Long term rolling tobacco maker dealing with a persistant problem: @SmokesnJokes

[SmokesnJokes]

My finished product (rolling tobacco) never burns quite right. My process is to air dry the leaves, then I run them through the shredder, it's probably 1.5-3.5 mm thickness for cutting strands (too big due to cheap shredder) so I then shred multiple times, turning them into "flakes" to get around this. Finally I do the crucial step of putting the shredded pieces in the oven. This helps a lot, but it NEVER smokes like store bought rolling tobacco. Constantly it won't burn well, and it needs lots of drags to stay alight.

From left to right 1: Air dried leaves (wonderful colours if I do say so myself!) 2: A single time shredded. 3: Multiple shredding plus a few minutes in the oven. I am getting a new phone soon so I can provide better quality pictures if needed, cheers!

 

[deluxestogie]

Welcome to the forum. Read the New Growers' FAQ, linked in the menu bar. You may wish to scan through the topics in our Index of Key Forum Threads, also linked in the menu bar.

Immature leaf burns poorly. Inadequately color-cured and kilned leaf burns poorly (due to retained, albuminous proteins). Excess chlorine in the plant fertilizer or watering can inhibit leaf combustion.

• What tobacco varieties are you growing?
• Are the leaves fully matured, prior to being harvested?
• What are your color-curing conditions and duration?

Bob

 

[Alpine]

Welcome to FTT.
What kind of papers do you use for your cigs, A or B?

pier

 

[WormHerder]

Hi, i have some tobacco given to me that i have to compare mine to. im a first time grower, and had no probs with mine.. but the stuff that was given to me is really poor burning, its very black ash, youd be forgiven for thinking its damp (its not damp, i think its overly dry/crispy), longer than 15 seconds and youd have to light it again, and then its not great at burning anyway.. im not 100% on the reason but i thinkits got to be the soil minerals, because i know how it was treated after picking. and if it was the soil then apparently its low potassium in the soil (for the case i have..)

 

[SmokesnJokes]

Welcome to FTT.
What kind of papers do you use for your cigs, A or B?

pier

I use small rizzla silvers (very thin UK papers) Who wants the taste of paper when burning a ciggy aye?

 

[SmokesnJokes]

Welcome to the forum. Read the New Growers' FAQ, linked in the menu bar. You may wish to scan through the topics in our Index of Key Forum Threads, also linked in the menu bar.

Immature leaf burns poorly. Inadequately color-cured and kilned leaf burns poorly (due to retained, albuminous proteins). Excess chlorine in the plant fertilizer or watering can inhibit leaf combustion.

• What tobacco varieties are you growing?
• Are the leaves fully matured, prior to being harvested?
• What are your color-curing conditions and duration?

Bob

I am growing Golden Virginia and maybe one other type. By mature do you mean that they have to reach a certain size before harvesting? And I have a clothes horse where I pop the leaves over to dry out; often I will pop the whole stem with leaves on.

 

[ShiniKoroshi]

Those leaves don't look well but Bob will get you squared away with that. However, for oven-dried tobacco it looks clean (no crumble). I'm curious if it's dry enough. And, how is the draw through the cigarette?

 

[deluxestogie]

By mature do you mean that they have to reach a certain size before harvesting?

Read the linked threads on Harvesting, in our Index of Key Forum Threads.

Bob

 

[Wombat_smokes]

Read the linked threads on Harvesting, in our Index of Key Forum Threads.

Bob

Especially the thread about Ripe vs Mature.