Curing
Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:16 am
Well, I thought I would kick off this new tobacco processing section with some information I've found on curing tobacco.
"Curing" is the first stage of tobacco processing and refers to a variety of methods employed to turn green tobacco leaves brown and make them suitable for smoking, chewing, etc.
The late great Chris Gurney developed an economical tobacco curing chamber that has a lot of merit. It allows for very controlled tobacco curing, which, by many accounts, results in a better quality tobacco. And it allows people in apartments, etc., to cure tobacco without stinking the place up, as the "exhaust" can be vented outdoors.
Chris also documented a quick how-to on "sweating" tobacco to convert it, via a short fermentation process, from green to yellow. Once it's yellow, tobacco will turn brown naturally. This method is used a lot with Havana and other dark tobaccos to ensure that the leaves don't dry green.
Of course, if you're harvesting leaves after they have started to yellow, sweating isn't necessary, but if you still have dark green tobacco toward the end of the season, when it's turning cooler outside, sweating might help you get over that green-to-yellow hump on your way to rich brown tobacco.
For air curing, your goal is to get your tobacco hanging -- either on rods, canes, galvanized wire, etc. -- in an environment where the temperature ranges from 90 to 130 (F) degrees, the relative humidity is somewhere in the 70 to 80 percent range, and there is enough air circulating to ward off mold.
Depending on the variety of tobacco and the method used, curing can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks and should ultimately result in tobacco that is golden tan to chocolate brown in color and dry to the extent that the main rib will break when you bend it.
Looking at the ideal conditions for curing tobacco -- 90-130 (F) degrees, 70-80 percent humidity, slight air circulation -- there are a myriad of possible locations to cure your leaf. The rafters of a garage, your attic, a barn or storage shed, etc., could all be pressed into service.
Once cured, tobacco can be left to hang for an extended period of time, or it can be moved to a humidor or stored in brown paper bags in a moderately humid location to age and/or await further processing.
Cheers.
"Curing" is the first stage of tobacco processing and refers to a variety of methods employed to turn green tobacco leaves brown and make them suitable for smoking, chewing, etc.
The late great Chris Gurney developed an economical tobacco curing chamber that has a lot of merit. It allows for very controlled tobacco curing, which, by many accounts, results in a better quality tobacco. And it allows people in apartments, etc., to cure tobacco without stinking the place up, as the "exhaust" can be vented outdoors.
Chris also documented a quick how-to on "sweating" tobacco to convert it, via a short fermentation process, from green to yellow. Once it's yellow, tobacco will turn brown naturally. This method is used a lot with Havana and other dark tobaccos to ensure that the leaves don't dry green.
Of course, if you're harvesting leaves after they have started to yellow, sweating isn't necessary, but if you still have dark green tobacco toward the end of the season, when it's turning cooler outside, sweating might help you get over that green-to-yellow hump on your way to rich brown tobacco.
For air curing, your goal is to get your tobacco hanging -- either on rods, canes, galvanized wire, etc. -- in an environment where the temperature ranges from 90 to 130 (F) degrees, the relative humidity is somewhere in the 70 to 80 percent range, and there is enough air circulating to ward off mold.
Depending on the variety of tobacco and the method used, curing can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks and should ultimately result in tobacco that is golden tan to chocolate brown in color and dry to the extent that the main rib will break when you bend it.
Looking at the ideal conditions for curing tobacco -- 90-130 (F) degrees, 70-80 percent humidity, slight air circulation -- there are a myriad of possible locations to cure your leaf. The rafters of a garage, your attic, a barn or storage shed, etc., could all be pressed into service.
Once cured, tobacco can be left to hang for an extended period of time, or it can be moved to a humidor or stored in brown paper bags in a moderately humid location to age and/or await further processing.
Cheers.