Bucolic Gold. Homemade Periqued Virginias

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

New Cigars




PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

brooklynpiper

Part of the Furniture Now
May 8, 2018
633
1,362
encouraging signs with every update. I don't love hearing that the barrels don't have anything to do with it, and I think the above had it right with the issue of scale. All in all though, this is a very interesting thread.

How wet would you say you've been getting the leaves?
 
  • Like
Reactions: CoffeeAndBourbon

chilllucky

Lifer
Jul 15, 2018
1,091
2,715
Chicago, IL, USA
scoosa.com
Brooklyn - I am not 100% sure there is no interaction with the whisky barrel and the tobacco. Commercially, the leaf is removed, aired out, and repacked some number of times over about a year. The barrier I saw in the C&D video might have only been put in for the last pressing or shipping for all I know. But other home processers I've read reports from seem to get a satisfactory product from coffee cans, lexan jars, or PVC pipe. Only time (or a message from Mr. Ryan or Mr. Oulette or their employees) will tell.

As to your second question, the first time, it was just "in order". Able to be handled and stemmed without crumbling. The second pressing, I misted and mixed a couple of times untill the leaf felt wetter, but it clearly still wasn't enough. I am thinking of steaming these pucks for a minute or two over boiling water to get them to a state where I can tease them apart, and then putting them back in close to dripping wet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: whsergent

chilllucky

Lifer
Jul 15, 2018
1,091
2,715
Chicago, IL, USA
scoosa.com
No pictures this week, but I did do what I said I would. Steamed the pucks to be able to tease them apart, plus a few minutes more to completely moisten the tobacco. Not dripping wet, but definitely fully hydrated. Stuffed it all into an old coffee can and clamped it down.

From the presence of bubbling liquid and a strong smell, I can confidently say it's fermenting now. Time will tell if it's happening under ideal circumstances.
 
In visiting La Poche in New Orleans, those leaves were rather wet. Once pressed they were bubbling a black tar over the tops of the barrels. Then They'd back off the pressure for the leaves to reabsorb, and then pressed till the tar bubbles up again. It was a very wet process. FWIW
We could watch the bubbling fermenting going on.
 

donjgiles

Lifer
Apr 14, 2018
1,571
2,522
In visiting La Poche in New Orleans, those leaves were rather wet. Once pressed they were bubbling a black tar over the tops of the barrels. Then They'd back off the pressure for the leaves to reabsorb, and then pressed till the tar bubbles up again. It was a very wet process. FWIW
We could watch the bubbling fermenting going on.
Oh, I bet the scent in the air was heavenly!
 

chilllucky

Lifer
Jul 15, 2018
1,091
2,715
Chicago, IL, USA
scoosa.com
Ambient temperature has been thought about. I don't know exactly which 'wee beasties' are at work for this process, but the experience of other home blenders assures me that as long as you don't go under a certain temperature, you should be fine. It might take a little longer, but at this scale the process goes faster anyway.

As to "done": color, smell, and texture will be the clues. If left too long, it'll turn to mush. I have recently purchased some more Arcadian Gold, you know, for scientific comparison.

Thanks for all the encouragement, folks!
 

chilllucky

Lifer
Jul 15, 2018
1,091
2,715
Chicago, IL, USA
scoosa.com
Doesn't look like too much physical change from the last time. The smell has become much more neutral, too. No fermented spiciness, just tobacco.

I'm going to take out a bit of each, dry it down, smoke it and see what's what. The reds, which started with a higher natural sugar content, certainly look like they've changed pretty completely. The yellows still kinda look yellow.
 

chilllucky

Lifer
Jul 15, 2018
1,091
2,715
Chicago, IL, USA
scoosa.com
Smoking a bowl of the reds now in a clay. It's mostly red-virginia sweet and just a bit musty. It reminds me of Arcadian Gold, but it's not nearly as complete of a flavor profile.

Not that I expected to clone a favorite tobacco made as a collaboration between two men who combined have, what? 70-80 years of blending experience on my first try, but I'm pretty happy with the direction it's taking.

Back in the press!
 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
It helps us understand how professional blenders earn their keep. Some work on particular blends for years, refining the flavor and burn. Aging is the other thing to do, and or heating. It's labor, and patience, more than I'd have.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.