For those of you more comfortable with metrics, 1 ft = 30 cm. I did have a hard time sleeping at night with the chamber light bulb on. For menthol I just added some mint leaves. Live in California. If they taste well enough without them fermenting do I still have to ferment them? 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Yuk, you can buy them from https://ausseeds.com/, Please email us a complete pamphlet about the steps from planting to harvesting tobacco and how to dry and make cigarettes. Commercially it used to have saltpeter (potassium nitrate) added to keep it going, although I don't know what's used now. Email Us | (888)366-0345 Account Login Create Account. I suggest that you then roll up the leaves and slice thinly with a very sharp knife. Great sense of humour and a very helpfull artical.Thank you. Start the tobacco seedlings no sooner than 4 weeks before the spring night time temps are 50 degrees or so. or should i ferment tobacco leaves for good taste?, thanks a lot. Great victory by the AllBlacks! Hi guys. on Introduction. Aging ? Some of my friends nuke the leaves and seem happy with the results, the only way to find out which best suits you is to try it yourself. You'll read a lot of unmitigated drivel about the difficulty of curing tobacco. In about two weeks, the seedlings should start showing. If I do this will it ruin the final curing process? This process takes about 3-4 weeks.2) Fermentation: Sweating out ammonia, and a few other complicated chemical processes. 10 years ago To cure my tobacco i air dry it in my shed. I got 6 x 1 oz jars sealed up yesterday. I've been toying with the idea of growing my own tobacco for a year now and just found your site by looking for how to cure tobacco. When is the best time to plant? It has been most helpful. Start by putting your dried buds in your chosen curing jars. -Week 1-2 smells like wet grass. I'm doing it with potatoes. Put jar in kiln. Sun curing can be done by setting the leaves in the sun for a week until dry. There is great potential for a wonderfully cured crop at the end of the growing season, however this hobby shouldn't be taken as a way to save on your tobacco spending money as there is a lot of time and labor invested with a lot of potential for crop failure due many factors: both while growing then the potential of mold during the curing process! You are so right, they do adapt to the area. Thanks a lot, Yes i have read your article and gave very good things ty but one question is pesticides can i use them on the plant's and will i get sick from it. Sit back, drink your moonshine (I'm writing an article on distilling), and watch them grow. I've gone 2 weeks to 6 months. smokes well,mild,smells a bit like cigar. , and then i can"t smoke because its really strong ! I've found this setup makes the temperature get much too high, (due to the excellent insulation of the cooler, the cooler gets cumulatively hotter and hotter). I have it running on a low heat for up to two hours checking on the tobacco and turning it throughout the process. For tips on how to separate the tobacco from the stem when the leaves are dry, read on! This is just 3 hands of tobacco and it does have quite the aroma associated with it! I'll send this information to him. Wow what a hub I started growing this summer only 3 plants thoe they are 6feet I'd say they now have Pritty pink flowers I harvested around 50 or so leaves hung them on nylon 1 month ago they are turning nice and golden I have them in my garage where I go for a quite smoke and stear at them only but wondering what they are going to be like I'm glad I came across this hub it has put my mind at ease a little and also given me some great ideas, Because of the heart problems i'm moving to Central Hawkes Bay to be with family. Answer: You keep them, yellowing means that they're partly cured. This seems a good place to take you by the hand and walk you through some basic arithmetic if you haven't already done so yourself. Your details are useful.". Once this is done I remove it from its leaf stems. It was a good shot at it though! When you cure tobacco leaves, you're breaking down ammonia in the plant matter. Answer: The leaves normally dry from the bottom of the plant up. Tobacco is an amazingly prolific plant. ** This project was created last year (2008 harvest) to provide address a common question in the tobacco growing hobby, discussing the critical points of curing tobacco. Answer: Let them become almost dry but not brittle, take out the middle rib and any others that are large (who wants to smoke ribs?) proberly down to the paper.. the best way i found was hung up in a garrage. , i bought 1 kg virginia tobacco leaves, its sun cured, but its really smells bad !! Make sure the leaves are not touching each other, the walls, or the floor. on Step 5, when air curing has happened with my plants there are vast diffrents in colour between the diffrent leafs some are dark brown - light brown but some are a very dark green.. they are cured they just seem to hold there colour..? and all so i listened to my mums idea of putting it between news paper which was silly thing to do, it stuck to the sheets of paper and when mouldy! I even leave the bathroom door open. Anyway, just wanted to say your article has been very helpful not to mention giving me a great laugh here and there. I suppose most guys go 1 to 2 months, but my philosophy is, if it's not on fire in my pipe, why bother taking it out of the kiln. After drying the leaf, should it be re-hydrated or something. Mary Wickison from USA on March 23, 2014: After years of nagging (I mean politely requesting) my husband to stop, now I find your page. When the leaves are in the Eski fermenting do you turn them or move them around. Awesome article!!! We would have been umming and ahhhing until the cows came home. Adrian Rankin-Maclean on August 10, 2020: Very informative article I tried many years ago to grow tobacco, plants grew fine but mucked up the curing process, I want to flavour the stuff for pipe smoking, I have a very large jar of glycerine in the garage could I use that with port and brandy, spray the leaf, let dry, then press and mature but for how long - best guess for a guide pls, also I want to give some hand rolling tobacco to my colleagues at Christmas, I'm harvesting and curing now,(August) once dried I'm putting it in a plastic air tight box, will that be long enough time for it to mellow/mature. Any concerns of the foam smell transferring to the tobacco?A: I know the foam smell you are talking about, Its an undeniable chemically semi-sweet smellI've experienced it in the past when using a hot wire to cut foam blocksno doubt very toxic! (These have some glorious botanical name that doesn't matter a bit. If you're in NZ get growing folks , and good luck. Hopefully I get mature plants later. -Week 3 smells very strongly like raisins. It kind of feels that you are doing any distinctive trick. Tho it is now. What you describe looks like a quick way to cure, nothing wrong with that. I am going to scour around and see if I can find some seeds. Preparing the leaf is the same for both. And it sounds like you will be able to modify your system for next year!Just one note! Question: Would you mind if I adapted your excellent work here for use in the UK? If youve moistened brittle leaves for storage, be sure to pat them down with a paper towel so there arent any water droplets on them. You could also string the leaves on a length of wire, or on a cord stretched between two nails use your imagination. Fermentation is the trickiest part, and is what this instructable is intended to outline. Answer: Most of my friends who grow tobacco just dry it before smoking it, so no, don't bother. Pinch them out as well. Moreover, The contents are masterpiece. This instructable picks up after you have air cured your green leafy bounty and is one possible way to simulate the needed conditions for fermentation at home. Not to mention the moaning at the forever price hikes in Tobacco. (Haha.. I am currently smoking the 2018 crop which was over 5.5Kg. You may have had difficulty getting seed in the first place. On the tobacco front. It's half a keg with a bin lid and a light globe for heat. I retired about 19 years ago and in 2013 attended a BBQ organised by my wife's Tai Chi Club. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on February 15, 2015: Hi Crom, I'm sorry that I can't help you here; it may be a bad cure but without seeing and smelling it I just can't say. The primary tobacco curing methods consist of air curing, sun curing, fire curing, and flue curing. These are the same plants as in the previous photo, eleven days later (25Jan09). The ribs are easy to remove at that point. In fact, each capsule has dozens of seeds, so one picking of ready seed-heads is more than ample unless you have several acres you want to plant out. It must work, his mates think the stuffs great. When the leaves are brown and the edges have curled slightly, the process is complete. Cigar tobacco producers ferment tobacco naturally by creating huge piles of air cured leaves. According to my toddlers the cupboard temp is nicey. I don't really monitor the humidity too much, I just give it 15-20 distilled water misting on and between the hands about 2-3 times a day, just to keep the leaves semi-moist. You do need LARGE pots, it grows a huge root ball. There are several websites dealing with curing chambers and the standard home made type is made of foam wall insulation and an oil heater. Harvesting: Fully grown leaves (and no, It's not me!). Here in New Zealand, you can buy tobacco seed, grow the stuff, and, if you want to, smoke it quite lawfully. If you live elsewhere, check your local legislation to ensure that you're operating within the law. I know people who smoke tobacco at every shade, as the whim and their approach to curing takes them, and they seem no worse off than off the shelf smokers. It's a bit late now to plant outdoors, but you can probably start your seedlings in the hothouse, or better still in little pots on a warm windowsill (Like in the kitchen) . The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on September 16, 2014: Hi tobacco enthusiast, glad to know that I was of help. Gently shake the sieve. I have been advised that I must ferment to improve the flavour, but more importantly to remove the ammonia which is pretty bad for you. i plant them in the ground so i achieve maximum height. Great sense of humor, and great information - good tips! Haven't noticed. If pile of tobacco is big enough, and insulation is as good as it is inside the foam cooler, wouldn't there be enough heat generated by fermentation process so that no external heat will be required? tobacco enthusiast on September 16, 2014: Luther 2 the b8g ribs can be Removed! Place the trimmed buds into some type of airtight container. Ive not got the Virginia one Ive got has some random Peruvian ones that has loads of nicotine on the leaves its oily. He constantly kept preaching about this. Wash off any dirt, though. Turn the marijuana every few hours, so that all parts are exposed to the sun. Finally, pour the hot water to the level of the tobacco in the jars. I've settled on 1 week in the press for this experiment bracket, so unless I get an additional press, it'll take me 3 months to get all the 1 oz pressed samples underway. I have smoked for over thirty years and have been growing tobacco for two seasons. always use distilled water in the boiler. They are about 20 inches now. Feed a thin tomato stake (or something similar) through these slits so that when you hold the stick horizontally, the leaves hang down about an inch apart. Hello! The biggest difference is that the plastic box did too good of a job sealing in the moisture, and perhaps there was too much to begin with. Im experiencing some small security troubles with my latest weblog and Id like to locate something more safeguarded. The same rules apply: pinch out or otherwise remove them. The fermentation cooler I built is, in my humble opinion, is a very cheap and affordable chamber for the home enthusiast. This will help preserve the tobacco after it dries, and may prolong the burning. I will be 76 next month and live in the UK. I suggest that you Google "HubPages" and check them out. And how long will this last in this storage method? Answer: Give it a try, it certainly won't do any harm. I've been drawing from T.A. Before starting here's a small note of discretion: Typically tobacco growing hobbyist raise and cure these plants for the pure enjoyment of taking care of this fast growing monster! Question: Is planting tobacco summer (start of January) ok? I believe that it's an evil plot put out by the tobacco magnates and perpetuated by our respective, but seldom respected or respectable, governments to wring money from us. At the worst, the plants will stop growing over Winter and come away again in Spring, and be a bit stunted, but the leaves will still be useable and you'll get plenty of seed for next season. Right now I have a number of shirazi leaves shade curing and I'm using this time to do some research about apothecary jars, but i've got to move fast and get some jars here in order to make sure the leaves don't dry up. Thoughts ? This is the kind of info ive been searching for. Almost magically, theyll regain their pliability with a little moisture. Show me tobacco . Thanks heaps for your all your good work and effort.. As you are aware, we are being raped by our jackboot government, overtaxing and discriminating against smokers.. Prices are going through the roof. Many thanks. Instead of a timer you could also use an eight dollar dimmer cord found at any hardware store, it will adjust the power and heat output of any bulb. Remove the leaves and tear them off of the stems before storing or using your tobacco. (I could spare the bullfrogs.). I started about 400 tobacco seeds, about 85% germination rate. If you want to cure and smoke it, put in at least a dozen plants if possible. But really, there are no unpleasant smells to be vented. -An extra week or two of fermentation beyond the 4th week wouldn't hurt. Tobacco is an age old, yet amazing plant, which has become increasingly popular among hobbyist in recent times! oops, I must have had a couple to many ales the last time I wrote in. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on June 07, 2014: Sorry mate, I can't help you there, I've no experience at this rather covert way of growing bacci'. im in manchester uk.. i have tried drying in about 4 diffrent places now over 2 years .. i dried that lot in the loft so there was temp fluctuation. I watched a YouTube video and this guy dries his leaves in a aluminium cylinder with an element placed on the bottom. Thank you for any other informative site. you have done a excellent activity on this matter! Best of luck with your research. Fred Hanna has a method of quickly aging tobacco. 11 years ago Anyway that is soo cool. If I think the tobacco is drying to quickly I give it a light misting with the distilled water. Soon, you'll notice that tobacco is quite an attractive ornamental with small, pretty, pink flowers. Hang the leaves somewhere dry and warm, like a garage or attic. What I can find worryingly little information on is how long you need to ferment it for, depending on what you want to do with it. The seedlings are 2.5 inches tall now. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on April 04, 2014: Thanks for your comments, I use HubPages, as per heading; free to use, just join up. This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Really its just a foam cooler with a $5 light from Home Depot now Oct. 26, 2011 UPDATE: In the final version of this fermenter, a (I simply used a cooler with no air holes, just one hole punched at the top for the light fixture). Share it with us! Frankly, if you're regularly ingesting nicotine, traces of ammonia, if they exist, should be the least of your concerns,- and homegrown tobacco is a lot less dangerous than the commercial stuff. Question: I was wondering if I can take some larger leaves from my plants before they turn a paler green as I have planted my plants to close together. A friend hangs his tobacco for about three months, by which time it has both a nice colour and texture. Low and behold, I have 2 tobacco plants growing, which surprised me as the cigars I buy are aged. Simply hang in a sheltered area and let nature take its course. I planted a few seedlings in February one year as an experiment. and is it any good? From your pictures, your plants were very immature, their growth stunted mostly due to the small pot size. Also, I know they like sun but as were in the wrong season Ive put them in large pots in the greenhouse. A fine mist to dampen the leaves is all you need, they will soften almost immediately and you can then cut out the ribs. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on September 11, 2014: Great stuff John, (We're in for a long summer, my banana plant set its first bunch a month ago, although the stalks are still all brown with dead and wind battered leaves; and the raspberry canes are budding) Please keep us posted on how you're going. If you dry your tobacco in your home, be sure to mind the temperature and humidity to avoid drying the leaves too quickly. Fire curing produces a tobacco low in sugar and high in nicotine. Reply Well what an informative article, I tried many years ago to grow tobacco, plants grew fine but mucked up the curing process, I want to flavour the stuff for pipe smoking, I have a very large jar of glycerine in the garage could I use that with port and brandy, spray the leaf, let dry, then press and mature but for how long - best guess for a guide pls, also I want to give some hand rolling tobacco to my colleagues at Christmas, I'm harvesting and curing now,(August) once dried I'm putting it in a plastic air tight box, will that be long enough time for it to mellow/mature. Trying to grow it here in the USA.if for no other reason to treat bee stings. Ricci Feat Waaka from Tauranga, New Zealand on June 07, 2014: Hi can you please give me some advice on how to grow tobacco under lights,such as how many plants to a 1000 watt or 600 grow light in what size room,am really keen to give it a go. Does the Brod and Taylor bread proofing cabinet work good for cureing tobacco? Grow your own tobacco while you can, - and your own carrots, - and your own cabbages, soon legislation will stop us from doing all that too because we'd be taking the living from the maws poor supermarket empires. the pic was just of some plants that had mold growth on them. Allow 2 meters headroom if you keep them inside and remember to pick out the sideshoots growing in the leaf joins (just like tomatoes do) they can be planted too for a later crop. Remember these are monstrous plants that are supposed to reach 7' tall, if you can provide a minimum 5 gallon pot, lots of full direct sun and water, your plants will flourish! The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on July 30, 2014: Drying- Three months will do it, less if you give a bit of a boost with a slightly warm oven. This will always depend on how much you grow and how big your boiler is. If you do have problems, see your local nurseryman or talk to a friend who gardens. Growing, Curing and Fermenting Tobacco Part II 59,339 views Oct 6, 2018 555 Dislike Share Powers Family Homestead 5.56K subscribers Day 40 through 90. If you want cheap alcohol dissolve a kilo of sugar in 4 liters of warm water, dump in some yeast, or a handful of raisins/sultanas, cover the container with a tea-towel or similar to keep out the bugs and wild yeasts( or you'll end up with vinegar), leave it until it stops bubbling (probably 2-3 weeks) and you'll end up with alcohol at about 10%. A neighbour hangs his leaves in a carport to dry, then presses them in a shallow wooden box with a bit of plank on top and a weight (gallon drum full of water) rolls up the end product and slices thin with a sharp knife. We are in your debt, Thanks again. Tobacco grows best in places that are dry and warm. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on September 09, 2014: kiwi_john aka the old fart on September 09, 2014: well planting season is upon us; i've got a shitload of seeds (no not from the dunny) so fingers toes and eyes all crossed for a bumper crop.I'VE GOT ALL THE GOOD STUFF : SEED GERMINAING MIX.MINI GREENHOUSE.NO EXPENSE SPARED TO SAVE A $. Great read. Trying my hand at growing these babies indoors.wish me luck :). The RH Lids have to be cut to exact specs with a Water Jet ($10k) or the hygrometer won't seal properly. I didn't realize you had all these messages! Thank you so much for putting up this site. Answer: Curing tobacco is pretty much just letting it dry until it turns goldish. I grow tobacco in a tiny area where I live, about 400 feet (120 metres) above sea level, in a moderate, semi-coastal climate. Last Updated: January 20, 2021 BTW the leaves held by the old bloke in the article's photo grew in a temperate climate in spring and summer.They're pretty average bottom leaves (the higher you go the smaller the leaf) We get light frosts in Winter. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on March 06, 2015: I chucked some seeds in the fridge last year; planted them in portable greenhouse in september and have a bumper crop drying in my garage now. This article is accurate and true to the best of the authors knowledge. There are several ways to ferment at home. I understand that Tobacco in Cigars, Pipes, Roll your own, cigarettes, snuff and all other types are from the same tobacco plant. A Pocket Sundial From a Broken Pocket Watch! If so how do we do it? The best vessel to use for aging pipe tobacco is the Mason Jar. I also ground some into a powder snuff, I added a cotton ball dipped in scented oil for a week or so to add flavor and scent then removed the cotton ball later. In the cooler situation, I am fighting to keep things moist enoughin your case it looked like it was the opposite effect! I smoke about 50grm/week -say 1 3/4 oz/week. Answer: You could try packing small lots at a time in vacuum-sealed plastic bags. Some say that it should be left hanging for two years, though I've found that two or three months is quite enough. Tobacco seedlings ready for transplanting outside in the sun. I grow over 100 + plants - mainly in pots but some in the ground. To dry tobacco leaves, also known as "curing" the leaves, first pick the leaves off of your tobacco plant by hand. Hi - What are your thoughts on smoking unfermented tobacco. Well heres hoping! Fermentation is the limiting factor for hobbyist!3) Finally aging which we are all familiar with, which includes factory storage and storage in a humidor. If the leaves get too brittle, you can moisten them with water from a spray bottle. You may need to stand on something to do it! Answer: That's a question that I haven't had before! Very refreshing to be able to find the simple info you want without having read heaps of seriously boring rubbish at the same time!! Question: My tobacco keeps going brittle while its being hung, it looks ready colour wise and want to cut up and pack it but is far to brittle, how can I get to the right texture (not brittle)? :). and spray it finely on the dried leaves with a garden mister. abfdged. Whoo-hoo! You will need to make a platform inside the boiler to keep the leaves out of the water. Like some others I came upon your article whilst looking for info on curing tobacco. Got the seeds in the germinator today , wanting an early jump on the season , great weather this last week and hoping for no frosts.. I have 4 that I cycle between curing jars to monitor humidity in the jars. http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/agr/agr14/agr14.htm, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nygIskWSgw, https://www.leafonly.com/tobacco-harvesting-curing-fermenting.php, https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/archive/how-to-grow-and-cure-your-own-tobacco-for-ceremonial-use-Ok_7A46VfUqfDuXac7SoOQ/, https://www.coffinails.com/curing_tobacco.html, http://www.victoryseeds.com/tobacco/backer_cultivation.html, https://www.cigarworld.com/education/tobacco-411/curing-and-fermentation/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKduAMF-lWk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2EpXsM0m4o. A good recommended fill blend for a home grown cigar is 30% Havana leaf and 70% Virginia leaf with a Havana wrapper.-Cheap, light weight foam cooler: if you ever wondered what to do with that leaky foam coolerhere it is!-Corded clamp light reflector light fixture, (avail. Love it. This is a cheap and accessible possibility to achieve the conditions required for fermentation. Pick up a few small hygrometers made for tobacco humidors. Havana tobacco seeds are good for making cigars, particularity cigar wrappers because of the broad leaves, flavor and smooth appearances once cured. Mastering this art enables you to produce high-quality, potent flowers that leave all your senses tingling with every whiff or toke. Information I will be collecting: The seeds will pass through while most of the rubbish will stay behind. Question: Once the tobacco is cured and cut, how do you store so it doesnt dry out like tobacco you buy? The tobacco is best if the leaf stems are still slightly most when you remove from the stems. this methored did not work the tobacco turned to compost in a few weeks.. to much humidity.. the way i would change it is having the inside tray highter and only puting a cloth over the top so air can escape.. i only put a small hole in the top and this was not enough. If you're limited in space, plant as many as you can. Sadly Kings no longer sell tobacco seed, however if you're in NZ Wicked Habits do ( expensive ) or Trade Me often does. Please help me Old Firm! Question: My tobacco is too strong. Tobacco leaves are ready for smoking or storage when theyre brown and pliable, but not too brittle. 1 & a half tablespoons liqueur or spirit syrup (Bin Inn). when curing don't burp the jars that will stop the curing process, you will add new oxygen and revert the anaerobic bacteria that was curing to aerobic and thats starts to feed on chlorophyl . Fill your curing jars 75% full. Answer: It's fine with light frosts. How broad it can be. The shortest cure was 5 days and the longest cure was an initial 3 weeks followed by 6 - 8 more weeks in jars. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b2\/Dry-Tobacco-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Dry-Tobacco-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b2\/Dry-Tobacco-Step-1.jpg\/aid10190610-v4-728px-Dry-Tobacco-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"