Experiments anyone?

[Gdaddy]

Have you got some tobacco that's unpleasantly harsh sitting around doing nothing? Well then, let's do some testing! What's the worst that could happen?

Following two things can quickly and sometimes dramatically change the characteristic of the tobacco. It WILL be different, hopefully for the better but no guarantees. Nothing to lose.

First one which is recommended to try is the 220 for 2:20 method. Pipe guys have used this successfully for some time. Very lightly moisten the tobacco and seal it in aluminium foil. Like baking a fish. Bake at 220 degrees for 2 hours and 20 minutes. Should come out of the oven slightly darker and hopefully smoother. Let cool and bring back to proper case.

The second experiment would require a light spritz of vinegar on both sides of the leaf and then bake the same way. The vinegar is very acidic (ph 2.8) and helps to lower the ph of the tobacco making it more agreeable. Cigar tobacco is high alkalinity usually ph above 7 or 8. An example of how this works is take a glass of water with neutral (7) alkalinity and take a few drinks. Ever hear the term 'hard' water? It's water that has high alkalinity (8 or higher) and it has a harsh taste. Then add a splash of lemonade and notice how much more 'drinkable' and smoother it has become. The improvement comes from lowering the ph with acidity and removes the harshness.

My suggestion is to do a small amount of the same tobacco side by side and see if there is a noticeable difference in quality. If it doesn't work... no big deal but sometimes it does work and you might be in for a very pleasant surprise.

Don't just sit there and complain about your harsh tobacco. Try something! Then share the results.

Good luck!

 

[Larsonkyle]

I got a couple ligero cheroots sitting around, im curious how it would work with the leaf being already rolled I'll try it out this week and let ya know how it goes!

 

[Cigary43]

As much as I'd love to do experiments with tobacco this has the earmarks of when I was in HS and the teacher of my chemistry class would call on me.....I'd look at him with that empty glazed look and he knew I had no f'n clue to any answer to give him....to which I'd say...I have no f'n clue. That was always good for me getting kicked out of class and school for the day. The good thing was after a few times of answering like that....he stopped calling on me.

 

[Larsonkyle]

Update: I tried the 220 for 2:20 method on two nic ligero cheroots that I had already rolled. Before, I was unable to even finish smoking one of these guys because it was so harsh and strong.
So I wrapped two of them in tinfoil like gdaddy said and popped them in the oven. After 2 hours i pulled them out of the oven and let them sit for about 5 minutes to cool down and dry out a bit. When i came back they were very dry and brittle. I spritzed a little bit of water on a paper towel and wrapped them in it for about an hour and they were brought back to a decent case. The smoke was a lot less rough than without the oven treatment, though just as strong. I still got that head-rush about halfway through but the back of my throat didn't feel like it was covered with ash as bad as it did when I first smoked it. Granted this was a pure nic ligero stick so I'm not sure if anything could truly "un-harshen" that leaf (at least according to my taste-buds). Overall i think it was a success, it definitely reduces some of the harshness (not all) while not catching fire in your oven.

 

[Gdaddy]

Update: I tried the 220 for 2:20 method on two nic ligero cheroots that I had already rolled. Before, I was unable to even finish smoking one of these guys because it was so harsh and strong.
So I wrapped two of them in tinfoil like gdaddy said and popped them in the oven. After 2 hours i pulled them out of the oven and let them sit for about 5 minutes to cool down and dry out a bit. When i came back they were very dry and brittle. I spritzed a little bit of water on a paper towel and wrapped them in it for about an hour and they were brought back to a decent case. The smoke was a lot less rough than without the oven treatment, though just as strong. I still got that head-rush about halfway through but the back of my throat didn't feel like it was covered with ash as bad as it did when I first smoked it. Granted this was a pure nic ligero stick so I'm not sure if anything could truly "un-harshen" that leaf (at least according to my taste-buds). Overall i think it was a success, it definitely reduces some of the harshness (not all) while not catching fire in your oven.

It's 'stoving' the tobacco. You got it right. It doesn't reduce the amount of nicotine but takes the leaf and makes it less harsh. To remove some of the nicotine the leaf could be briefly washed in water and will rinse out some of the nicotine then dried.

Play with it and you might be surprised how easy it is to change the characteristics of the smoke.

 

[ras_oscar]

Interesting. Can this be done for a large batch of tobacco ( say a quarter pound) or only one leaf at a time?

 

[Marc L]

yep

 

[Gdaddy]

Interesting. Can this be done for a large batch of tobacco ( say a quarter pound) or only one leaf at a time?

Yes but it would be wise to do a small amount first to see what changes result before doing a whole pound. You never know what's possible until you try.

BTW...The leaf also darkens during this process. If you want some dark maduro wrappers this can make them near black.

 

[Dominican56]

Have you got some tobacco that's unpleasantly harsh sitting around doing nothing? Well then, let's do some testing! What's the worst that could happen?

Following two things can quickly and sometimes dramatically change the characteristic of the tobacco. It WILL be different, hopefully for the better but no guarantees. Nothing to lose.

First one which is recommended to try is the 220 for 2:20 method. Pipe guys have used this successfully for some time. Very lightly moisten the tobacco and seal it in aluminium foil. Like baking a fish. Bake at 220 degrees for 2 hours and 20 minutes. Should come out of the oven slightly darker and hopefully smoother. Let cool and bring back to proper case.

The second experiment would require a light spritz of vinegar on both sides of the leaf and then bake the same way. The vinegar is very acidic (ph 2.8) and helps to lower the ph of the tobacco making it more agreeable. Cigar tobacco is high alkalinity usually ph above 7 or 8. An example of how this works is take a glass of water with neutral (7) alkalinity and take a few drinks. Ever hear the term 'hard' water? It's water that has high alkalinity (8 or higher) and it has a harsh taste. Then add a splash of lemonade and notice how much more 'drinkable' and smoother it has become. The improvement comes from lowering the ph with acidity and removes the harshness.

My suggestion is to do a small amount of the same tobacco side by side and see if there is a noticeable difference in quality. If it doesn't work... no big deal but sometimes it does work and you might be in for a very pleasant surprise.

Don't just sit there and complain about your harsh tobacco. Try something! Then share the results.

Good luck!

I like the idea.