Curing tobacco leaf....phase I

[ashauler]

Here's the curing chamber (kiln) that my pops and I put together Friday and Saturday morning. It is 4' X 4' and made of 1 1/2'' polystyrene sheathing. The top and bottom frame and the braces are made from redwood recycled from an old picnic table.



The Front vent, the cords are from the crock pot and fan. Yup, that's a JdN slide top box from a sampler I picked up a long time ago.


The rear vent. Yup, that's a Habanos Puros Fuerte slide top box.


The crock pot and fan....and some tobacco hanging.


Here is the water heater thermostat. In this pic you can see the sending unit from my temp/rh guage. I can read it from my couch :). As I type this, the kiln is at 94.6 F and 78% RH.


And, since some just broke off the leaf I've had bag fermenting for 3 weeks, I just couldn't help it.

[mrtr33]

So, they've been hanging in the garage about 10 days now. Thought I'd provide a status update.

So far, the results have been spotty - some leaves are as green as I picked them (I'm guessing they weren't ready to be harvested yet), while others are not only shriveled up, but drying on the edges. It doesn't look like there's any leaves drying green, or that there's any mold (yet) - but these pictures may prove me wrong.

Black Mammoth


Black Mammoth - other end


Long Red Leaf - Sumatra - Argentina


Long Red Leaf - Sumatra - Argentina


Argentina - Sumatra - Long Red Leaf


I mean, what happens now? Jamie, I'm guessing your kiln is another tool to get the leaves to cure, correct? If not, am I going to have to build a fucking kiln next? What am I supposed to be doing now? What leaf did you smoke, and how was it?

I need some cupcakes.

[ashauler]

I mean, what happens now? Jamie, I'm guessing your kiln is another tool to get the leaves to cure, correct? If not, am I going to have to build a fucking kiln next? What am I supposed to be doing now? What leaf did you smoke, and how was it?

I need some cupcakes.

Looking good!! I've noticed the leaves I harevested a little early are taking much longer to change color also.
Yes, initially to help me get the color cure finished, then to ferment the leaf with heat.
No, you don't have to ferment the leaf, so you don't have to build a kiln.
Enjoying the experience.
Long red, and really, not too bad.

[mrtr33]

No, you don't have to ferment the leaf, so you don't have to build a kiln.

So.....theoretically, I could start rolling once I have enough shriveled up leaves (that aren't completely dried out, obviously!)?

[ashauler]

Well, yeah, you could. The long red leaf that I sampled had been sweated in a plastic bag for about 3 weeks.....a type of fermentation. It was definitely "sick" if you want a comparison to draw from....sweet, grassy, but not too harsh. It needs more time. Either longer fermentation or significant aging imho. I won't be rolling any cigars for a few weeks yet.

[WOXOF]

Bad ass thread guys. Love the pics. It makes me want to go tour a cigar factory.

[ashauler]

Photo's from yesterday evening.

It took me about 3 hrs to rewire all the leaves and take the photo's. I took the opportunity to remove the coat hangers from some of the leaves and hang them in the kiln in hopes they would finish the color curing process so I could move on to the drying phase with a portion of the crop. Hopefully, by the time all the leaves have color cured, I will have enough dried leaves to start the fermentation process right away.

Florida Sumatra harvested on 29 August and pile cured until 5 Sept:


Florida Sumatra harvested on 21 August and air cured only (my apologies for the photo quality):


Argentina, harvested on 9 Aug and air cured:


Argentina harvested 21 Aug and air cured:


Argentina harvested 29 Aug and pile cured to 5 Sept:


Long Red Leaf harvested 6 Aug...hung, then bag sweated for 3 weeks (this is what I've sampled). Keep in mind these were just junk leaves picked for the hell of it:


Long Red Leaf harvested 21 Aug and air cured:


Long Red Leaf harvested 21 Aug and pile cured to 29 Aug then hung:


Long Red Leaf harvested 29 Aug and air cured:


Long Red Leaf harvested 29 Aug and pile cured to 5 Sept:


Small Stalk Black Mammoth harvested 21 Aug and air cured:


Small Stalk Black Mammoth harvested 21 Aug and pile cured to 29 Aug:


More photo's in my albums if you care to take a peek. Thanks for looking.