Irish Flake Match from Bulks!
- Thread starter Sobrbiker
- Start date
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@Sobrbiker, now that your pucks have had a bit more age, I wonder if you're still pleased with your blend, any updates? Any changes to the blend as you've made more? Notes?
I am intrigued by your process of sous vide stoving. I have been using my Instapot to stove various blending components and blends in jars, but I also have a sous vide setup which would allow me to do larger quantities at once. And I just received the gift of a new wine press that I plan to use to press larger pucks than a noodle press can make (the inner bowl is more than 5" across, and almost 6" tall).
I am intrigued by your process of sous vide stoving. I have been using my Instapot to stove various blending components and blends in jars, but I also have a sous vide setup which would allow me to do larger quantities at once. And I just received the gift of a new wine press that I plan to use to press larger pucks than a noodle press can make (the inner bowl is more than 5" across, and almost 6" tall).
I still enjoy the blend, and the “pucks” are good. They’re a different animal than try flake, plug or even crumble kake. (more below).
The blend is tasty and the strength is strong. I think the “boil in bag” sous vidé brings out and melds the flavors more than the pressing does. I have more unpressed mix in a jar, and it’s less fiddly to load than the pucks.
The “pucks” made from ribbon, shag, ready rubbed tobacco don’t cut and slice like true flakes or plugs. For one, I didn’t apply any “glue”, and the product isn’t laid out in layers like true pressing is prepped. The wind press may allow you to lay out layers, but from the pic there’s a lot more room around the edges on that than a noodle press. A noodle press has nowhere for the juices to ooze out, where the wine press is made to do express the juices.
All in all, I may do it again but the “stoved” blend as I do it in a vacuum bag comes out of vac bag in a fairly tight chunk, that can be broken and jarred and still has the flavors nicely melded.
Yes, I’m quite aware of the nature of crumble cakes, I’ve been pressing home blends since early this past summer. Microwaving the blend briefly before loading it in to the press also facilitates cohesion of the cake, turning it into quite a dense puck that looks quite a bit like your photos from higher in the thread. Those dense pucks require either a very sharp knife or a plug cutter to prepare, like a commercial plug might.
With regards to this particular wine press, there is an inner pot that is smaller than the external pot, which will contain the tobacco and create tight edges just as in a noodle press. (The pressure is applied via a large hardwood disc about 1” thick and only slightly smaller diameter than the inner bowl, attached to the end of the screw; you can’t see it in the pic.) I plan to line the inside of that pot with parchment paper (or Mylar as you did for your caps)., which will prevent the escape of liquid and facilitate the removal of the finished cake.
With regards to this particular wine press, there is an inner pot that is smaller than the external pot, which will contain the tobacco and create tight edges just as in a noodle press. (The pressure is applied via a large hardwood disc about 1” thick and only slightly smaller diameter than the inner bowl, attached to the end of the screw; you can’t see it in the pic.) I plan to line the inside of that pot with parchment paper (or Mylar as you did for your caps)., which will prevent the escape of liquid and facilitate the removal of the finished cake.