Plug And Rope That Are Not Elusive?

[logs]

Not to bore you gentlemen, but this is my homemade flue for curing my Virginias and color curing. It makes a nice cigar leaf and red Virginia. It is being used right now to cure sweet potatoes, ha ha.
I use a crockpots in the bottom with humidity and heat controllers to monitor heat and humidity. Rigged it myself after spending a few years talking to the experts.
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Very nice setup you have there. Are you selling these ropes? I'd love to try one.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Thanks for sharing @cosmicfolklore its refreshing to see this stuff posted here and not just on a growers forum.

Stupid question: have you ever used a crockpot as your heat source without any water in it? I always add water, but that is just a carryover from cooking I guess

Edit: to clarify I mean for “curing” your ropes. Not in the flue/kiln set you where humidity is required

 

[Ahi Ka]

Very nice setup you have there. Are you selling these ropes? I'd love to try one.

Better yet, buy some whole leaf and give it a go yourself!...but yes if cosmic is selling ropes count me in too! Lol

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Thanks for sharing @cosmicfolklore its refreshing to see this stuff posted here and not just on a growers forum.

Stupid question: have you ever used a crockpot as your heat source without any water in it? I always add water, but that is just a carryover from cooking I guess

The idea to use an empty crock to for heat just hasn't ever occured to me. I'm not thermal expert, but it doesn't seem like an effective way to distribute heat. Also, I can't think of a reason to use a dry heat in curring. Is there something I'm missing?

 

[smokiespipesmoker123]

I let my ropes dry for a few days to weeks, then I put them in a jar and heat them in the oven or a crock pot to 150F for 8hours to a day to make sure the heat has soaked through. 140F for 10 minutes is FDA approved pasteurization to kill mold spores, but the extra heat helps to mellow them out a little... meld the flavors.

Then I just pit the jars of ropes In the cellar to age at least a year before cracking them open. The samples I’ve shared with friends here seemed to like them. I love them, if I do say so myself.

400 pounds? Share the love man! Your northern neighbor could use some rope!!! ?

 

[Ahi Ka]

The idea to use an empty crock to for heat just hasn't ever occured to me. I'm not thermal expert, but it doesn't seem like an effective way to distribute heat. Also, I can't think of a reason to use a dry heat in curring. Is there something I'm missing?

Not at all. I had always made the same assumption. It just randomly popped into my head as a question as I realised I had never considered it before.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

400 pounds? Share the love man! Your northern neighbor could use some rope!!! ?

I'm sorry, I meant 400 lbs over all, with all of the store bought stuff. Haha, I only grow about 20 lbs, of usable leaf in all, after all of the culling and considering that for pipe tobacco, only about 1/4th of the plant is usable.

Guys, I can't sell. As you know, you can only grow for personal use, or else they take your farm away. But, I do help others grow and make their own. I think that there is a lot of misconceptions about curing being hard to do. Really, it's not rocketscience. If dumb ole Cosmic can do it...

 

[J.GANDY]

Yea. I'd check all the tobacco shops, even the head shop looking ones. Also, I forgot to mention that grocery stores sometimes carry those ropes.

Grocery stores, really?

 

[J.GANDY]

Not to bore you gentlemen, but this is my homemade flue for curing my Virginias and color curing. It makes a nice cigar leaf and red Virginia. It is being used right now to cure sweet potatoes, ha ha.
I use a crockpots in the bottom with humidity and heat controllers to monitor heat and humidity. Rigged it myself after spending a few years talking to the experts.
View attachment 43238

That's cool! How has the smoke experience been? I assume you've been at this before.

 

[hawky454]

Used to be able to pick this stuff up in large quantities with not a care in the world. This is 500 grams of Happy (Brown) Bogie. I highly recommend this and Brown Irish Twist from GH&Co. you may be able to find it with a bit of effort.

 

[J.GANDY]

This is just a batch from a few years ago. I've gotten better at twisting them. I try to make five or so pounds of Virginia twists, 5 or so of VaBurs, and some with smoke cured, and a few pounds with my orientals and cigar leaf, and I've got some with some homemade latakia. I also make about twelve or so pounds of ribbon a year. I didn't plant Virginias this year, because of lockdown. I had to make growing food top priority, and besides, I'm damn near or over 400 lbs of tobacco. And, at my age, I probably won't smoke it all before I'm dead.
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Damn! This whole time I've been grow tomatoes! Lol, I'm impressed!

 

[smokiespipesmoker123]

Damn! This whole time I've been grow tomatoes! Lol, I'm impressed!

Aren’t tomato’s and tobacco the same family ? Nightshades?

 

[J.GANDY]

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Used to be able to pick this stuff up in large quantities with not a care in the world. This is 500 grams of Happy (Brown) Bogie. I highly recommend this and Brown Irish Twist from GH&Co. you may be able to find it with a bit of effort.

That's what I'm talking about! Now I assume this would cellar and age well?

 

[J.GANDY]

Aren’t tomato’s and tobacco the same family ? Nightshades?

Yes I believe so? Potatoes I think as well.

 

[hawky454]

This is just a batch from a few years ago. I've gotten better at twisting them. I try to make five or so pounds of Virginia twists, 5 or so of VaBurs, and some with smoke cured, and a few pounds with my orientals and cigar leaf, and I've got some with some homemade latakia. I also make about twelve or so pounds of ribbon a year. I didn't plant Virginias this year, because of lockdown. I had to make growing food top priority, and besides, I'm damn near or over 400 lbs of tobacco. And, at my age, I probably won't smoke it all before I'm dead.
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Beautiful! Looks like how Cotton Boll is twisted. What is the purpose of rolling them that way? Does it just help keep their form?

Man, I knew you were into growing tobacco but I didn’t know how far you’ve come! That is quite impressive! Hats off to you! Someday, I’d like to get into that myself but I live in an apartment now so there is nowhere to grow. My old house would have been perfect for it but the ex wife was of the mindset that tobacco = devil.

 

[hawky454]

That's what I'm talking about! Now I assume this would cellar and age well?

Yes! So far so good. I bought that in 2016. When I open a new jar, I will keep you in mind and if you are still interested I will send some your way. The only stuff I have open right now is already cut and rubbed out.. I believe that would take most of the fun out of it for you.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

That's cool! How has the smoke experience been? I assume you've been at this before.

I like them, or else I'd be foolish for keeping it up, ha ha. Well... maybe that wouldn't be the best qualifier with my rep, ha ha.

What is the purpose of rolling them that way? Does it just help keep their form?

I twist them that way, because making ribbon with my teeny weeny table mounted rolling cutter takes way too long and frustrates me having to constantly unclog the cutting wheel. And, making a long rope... well, it's just unwieldy trying to shove a long rope in a jar. I watched a feller make a twist on youtube, and just took it from there. I think that the shape works great for hanging to dry, and I can shove a bunch of them in a jar for aging. I usually cut them up after a year and then rejar it again for the long haul. Sometimes I get lazy and just them ride in that shape in the jars. I like to chop up the twisted part too and smoke it separately, because it is usually the plain ol Virginia or burley, whatever I am using for the wrapper.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Mark (Hoosier) drops by when he is visiting in this area, and I let him fill his pipe from my stash. And, when I visit with other fellow forum members, I'll bring my homegrown along also. I figure that's not the same as violating any ATF rules.

If any of you guys are in Alabama or passing through, I'm just off the interstate in a quaint little town with a smoking bar. I also visit the Ashville NC area frequently. I also bring along some of my homemade wines and my high gravity ginger beer.

Awe heck, everyone just come on over. I've got a batch of ginger cider I'm about to start bottling up. Bring some meat for the grill. We'll make it a party.

 

[Ahi Ka]

@olkofri if the offer is still in the table for coming to NZ I think you better look into this... ?

 

[hawky454]

I twist them that way, because making ribbon with my teeny weeny table mounted rolling cutter takes way too long and frustrates me having to constantly unclog the cutting wheel. And, making a long rope... well, it's just unwieldy trying to shove a long rope in a jar. I watched a feller make a twist on youtube, and just took it from there. I think that the shape works great for hanging to dry, and I can shove a bunch of them in a jar for aging. I usually cut them up after a year and then rejar it again for the long haul. Sometimes I get lazy and just them ride in that shape in the jars. I like to chop up the twisted part too and smoke it separately, because it is usually the plain ol Virginia or burley, whatever I am using for the wrapper.

Well that’s just awesome! Do you case the leaves before twisting? Have you played around with different toppings or added flavors? I think making a rose water simple syrup sprayed on a twist (or however you go about that) would be a fun experiment... you know something more like Condor as opposed to a Lakeland. Or you could spray Chanel No. 5 on one and call it a day.