Really Easy Perique Press

[Smokin Harley]

ok, so I guess I should find the time to release the pressure and fluff out the leaf once again and then just apply enough pressure on it until the liquid comes up and then stop there.
I know I keep making this comparison but its what it sounds like to me...Shall we compare this to the weight used to keep cabbage in its brine when making kraut ?

 

[deluxestogie]

Cabbage in brine is only weighted just enough to keep it submerged. That's not enough for Perique.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Drowned Perique Snake

The seedling mat is 19-1/2 inches long.

Today, I released the pressure from my Perique batch, which included a layer of leaf strips at the bottom (the circular blob), and a coiled Perique snake on top, and allowed the liquid to reabsorb.

I then removed the contents (using a pair of disposable nitrile gloves) from the container, and spread it onto a plastic-wrap covered seedling mat. The heated seedling mat rests on a foil (up) coated sheet of bubble wrap, on a wire shelf in my back porch.

My cylindrical snake is a bit worse for the wear, but holds together.

Had I been more energetic, I would have aired this more during its 3 months in the press. So the color is not particularly dark. But the aroma is intense, fruity and earthy, with no suggestion of a fecal smell. It's definitely Perique.

With no idea of how to manage the snake, I've decided to see if it can dry adequately on the seedling mat for a few days. If the drying seems too slow, I'll go ahead and slice it, then dry the "coins" on the mat.

I always--always think that a small amount of Perique will last me for a long time. But it doesn't. My pipe blends tend to be 1/16 to 1/4 Perique. I'll start another batch of some variety soon.

Bob

EDIT: The original Perique Snake post is here: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/2873-Really-Easy-Perique-Press?p=128411&viewfull=1#post128411

 

[Smokin Harley]

Looks a bit gross but delicious at the same time ,Bob. I can only imagine the aroma. I would slice some of it before drying . Compare results.

 

[ArizonaDave]

Drowned Perique Snake

The seedling mat is 19-1/2 inches long.

Today, I released the pressure from my Perique batch, which included a layer of leaf strips at the bottom (the circular blob), and a coiled Perique snake on top, and allowed the liquid to reabsorb.

I then removed the contents (using a pair of disposable nitrile gloves) from the container, and spread it onto a plastic-wrap covered seedling mat. The heated seedling mat rests on a foil (up) coated sheet of bubble wrap, on a wire shelf in my back porch.

My cylindrical snake is a bit worse for the wear, but holds together.
But the aroma is intense, fruity and earthy. It's definitely Perique.

Bob

EDIT: The original Perique Snake post is here: http://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/2873-Really-Easy-Perique-Press?p=128411&viewfull=1#post128411

Another Winner from the FTT resident scientist! That looks great!

 

[deluxestogie]

Since I needed to blend some pipe tobacco in the next day, I decided to go ahead and slice the squashed circle of loose leaf.

All of the Perique is drying surprisingly fast. The exterior is nearly dry now, so I think mold will not be a problem. The interior is somewhat protected by the high osmolarity of the Perique juice.

Slicing the 1/4" thick disk of loose leaf into 1/16" flake released a burst of spectacular and pleasant aromas. The interior is still a bit gooey, and very dark. Perique always grows lighter in color as it dries. The resulting flake was returned to the seedling mat for further drying. I sliced the mass in only one direction, so the longest flakes are ~4". I will cut them into shorter flakes prior to rubbing out--once it's nearly dry.

If I can just allow the snake to dry in situ, then it will have required the least labor to make, ever. It's never been "un-snaked" and allowed to properly air. On several occasions, I released the pressure, allowed the juice to be absorbed, then reapplied the pressure.

I have no record of what variety of leaf was below the snake, not that it matters much. It was under pressure for 4 months. The snake es una Garcia colombiana serpiente puro, and is a mere 3 months old.

Bob

 

[jojjas]

Can´t wait to hear about pipesmoking experience
Mikael

 

[deluxestogie]

What's Inside the Perique Snake?

The underlying question about this "snake" method of making Perique is with regard to its complete lack of airing during the entire, multi-month process. Did it darken?

The answer is now in. And it's a resounding, "yes!" The two images below are of the very same coins, cut from the snake last night. The first image is shot with a flash. The second is photographed with available (flourescent) light. To my eye, the actual darkenss of the interior of the coins is somewhere between the two images.

So, this method gets the job done, and significantly reduces the total labor required to produce Perique.

In the interest of transparency, I confess that the interior was still a bit squishy, when I cut the coins. Each coin needed to be restored to a coin shape prior to the photo session. (How else could I legitimately call them "coins?") The smoking quality of the snake coinage will be tested during the next week or so.

Bob the Snake Charmer

 

[ProfessorPangloss]

Really awesome.

 

[Smokin Harley]

The bottom photo looks as if theres still some green to the leaf.
I took my freeze thaw leaf out of the perique pressed stainless steel cup yesterday morning. It is slowly darkening but still has a little green to the leaf. The aroma however is weird. Its not septic,not barnyardish, its a bit sweet like...prunes and apricot combined. also has a slight alcohol smell. I separated it out leaf by leaf and then put it back in the cup ,put a bit more DW in it and back under pressure but this time I didn't "kill it" with the same pressure as before. Just until the water bubbled up the outside of the plastic follower .

 

[deluxestogie]

The bottom photo looks as if theres still some green...

That's my hand.

There was very little green when the snake batch was made, other than a few stems, which were removed. What little was initially there was a yellow-green, indicating substantial progress toward chlorophyll degradation. There is no green now--not a trace. Green will smell funky.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Smoked Snake

I took two of those coins of Perique snake, folded them once, and crushed them into a small briar pipe--which filled it ~2/3. This lit easily. The aroma is dark and fruity. Nicotine strength is medium to full. The sensation in my mouth is the flip-side of tongue bite. I sense a tingling on the back of my tongue and throat, and nothing on the forward tongue. It is clean and not harsh. The pipe is enjoyable with the straight Perique, though it could use a touch of acidity. Exhaling through the nose offers a slight edginess.

Had I not made this myself, I would find it difficult to believe that some subtle fruit casing had not been added. It does need the addition of some Virginia, to give it a rounder mouth feel.

My thoughts:
Although the snake is a clever idea to eliminate all the individual leaf handling, and cuts nicely into Perique coins, I think the real breakthrough is that the leaf was never "aired." It's only exposure to the outside world was the few occasions on which I released the pressure long enough to allow the nicotine-laden water above the mass of leaf to reabsorb, followed by re-applying the pressure. Made in this manner, the Perique comes out as perfectly identical Perique, compared to leaf that has been tediously aired several times.

My understanding of the need to air the leaf repeatedly--a tradition based on the barrel method used in St. James Parish--is now different. Those venerable Perique makers in Louisiana have never realized that the only important aspect of airing was just the periodic release of pressure, so as to allow the liquids to reabsorb briefly. All that tedium ("It requires the small hands of women, so it's women's work.") is apparently unrelated to the outcome of the final product.

REVISED PERIQUE METHOD:

1. allow leaf to mostly color-cure
2. remove the thickest portions of the central vein (or all of it)
3. place well-moistened leaf into the chosen container
4. compress well enough to express the air, and rupture the cells of the lamina
5. maintain a "seal" of liquid above the compressed leaf
6. periodically (maybe 2 or 3 times) release the pressure long enough to allow the liquids to reabsorb
7. maintain under pressure for 3 or more months

Forget about the whole "airing" mantra.

Bob

 

[Smokin Harley]

followup on the green ,frozen and thawed leaf ...I threw it out . it was still green and smelled so bad I was about to puke.

followup on the actual perique leaf in the bag/box press...its a 4 x 4 x 1 inch thick brick of very dark brown/black tobacco. I pulled it from the press mold and put it in a new ziplock bag . Looks promising and doesn't smell as putrid as an outhouse in July. I'll tease it out tomorrow maybe ,slice some off and start drying it out.

 

[deluxestogie]

...doesn't smell as putrid as an outhouse in July.

Sounds perfect.

Bob

 

[Charly]

Looks promising and doesn't smell as putrid as an outhouse in July.

Very inviting !
Tell us quickly how it smokes !

 

[Smokin Harley]

Sounds perfect.

Bob

I will never know...

 

[Smokin Harley]

Here's my perique cake out of the press. It's really about 5x5 x1 1/2inches . The leaf went in the press right about thanksgiving a light tan and smelled grassy. I went from straight oak contact to moving it to a gallon plastic bag because of the wood box warping from the moisture. Removed from the press last week and let it rest in the cold garage until this morning. Hand cut only 1/4 of it to wide ribbon. The aroma has changed so much .it's a fruity sweet telltale salty /plummy. I've got quite a pile as you can see. I'll let it air dry a few days then couple it with some of my flaked Virginia and give it a thorough test.

 

[deluxestogie]

That looks and sounds great. Allow it to dry more than you think it should. It's really hygroscopic, and extremely slow to release its moisture. I've recently taken to spreading my Perique onto a seedling heat mat to dry. Even then it may take one to two days.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Breaking News!

[The images below are graphic. Some readers may find them disturbing.]

At least the discovery of this booboo was a dramatic moment. Just last night, I checked the clamp press holding my small batch of Perique, now about a month old, which has been resting on the floor of my enclosed back porch. It looked happy. Today this:

The plastic jar, which I originally took to be Lexan (polycarbonate), is definitely the lower strength plastic, acrylic. While Lexan is bulletproof, acrylic is a more ordinary plastic.

Although I've used this jar, as well as a taller version of the same thing (each purchased for less than $10 at Walmart) for a number of years now, this one unlucky batch cracked the jar. Why? I think I know.

The clamp that I use (shown in the first post of this thread), is somewhat difficult to tighten, since the turning handle is a simple, smooth, wooden cylinder. It's hard to get a firm grip on it. Before starting this latest batch, I noticed that the threads of the clamp were exhibiting signs of wear. Being a clever guy, I sprayed the threads with non-stick cooking spray (with heart-healthy Canola!). This significantly reduced the friction of turning the screw when there was axial pressure against it. What could go wrong?

With my newly acquired super-hero clamping ability, I tightened the clamp about every other day, twisting it with roughly the same grip force that I've always used for it. In retrospect, it is not surprising that I clamped it way too tight--the result of my heart-healthy cooking spray on the threads.

So I said a fond farewell to my short acrylic jar, and transferred the now juice-less tobacco to the taller jar that I had originally used. I added some water, then clamped it down with more restraint.

Since this batch is Habano Colorado, I was expecting it to be stronger than previous batches. Now that its life blood has been spilled, I suppose it will be rather ordinary, once it's done in two more months.

If I truly believe my notion that the leaf really needs to be firmly pressed only once, to disrupt the cells, then gentler pressure (along with a liquid seal) should be sufficient for the remainder of the run. We'll see. (The dominant Pithia yeast may take a while to readjust the pH.)

Bob

EDIT: Cleaning up the mess is fairly easy. A simple Clorox-containing kitchen cleaning spray quickly zaps the sticky goo, and bleaches the color.

 

[greenmonster714]

Hey Bob, would something like this be useful for what your doing? With it being stainless steel it shouldn't break or crack under pressure.
http://www.target.com/p/stainless-s...wPoXgPP2_Lvgry7Cq628saAs0O8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds