Fermentation Process Questions

[mountbaldy]

Hi all,

I've been harvesting my first green leaf and am on my second priming... I've started to look at the fermentation steps and have questions I need explained... Correct me if I'm wrong...

Steps in tobacco processing for cigars wrapper and filler:

1) pick prime leaf
2) cure prime leaf at 65-70 percent RH and 80 F temp until green leaf is brown and stems are dried.
3) bring leaf to case by spraying leaf with water or flavor blend.
4) place cased leaf into kiln.
5) set kiln temp to 120 F and set RH to 70-75.
6) leave in kiln for 4 weeks checking RH and temp regularly.
7) cut and roll finished leaf.

I'm unsure about steps 3-7 here.

When it comes to the actual kilning process for cigars what is the best method? Do you place leaf in jars in kiln or in plastic quart bags or directly on your sticks as you would to cure?

I tried searching the forum but came up short on a direct answer.

Thanks!!!

Cheers,

Joe

 

[Jitterbugdude]

Steps 1-7 look good. I would suggest though to not get wrapped up in the absolute numbers. For curing, I hang my leaf in my barn and let Mother Nature take over. For kiln temp I've used 115-130 but I usually kiln at 125 degrees. I do not monitor the humidity with a gauge, I just feel the leaf once a day and make sure it is in medium case (soft to the touch but not soggy wet).
As for how to put your leaf into your kiln, that depends on you and what works best for you. My original kiln was about a 4x3x4ft kiln. I hung the leaves on wires. My latest kiln is small so I just put my leaf in mason jars.

Most any method you use will work. It's all about making it easy.

 

[mountbaldy]

Thanks Jitterbug! I have a problem over thinking things! I try to follow the KISS method for most thing, but that doesn't always happen.

Cheers,
Joe

 

[mountbaldy]

Well,I finally got all my leaf cured and have started the fermenting process. I'm finding it difficult to keep my leaf in medium case. I'll spray them down with water and 4 hours later they are dry. That's with the humidifier cranked in the chamber. I have gone through 5 gallons of H2O in 48 hours. I have a pail of water in the chamber with a rag in it as well to help maintain humidity. My heater is set to 130F.

Any suggestions?

Cheers,

Joe

 

[deluxestogie]

• well sealed box
• insulation
• door seal

Bob

 

[mountbaldy]

Bob,
I was going to tell you that I had done all of those things but then I looked at my box with a fine toothed comb and realized I might need to add some insulation and tidy some things up. I filled in some gaps and added some 1 mil plastic vapor barrier. Now she's sealed up tight. I held 70 percent RH at 90F all day and low in behold, my baccy was at medium case. I'm cranking the screws to her this evening. I'll hopefully have some nicely cured smoke in about a month.

Thanks for pointing that out Bob!!

Cheers,

Joe

 

[Drej]

Hey guys. I've started fermenting and am managing to hold temp and humidity, but I "forgot" (didn't know I had to do this) to bring the leaves to case. The aroma coming from the kiln is nice, but the leaves are super crispy. Is fermentation actually taking place? or should I bring the leaves to case first?

Sorry for the beginner question. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Drej

 

[deluxestogie]

If the relative humidity (RH) is at least 65%, and air within the kiln is being adequately circulated, then the leaf should easily come into case. If that is not happening, then I would guess that there are areas within the kiln that are hotter than others--inadequate air circulation or inadequate insulation.

Bob

 

[Drej]

Thanks Bob. My kiln isn't completely sealed. It has a heater/fan installed that comes on whenever the temp dips below 50C. It also has a mister/humidifier that turns on whenever the RH dips below 73%.

When the heater's off there's no circulation whatsover.

Maybe I should recalibarte the sensors or something.

p.s. Pick of my setup attached. Styrofoam box, lined with aluminum foil.

p.s. Leaves were picked at the end of this season and allowed to air cure. Then they just sat in the corner until I found time to build the kiln

Drej

 

[deluxestogie]

I would leave the fan on all the time.

Bob

 

[Drej]

I got a feeling my kiln's not sealed well enough. I think I'll make some improvements like Mountbaldy did, add a permanently running fan and hopefully that'll bring the leaves into case. I'll let you know how it works out.

 

[Drej]

Just a quick update. I improved the sealing in my kiln and added a small computer fan to improve air circulation. No effect whatsoever. After two days at what should be ideal conditions (50 deg C and 70% RH) the leaves were still dry as hell.

I think I'm going to replace my flimsy styrofoam kiln with a old freezer, to ensure proper sealing.

One question though. Does the type of tobacco affect how well it can be brought back into case? I believe my tobacco is Virginia but.... I'm not 100% sure....

Happy new year everyone!

Drej

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

Just a quick update. I improved the sealing in my kiln and added a small computer fan to improve air circulation. No effect whatsoever. After two days at what should be ideal conditions (50 deg C and 70% RH) the leaves were still dry as hell.

I think I'm going to replace my flimsy styrofoam kiln with a old freezer, to ensure proper sealing.

One question though. Does the type of tobacco affect how well it can be brought back into case? I believe my tobacco is Virginia but.... I'm not 100% sure....

Happy new year everyone!

Drej

Yeah. I've found flue cured comes back quicker. And the worst is pile cured.

Have you calibrated your hygrometer? Maybe it isn't really 70%.

 

[Drej]

That's another thing I need to pay more attention to, sensor accuracy. You're right chinavoodoo, maybe I don't actually have 70%. I did check with my boveda butler though, and it seemed to be right on.

I'll update you guys again after I get the new setup running.

 

[Drej]

One last thought: should I have sprayed the leaves first before firing up the kiln? I didn't do that. I just hung the leaves dry, fired up the kiln and hoped they'd come into case....

 

[Knucklehead]

One last thought: should I have sprayed the leaves first before firing up the kiln? I didn't do that. I just hung the leaves dry, fired up the kiln and hoped they'd come into case....

My feeling is that your kiln is not sealing properly or you are not getting the humidity high enough. You could try spraying the leaf for diagnostic purposes. If it dries back out you know to go back to the drawing board.

 

[ChinaVoodoo]

It was easy to find leaks in my old kiln because icicles would form. Maybe put it outside and run it. That's if you get significantly below freezing.