The Equipment I Own

[Honda Sun]

First off, I have a factory-made fermentation chamber. This unit has a digital display and control panel where I can set my desired temperature and humidity levels. It uses internal sensors to monitor real-time temperature and humidity, and automatically turns on the heating or humidifying systems as needed to reach and maintain those settings. I plan to use this machine as a curing kiln for processing flue-cured Virginia leaves, air-cured Burley leaves, and various other Chinese sun-cured tobaccos. I think it will let me control the condition of the leaves much more precisely.
I also have a mold press made up of a set of detachable stainless steel molds, a 20-ton hydraulic jack, and a sturdy stainless steel frame. I’m really happy with how it’s built. The stainless frame can handle plenty of pressure, and the detachable molds provide excellent support while making it easy to remove the finished tobacco cakes intact afterward. The only thing I’m unsure about is whether the 20-ton jack is overkill for my 15 cm × 15 cm mold surface area. If it’s too much, I can swap it for a smaller one.
I also have two modified honey presses. They use a screw mechanism to drive a stainless steel plate downward to apply pressure. When tightened enough, they deliver very solid compression. These are sold as complete units in China, originally with perforated stainless steel buckets. I replaced the perforated ones with solid (non-perforated) stainless buckets that fit my frame and screw system perfectly. I plan to use these two units for small-scale Perique tobacco experiments.
I also picked up a small oak barrel from a local winery. It’s a used wine barrel that was previously full of aging red wine. If my Perique experiments turn out well, I’d like to use this barrel to make larger batches.
In addition, I have an electric tobacco leaf cutter. It uses a motor to drive two stainless steel rollers that evenly slice the leaves into 1 mm wide shreds. This machine will make producing my own cigarette tobacco a lot easier and more consistent.
I also have various smaller tools like a 0.1 g precision digital scale, a small vacuum sealer, airtight glass jars, resealable bags, and amber dropper bottles for light protection. I won’t go into every little item.
Based on your experience, what kinds of great-tasting tobaccos do you think I can make with this setup? I’d really appreciate your suggestions.

 

[StoneCarver]

That fermentation chamber is like totally wow. I am interested in hearing how it works for you. Most of us have to build something because such machines aren't easily available.

I also press honey using a screw press similar to yours. Yours should be totally adequate for pressing tobacco. I originally bought my screw press for making wine but then found its very useful for doing crush and strain honey extraction. In fact, I now use it more for honey extraction than wine. I don't produce enough honey to bother with a centrifuge and my honey bees are in Layens type hives instead of Langstroth hives. So there isnt really any centrifugal extractors that will work for Layens frames.

 

[Honda Sun]

That fermentation chamber is like totally wow. I am interested in hearing how it works for you. Most of us have to build something because such machines aren't easily available.

I also press honey using a screw press similar to yours. Yours should be totally adequate for pressing tobacco. I originally bought my screw press for making wine but then found its very useful for doing crush and strain honey extraction. In fact, I now use it more for honey extraction than wine. I don't produce enough honey to bother with a centrifuge and my honey bees are in Layens type hives instead of Langstroth hives. So there isnt really any centrifugal extractors that will work for Layens frames.

It's already late at night here in China, and after a full day of work, I'm pretty wiped out. So I'll just give you a quick rundown on how the fermentation box has been working for me.
Overall,
I'm really impressed with it. It's super simple to operate. The electronic display and control panel make it easy to see exactly how different temperature and humidity levels affect the tobacco, which lets me run solid controlled experiments without much hassle.
That said, it does have quite a few shortcomings. I'll go into more detail tomorrow during the day in the comments below—covering its structure, how it works, the issues I've found, why those problems occur, and my plans to improve them.