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Post by Cramptholomew on Aug 23, 2018 22:34:11 GMT -5
I bought a huge amount of 8 year old J4 Burley a couple weeks ago. I bought it because, a) it was well aged, b) the first couple bowls off the top were great, c) it was dirt cheap. So, I ended up mixing the whole huge bag up, and now it bites like frickin crazy. What would cause that? Could the bottom of the bag be rotten, or something? There's no mold, off smell, or anything resembling contamination. It doesn't TASTE bad, and it's a little less harsh if you dry it some, but not much. It's a conundrum.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 23, 2018 22:39:32 GMT -5
The bottom of the bag might have been overly moist. Let the entire batch air dry mixed well in a big glass baking tray..,,you might need a few. The top of the batch was most likely perfectly dry...at the right moisture level....an easy fix
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Post by Cramptholomew on Aug 23, 2018 22:47:46 GMT -5
The bottom of the bag might have been overly moist. Let the entire batch air dry mixed well in a big glass baking tray..,,you might need a few. The top of the batch was most likely perfectly dry...at the right moisture level....an easy fix I tried drying. Still awfully bitey. Edit: tried drying a decent sized sample. |
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Post by Legend Lover on Aug 24, 2018 4:01:27 GMT -5
I remember having some tobacco in a plastic bag and I think the tobacco sweated within the bag and tasted awful. Never again for me.
I hope drying fixes your problem though.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2018 4:45:48 GMT -5
The bottom of the bag might have been overly moist. Let the entire batch air dry mixed well in a big glass baking tray..,,you might need a few. The top of the batch was most likely perfectly dry...at the right moisture level....an easy fix I tried drying. Still awfully bitey. Edit: tried drying a decent sized sample. I’d air dry the entire amount or spread on a cookie sheet with your oven preheated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread out on tin foil covered cookie sheet. Place in center of oven. Shut oven off once the door is closed. Leave in oven for 20 to 30 minutes, depending how moist the tobacco is, I’ve used this method many times. Will also kill any bacteria that might have been caused from the tobacco sitting so long improperly stored. Keep us posted....good luck. |
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Post by Legend Lover on Aug 24, 2018 5:33:29 GMT -5
I tried drying. Still awfully bitey. Edit: tried drying a decent sized sample. I’d air dry the entire amount or spread on a cookie sheet with your oven preheated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread out on tin foil covered cookie sheet. Place in center of oven. Shut oven off once the door is closed. Leave in oven for 20 to 30 minutes, depending how moist the tobacco is, I’ve used this method many times. Will also kill any bacteria that might have been caused from the tobacco sitting so long improperly stored. Keep us posted....good luck. Will that not make it crispy? I'm assuming you need to rehydrate it slightly before smoking? |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2018 5:43:39 GMT -5
I’d air dry the entire amount or spread on a cookie sheet with your oven preheated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread out on tin foil covered cookie sheet. Place in center of oven. Shut oven off once the door is closed. Leave in oven for 20 to 30 minutes, depending how moist the tobacco is, I’ve used this method many times. Will also kill any bacteria that might have been caused from the tobacco sitting so long improperly stored. Keep us posted....good luck. Will that not make it crispy? I'm assuming you need to rehydrate it slightly before smoking? You turn the oven off while your tobacco is drying, your not baking the tobacco @ 200 degrees. That’s a very low temperature, plus most ovens cool fairly quickly. No rehydration needed, you adjust the time the tobacco is left in the oven by how moist the blend is at the beginning. I recently received a pound of Sutliff ERR Match factory sealed bag that was so moist it was sticking to my hands. It needed the full 30 minutes before jarring. Smoked perfectly with no bite 👍👍 |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2018 5:47:24 GMT -5
Burley bites. IIRC, that's because burley smoke is super alkalyn. To counteract that, you can add a bit of sugar, which burns more acidic and counterbalances the alkali. If it were me, I would do this with a few ounces... 1) Get some liquor (PGA, vodka, whisky, brandy, etc.), dilute some table sugar (or molasses, authentic maple syrup, etc.) in it, spray that on a test sample, let it dry, and give it a smoke. 2) Experiment with liquors, sugars, and drying until you find something you like. 3) Dry it down, but not so dry that it crumbles, jar it, and keep an eye out for mold to tell you if you need to adjust your process. Avoid the temptation to leave the mixture really moist because it will mold unless you store it in the refrigerator. Usually when you find "moist" tobacco, it's because it has PG added and not water. 4) When you find something that works for you, do that with the rest of your tobacco. Everyone’s Ph is different, I’m the exact opposite.....young Virginia blends bite me severely. If you smoke a Burley blend overly hot it can bite. |
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Post by Legend Lover on Aug 24, 2018 5:52:00 GMT -5
Will that not make it crispy? I'm assuming you need to rehydrate it slightly before smoking? You turn the oven off while your tobacco is drying, your not baking the tobacco @ 200 degrees. That’s a very low temperature, plus most ovens cool fairly quickly. No rehydration needed, you adjust the time the tobacco is left in the oven by how moist the blend is at the beginning. I recently received a pound of Sutliff ERR Match factory sealed bag that was so moist it was sticking to my hands. It needed the full 30 minutes before jarring. Smoked perfectly with no bite 👍👍 Lol. I should have read that more carefully. You turn the oven off. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2018 5:59:59 GMT -5
You turn the oven off while your tobacco is drying, your not baking the tobacco @ 200 degrees. That’s a very low temperature, plus most ovens cool fairly quickly. No rehydration needed, you adjust the time the tobacco is left in the oven by how moist the blend is at the beginning. I recently received a pound of Sutliff ERR Match factory sealed bag that was so moist it was sticking to my hands. It needed the full 30 minutes before jarring. Smoked perfectly with no bite 👍👍 Lol. I should have read that more carefully. You turn the oven off. Your PhD is overthinking again! My younger siblings has an extremely high IQ, but doesn’t know enough to come in out of the rain, I’m serious! He overthinks and comes up with many theories instead of one easy solution!! |
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Post by Legend Lover on Aug 24, 2018 6:25:09 GMT -5
Lol. I should have read that more carefully. You turn the oven off. Your PhD is overthinking again! My younger siblings has an extremely high IQ, but doesn’t know enough to come in out of the rain, I’m serious! He overthinks and comes up with many theories instead of one easy solution!! Normally that's my issue, but this time I just didn't read the bit about shutting the oven off. It was pure carelessness on my behalf this time. |
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Post by Cramptholomew on Aug 24, 2018 13:40:58 GMT -5
Burley bites. IIRC, that's because burley smoke is super alkalyn. To counteract that, you can add a bit of sugar, which burns more acidic and counterbalances the alkali. If it were me, I would do this with a few ounces... 1) Get some liquor (PGA, vodka, whisky, brandy, etc.), dilute some table sugar (or molasses, authentic maple syrup, etc.) in it, spray that on a test sample, let it dry, and give it a smoke. 2) Experiment with liquors, sugars, and drying until you find something you like. 3) Dry it down, but not so dry that it crumbles, jar it, and keep an eye out for mold to tell you if you need to adjust your process. Avoid the temptation to leave the mixture really moist because it will mold unless you store it in the refrigerator. Usually when you find "moist" tobacco, it's because it has PG added and not water. 4) When you find something that works for you, do that with the rest of your tobacco. , it looks like this post got deleted from the thread, so I didn't see it earlier. I'll try your recommendation too. |
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slomo
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Post by slomo on Aug 24, 2018 16:12:26 GMT -5
It may be that the bottom of the bag contained the lawn clippings!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2018 16:15:59 GMT -5
You like it and it is reasonable in bulk, so buy a fresh pound and mix them.
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Post by Cramptholomew on Aug 24, 2018 18:00:26 GMT -5
You like it and it is reasonable in bulk, so buy a fresh pound and mix them. At this point, no more money will be going towards J4 Burley. I'll try to fix what I have, using the several methods people stated above. Right now, I have a 2 Gallon snap top glass jar, and another gallon bag filled. Since I only smoke a pipe once or twice a night, 4-5 days a week, that stuff will last decades. |
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