skychaser
Well-Known Member
I forgot the /s tag there. I was calling those small. harhar
Tobaccofieldsforever 2022 Grow Log
- Thread starter Tobaccofieldsforever
- Start date
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
No, I got the joke. That was my rebuttal. That my gifted gardening hand has never touched an inferior sized leaf so I will have to take your word for it…nudge nudge, wink wink!!
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
So this is a new issue for me. I have been finding earwigs in my suncuring oriental and have had to go through each leaf individually as I don’t want to let them devour my tobacco. 
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
So what happens to sun drying tobacco when left out in a heavy downpour? I’ve always been able to get it inside but had an unexpected rain today. Obviously it gets soaked but what can I expect now? It is oriental (Krumovgrad and Prilep) In various stages of curing. Is it ruined, will it be ok, is there anything I can do to help? Any advice will be appreciated.
It's not ruined. Yellow, living leaf is perfectly fine. Once it has colored and died, then the rain tends to rinse away some of the nicotine and aromas. Just dry it out.
Bob
Bob
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
Has anyone ever tried to harvest / cure the “2nd coming” of tobacco plants (after initial harvest roots/ stalk stumps will regrow short plants that bud somewhat quickly). I have a lot of it and generally just let it rot in the field but I was just curious.
I have sometimes harvested sucker leaf. With a few exceptions (like Prilep), sucker leaf is of lower quality than the primary leaf, and usually is forced to color-cure under less than optimal weather conditions. Leaf that has frozen in the field is usually worthless.
Sucker leaf that matures, and successfully color-cures, can be okay leaf for various uses. Just weigh the added effort involved against your need for additional, mediocre (at best) leaf.
One year, I stared covetously at the leaf auricles remaining on my standing tobacco stalks, after the leaf had been primed. I tore the auricles off of scores of stalks of various varieties, filling a 1 gallon bag. I allowed them to finish color curing, then kilned them. Unimpressive. I cooked some into Cavendish. It was okay.
My point is that there is a balance point (decided by you) of additional effort vs additional benefit. I currently abandon the trash leaf at the bottom of my stalks, and don't bother with most sucker leaf. (Some Orientals sucker prolifically, and produce sucker leaf indistinguishable from the primary leaf.)
Bob
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
Funny you mention auricles. I was just thinking about how much leaf is left behind with them and if it would be worth the extra effort of carefully priming to include the auricles. Likely not. Yes, it seems like I will get a good second harvest from both Krumovgrad and Prilep!I have sometimes harvested sucker leaf. With a few exceptions (like Prilep), sucker leaf is of lower quality than the primary leaf, and usually is forced to color-cure under less than optimal weather conditions. Leaf that has frozen in the field is usually worthless.
Sucker leaf that matures, and successfully color-cures, can be okay leaf for various uses. Just weigh the added effort involved against your need for additional, mediocre (at best) leaf.
One year, I stared covetously at the leaf auricles remaining on my standing tobacco stalks, after the leaf had been primed. I tore the auricles off of scores of stalks of various varieties, filling a 1 gallon bag. I allowed them to finish color curing, then kilned them. Unimpressive. I cooked some into Cavendish. It was okay.
My point is that there is a balance point (decided by you) of additional effort vs additional benefit. I currently abandon the trash leaf at the bottom of my stalks, and don't bother with most sucker leaf. (Some Orientals sucker prolifically, and produce sucker leaf indistinguishable from the primary leaf.)
Bob
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
Hydrating and packaging (for personal use) this seasons Prilep. It sure takes a lot to make a pound!!
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
Checked the kiln today. It has been a week with my first load. Everything is doing excellent and it all smells wonderful!! One bag of some oriental (the mystery stowaway oriental I grew this year ) had completely dried out because it was in a questionable bag (not vapor proof). Everything else (vapor proof bags rolled and folded tightly secured with small binder clips and I sealed mason jar) is doing as good as I could have hoped! I had a vacuum sealed bag of about a half pound of Prilep that I opened because I was concerned about the vacuum sealing in the kiln. It smelled and tasted phenomenal (wish I would’ve left it vacuum sealed now). I smoked it straight and enjoyed it thoroughly . A bit on the acidic side straight but a sweet maybe fruity oriental flavor that I have never experienced b4! 3 more weeks to go!!
Vacuum sealed Prilep sample 1 week kilned
Vacuum sealed Prilep sample 1 week kilned
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
3 weeks into my first kiln load. Checked the leaf (some minor drying that needed rehydrated) and took some samples. Everything is much better than it was though some of the burleys still have a bit of roughness to the smoke (just not perfect yet but quite good). I hope I’m not wrong about the future of the hybrid I made (f3 v. Bright x burley) but I smoked a sample of it and was very pleasantly surprised. Smoking it straight offered a perfectly balanced, smooth smoke with a nice rich flavor!! At least one more weeks of kilning to go on this load!
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
@deluxestogie out of curiosity, why do you now kiln your leaf for two months rather than one? Your original kiln thread indicated that you were kilning for one month and seemed happy with the results. Just wondering as i am considering going longer than 30days myself and I assume you must have experienced noticeable positive differences between the two lengths of time or you would not continue the practice of 2 month kilns. Thanks for the help!
From a chronological standpoint, my posts on a subject begin with my baby steps in exploring a new process, and evolve over years of experimentation.
One month pretty much gets the job done—but only if the temp and leaf moisture remain optimal continuously. Since I kiln hanging leaf as well as large open bags of leaf, this exacted a lot of stress on me. The Crockpot refill interval is dependent mostly on the ambient temperature at the kiln location, and that ambient temp cycles every 24 hours, and can change radically over short periods of time. My enclosed back porch has a non-insulated, wood floor. So on bitterly cold nights, the drip trays beneath the corners of the kiln will freeze. The temp controller maintains the proper temp, but at the cost of cycling the Crockpot on more frequently and for longer. This increases the rate of water evaporation from the Crockpot. So my refill interval varied between 2 days and 5 days. I would freak out when I discovered the Crockpot and leaf completely dry. How much extra time is required to make up for the vaguely known dry time?
During those runs in the winter, the leaf would sometimes finish a month still needing more kilning. To eliminate all the stress of running the kiln, regardless of the weather, and regardless of leaf varieties, I decided to simply allow each run to continue for two months. [You can't kiln too much.] Occasionally the Crockpot runs dry between refills, but I now don't care.
So, if you kiln leaf that is pre-moistened, and tightly sealed within its container, then 1 month may be sufficient for many varieties. If it doesn't stress your brain to babysit the kiln conditions, then 1 month may be fine as well
Keep in mind that the vast majority of leaf that goes into my kiln has already aged for about a year in the shed. Certain varieties of my leaf (e.g. Olor and Piloto Cubano) still need months of additional rest after a year in the shed and 2 months in the kiln. Bolivia Criollo Black needed all that plus several additional years of being ignored, before I found it inviting.
Trying it both ways (1 month vs 2 months) for a comparison of your results might be worthwhile, though the two batches will be different pre and post kilning ages when you compare them.
Bob
One month pretty much gets the job done—but only if the temp and leaf moisture remain optimal continuously. Since I kiln hanging leaf as well as large open bags of leaf, this exacted a lot of stress on me. The Crockpot refill interval is dependent mostly on the ambient temperature at the kiln location, and that ambient temp cycles every 24 hours, and can change radically over short periods of time. My enclosed back porch has a non-insulated, wood floor. So on bitterly cold nights, the drip trays beneath the corners of the kiln will freeze. The temp controller maintains the proper temp, but at the cost of cycling the Crockpot on more frequently and for longer. This increases the rate of water evaporation from the Crockpot. So my refill interval varied between 2 days and 5 days. I would freak out when I discovered the Crockpot and leaf completely dry. How much extra time is required to make up for the vaguely known dry time?
During those runs in the winter, the leaf would sometimes finish a month still needing more kilning. To eliminate all the stress of running the kiln, regardless of the weather, and regardless of leaf varieties, I decided to simply allow each run to continue for two months. [You can't kiln too much.] Occasionally the Crockpot runs dry between refills, but I now don't care.
So, if you kiln leaf that is pre-moistened, and tightly sealed within its container, then 1 month may be sufficient for many varieties. If it doesn't stress your brain to babysit the kiln conditions, then 1 month may be fine as well
Keep in mind that the vast majority of leaf that goes into my kiln has already aged for about a year in the shed. Certain varieties of my leaf (e.g. Olor and Piloto Cubano) still need months of additional rest after a year in the shed and 2 months in the kiln. Bolivia Criollo Black needed all that plus several additional years of being ignored, before I found it inviting.
Trying it both ways (1 month vs 2 months) for a comparison of your results might be worthwhile, though the two batches will be different pre and post kilning ages when you compare them.
Bob
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Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
So, my observations at 3 weeks into my first load in my kiln (cycling between 123°F and 128°F) are: most of the burley/MD type tobacco is much better than the fully cured unaged version that went into the kiln but still has some rough edges (a little harshness and a hint of the unaged aftertaste). The orientals are phenomenal (Krumovgrad and Prilep). Whether the remaining 1 week and rest period will take care of the lingering undesirable traits remains to be seen though I remain skeptical. I have to remind myself that the alternative method of aging is at very least 12 times longer and introduces an array of less than attractive variables!
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
I ended my first load of kilning yesterday (11/12/22). That was around 25 days. I chose to do this because I found I just could not keep the tobacco from drying out even within the vapor proof bags that were within a tote. The tobacco in the mason jar did excellent and never dried out. Everything that came out of the kiln looks and smells very nice and the few tests I have done have shown considerable improvements on desirable tobacco traits. The second load was put in and most of it had been put into mason jars. I found a weekly check on the kiln which includes a venting of the jars (loosening the lid and letting pressurized air escape) is more than enough venting of any possible trapped ammonia gasses (I believe mason jars with the traditional lid and band are designed to let pressurized air out but nothing back in if I remember correctly) also, I have had many varieties of tobacco age to perfection in sealed mason jars at room temperature. I hope for the best on the next load.
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
What length rest period is recommended after a 1 month(ish) kilning?
The shortest rest is just a few days (e,g, burley), whereas other varieties require weeks or even months. You'll just have to give it a try at various intervals.
Bob
Bob
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
Thank you. Testing is my intention I just needed slight guidance.
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
So you have grown and, I assume, kilned MD 609 before. What was your experience with it out of the kiln?
Tobaccofieldsforever
Well-Known Member
Shirey (dark Virginia) is far from usable (in my opinion) after a 1 month killing. Granted, it was my first kiln and I Have some kinks I need to work out (keeping the tobacco in case so as to maximize the kilning time). I kind of expected this from such thick, dark colored (post curing) leaf. Has this been others experience with kilned dark Virginia variety? I know staghorn was popular at one point among a few members but I don’t recall reading the end results of those grows.
