GRow Your own?
lcpleel
Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,447
Just wondering if anyone has ever tried growing there own plant to harvest and smoked. No im not talking about that type of plant... but Nicotiana tabacum.
Im thinking about trying to grow some myself and even with the fall and winter around the corner I think I have a chance of success being in CA.
What I was really wondering is the curing portion. Whats the best way?
Im thinking about trying to grow some myself and even with the fall and winter around the corner I think I have a chance of success being in CA.
What I was really wondering is the curing portion. Whats the best way?
Comments
with a bit of effort and some time, it isnt unheard of.
For the sides of the tobacco curing chamber use sheets of 2-inch thick polystyrene. three-ish should be good to build a tobacco curing chamber measuring 1 metre square by 1 and a half metres high.
for heat use an oil filled heater that is able to run at a constant 130°f .
Moisture needs to be raised inside the tobacco curing chamber to keep the leaf flexible but not wet. A humidifier is ideal for this. Humidifiers are little more than water tanks with a fan to blow a fine mist of water into the air.
Hold the base, sides and top of the curing chamber together with double sided carpet tape or other strong tapes. Cut an opening in one side to act as a door. Use tape as a hinge to keep the door closed.
drill a hole in the top and a hole in the bottom for air flow (fresh air in and ammonia out)
im not 100% sure what exactly the RH needs to be, and im not 100% sure how to make the humidifier but this is the gist of the curing chamber.
it is a scaled down version of what is in all of the curing rooms in most of the major factories ive seen.
the goal is to have it pliable at all times but not "wet"
im guessing about 80% rh or so.
moving air is a huge plus to help prevent mold.
oh... and dont break the stems within the leaves if you can. this will release a bad flavor/aroma into the leaf when smoking. after the cure is done it isnt as big of a deal.
I now have a little land here I am only about 45 mins. from Philadelphia.
There is also a nice sized feild behind my property that I am told that has been leased for farming in the past.
I will use the winter to do more reserch and preperation. I think it will be fun. the fermentation part is going to take the real effort though.
After the growing season the temp and humidity control are my concerns. I am going to have to build a barn and add climate control. Well maybe more of a shed to start.
This is gonna take a bit of time so I won't be offering samples for at least 2 years, but if everything goes well I will be sure to let all you BOLTs know.
part of what will make this difficult is the yield.
the pilones that are traditionally used to ferment tobacco are very large. im talking, 12 feet by 6 feet by 5 feet high.
....and all of that tobacco is the same. by that i mean, it is all the same seed, the same priming, and the same quality.
in the center of the pilone is a thermometer that sticks out far enough someone can see what the temp is at the center of the pile. each manufacturer has a target temp they go for and once the pilone hits that temp, they break it down and rotate it so that it ferments evenly. the piles are large enough that this takes the better part of a day to do.
the problem is not so much how do you get tobacco to ferment, that knowledge was just typed out, but rather, how do you "fake" the conditions that exist in the pilones?
that is a far more difficult task.
there are so many benefits to the pilone that make it the most used fermentation technique in the business: the weight, the moisture, the heat, the fact that it is all the same tobacco.
if we are talking growing a handful of plants, the conditions are going to be hard to recreate.
YES the question of "fakeing" the conditions of th pilone is a concern. Haveing no experience, hell I've never seen a tobacco plant in person. I have a long way to go as far as research. For me it will be mostly for the enjoyment of learning something new. And a simple joy of watching a seed sprout and grow into a plant and develope.
No instant gratifacation there. Just a slow prosses. But this for me will be an experiment so the end result isnt the goal. I am not looking to be a full time farmer, just to see how a city boy can actually get into the dirt.
So I need alot more knowledge on the "science" of it all. But this whole endevor will be fun. The oppertunity to learn and experiment with the possibility of my hard work and efforts to produce fruit. I reconize this will be no small task, but I am sure the experience will give back in so many ways, hopefuly most of all an even greater appreation of what it takes to make our beloved cigars.
Any pics would be helpful. Thanks