There are all sorts of bells and whistles you can add to enhance the end result, but YOU DON'T HAVE TO! If you feel that yours is too green(and limp) still, try putting some in an oven at a low heat (100c or less) for half an hour or more to dry it to a better colour. Also worked very well last year on fully dried tobacco. Anyhow, I ordered from them and began growing. Some leaves are 500-600mm in length and still rather green. Love it. dry in shade, this process avoids crumbling product also. . (I could spare the bullfrogs.). You will need to make a platform inside the boiler to keep the leaves out of the water. The primary tobacco curing methods consist of air curing, sun curing, fire curing, and flue curing. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. This would be those with the traditional mason jar design. It's only a few. Wash off any dirt, though. After fermentation (kilning), tobacco aroma and taste may change significantly over a few days, with noticeable change becoming more subtle after that. - "Keep it simple, and if it works don't fix it!" Also I wanted to add that the post is great and very easy to follow ..I am in Aus and have been growing now for a while and am getting some extremely good results but I am still waiting to have my first taste..I think the hardest part for me is going to be the cutting as I like a very fine cut and if anyone can suggest something that is not to expensive I will be very happy, anyway thanks for reading and hope to hear from some of you out there even in Qld..Cheers. This will always depend on how much you grow and how big your boiler is. Hang these sticks (or string the lines) somewhere dry, out of the way, and preferably warm. or should i ferment tobacco leaves for good taste?, thanks a lot. 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! Youre actually a good webmaster. There's no smell of nicotine looks and the taste is like dried grass. Thank you so much for putting up this site. So none of the tobacco was touching the water. Hi guys. Store the seeds safely. Remember that smoking tobacco probably would not have caught on if it weren't for the process of cramming it into barrels and sending it on a sea voyage in sailing ships - which is how the above process was discovered. Cigar tobacco producers ferment tobacco naturally by creating huge piles of air cured leaves. This article is not about health issues; it's about growing tobacco and curing it. 4 years ago I got 6 x 1 oz jars sealed up yesterday. I have a bag of locally grown and cured tobacco leaves suitable for smoking in a pipe but would like to make my own tobacco oil for candles and perfume. When the flowers die off each will form a green pod which will slowly turn dark brown. The fermentation cooler I built is, in my humble opinion, is a very cheap and affordable chamber for the home enthusiast. They stopped growing until spring, but the leaves stayed healthyno wilting or browningand around the end of September, they took off again. Most strains, though, will be good enough to smoke after two-three weeks, but the longer you leave the buds to cure, the better - four to eight weeks may be the optimal time. I still have the 1 oz of Light Fire Cure in the press. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on March 15, 2014: [img]http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm292/biguran/s[/img], GOT it, Prilep 66, oriental fom macedonia, and i love it, has a taste like diped in honey, TY Mr. TOF :), im getting some cured orientals prilep 66, will try and let you know. All I can think of is fire hazard!! Mr. Question: How long would tobacco take to grow in a tropical climate like Australia? whether it's fit to drink is another matter! If you do have problems, see your local nurseryman or talk to a friend who gardens. It will grow in pretty much any type of soil you have. For three months of winter, we have occasional light frosts, bitterly strong winds, and some hail. Below that, warmth and moisture is a mold issue. It kind of feels that you are doing any distinctive trick. The shortest cure was 5 days and the longest cure was an initial 3 weeks followed by 6 - 8 more weeks in jars. JavaScript is disabled. i will try outside next year just abit worrie about things eatting them .. the slugs around here seem to have a nicotine addiction. Put tobacco in jar. Otherwise, just bite the bullet and buy an extra box of matches. 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. Thoughts ? Water them thoroughly and then keep watering to prevent the dirt from drying out. If you want to cure and smoke it, put in at least a dozen plants if possible. Question: I've grown plenty of tobacco except I've always just microwaved the leaves or in the oven to dry and smoked the plant still green. I wanted to just bury my nose in the leaves during the raisin stage, but for purposes sterility, i resisted!Q: I wouldn't imagine such a small batch would give off an overwhelming smell of ammonia.A: Very true! We would have been umming and ahhhing until the cows came home. Make sure kiln has good air circulation and that jars aren't touching walls to prevent condensation in jars. A lot of tobaccos's taste sweetens with salt - folks will mix maybe a 1/4 teaspon of salt in 8-10 ounces of distilled water, lay the tobacco out on a tray, mist it with the salty solution, allow to dry and then put it in the curing jars. Answer: Most of my friends who grow tobacco just dry it before smoking it, so no, don't bother. (I am, however, all for fermenting sugar in water and putting it through a still, I may be doing that later today). Start by putting your dried buds in your chosen curing jars. Set up a dehumidifier if you don't have a dry spot to store the leaves in so they dry faster and don't develop mold. Question: Can I make alcohol from tobacco leaves? 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. The ribs are easy to remove at that point. March-June,get started TODAY! , and then i can"t smoke because its really strong ! If it's warmer, that's even better. Finally, pour the hot water to the level of the tobacco in the jars. Some say that it should be left hanging for two years, though I've found that two or three months is quite enough. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. If they taste well enough without them fermenting do I still have to ferment them? Virginia tobacco, the stuff of commerce, is one of the hardiest plants you'll ever grow. 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 host saw me wandering around puffing on my pipe and he kindly gave me a tobacco plant in a pot. Some years ago I stumbled upon tobacco seeds (for the first time) in a Richters plant/seed catalogue out of Canada ( I live in the U.S). Break the seedheads into it and rub the central core to get the seeds off. I'm attempting to grow 3 varieties of tobacco: a Tennessee dark air cure, a Samsun Turkish and Perique. Answer: It would probably enhance the product but I don't bother and nor do most of the locals that I know. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on May 16, 2014: Hi there Rob n Rose, sorry for the tardy reply. From new and estate tobacco pipes to tin pipe tobacco and bulk pipe tobacco, we have everything you need. A Pocket Sundial From a Broken Pocket Watch! The ultra dry leaves sucked up the alcohol (not too much or u get a soggy mess) and became pliable again. But to me, all of these smells were delicious!! To smoke it! It does thrive in rich, well-draining soils, but it'll make do with what it gets. Reply Your question and reply precedes this answer. oops, I must have had a couple to many ales the last time I wrote in. there seems to be a new trend in vaping lately as more people are the cost of cigarettes beyond their means and are turning to vaping, i grow my own tobacco and process it myself and have experimented (Mucked around in my kitchen) with 0% nicotine menthol e-juice by cutting my tobacco in an old electric coffee grinder and adding the e-juice bit by bit to the mix until i achieve the strength i desire.. (Probably a lot better off as fewer additives to the final product and they're a damn' sight richer). **Tobacco sowing season is NOW! It seems dry but just doesnt want to stay lit when Ive rolled cigarettes. You may have had difficulty getting seed in the first place. 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! It must work, his mates think the stuffs great. 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. A fine mist to dampen the leaves is all you need, they will soften almost immediately and you can then cut out the ribs. Problem solved! .I'd suggest that you just hang the leaves to dry without assistance in a shady airy spot and see how they go. I assume that you want to either roll a cigarette or use a pipe. And how long will this last in this storage method? For tobacco, the curing process is similar to the standard drying process of cannabis. Essentially creating a compost heap where the internal temperature is carefully monitored along with the humidity levels. Im wanting either a mild hazlenut or chocolate flavor. Aging and curing tobacco helps the leaves get rid of their herby flavor and makes them taste more desirable. ** 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. When you cure tobacco leaves, you're breaking down ammonia in the plant matter. But they are surely processed differently. Awesome article!!! If they show signs of yellowing before this, pick them straight away. Great sense of humor, and great information - good tips! Your blog by far has the most simplistic and helpful information on growing tobacco. Cheers. Most people use wide-mouth quart or half-gallon glass mason jars,. !, i want to ask you why? Mine is 40ltr any old water boiler come tea earn will do. I watched a YouTube video and this guy dries his leaves in a aluminium cylinder with an element placed on the bottom. I'm curious to uncover out what blog system youre employing? You'll read a lot of unmitigated drivel about the difficulty of curing tobacco. A quick way to cure small quantities of marijuana is to loosely fill a plastic bag or glass jar, or place a layer between glass or plastic sheets, and expose the material to the sun. You can make a perfectly acceptable product by drying the leaves adequately, slicing them thinly, rolling them in cigarette paper, and setting them alight, so put that in your pipe and smoke it! Answer: I don't know, it's been many years since I was in Australia, but I would guess a tobacco plant would take around three months or less to grow there. It may not display this or other websites correctly. This is the kind of info ive been searching for. There are several ways to ferment at home. You are using an out of date browser. Trying to grow it here in the USA.if for no other reason to treat bee stings. They are about 20 inches now. I want to try it. Will they taste better? Thanks again for this information. 4 years ago. Let them dry out on the plant. Basic idea of the home chamber is to simulate the internal temperatures of a tobacco pile as seen at tobacco production facilities. Doing so removes excess plant material from your nugs, making drying much faster. The same rules apply: pinch out or otherwise remove them. In the next batch I think I will see if placing the leaves in a large plastic bag will work better. Last Updated: January 20, 2021 There are several websites dealing with curing chambers and the standard home made type is made of foam wall insulation and an oil heater. Hey thanks for all these follow up posts and pictures! Thanks for sharing! Multiply it by 52 to find what it costs you a year (over $2,500?). 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: Give it a try, it certainly won't do any harm. Don't humidify kiln to prevent rusty lids. This seems to be the right amount of heat! you have done a excellent activity on this matter! When the leaves are in the Eski fermenting do you turn them or move them around. at home depot, clamp assembly is not needed)-30W light bulb (heat source)-Aluminum foil-Clean paper towels-Plastic bag-Sterilized spray bottle (use bleach solution to clean, rinse and dry thoroughly)-Distilled water. Question: What do you think of using a humidifier to keep some moisture in the air while curing? Thanks for the nice comments. I think I'm going to try to grow some to use for smudging and offerings (Spiritual purposes). They'll turn dark brown and eventually start to split. You too can join the ranks of tobacco plant enthusiasts and with some luck and planning, your efforts may be rewarded with a homegrown cigar! When using plastic bag style do you move them around and how often do you water with the plastic bag style. Dedicated home growers use old refrigerators with a heat source. 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. These are the same plants as in the previous photo, eleven days later (25Jan09). Got the seeds in the germinator today , wanting an early jump on the season , great weather this last week and hoping for no frosts.. If it's just for the fun of growing the stuff and possibly to use the leaves to make a bug spray, a couple of plants will do fine. Then proceed in one of the following ways: Further up the page, I suggested that you let one plant flower for seed. 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. Also without an insulator, there would be a lot of heat loss, you would need higher temps than a psudo greenhouse.The cooler method traps in heat, but because the seals are not air tight there seems to be a lot of air exchange going on. Good luck growing! Taking the focus away from tobacco congratulations once more! In terms of my fermentation chamber, there is no problems with overheating or meltingyet! The light was plugged into a ground fault interrupter outlet so that if it overloaded, I would have a small means of safety at very least. You can store the leaves in a humidor or even in a plastic bag. I have grown some and do not want to ferment it. The Old Firm (author) from Waikato/Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand on March 20, 2014: I wrote a month or what back that I had started harvesting and drying down here in North Canty, and being the impatient bugger that I am, have started smoking it now, and am pleasantly surprised with the result. Answer: That's a question that I haven't had before! Question: Would you mind if I adapted your excellent work here for use in the UK? Oh yeah, adding flavor.any ideas on flavoring the bacco? Thank you very much ---just so hard to get the seeds in SA Government screws all of us here ---BUT I can, and do grow my own weed and get very good crops too! 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. I'm sure they will be benefited from this web site. , i bought 1 kg virginia tobacco leaves, its sun cured, but its really smells bad !! Happy from Toronto, Canada on July 16, 2014: Great hub. Do I have to ferment the leaves at all? Reactions: Oldfella, Charly, Knucklehead and 1 other person S Smileysmile66 Active Member Joined Apr 5, 2019 Messages 25 Points 3 Location Stockholm, Sweden Fill the jars about three quarters of the way, leaving the other quarter empty. I had trouble with the whole drying/curing process though. I better still be alive for the first finished product lol. Regarding smoking the tobacco though, cigarette and pipe tobacco available commercially is a bit "moist" and pliable. Your details are useful.". Our temps range between 70 and 100 degrees in the summer. I started about 400 tobacco seeds, about 85% germination rate. Avoid over-watering. Sadly Kings no longer sell tobacco seed, however if you're in NZ Wicked Habits do ( expensive ) or Trade Me often does. A factory barn with hundreds of thousands of hands fermenting, wellthat would be a whole different level of aroma.Q: Surf Monkey Coconut, your insurance agent called me looking for you. Answer: The best time is November, give or take, but January's fine for a later crop. Your stuff sounds pretty swish, have fun smoking it. This is typically the culprit. Have you ever tried soaking leaves to flavour them? Stems retain moisture and may increase the chance of mold in storage. The RH Lids have to be cut to exact specs with a Water Jet ($10k) or the hygrometer won't seal properly. Don't pick the whole plant at once, since they will become ready over a period of weeks. "We are in process of putting up a tobacco barn with latest technology. So how do you raise the delicate little darlings? You may need to use a humidifier if your leaves are drying too quickly. I spent many years at sea in the MN, as Captain since 1975, so cost wasn't an issue then. (These have some glorious botanical name that doesn't matter a bit. Tobacco grows best in places that are dry and warm. You will also have healthier, more mature/thicker leaves that will respond better to air curing and fermentationa little more meat to chew so-to-speak. As they dry they will yellow. 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. The dried leaves should have a slightly sweet smell from the curing process. 12.5% cure for between 5 and 10 days. You might try planting cabbage amongst the 'backy to deter the cabbage butterfly; I intend to this year. This method of curing will produce tobacco leaves that are, relative to other curing methods, low in sugar, high in nicotine, and sweet in flavor! You don't have to fork out another $2.50 for seed. I suggest that you Google "HubPages" and check them out. Whether its for smoking, for ceremonial use, or for an insect repellent solution, there are many reasons to dry, or air-cure, your own tobacco leaves. Using a solution of honey or something sweet may help also. Growth will stop until the weather warms up, then continue, but the plants will be smaller. They were small plants, about 2 ft (60 cm) high when winter hit. Have fun, good luck, and thanks for dropping in. On the plus side: Home grown tobacco contains far less chemicals and no additives when compared to the stuff the tobacco industry produces. This is predominately a writers/informational blog, but can be quite social in its comments, as you may have noted above. Luther, get a plant mister (little pump up spray) for a few dollars at a garden centre or two dollar shop and use it to spray your dry leaves. Preparing the leaf is the same for both. Also, in the images above you can see the vent holes I cut in the top and bottom of the coolerI have since plugged them up to hold in the humiditythere was too much ventilation going on. The process can take up to 8 weeks, and the longer you wait, the better it may taste. I grow tobacco in a tiny area where I live, about 400 feet (120 metres) above sea level, in a moderate, semi-coastal climate. Im thinking about purchasing and would like to hear some opinions. Great sense of humour and a very helpfull artical.Thank you. But the future looks a lot more brighter. on Introduction. Fermentation is the trickiest part, and is what this instructable is intended to outline.