Second fermentation

[Bruce T.]

I was just reading about some double fermented tobacco and it got me to thinking (not always a good idea). Has anyone ever done a second ferment on leaves purchased from WL or LO? I've always wondered if the leaves from the suppliers are a well fermented as the ones used by the manufacturers

 

[blisscigarco]

I was just reading about some double fermented tobacco and it got me to thinking (not always a good idea). Has anyone ever done a second ferment on leaves purchased from WL or LO? I've always wondered if the leaves from the suppliers are a well fermented as the ones used by the manufacturers

No doubt they're not, which is probably the main reason the retail stuff does not compare to commercial.

I and others dabbled extensively with refermenting stuff 5 or 6 years ago. No amazing results were ever achieved. Probably because we can't pile 500lbs into a big pilon, measure the temps carefully and flip the thing several times over a period of months.

 

[lightnin93]

I have around 30 leaves from plants I grew. I’m curing them now. Then I’ll finish a kiln to ferment them. Basically a box with a heat source and humidity to firmest them.
The commercial guys have literally tons of tobacco to get pressure and moisture which creates the fermentation.
I might try to do the same with my LO leaf and see if they are different.

[mention]blisscigarco [/mention] did you try a kiln to ferment the purchased leaf to see if it will ferment more or something else.


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[blisscigarco]

I have around 30 leaves from plants I grew. I’m curing them now. Then I’ll finish a kiln to ferment them. Basically a box with a heat source and humidity to firmest them.
The commercial guys have literally tons of tobacco to get pressure and moisture which creates the fermentation.
I might try to do the same with my LO leaf and see if they are different.

[mention]blisscigarco [/mention] did you try a kiln to ferment the purchased leaf to see if it will ferment more or something else.


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Yeah, had some guys with kilns re-do it for up to 6 weeks; also tried some stuff in an oven, tried some stuff with enzymes.

 

[Bruce T.]

Good to know that it has been tried and there was no big improvement. I have a feeling that after leaf is fermented once and then sits for several months it is probably beyond the point of responding to a second fermentation. I have no facts, just a feeling. Sort of like when a cigar dries out and then you put it in your humidor for a year but it still never regains its previous glory.

I am still curious about what lightnin93 finds. Please let me know. I also did home fermentation when I grew my own. I had great difficulty keeping the humidity high in the homemade kiln. I ended up putting damp leaf into plastic bags and then into the kiln for correct heat. I opened the bags daily to rotate the leaves and allow the ammonia to escape. It seemed to work well.

 

[webmost]

Loads of good info here:

Fermenting

Final process of whole leaf in preparation for cigar production

fairtradetobacco.com

These guys build fermentation kilns in everything from old fridges to old pickups
DIY tips aplenty