Pre-curing Perique

[Shell]

Hi Fella's,

I Can't seem to find a definitive answer on this amongst the threads that have already started, sorry if it is a double up and is already around, just can't see it!

What I have understood is colour cure, or semi-colour cure the leaves before pressing and submerging.

Questions I still have;

1) is colour curing, sun curing or air curing? Or it doesn't matter, but not flue curing?

2) just making sure, we are not adding anything to the liquid (apart from non-chlorinated water if required)? All the yeast is from within the leaves? The beerique has confused me a bit, is this topping it up with beer instead of water?

Sorry for the dumb questions, just want to get it right! TIA

Cheers, Shell

 

[deluxestogie]

The leaf for making perique should be fully color-cured. That is usually air-cured or sun-cured. I'm not sure what you would end up with by using flue-cured leaf. The cured leaf is thoroughly moistened (soggy), and then placed into a water-tight vessel. The clamping pressure applied to the leaf contained in the vessel should be sufficient to burst the cells of the leaf lamina, thereby releasing the intracellular contents into the liquid that is expressed. Assure that there is sufficient water so that all the pressed leaf remains submerged for the duration of the process.

At that point, microbial activity slowly begins. These microbes are ubiquitous, so you don't need to add anything. Initially, E. coli bacteria seem to predominate, causing a barnyard odor (smells like feces). After several weeks of submersion and pressure, the anaerobic yeast, Pichia anomala, slowly takes over, transitioning the aroma to a more fruity note. Continue to monitor the liquid level, and continue the pressing for 3 to 9 months. (I usually stop at 3 months.) Periodically removing the leaf and spreading it to air—every few weeks, to allow the nicotine to oxidize and darken, seems to improve the final result. After airing, the leaf is then returned to the vessel, additional water added if needed, and pressure reapplied.

"Beerique" is an alternative method developed by @GreenDragon. You can read the details of that in the book, Ninety More Pipe Blends, which can be downloaded for free by following the link to the book in our Index of Key Forum Threads.

Bob

 

[Shell]

The leaf for making perique should be fully color-cured. That is usually air-cured or sun-cured. I'm not sure what you would end up with by using flue-cured leaf. The cured leaf is thoroughly moistened (soggy), and then placed into a water-tight vessel. The clamping pressure applied to the leaf contained in the vessel should be sufficient to burst the cells of the leaf lamina, thereby releasing the intracellular contents into the liquid that is expressed. Assure that there is sufficient water so that all the pressed leaf remains submerged for the duration of the process.

At that point, microbial activity slowly begins. These microbes are ubiquitous, so you don't need to add anything. Initially, E. coli bacteria seem to predominate, causing a barnyard odor (smells like feces). After several weeks of submersion and pressure, the anaerobic yeast, Pichia anomala, slowly takes over, transitioning the aroma to a more fruity note. Continue to monitor the liquid level, and continue the pressing for 3 to 9 months. (I usually stop at 3 months.) Periodically removing the leaf and spreading it to air—every few weeks, to allow the nicotine to oxidize and darken, seems to improve the final result. After airing, the leaf is then returned to the vessel, additional water added if needed, and pressure reapplied.

"Beerique" is an alternative method developed by @GreenDragon. You can read the details of that in the book, Ninety More Pipe Blends, which can be downloaded for free by following the link to the book in our Index of Key Forum Threads.

Bob

Thanks Bob, that clarifies things for me!

I have read your pipe blending books, amazing thank you so much for the material! I have post it notes all over with what I want to try! Can't wait till spring!

Thanks again, bloody legend!

 

[TigerTom]

I'm not sure what you would end up with by using flue-cured leaf.

This has been done.

https://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/10748/pipesandcigarscom-acadian-gold/

Seems like it might be interesting.

 

[deluxestogie]

This has been done.

...once, over a decade ago, and is no longer produced. Mark Ryan's description indicates using "bright, sweet, yellow, Canadian-grown Virginia". Implicit in this description is that the leaf had been flue-cured, prior to pressure-curing.

In my pipe blending trials, I attempt to balance flue-cured Virginia's relative acidity with more alkaline leaf, such as perique-processed leaf, to eliminate tongue bite.

It is true that you can use any tobacco process on any variety of tobacco. Some work well. Some don't.

Bob

EDIT: Tobacco "tradition" is a reasonably useful indicator of some methods that work. But traditional ways are often a poor measure of methods that have not yet been attempted. (e.g. flue-curing Oriental varieties results in a sweeter, brighter leaf than sun-curing. Who knew!)