Whole Leaf Prep Question

[dog_park_piper]

I am a big fan of


Recently, I bought burley in bulk from thd same place. Being a whole leaf commodity, it's not always consistent like we are used to when we buy a final product blended.

The bulk I received is rather harsh. It's different. Aside from blending it with other tobacco, do you recommend I process the leaf in any way?

i remember reading someone say that they put leaf like this in the oven before smoking it.

Is this a real strategy?

Thanks,

 

[Piping Abe]

Your gonna have to use a casing to get it close to what comes in ready to smoke blends.

 

[dog_park_piper]

Your gonna have to use a casing to get it close to what comes in ready to smoke blends.

Ok.

I don't need it to be like a prepared blend. I smoke what I get otherwise from Whole Leaf as it and it's always great.

I'll case it ir something to make this last order more palatable.

 

[brooklynpiper]

Mix it with VA. Balance out that PH

 

[proteus]

I can't speak for whole leaf brand. I buy all of my leaf from leaf only right here in my home town.

I blend burley with cavendished Virginia to help with the taste. If you want straight burley I would case it with a raw cacao and simple syrup spray.

You could also cavendish the burley, stove it or even press it into cakes for 6 weeks.

Tobacco blending is an art. You need to learn the various methods of preparing tobacco and blending and then see what you like.

Read the Tobacco Encyclopedia (Voges) and All About Tobacco (Sherman) for good intros.

 

[AppalachianPipe92]

Strip veins and stems out. Shred it or press it into cakes. Case it. Jar it for a while, then enjoy.
The options are endless with whole leaf. I love it and have cakes and flakes by the pound aging in my "cellar". There are some whole leaf blending forms that are beyond informative, very in depth. Definitely worth digging through those for ideas and recipes.
Hope you enjoy

 

[ThermionicScott]

Ernie Q has posted some good stuff about casing tobaccos here: Ernie Q on casing, pressing, and blending - https://pipesmokersdens.com/threads/ernie-q-on-casing-pressing-and-blending.4535/

I like this thread on FTT about blends one can do with minimally-processed tobaccos: Pure Tobacco Pipe Blends You Can Make - https://fairtradetobacco.com/threads/pure-tobacco-pipe-blends-you-can-make.3926/
That forum seems to frown on using any more flavoring than necessary, but there are some other great threads on cavendishing raw leaf, or doing subtle tweaks for pH or whatever.