First Time Making Rope, Leaf Only, and High Nicotine Blending

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Nov 15, 2018
10
34
IN, USA
EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title (See Rule 9)

Hi, second time posting here. I wanted to put this up here because I was having a time of it trying to find good info on how to make rope tobacco. I've been wanting better access to inexpensive, high nicotine blends, and like the idea of making tobacco the same way as it was for pioneers and prospectors heading out west (Colorado born and raised.)
I ordered two 1/4 lb. samples from LeafOnly.com, and was pretty satisfied with what I received.
I got a sample of nicotiana rustica, which I've tried before and liked, but it was quite a chore to keep lit, so I was always mixing/layering to make it smoke okay. I ordered some dark fired wrapper to give the blend some thinner leaves and to make to rolling easier to manage. I'll be getting about 200g of rope for $17, including shipping.
IMG_20200623_090741.jpgIMG_20200623_091828.jpg
I lightly sprayed the leaves before rolling. It was just enough to keep them from tearing as I spread them out. Next time, I'll wet then slightly more so they stick better and I can roll tighter.
After rolling the rustica as tight as I could, I rolled the dark fired on top like a cigar wrapper. I then twisted it and formed tight loops, finishing by tying twine on it to hold it's form. I'll remove the string as it begins to age and the shape sets a little.
I watched videos on YouTube to figure out a general idea of what I was doing. There are only a couple on rope tobacco, so look for cigar rolling videos and just realize that you are going to roll as tight as you can (don't worry about draw), the length isn't a consideration, and it doesn't need to be pretty on the ends.
After rolling, I decided to take the gasket off of my jar and heat it in the oven to 250(F) to meld flavors a little and get some excess moisture out. We'll see what that did when I smoke it.
I'm going to let it sit for a week before I sample it, but most of it will be aging a good while longer. I'll post again after I try it and let you all know the results. Since it has the thick rustica leaves in there, I'll probably be cutting very thin coins and making it shag-like consistency before packing.
 
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May 2, 2020
4,664
23,771
Louisiana
Any particular reason you decided on rope rather than plug? I’m not an historian, but I’d imagine plug would’ve been just as prevalent on the route westward as rope, if not more so. Seems like it’d be easier to do. Was it just the challenge of making some rope that swayed you in that direction?
 

davek

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 20, 2014
685
952
You brought much of the aging to a stop by stoving at that temp.

I've made a rope or two. What I finally settled on and did for a while was to roll little 6" to 8" "cigars", rolling them as tightly as possible, then pressing those in a vice with a metal plate. You can get quite a tight press that way, by rolling tightly and then pressing as well..

Anymore, I don't even bother with that. I break the leaves up loosely by hand, moisten, press overnight. I just put it in a strong baggie and press between metal plates. The next day, I have a moist cake thing, and I get out the cutting board and cut the tobacco how I like it, then I press again for a day or three.

Smoking whole leaf has the advantage of no additives. It also has the disadvantage of no additives. Mold is a continual issue. I see my prepared tobacco as a perishable and smoke it as I prepare it, a few ounces at a time. Pressing helps meld flavors quickly.
 
Nov 15, 2018
10
34
IN, USA
It was a fun experiment. Way easier than I thought it would be, considering how few people seem to be doing it. Next time, I'll probably need to tone down or remove the rustica to get better smoking properties, but otherwise I think it worked great.
Also, it seems super space efficient and the low surface to mass ratio should store better long-term than a ribbon.
 
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tech49

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 2, 2020
115
1,126
Hamburg Twp, MI
I thought about trying plug, but it requires forms and tools capable of applying a high level of compression that I just don't have.

To make plug I use stainless steel nesting ninth (1/9) pans like the ones used in restaurants. Either 22ga or 27ga work well, get them on Amazon. The thinner 27ga (about $7 each) work just as well as the heavier, more expensive 22ga.

Stack and fold your leaves to fit in the pan (about a 4" x 2" stack), wrap in parchment, fit down into a pan, place a thin piece of wood cut to fit in the pan on top (from like a cigar box), nest the other ninth pan on that, and conch it down with a couple 7" hose clamps.

I tighten every day for a few days right to the torque capacity set on my drill, then leave it.

These are compact, portable, and the tobacco plug is easy to get out. And when you're not pressing tobacco, use them in 9kitchen to hold your mise en place.

Here's a result from WLT Balkan Blend:

20200702_134050.jpg
 
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