How To Home Stove Tobacco - Informational Only

[F4RM3R]

As promised, I am going to share my method for home stoving tobaccos that I find brings the best results. The blend that I’ve had the greatest success with (ie. the one that I like best) is Peter Stokkebye Luxury Twist Flake, so that’s what I’ll be illustrating. Let’s go make some magic.....

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Today I’ll be stoving 1 lb. of PS LTF and I’ll be doing this in two 16 oz. Mason jars, the type with the 2 part lids. An 16 oz. Mason jar will loosely (comfortably) hold 8 oz. of flake tobacco. I feel that allowing space for the heat to convect around the tobacco is a very important part of process. So I load the jars with the flakes standing on edge, like this:
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This is what the jar looks like after it has been fully loaded:
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As you can see, I do lay the top flakes flat to take up the remaining space in the jar, but the rest of the jar has the flakes standing on edge. I have no evidence to the contrary that laying all of the flakes flat won’t produce the same results. Standing the flakes on edge is merely “gut instinct“ to me. After the jar has been loaded, it must be sealed to help retain the tobaccos moisture. I do this with aluminum foil:
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Once the aluminum foil is in place I lock it down with the retaining ring that comes with the Mason Jar:
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A word of caution: I am never tempted to use the lid that comes with the Mason jar in order to save a step. Using the lid that comes with the Mason jar will produce an airtight seal which will not allow any pressure to escape and this may cause the jar to shatter. Aluminum foil retains the moisture while allowing any pressure to escape, so I always use aluminum foil.

While I am loading the Mason jars, I allow my home stove (oven) to preheat to 190 degrees.
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I have read many blog posts on the subject of how to home stove tobacco, and 190 degrees seemed to be the most popular consensus (and my good results confirm this).

I place the prepared jar as close to the center of the oven as possible:
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Close the oven door, set the timer for 2 hours and sit back and watch the fermentation (with a pipe in hand, of course):
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When the timer goes off (this part is critical for time and safeties sake) I have both a heavy duty oven mitt handy as well as a thick dish towel. 190 degrees may not sound like much, but it will blister fingers in a heartbeat. I take the Mason Jar out of the oven (using my oven mitt and dish towel) and place it on a heatproof surface (the top of my stove is glass so this works best).
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Here is where time is of the essence. As quickly and safely as I can, I remove the retaining ring from the jar (using my oven mitt and dish towel);
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cap the jar with the the original lid and replace the retaining ring tightening it firmly:
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Time is truly critical when performing this process because as the tobacco cools, it releases condensation, and this condensation must be trapped in order for the process to be a success. Here is what it looks like just a few short minutes after lidding the still hot Mason Jar:
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See the condensation clinging to the walls of the jar? It is my belief that if you loose the condensation, you loose the tobacco. Here is another view:
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The condensation will absorb back into the tobacco within the hour and in the process, the Mason jar will draw a vacuum seal. The hard part is now over and the harder part is yet to come: I MUST allow the tobacco to rest in a dark location for two weeks! Yes, this is the hardest part. But after two weeks I will be greeted by the most wonderful sounding WHOOSH as I pry the lid off my very own home stoved creation. This is followed by a tin note of rich chocolate and caramel aromas that do translate to the smoke (for me). The overall results: PS LTF takes on a deep, rich, luxurious chocolate-like flavor that is complex, full bodied and satisfying. To me, it is an after dinner smoke; one that is sweet but not in any cloying way.

I hope that this post has been both informative and intriguing? I have stoved other tobaccos, but the ones that give me the best results are PS Luxury Twist Flake and PS Bullseye Flake (with LTF being my favorite). ENJOY!

*Disclaimer: No One Should Try This Themselves. If you choose to do so, you do so at your own risk. This post is for educational purposes only.

Great post. Thanks for sharing. I do a lot of stoving with my whole leaf blends. Can totally transform virginia leaf to something else. Works nicely to soften a strong kentucky as well. Instead of a jar, i just use an aluminum baking tin as I don't want to risk loosing any batches from broken glass.

I'll stove a yellow or orange colored virginia leaf for anywhere from 3-16 hours. 3-4 hours giving a nice virginia that is great for a base in a blend and the 12+ hours gets into the black stoved/ cavendish territory.

 

[gamzultovah]

Well, my first attempt at stoving didn't go 'quite' as well as I'd hoped. Lol. Popped a sealed tin of 8 year old Capstan into the oven at gas mark 5 (what I thought was close to 190) for 2&1/2 hours. The smell was wonderful but unfortunately the flakes came out as dry as burnt toast. Still, the flakes do now look better at least. Got them rehydrating in a jar now, see what they say tomorrow.
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Looks wonderful from here. I hope it rehydrates well for you. Give it a week or to settle and then give it a try!

 

[gamzultovah]

Great post. Thanks for sharing. I do a lot of stoving with my whole leaf blends. Can totally transform virginia leaf to something else. Works nicely to soften a strong kentucky as well. Instead of a jar, i just use an aluminum baking tin as I don't want to risk loosing any batches from broken glass.

I'll stove a yellow or orange colored virginia leaf for anywhere from 3-16 hours. 3-4 hours giving a nice virginia that is great for a base in a blend and the 12+ hours gets into the black stoved/ cavendish territory.

Wow! Sounds like you have far more experience at this than me. I would certainly pay to try some of your creations. They sound great.

 

[dcon]

Also, let me state that I have stoved tobaccos that have not improved by the process. Eric Stokkebye 4th Generation 1855 being one of them. This blend is a blowtorch on the mouth when fresh and even after stoving, showed no improvement whatsoever. I am aging it a year in a Mason jar but after that, it’s going in the garden if it doesn’t behave.

Give the 1855 some time. I think you will like the results.

 

[mso489]

Does this result in a sort of Cavendish, or is that a different process, under pressure or in some other way different? Just curious.

 

[rajangan]

I've never managed to find proper procedural data on toasting but there's this chart that shows that burley is toasted at 284°F. I don't know how to interpret it. The biggest question is, how hot is the actually tobacco. If it contains moisture, it shouldn't be terribly different from boiling point. But if it's completely dry, then it would indeed be close to 280. Do they start at 140°C, then drop it to 120°C once it's dried out? Or what?Who knows? FYI, reorder means rehydrate.

 

[gamzultovah]

Does this result in a sort of Cavendish, or is that a different process, under pressure or in some other way different? Just curious.

Here is an answer to your question from Ernie Q.

This was borrowed from another public forum: “The age old argument regarding what "true Cavendish" is, notwithstanding, here's how to sweeten up your own tobacco. I haven't found the need to make Cavendish as I think there are plenty of good ones out there to work with...but if'n ya got the urge, here's how I'd do it:

Get as big a steamer as you need for your batch. For those of you who are home-economically disinclined...that's a big pot with a basket in the middle with a lot of holes in it.

Choose your tobacco. You can make "Cavendish" out of just about anything, but stay away from Latakia and Perique. You can use Burley, Virginia, Even fire cured or Orientals or a blend. Keep in mind that this process will "mute" some of the flavors in Fire Cured and Orientals, though.

Don't bother casing your tobacco as in the method for casing I described in the sticky thread..it isn't necessary here.

Choose a "sugar" for your Cavendish, or, for a more natural sweetness, choose a tobacco that has a high natural sugar content....like a bright Virginia. You can use Molasses, Cane Sugar, Brown Sugar, Turbinado, Black Treacle, Golden treacle etc....just go easy on the Honey as it can really bite.

Make a solution by WEIGHT of:

3 Part Sugar
3 Part Water
1 Part Vinegar (White or Apple Cider is what I use)

Heat it up to just before boiling but let it cool to around 100 degrees so it wont mess up your spray bottle. You won't need to pre-heat your tobacco. Use about 1/2 cup of solution per pound of tobacco. Spray. Mix. Spray. Mix. Get your hands into it. it'll be sticky...suck it up, sissies!

Put the tobacco in your steam basket. Fire it up and let it rip, replenishing water as needed. Don't fill the reservoir so high that it boils up and hits the tobacco on the bottom as it will ruin it. Stir it up, bringing the bottom to the top several times per half hour. more is better. less is bad.

How long you steam for is dependent on what result you want. If you want to just sweeten up a base tobacco or base blend, a couple hours does a fine job. Want to start caramelizing sugars for that darker sweeter flavor? Go up to six hours. Want to go full on caramelized black Cavendish? Anywhere from 12 to 24 hours (watch the color) but are you really gonna stay awake for all that stirring?

When it's finished, scoop out the now limp, wet, disgusting looking tobacco with one of those strainer spoon thingies and lay it out on cookie sheets thinly. I would sun cure the sheets but a warm dry room or even an oven at VERY low temps (certainly under 90 Degrees) until crispy dry should be fine.

Grab some distilled water. Heat it. Mist it over the tobacco. come back a half hour later and see how the tobacco feels. If it's too dry still, mist again. Do this as many or as few times as you need to get it to the humidity level you prefer. Stuff it all in a bag or a jar, let it rest for a week and Bob's yer Uncle.

Cheers!”

 

[gamzultovah]

I've never managed to find proper procedural data on toasting but there's this chart that shows that burley is toasted at 284°F. I don't know how to interpret it. The biggest question is, how hot is the actually tobacco. If it contains moisture, it shouldn't be terribly different from boiling point. But if it's completely dry, then it would indeed be close to 280. Do they start at 140°C, then drop it to 120°C once it's dried out? Or what?Who knows? FYI, reorder means rehydrate.

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Thank you for the chart.

To be clear, this is a process that works well for me especially with the tobacco I demonstrated. I’ve given away almost every ounce of this tobacco that I’ve ever stoved because everyone who’s tried it immediately falls in love with it. I’ve only ever smoked a handful of bowls of this home-brew because it’s never around long enough for me to enjoy. This is the primary reason I created this post, so that others may enjoy what I’ve defiantly stumbled across.

 

[rajangan]

Thank you for the chart.

To be clear, this is a process that works well for me especially with the tobacco I demonstrated. I’ve given away almost every ounce of this tobacco that I’ve ever stoved because everyone who’s tried it immediately falls in love with it. I’ve only ever smoked a handful of bowls of this home-brew because it’s never around long enough for me to enjoy. This is the primary reason I created this post, so that others may enjoy what I’ve defiantly stumbled across.

Oh, I wasn't suggesting that you were toasting. I just saw some posters discussing the upper limit of temperature and wanted to say it's pretty high.

I would say that your method is similar to cavendish, just not as intense. My cavendish method involves no sweetener. Pack tobacco into jar, add equal weight of water, pressure cook at 15lbs for 3 to 4 hours. The steaming method results in lots of loss into solution in the bottom of the pot.

 

[chefmike]

i went looking. Apparently my LTF is all 2018. I may bake a jar. Turns out I have a few jars of sutliff VA flake, also 2018. Worth a sacrifice? I have never aged any of that to see if it is worth it. I forgot I had thrown a few jars of it in. I am curious to try this... always thought if LTF could be a little more it would be better. I used to love LBF, but it has not hit the spot the last few times. I have always liked it best late mornings. I used to have those some days to sit and read. Not so much these last few years.

 

[gamzultovah]

i went looking. Apparently my LTF is all 2018. I may bake a jar. Turns out I have a few jars of sutliff VA flake, also 2018. Worth a sacrifice? I have never aged any of that to see if it is worth it. I forgot I had thrown a few jars of it in. I am curious to try this... always thought if LTF could be a little more it would be better. I used to love LBF, but it has not hit the spot the last few times. I have always liked it best late mornings. I used to have those some days to sit and read. Not so much these last few years.

I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the results. Very seasoned smokers have approved. ? Have fun.

 

[mso489]

gam', thank you for that primer on the Cavendish process. Someone out there will almost certainly try this. In a commercial blending shop, all this would be reduced to routine, all the gear and timing, but this post certainly illustrates that the makers of Cavendish earn their asked price. Also, as so often on Forums, I am grateful for the information. I might double back and smoke the black Cavendish I have jarred and maybe try one or two other versions. It is an enjoyable smoke.

 

[evo03]

I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the results. Very seasoned smokers have approved. ? Have fun.

Have you tried this on aged LTF? I've got a couple 8 oz jars that are 6-7 years old.

 

[paulfg]

Well, my first attempt at stoving didn't go 'quite' as well as I'd hoped. Lol. Popped a sealed tin of 8 year old Capstan into the oven at gas mark 5 (what I thought was close to 190) for 2&1/2 hours. The smell was wonderful but unfortunately the flakes came out as dry as burnt toast. Still, the flakes do now look better at least. Got them rehydrating in a jar now, see what they say tomorrow.
View attachment 69524

as pointed out elsewhere ,those over the pond state temp different to us over here Simon ,you want as mentioned by Karam 70c not 190c

 

[gamzultovah]

gam', thank you for that primer on the Cavendish process. Someone out there will almost certainly try this. In a commercial blending shop, all this would be reduced to routine, all the gear and timing, but this post certainly illustrates that the makers of Cavendish earn their asked price. Also, as so often on Forums, I am grateful for the information. I might double back and smoke the black Cavendish I have jarred and maybe try one or two other versions. It is an enjoyable smoke.

You’re welcome, MSO. The more you know about this hobby, the more enjoyment you derive. Enjoy those aged Cavendish!

 

[gamzultovah]

Have you tried this on aged LTF? I've got a couple 8 oz jars that are 6-7 years old.

I imagine it would work the same? But I understand that LTF aged is pretty good?

 

[evo03]

I imagine it would work the same? But I understand that LTF aged is pretty good?

I haven't opened either jar. I will crack one open and smoke a bowl and see how it is currently. If aging has improved it a lot then I'll try stoving a smaller amount. I imagine the topping might be a little weaker after some age.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

At that temperature, are you not killing the bacteria that cause fermentation?

As someone else said, it is enzymes (as far as we know), but in the color curing process many tobaccos, especially Virginias will reach over 110 F for days 140F for some. This is pasteurization temps, killing off anything microbial, yet Virginias are said to age the best.
I would think that if someone is stoving their own, that they aren't doing it to then set aside for aging further anyways. But, I don't think we understand the aging process enough to be able to say that it will really kill the aging process.

 

[chefmike]

I just threw in a batch. I smoked a bowl of the 2018 LTF and it is good, but not mind blowing. I was willing to sacrifice for a chocolate note. I smoked a bowl of the Sutliff VA slices: markedly improved in 3 years, but not mind blowing. Willing to sacrifice. Also in the oven: C&D yorktown, winchester, red odessa and star of east gold. PS Cube cut and bulls eye. Comoys cask 4 navy. House should smell good at least. If the wife doesn't kill me, I will report back!

 

[gamzultovah]

I just threw in a batch. I smoked a bowl of the 2018 LTF and it is good, but not mind blowing. I was willing to sacrifice for a chocolate note. I smoked a bowl of the Sutliff VA slices: markedly improved in 3 years, but not mind blowing. Willing to sacrifice. Also in the oven: C&D yorktown, winchester, red odessa and star of east gold. PS Cube cut and bulls eye. Comoys cask 4 navy. House should smell good at least. If the wife doesn't kill me, I will report back!

You have just become my new hero! LOL!!!

Remember, the key is to let it sit for a minimum of two weeks. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.