as I did previously, this time I applied full pressure for just an hour. Then I reset the press at just enough pressure to hold the plug where it was at (thanks, @ChinaVoodoo ) for the concept. Then I left it in there for 24 hours.

This morning, I removed the plug. It looked and felt like Salty Dogs by Dan Tobacco. Like, indistinguishable. The aroma was less sweet and more full, which I attribute to the really fresh Perique I used.

Moment of truth: I took a big meat cleaver and sliced off a flake. Moist, easy to cut through an inch thick, and it held together, except for one layer where I had placed two Perique leaves consecutively. Apparently, they did not bind together as well as with the Virginias. In the future, I will make sure that Perique is always sandwiched between whatever I’m blending with.

This afternoon, I plan to smoke some and will report back.

 

[piping_presbyter]

I smoked a bowl this evening. I would describe it as 80% of the way to Salty Dogs. Now, to let it rest in a jar and try flakes every month for a year and see if it improves.

 

[piping_presbyter]

This was attempt #2. Way better.

 

[Homegrowngoodnes]

Looks good