Home Infusions?

[tolstoyevsky]

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?

 

[Bbailey324]

I've done infusions or top notes by putting 20 to 30 drops of bourbon onto a neutral burley and leaving it in a jar for a few weeks. Leaves a nice top note flavor. I have a coffee extract that I'm going to experiment with but haven't put it on any tobacco yet. So yes, you can infuse or top flavor tobacco in multiple ways.

 

[proteus]

Very lightly misting grain alcohol based infusions of natural flavoring compounds adds depth to aromatics. I make a vanilla extract using 10% by weight grade b vanilla beans and graves grain alcohol. Coffee beans, cacao nibs, heavily aromatic gins, bay leaves, allspice berries, these all work well. Key is to mist very lightly over the leaf and let dry. Don't soak or you get goop and mold. You can use ribboned tobacco if you keep it moving around to get good coverage. You can also use mix the alc with semi liquids like honey, maple syrup, corn sugar syrup (not corn syrup) or molasses for a sugary notes. Vinegar for a sour note and even a bit of lemongrass. You can find lemongrass stalks in Asian markets or those expensive organic markets you need your whole paycheck to shop at.

 

[khiddy]

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).

 

[Sigmund]

I bet infusion works great. I infuse my HU Lousiana Broken Flake with Rum flavor by storing my Salty Dogs Plug in the same jar. Its really tasty and subtle.

 

[Pooh-Bah]

I've had very pleasant results with Latakia blends, creme de menthe, and Ernie's method as cited by khiddy.
And! you can drink the booze when the infusion period has ended (some of the tobacco aroma will have infused into it, too).
I infused for two or three weeks and didn't bother pressing it. Was like a yummy pipeful of minty mulch.

 

[khiddy]

I haven’t attempted to drink the contents of the shot glass after I infuse, but I have used the booze to dip my pipe cleaners in when cleaning my pipes. I may have to try shaking up a cocktail with the leftover stuff sometime.

 

[Pipeh]

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 wonder if this should be described as vapor deposition...

 

[Snook]

I'll have to experiment with this a little. I like khiddy's suggestion of using cognac on an English blend to make the Poor Man's Pembroke. That's one of my favorites, so I'd be curious to see the result.

 

[khiddy]

I'll have to experiment with this a little. I like khiddy's suggestion of using cognac on an English blend to make the Poor Man's Pembroke. That's one of my favorites, so I'd be curious to see the result.

I’ve primarily used it as a blender so far (I use Best of the Rest English as a base), but it’s pretty tasty!

 

[tolstoyevsky]

I've had very pleasant results with Latakia blends, creme de menthe, and Ernie's method as cited by khiddy.
And! you can drink the booze when the infusion period has ended (some of the tobacco aroma will have infused into it, too).
I infused for two or three weeks and didn't bother pressing it. Was like a yummy pipeful of minty mulch.

Wow, that's a first. Well done sir. Long ago, I wondered if tobacco was good for anything but smoking (other than maybe candles, and the tobacco/cedar beard balm I use). Using it as a food/drink additive is fascinating. Thank you!

 

[huntertrw]

I had good luck placing some cubed Burley in a small Tupperware-type container which also contained a shot glass full of Pusser's Navy Rum. Note that there was no contact between the tobacco and the liquor. I sealed the lid, then left it alone for a week.

At the end of that time I found that the Burley had a nice rum flavor and aroma.

 

[Humblepipe]

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 a member of the other forum... but missed this process for infusing from ErnieQ. I recently purchased some Seattle Pipe Club tins from a pipesmagazine forum member. None of them had been previously opened, but the Potlatch was very dry. I thought it made it a good candidate for infusing. I used Maker's Mark for this. After infusing, I pressed it into a puck. I am trying tonight. It's interesting how compressed the contents of this tin got!

 

[Brendan]

This is a great thread, will have to try this myself over the Xmas break with some German honey vodka I picked up. Forgot the name of it but will post pics when I do. Just have to choose what tobacco blend to experiment with, may stick with GH Best Brown #2 as I've been smoking that exclusively for the last few weeks and it has no discernible topping (just cased) that I can pick up on.

 

[Sigmund]

I bet amaretto would be good…maybe on burley to make it extra nutty.

 

[Humblepipe]

I bet amaretto would be good…maybe on burley to make it extra nutty.

That does sound like a great combo...

 

[minerLuke]

Sometimes if I find out some tobacco has dried out too much I'll put a capful of Bourbon or Rum into the Mason jar with it and wait a few days or a week and presto! A new aromatic blend! Depends on what the blend started out life as, but usually it's pretty smokable. Better than mummy dust anyways.

 

[Humblepipe]

To follow up... the Seattle Pipe Club "Potlatch" blend (Black Cavendish, Burley, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia) post-infusion and pressed. Just, wow! I did taste the bourbon, but it was subtle. Pressing the blend really brought the characteristics of all of the ingredients together and mellowed the blend overall. I like the blend significantly more now. This was a successful endeavor.

 

[khiddy]

I received a tin of SPC Mississippi River Special Reserve that was compromised and dried out, so I decided to make my own Bourbon Barrel version by doing the shot glass infusion method for a week and then sealing it in a jar with a hunk of used charred bourbon barrel. I’ll be tasting it in the new year after it’s had a few weeks of rest.

 

[Sigmund]

I just stuck a bit of makhuwa in with a bit of amaretto to infuse for a week. Will report back.