man.in.boots
Active Member
is it easy to get hot or cold spots inside the kiln or what do you have in mind ?
Finnish grower: @man.in.boots
- Thread starter man.in.boots
- Start date
PressuredLeaf
Well-Known Member
I was using a metal trashcan wrapped in fiber glass insulation with a crock pot as a dual heater/humidifier. It was very easy to control. Basically I set the desired temp and filled up the pot every few days. I found placing the probe roughly in the middle of the kiln where the leaves were hanging was best. There was condensing humidity on the sides of the kiln, but I drilled a hole in the trashcan to let it leak out. My only regret was not purchasing a larger crock pot - not for heating power, but to reduce the number of times I need to refill the reservoir. I’m sure the edges of the kiln were cooler since that’s where humidity was condensing, but that was fine for me since there was no tobacco there anyway. If you were to build a larger kiln, it might not be a bad idea to put a small fan in there to try and equalize the temperature. Then again, if you have good insulation it’s probably not a big deal.
IIRC, I simply plugged the crockpot into the “on” outlet of the controller. The “off” or work 2 outlet would be used if you had some sort of active cooling mechanism, but that’s overkill for a tobacco kiln.
I’ll be following this as I need to build a larger kiln soon!
man.in.boots
Active Member
ok thanks mate you prought up a good point that i haven't tought yet the condensation on the sides. this might be a broblem for my desing.
man.in.boots
Active Member
made an overly complicated fan setup because i am Mr fancy pants and this might allow me to ferment and possibly fluke cure larger baches at a time. I would like to cram the upper part of the fridge full with the leaves upright, and the air would travel inbetween the leaves. hope my fancy ass don't get no cancer from the plastic pipes i used no idea what kinds of plastics are allowed by the kiln inspectors.
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man.in.boots
Active Member
first flu cure done whit succes. what people do after flu cure just rehydrate cut and smoke or is there somthing else to be done before that?
start and finish
start and finish
Flue-cured tobacco is useable immediately. If you store it in low case, it will gently age and be smoother. If you subsequently kiln your flue-cured leaf, it will take on a redder hue, and somewhat reduce its acidity, creating a second blending ingredient.
Bob
Bob
Wow! Beautiful color!
man.in.boots
Active Member
thanks!
man.in.boots
Active Member
can i flu cure orientals ?
Yes. The Oriental leaf that I've flue-cured smells like a bakery, and tastes (in the words of one forum member who sampled it) "like tobacco candy".
Bob
man.in.boots
Active Member
that sounds nice i will try to flu cure some then.
man.in.boots
Active Member
in flue-curing doe's moisture content matter after yellowing other than that when the 6days are over the leaf is dry?
Once the flue-curing has completed the yellowing stage, then simply following the schedule for temperature ramping will successfully complete the cure. I ignore the humidity after yellowing. Once complete, you will, of course, need to bring the leaf to low case in order to handle it safely.
Bob
Bob
man.in.boots
Active Member
thanks! i truly apriciate all the guidance.
Imagine having a massive, log barn filled with and entire tobacco harvest in 1860, and trying to regulate your flue-curing by burning wood in a flue-equipped fireplace outside the barn. No remote sensors.
Bob
Bob
man.in.boots
Active Member
Yes. The frozen leaf (turned brown) is dead, and will surely be different from the live leaf after curing. I would not discard it. But expect it to be different.
Bob
man.in.boots
Active Member
Last flu cure got greedy and just stacked the leaves in a pile. The bottom leaves stayed moist and developed mold. I had the fridge full to the brim at the start, and my thought process was that I would be able to push the air through the pile, which was not the case.
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Skafidr
Well-Known Member
What do you think the problem was? Lack of ventilation between the leaves, or the temperature too low (e.g. the high-enough-heat not reaching the bottom of the pile in a timely fashion)? Or something else?
