mrphillips
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Post by mrphillips on May 2, 2018 19:36:12 GMT -5
I'm not naive enough to think that this is an "easy" process...but I am arrogant enough to try! My main questions are these:
1) What is the best tobacco/tobaccos to use when creating perique?
2) Does it NEED to be whole leaf tobacco?
3) Does pressing it into an oak barrel make a big enough difference to make it worth buying the small (1/2 gal.) oak barrel?
4) I have heard of the wrap method (Navy style!), but is there a press method that you've seen that creates a good perique?
5) What, if any, special prep is done to the tobacco before pressing?
5) Finally, if you've done this before...SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE!!!
I have watched videos online, but hearing something directly from someone who's tried it would be invaluable.
Thank you for whatever you can toss my way. I love this musky bastard of a tobacco, and making my own would be awesome. My wife likes picking on me because I make my own beer and mix my own tobacco blends (she accuses me of having an ego), so if I can pull this off, it'll be another point on the scoreboard for me!
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Post by PhantomWolf on May 2, 2018 19:51:01 GMT -5
Doesn't it have to be grown in St James Parish LA?
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mrphillips
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Post by mrphillips on May 2, 2018 20:19:33 GMT -5
Yes...but I'm approaching it the same way I would when distilling: If I make a peat-smoked whiskey in Virginia, I'm dropping the "e" and calling it a scotch whisky. Whatever you call a pressed, deliciously sticky tobacco...that's what I wanna make  |
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Post by Dramatwist on May 2, 2018 20:28:56 GMT -5
...good luck with that...
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2018 5:36:43 GMT -5
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gav
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Post by gav on May 3, 2018 15:25:28 GMT -5
I would think specific temperature fluctuations and humidity would be important as well as getting the right enzymes and bacteria which might be native to the locale. Tried making a french style cider one time and some sour dough bread using the correct yeasts but the taste just never conforms to the region you are trying to imitate. The leaf is also a particular acadian(?) strain.
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Post by herbinedave on May 3, 2018 16:40:27 GMT -5
Daughter and Ryan sells it in nice sized tubs. That would be the way for me!
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Post by Darin on May 3, 2018 16:57:29 GMT -5
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jitterbugdude
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Post by jitterbugdude on May 3, 2018 18:41:18 GMT -5
As Darin noted.. look at the link he posted.
I make quite a bit of Perique and it is far superior to St James. I can say that because a few years ago I did a blind test where I sent 4 different samples of a VaPer to 16 people. All samples were 30% Perique and 70% Virginia Brightleaf. 3 of the samples were homemade Perique (from 3 different people) and 1 had St James Perique in it. By a pretty good margin the St James version came in second..anyway.. Perique is incredibly easy to make. You can use whole leaf but I like shredded leaf for mine. If using whole leaf it is pretty difficult to separate the leaves between pressings and then when done you have to spread the wet leaves out somewhere to dry. Shredded is much nicer.
All you need to do is moisten some tobacco, place in a container ( I use a stainless steel coffee mug) and add a lid that is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of your container and then apply pressure. You do not need much, just enough until you see the water come up to the top of your presser plate. Unpack it in a few days, repress then repeat 2 or 3 more times. It will be done in 3 months.
Do not use a wooden container, you will most likely breed some funky microbes. No-one uses wooden containers anymore and before someone jumps in a says that Mark Ryan does, well he doesn't. He uses 50 gallon plastic bags that are placed into old oak barrels. It looks like his Perique is made in oak,but in fact the tobacco never touches wood.
If I get a chance I'll post some pics in a day or two of my set-up.
btw, I've been making Perique out of Semois lately and I think it is best tasting stuff ever.
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mrphillips
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I just can't trust a man who doesn't have a vice.
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Post by mrphillips on May 4, 2018 16:16:25 GMT -5
I'd love to see your setup! Plus, it sounds like something I could handle.
I didn't have any idea what "semois" tobacco was, but a quick search made it sound enticing. With what you've tried, would you recommend burley (dark or light?) or VA (red/orange or yellow?) would be better suited to the process?
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peeps
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Post by peeps on May 4, 2018 16:26:35 GMT -5
jitterbugdude -
I, too, would like to know more of your process. It sounds like a “small batch” process that would be great to experiment with. Lord knows I don’t need any more large scale disasters!!
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2018 17:41:27 GMT -5
Growing is the easy part, its the processing that takes all the work, plenty of videos on YouTube that could help you
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mrphillips
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Post by mrphillips on May 9, 2018 7:04:39 GMT -5
As Darin noted.. look at the link he posted. I make quite a bit of Perique and it is far superior to St James. I can say that because a few years ago I did a blind test where I sent 4 different samples of a VaPer to 16 people. All samples were 30% Perique and 70% Virginia Brightleaf. 3 of the samples were homemade Perique (from 3 different people) and 1 had St James Perique in it. By a pretty good margin the St James version came in second..anyway.. Perique is incredibly easy to make. You can use whole leaf but I like shredded leaf for mine. If using whole leaf it is pretty difficult to separate the leaves between pressings and then when done you have to spread the wet leaves out somewhere to dry. Shredded is much nicer. All you need to do is moisten some tobacco, place in a container ( I use a stainless steel coffee mug) and add a lid that is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of your container and then apply pressure. You do not need much, just enough until you see the water come up to the top of your presser plate. Unpack it in a few days, repress then repeat 2 or 3 more times. It will be done in 3 months. Do not use a wooden container, you will most likely breed some funky microbes. No-one uses wooden containers anymore and before someone jumps in a says that Mark Ryan does, well he doesn't. He uses 50 gallon plastic bags that are placed into old oak barrels. It looks like his Perique is made in oak,but in fact the tobacco never touches wood. If I get a chance I'll post some pics in a day or two of my set-up. btw, I've been making Perique out of Semois lately and I think it is best tasting stuff ever. I'm going to be putting a "perique system" together in the next couple weeks, and I was hoping to get a few more questions answered. 1) Besides the Semois tobacco you suggested, should I use burley or VA, and what variety? I'm not sure what "true" perique is made from. 2) How much water do I add to the tobacco before pressing? Are we talking damp...or wet? As always, thanks for the help. |
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Post by Wolfman on May 9, 2018 9:18:09 GMT -5
As Darin noted.. look at the link he posted. I make quite a bit of Perique and it is far superior to St James. I can say that because a few years ago I did a blind test where I sent 4 different samples of a VaPer to 16 people. All samples were 30% Perique and 70% Virginia Brightleaf. 3 of the samples were homemade Perique (from 3 different people) and 1 had St James Perique in it. By a pretty good margin the St James version came in second..anyway.. Perique is incredibly easy to make. You can use whole leaf but I like shredded leaf for mine. If using whole leaf it is pretty difficult to separate the leaves between pressings and then when done you have to spread the wet leaves out somewhere to dry. Shredded is much nicer. All you need to do is moisten some tobacco, place in a container ( I use a stainless steel coffee mug) and add a lid that is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of your container and then apply pressure. You do not need much, just enough until you see the water come up to the top of your presser plate. Unpack it in a few days, repress then repeat 2 or 3 more times. It will be done in 3 months. Do not use a wooden container, you will most likely breed some funky microbes. No-one uses wooden containers anymore and before someone jumps in a says that Mark Ryan does, well he doesn't. He uses 50 gallon plastic bags that are placed into old oak barrels. It looks like his Perique is made in oak,but in fact the tobacco never touches wood. If I get a chance I'll post some pics in a day or two of my set-up. btw, I've been making Perique out of Semois lately and I think it is best tasting stuff ever. I'm going to be putting a "perique system" together in the next couple weeks, and I was hoping to get a few more questions answered. 1) Besides the Semois tobacco you suggested, should I use burley or VA, and what variety? I'm not sure what "true" perique is made from. 2) How much water do I add to the tobacco before pressing? Are we talking damp...or wet? As always, thanks for the help. If you need a ‘tester’, I’m your guy. |
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jitterbugdude
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Post by jitterbugdude on May 9, 2018 16:31:59 GMT -5
The Perique variety that is used by industry is a Burley. If you want to stay true to Perique I'd stick to Burley too. A VA can be used ( I used Lemon once) but it will be a vastly different product due to the sugars being fermentented (Burley has none).
As to how much water to add?.. that's where the art part of making Perique comes in. I'd say wet is better than damp. The idea is that you want the tobacco wet enough so that when you apply pressure some of the water gets squeezed to the top. That layer of water setting on top acts as an oxygen shield, allowing your tobacco to ferment anaerobically. Too much water and you will overflow your container. It might take 1 or 2 trials to get it down, just make measurements and keep notes. I think I have some pics of my set-up. If I do, I'll post them.
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jitterbugdude
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Post by jitterbugdude on May 9, 2018 16:44:30 GMT -5
Lets see if this works... I'll take some better pics this weekend and post them but for now.. I use a stainless steel (SS) cup that is 4 inches in diameter. The top plate (presser plate) is 3.5 inches in dia. This allows enough clearance for the plate to move and for the liquid to come up to the top of the plate. The nuts and bolt you see are just extra stuff I put on. If you press too much (and everyone will at least once) the lid is almost impossible to get off. The nuts allow me to thread in a bolt and pry the lid. The press itself is made from a small clamp I bought from Harbor Freight for $3.00. The cup is from Ebay via China and was $2.00. By using SS you eliminate microbial contamination that is prevalent in wood. The second pic is an early model I used. I made a pressure plate made from oak but have recently upgraded to SS. I'll post more detailed pics this weekend.  Attachments:
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jitterbugdude
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Post by jitterbugdude on May 9, 2018 16:48:31 GMT -5
BTW, Don't think you need to spend a lot of money or go all SS. All you need to do is press tobacco enough to have the water come to the top. It does not take that much pressure. Be creative. You could probably use a mason jar and a calk gun.. and a way to keep the jar upright.
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mrphillips
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I just can't trust a man who doesn't have a vice.
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Post by mrphillips on May 9, 2018 22:04:13 GMT -5
THANK YOU! I greatly appreciate the information. I'm already planning an extremely Jerry-Rigged version of my own. If I ever stop spending money on tobacco and whiskey, I'll upgrade my phone and take pictures of the Frankenstein's Monster I've created.
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Post by PhantomWolf on May 10, 2018 1:14:22 GMT -5
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Post by Darin on May 10, 2018 7:32:19 GMT -5
Now you're ready to make Sauerkraut too! |
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Post by Matthew on May 11, 2018 20:40:03 GMT -5
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mrphillips
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I just can't trust a man who doesn't have a vice.
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Post by mrphillips on May 14, 2018 20:45:26 GMT -5
Now you're ready to make Sauerkraut too! Been there...messed it up. Did it again...ate it all with a spoon. Haha! One of these days I'll get something right the 1st go around. |
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mrphillips
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I just can't trust a man who doesn't have a vice.
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Post by mrphillips on May 14, 2018 20:56:41 GMT -5
I've actually read this article before, but I never mind rereading good literature. Haha! Lots of good terminology and information. |
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mrphillips
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I just can't trust a man who doesn't have a vice.
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Post by mrphillips on May 17, 2018 16:20:54 GMT -5
Lets see if this works... I'll take some better pics this weekend and post them but for now.. I use a stainless steel (SS) cup that is 4 inches in diameter. The top plate (presser plate) is 3.5 inches in dia. This allows enough clearance for the plate to move and for the liquid to come up to the top of the plate. The nuts and bolt you see are just extra stuff I put on. If you press too much (and everyone will at least once) the lid is almost impossible to get off. The nuts allow me to thread in a bolt and pry the lid. The press itself is made from a small clamp I bought from Harbor Freight for $3.00. The cup is from Ebay via China and was $2.00. By using SS you eliminate microbial contamination that is prevalent in wood. The second pic is an early model I used. I made a pressure plate made from oak but have recently upgraded to SS. I'll post more detailed pics this weekend. In your SS cup setup, how much tobacco do you put in to start? I found some Semois at my usual tobacco hub (on back-order, of course) www.pipesandcigars.com/p/reserve-du-patron-semois-pipe-tobacco/1498002/#p-193164 and I wanted to know if it would be worth it to do the 3.5 oz, or if I need to stop being a penny-pincher and grab 2 tins for 7 oz? As always, thanks for the info. |
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mrphillips
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I just can't trust a man who doesn't have a vice.
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Post by mrphillips on May 17, 2018 18:32:20 GMT -5
Aaaaaaaaaand another question... Would it be wise to take a tried-and-true blend (that doesn't already include perique) and put it through the perique process? The blend I have in mind to send through the process is: burley - 5parts latakia - 4parts oriental - 3parts orange/red VA - 2parts Just a thought |
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Post by trailboss on May 18, 2018 0:57:07 GMT -5
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Post by Darin on May 18, 2018 7:28:58 GMT -5
Aaaaaaaaaand another question... Would it be wise to take a tried-and-true blend (that doesn't already include perique) and put it through the perique process? The blend I have in mind to send through the process is: burley - 5parts latakia - 4parts oriental - 3parts orange/red VA - 2parts Just a thought I'd say no ... start with uncased whole leaf tobacco to get the process down. |
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jitterbugdude
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Post by jitterbugdude on May 19, 2018 12:44:44 GMT -5
Yup.. what Darin said.. start with unadulterated leaf. Buy some whole leaf Burley for staters. If you start with Semois and mess up it'll cost you more than starting with the cheaper priced Burley.
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