Fermentation in a pinch (please help!)

[Arrlo]

hello everyone!

this year i began my first ever attempt at growing tobacco, and i think its been going well so far.

i have now however reached the point where i need to ferment the leaves of mine which i have successfully cured.

i had plans to build a tobacco kiln, however time is getting on and i never got round to it.

it isnt out of the realm of possibility however i would greatly appreciate it if someone could suggest a method i can use which can be set up quite quickly and easily so that i can at least get somewhere with the leaves ive got ready.

 

[Arrlo]

if i have broken any rules or etiquette of the forum please let me know, this is my first post.

 

[deluxestogie]

Belated welcome to the forum. Feel free to introduce yourself in our Introduce Yourself forum. You may wish to scan through the topics in our Index of Key Forum Threads, linked in the menu bar. It includes a section (Curing: other) that lists numerous threads on various kilns.

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

Welcome to the forum! Curing and fermenting tobacco is as much Art as it is Science and the methods used are dictated by the type of tobacco and intended use. You will need to peruse the library of knowledge in the Key Forum Threads and Wiki. However, if you are under the gun then really your best option at this point is Air Curing for color, then letting it age. Have fun and good luck!

 

[Juxtaposer-]

Your leaf is aging and is going in a similar direction as kilning depending on moisture levels. Any little bit of moisture helps however you need to consider the risk of mold.

 

[Arrlo]

Belated welcome to the forum. Feel free to introduce yourself in our Introduce Yourself forum. You may wish to scan through the topics in our Index of Key Forum Threads, linked in the menu bar. It includes a section (Curing: other) that lists numerous threads on various kilns.

Bob

Welcome to the forum! Curing and fermenting tobacco is as much Art as it is Science and the methods used are dictated by the type of tobacco and intended use. You will need to peruse the library of knowledge in the Key Forum Threads and Wiki. However, if you are under the gun then really your best option at this point is Air Curing for color, then letting it age. Have fun and good luck!

thank you all

Your leaf is aging and is going in a similar direction as kilning depending on moisture levels. Any little bit of moisture helps however you need to consider the risk of mold.

i have been keeping them quite dry on purpose in hopes of saving them for kilning or something of the likes

what kind of timeline would i be looking at if i let some moisture in and let them age?

 

[Juxtaposer-]

thank you all



i have been keeping them quite dry on purpose in hopes of saving them for kilning or something of the likes

what kind of timeline would i be looking at if i let some moisture in and let them age?

Three years gets quoted quite a bit as the time it may take. I have seen other methods of fermentation tried other than kilning but those do require close attention to prevent mold. Are you using the tobacco for cigar making?

 

[FarmingMachinery]

Welcome to the forum, Arrlo! Great to see another grower joining.

On your question about timeline - if you're just air curing and letting them age naturally, you're looking at several months at least, and even then the fermentation won't be as even or controlled as a proper kiln. The key issue with air curing is that it's hard to maintain consistent temperature and humidity, which is what really drives the fermentation process.

Since you mentioned you were planning to build a kiln but ran out of time - have you considered looking at small commercial fermentation chambers? They're basically plug-and-play, you just set the temp and humidity and they do the rest. A lot of small growers use them because you don't need any DIY skills and you can get consistent results.

Just a thought - might be worth checking out if you don't have time to build your own. Good luck with the fermentation!

 

[vktr]

I've been using this cooler kiln successfully for over a year, see the previous page of that thread for pictures with more details: https://forum.wholeleaftobacco.com/threads/curing-chamber-simple-or-complex.13207/page-2#post-227841 . Pretty minimal setup. It provides rather harsh conditions (as I understand, I've no fridge kiln to compare with) so I have to shuffle and manually check the leaves moisture every 2-3 days and either sprinkle them with water or dry them out a bit. It takes me 17-19 days to ferment a well cured aztec, and up to 28 days for virginia, burley, brun etc. The time I decide they've been there enough is when the leaves get dark and start developing black patches when viewed in reflected light (still dark brown against the light). I smoke less than I ferment, so it suite me well. Hope this helps. If you try it just make sure your cooler kiln has no chance of starting a fire.

 

[johnny108]

A small household yogurt incubator with small canning jars and bags has worked for me- but it is incredibly small.

My window and balcony: @johnny108

It is dangerously green. But after 30 days it’s gonna be pretty strong, nicotine-wise. If I waited till it yellowed, I’d have to keep it inside while it was snowing, and it would be strong enough that using it would be difficult. (Plus keeping it away from a toddler) I’m going to use it in...

forum.wholeleaftobacco.com

 

[Wombat_smokes]

As long as the tobacco maintains low case, aging occurs. If it's bone dry, aging is on hold/ takes even longer to be enjoyable. So there's no need to rush. The only time crunch is storage space and eagerness to use your tobacco.