Home Infusions?

[Sigmund]

I decided to dip into the experiment early. Im glad I did. It is already flavored enough for my taste. The Amaretto adds some sweet nuttieness to the cocao Makhuwa. Its tasty. Im not sure if it is a repeat yet.

 

[badbriar]

I have not tried liquid infusions / toppings. Did an experiment with expresso beans and a nice burley - left several beans in the burley for a month. Smelled nice, but absolutely zero expresso or any other flavor from the beans in the smoke! The aroma turned out to be from the expresso beans and faded quickly from the burley. Alas, it was an experiment. At least it didn't screw up the tobacco!

 

[Sigmund]

Maybe coffee grounds would work better? No clue

 

[Monssen13]

Over on another forum, WCC blender ErnieQ suggested that an infusion is better than actually spraying the leaf:

“You guys really should try the spirit infusion method instead of just spraying booze on the blend. You get a much nicer taste and pouch aroma and no bite from the alcohol left in the leaf. It’s simple...get a Tupperware container. Put your blend in it. Put a shot glass smack in the middle with your spirit of choice. Leave it for several days, dry it to smokable consistency and press for a week. Gives a real delicate yet noticeable aroma and flavor.”

I can confirm that this method works very well. I’ve been infusing various home English blends with cognac (a poor man’s Esoterica Pembroke), rum (amping up the notes in Sutliff Match RL-BD), and bourbon (rehydrating some SPC MissRiv Spec. Reserve that came to me dried out, turning it into a Bourbon Barrel Aged version).

What is pressing? I’ve infused a VA flake and some dried out Balkan with some rum, but not sure what the next step would be besides just letting it dry and smoke it.

 

[Briarcutter]

Thanks for the suggestions gentlemen. I'm very fond of Frankincense, I have pounds of it I brought in from Oman and have always wanted to try flavoring pipe tobacco with it. Just sprinkling it in sounds like a bad idea though. I may try one day some of your infusion ideas. Maybe with some burley, maybe some Prince Albert, then I can call it Al Frankin

 

[khiddy]

What is pressing? I’ve infused a VA flake and some dried out Balkan with some rum, but not sure what the next step would be besides just letting it dry and smoke it.

It accelerates the melding of flavors. Get yourself a noodle press (lots of options on amazon), load a few ounces of tobacco in (many folks heat the loose tobacco in the microwave for a 10-15 seconds first to make it good and pliable), and then squeeze the press down as tight as it will go for a few days to a few weeks. When you are ready, unscrew the press, and pop the resulting krumble kake into a jar or mylar to rest for a few weeks. When you're ready, just break it up (or slice some off with a knife) to smoke.

Much more info and examples here: Noodle Press Tobacco :: Pipe Tobacco Discussion - https://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/noodle-press-tobacco.94175/

 

[dottlejockey]

I have not tried liquid infusions / toppings. Did an experiment with expresso beans and a nice burley - left several beans in the burley for a month. Smelled nice, but absolutely zero expresso or any other flavor from the beans in the smoke! The aroma turned out to be from the expresso beans and faded quickly from the burley. Alas, it was an experiment. At least it didn't screw up the tobacco!

Perhaps you'd get a better result by first grinding the coffee and mixing it with a neutral spirit. Then follow the infusion method above. The alcohol will be your catalyst to carry the flavor across.

 

[MisterBadger]

Over on another forum, WCC blender ErnieQ suggested that an infusion is better than actually spraying the leaf:

“You guys really should try the spirit infusion method instead of just spraying booze on the blend. You get a much nicer taste and pouch aroma and no bite from the alcohol left in the leaf. It’s simple...get a Tupperware container. Put your blend in it. Put a shot glass smack in the middle with your spirit of choice. Leave it for several days, dry it to smokable consistency and press for a week. Gives a real delicate yet noticeable aroma and flavor.”

I can confirm that this method works very well. I’ve been infusing various home English blends with cognac (a poor man’s Esoterica Pembroke), rum (amping up the notes in Sutliff Match RL-BD), and bourbon (rehydrating some SPC MissRiv Spec. Reserve that came to me dried out, turning it into a Bourbon Barrel Aged version).

I am going to try this with some of the Thuoc Lao I purchased last month. Probably with Wood's 100 Navy rum. If it makes it a palatable smoke, 'twill be a miracle and I'll let you all know.

 

[krizzose]

I’ve had success with laying out some tobacco on a sheet pan and spraying it with dark rum, and also a mix of distilled water, molasses, and honey. I get the tobacco noticeably moist, then just let it dry for a few hours. The flavor was good and I had no issues with mold.

 

[MisterBadger]

I am going to try this with some of the Thuoc Lao I purchased last month. Probably with Wood's 100 Navy rum. If it makes it a palatable smoke, 'twill be a miracle and I'll let you all know.

OK... I can now credibly inform you that attempting an infusion on Thuoc Lao is simply a wicked waste of a tot of good Navy rum. More detailed information on an update in Tobacco Reviews.

 

[pappymac]

I used to buy Fuentes Curly Heads to smoke while doing yard work or while fishing and infuse them with bourbon or rum. I never thought about doing it with pipe tobacco so I may have to try it with a blend that doesn't really meet my expectations.

 

[Cigar City Piper]

I usually do this every time I make any of my own blends. I use very little, about an ounce of good bourbon or rum and of course it helps if the blend is rather dry to begin with otherwise it wont pick up the booze infused moisture as much. I usually let it sit a week if I am patient at least a couple of days if not. Then press a cake and it provides just a delicate amount of flavor and aroma to anything you might want to make.

 

[Brad H]

I'm placing this in the beginner section hoping for the protection of the "no dumb questions" clause.

Other than tins of Nightcap and Horizons, my purchases are in 1-ounce baggies from my super-helpful neighborhood tobacconist. I'd heard as a youngster that you should place a small apple slice in your Borkum Riff pouch. Never tried it, but...

This morning, I spilled hot coffee with hazelnut creamer, and some of it got on a pipe cleaner. Without thinking, I used it to clean the shank of my cob, and it got me to wondering. Anybody ever lightly dip a pipe cleaner in coffee, brandy, whatever, and place it in a baggy of mixing tobacco and let it infuse a day or two?

No dumb questions. You dont know and learn without asking =]

 

[Sigmund]

For anyone trying this...alcohol set in a dish in the center of a tupperware dish does not lead to mold. At least the one I started in this thread has not. I pretty much abandoned it on the shelf for 3 months. After a week or ten days it tasted infused but I more or less abandoned it. I looked at it to day. The alcohol is almost gone and is thick. The tobacco is very moist and there is no mold. Im going to let it dry and see if I like it or if I want to blend with it. It currently is as wet as a new pouch of Capt Black.