My curing chamber
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:05 pm
Well, almost 1 year after harvesting, I now have some smokeable tobacco. You'll notice that I have used bamboo skewers for hanging the leaves. This worked out well for me. They are cheap and don't rust. And since I harvested 3-4 leaves from each plant at a time, I could keep these leaves together and label them. I know tobacco variety, plant position (top leaves vs. bottom), whether grown in pots or ground, a prized plant or sickly one, and 1st or 2nd harvest (since some plants grew again after 1st harvest). For example " O, g, 2nd, primo, top" means Orinoco, grown in ground, 2nd harvest, great plant, top leaves; while just an "O" would mean Orinoco, grown in pot, 1st harvest, normal plant, bottom leaves. The skewer system also made moving and hanging them really easy. Just poke the sharp end of the skewer into strips of the foam sheets.
This was my first 3 week trial run in the new chamber. For drying/color curing, I constructed the chamber horizontally. I posted pictures of this in another post. For curing, I reconstructed it vertically. It's 4' x 4' x 8' and holds about 30 plants worth of leaves.
After some experimentation, I found the best way to get the right temperature (130 F) and the right humidity (70% rh) was to use an oil filled radiator and a hot plate with a pot of water. I didn't need a thermostat, since I believe the heater settings are determined by watt output, not some built in thermostat. A humidifier only holds enough water for 6 hours and doesn't have enough output. The pots only need re-filling every 2 days and can get the humidity up to 80% without effort.
A good heat and humidity sensor is invaluable. I got a base unit with multiple transmitters, so I know what the numbers are without having to open the chamber... it also saves temp and humidity highs and lows, so I know the range when I'm away. I didn't vent the top, since I have enough "leaks" and any further ventilation would require a greater energy input to keep it at the right levels.
The cedar plank flooring really gives the chamber a nice scent. It's helpful that I can remove it for loading and unloading of tobacco.
I took tobacco samples after each week in the chamber. After the 3 weeks, most of the tobacco I tested (rolled cigarettes) tasted great - mild, smooth, and even a tad sweet compared to commercial tobacco. Some still tasted a bit green, like grass, but not the good stuff. I put some of the cured or semi-cured tobacco back into the chamber to see if a longer curing time improves flavor. Most of the cured tobacco is now in boxes under the house to age further. I'll try those again in six months or so.
It's pretty exciting at this point to smoke some good homegrown. But there are still so many variables and so many ways to process further that I'm a bit intimidated. Now what?
This was my first 3 week trial run in the new chamber. For drying/color curing, I constructed the chamber horizontally. I posted pictures of this in another post. For curing, I reconstructed it vertically. It's 4' x 4' x 8' and holds about 30 plants worth of leaves.
After some experimentation, I found the best way to get the right temperature (130 F) and the right humidity (70% rh) was to use an oil filled radiator and a hot plate with a pot of water. I didn't need a thermostat, since I believe the heater settings are determined by watt output, not some built in thermostat. A humidifier only holds enough water for 6 hours and doesn't have enough output. The pots only need re-filling every 2 days and can get the humidity up to 80% without effort.
A good heat and humidity sensor is invaluable. I got a base unit with multiple transmitters, so I know what the numbers are without having to open the chamber... it also saves temp and humidity highs and lows, so I know the range when I'm away. I didn't vent the top, since I have enough "leaks" and any further ventilation would require a greater energy input to keep it at the right levels.
The cedar plank flooring really gives the chamber a nice scent. It's helpful that I can remove it for loading and unloading of tobacco.
I took tobacco samples after each week in the chamber. After the 3 weeks, most of the tobacco I tested (rolled cigarettes) tasted great - mild, smooth, and even a tad sweet compared to commercial tobacco. Some still tasted a bit green, like grass, but not the good stuff. I put some of the cured or semi-cured tobacco back into the chamber to see if a longer curing time improves flavor. Most of the cured tobacco is now in boxes under the house to age further. I'll try those again in six months or so.
It's pretty exciting at this point to smoke some good homegrown. But there are still so many variables and so many ways to process further that I'm a bit intimidated. Now what?