alcohol in tobacco production ?

Little or nothing to do with distillation.

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Pikey
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alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Pikey »

I've got this "New old" book from 1907 and it gives a recipe for de-naturing alcohol acceptable to the Govt for "making tobacco"

Now I've looked at the "curing of tobacco" in many sites and publications and nary a one mentions alcohol in any way - has anyone come across a reference to a process involving ethanol for such a use please ? I'm rather hoping that an out of date process may be somewhat simpler than the carefully controlled atmospheres they talk about currently !
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Still Life
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Still Life »

If I understand ... you want to imbue tobacco with drink rather than vice-versa.
All I can say is dipping a good cigar into even the best cognac is certainly a negative for the cigar enjoyment.
But you likely knew that.
I cannot find any old or new reference to imbuement other than the comfortably controlled modern way --which is secretive.
Looked into this before because I like the Maker's Mark Bourbon cigars.
Do they really taste like bourbon? ...eh... but their cigar certainly doesn't suffer from whatever the process.

Wish I had more for you.
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Pikey »

Thanks for the reply. I don't know quite how the ethanol is used - but the "poisoning" of the ethanol includes a nicotine addition to the ethanol and was approved by the US Govt around the turn of the century. My feeling is that it was used in the process of turning the green leaf into "tobacco" - ie the curing process. The addition of a severe poison (nicotine) would render the ethanol entirely unfit for drinking - but not for smoking, since nicotine is part of that process.

I'm wanting to turn green nicotiana leaf into smoking baccy.
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Still Life »

Well here's one forum talking about it: https://pipesmokersforum.com/community/ ... cco.34162/

Another search tangented off after recommending drying the tobacco leaf "naturally" whatever that is, and re-hydrating it by laying whiskey-soaked paper towels on the leaves till rehydrated. Again, whatever that entails. Your after the green leaf aspect, as I don't have that privilege. I always looked at the stogie itself.
I may be pissing up a rope.
Want to see where this goes, nonetheless.
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by goose eye »

When you was sheetin gold leaf you'd spray
likker to kill mold

So I'm tole
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Truckinbutch »

It was standard practice during my 20 years underground mining to brighten going stale snuff with a shot or two of your likker of choice .
Two shots of 151 rum in a Copenhagen can would totally fuck up some snuff bums on captive air .
Goose has a better perspective on curing 'backker . Wasn't a crop we grew here .
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Pikey »

Still Life wrote: ...........Another search tangented off after recommending drying the tobacco leaf "naturally" whatever that is, and re-hydrating it by laying whiskey-soaked paper towels on the leaves till rehydrated. Again, whatever that entails. Your after the green leaf aspect, as I don't have that privilege. I always looked at the stogie itself.
............
That sounds more promising - may I ask you for a lead please ?

I'm thinking that the original Indians would not have the control the big boyz have now so they were smoking baccy a lot different. I don't have the facility to dedicate a barn and weeks of temp / humidity control over 100F and 70% RH so I think "natural drying and "rehydration" sounds like a lead 8)
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Still Life »

It wasn't much, Pikey. Just as I presented it.
But there's this (scroll down to "Bob" comment): http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/a ... to-tobacco
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Saltbush Bill »

I would have though that the logical place to ask questions about tobacco would be a Tobacco Growers Forum.
They aint real hard to find if you search google,
Isn't that what its all about,search your self instead of asking questions.
http://www.howtogrowtobacco.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by thecroweater »

Few forums mentioned in this thread, interested in how ya go as I got a sack of tobacco dried to blazes and have been wondering what to do with them
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... o#p7094607
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by The Baker »

Used to put a bit of sliced potato in tobacco that got dry.
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Pikey »

The Baker wrote:Used to put a bit of sliced potato in tobacco that got dry.
Geoff
Tried that too - I found a slice of sweet apple gave a lift to the flavour - remarkabley small piece and only took a few hours in an airtight container - but I guess crow has a rather larger amount to be dealing with, but a good place to start experimenting.

There - I knew that the eclectic and erudite membership here would have tried tobacco growing :)

From what I've picked up so far in the other forum SB Bill gave us is that it likes a slightly acid soil and Chloride in fertiliser is to be avoided :shock:

Only uses I've seen so far for alcohol is in spraying small areas of mould on leaves and as a carrier for some flavourings.

Your climate sounds similar to mine crow - so that thread is quite helpful. How did you dry it - did you manage to get it to "yellow" first, or did it dry green ? That seems to be a bit of a problem if it did, but not as bad as "frosting" - but I think it was on that other forum they were saying that it can be damped down and may recovered to an extent. I didn't really get into that yet though, as I'm still waiting for some seed (Virginia).
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by thecroweater »

Hung in the still house some but not all went yellow then when I took it out to slow it down it started to get mold spots on some so I put it by the still kettle to dry it quick and kill the mould which worked but dried it faster and more than I wanted. Its smokable but not outstanding.
It seems the other forum I was on doesn't exist anymore, am on that one saltly listed but was never very active there adnd forgot I was even a member until now. So I posted to ask about it and will see what replies I get
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by thecroweater »

Well I'm told keep my whiskey for sipping but a bit of rum to help rehydrate will add a nice flavour. So I did that and it did. I do think a better method for chopping is required. Us used a small coffee grinders and it was tricky not to turn it to snuff. Some short cuts aren't short.
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Pikey »

Yes I reckon some nice "Navy rum" would give that rich fruitiness Good to hear it got some recovery for you 8)

That seed did arrive and I have a couple dozen "little green people" in my propagator now. :D

With the seed came a little "instruction sheet" - He reckons to shred in kitchen liquidizer by pulsing - after shredding spray with a mix " 3 parts water, 2 parts glycerine, 1 part honey " - to "case the tobacco, keep it sweet, slightly moist and fresh".

I guess that's the nearest he can get to a Nice fruiy rum - without the expense :wink:

I did try to join that site, sent off the e-mail as instructed - but not a word back :(
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Pikey »

That recipe for de-naturing alcohol for use in "Manufacture of smoking and chewing tobacco " is

Ethyl Alcohol - 100 gallons. Then 1 gallon of a mix made as below :


Aqueous solution containing 40% Nicotine - 12 gallons
Acid yellow dye 0.4 lb
Tetrazo Brilliant Blue 12B Conct. 0.4 lb
Water to make up to 100 gallons.

So if you just made up 1 batch of that stuff, you be using 10,000 gallons of Alcohol ! :shock:

Sounds like it mat be being used as a carrier for Flavourings, in this "casing process" my supplier talks of and as your experiment with rum seems to be pointing to.

Thanks 8)

[Edit - This recipe was acceptable under the 1906 Regs - it may not be now ! :lol: ]
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Pikey »

goose eye wrote:When you was sheetin gold leaf you'd spray
likker to kill mold

So I'm tole
Hi goose eye, not sure how I managed to miss this post and I've googled all over but don't quite understand the jargon.

I'm thinking "Gold Leaf " is the yellowing leaves, or was it the later drying ? but "sheeting" ? what is that process ?

Were you "tole" to spray the whole lot, or just if it was showing signs of mold ?

ANy help here would be greatly appreciated :)
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by goose eye »

Flue cured
Use to be you would take it out of the barns an sheet it. Burlap sheets. Take it to the market an let a government grader grade it an put it on the floor for the auctioneer and buyer . Philip Morris, diamond , rjr to bid. Sometimes curein if you didn't get e moisture just right it would get mold on it. So you'd get a squirt bottle an mist the leaves. Usually it was only a sheet or 2 out of the barn. If your bacca won't uniform it was hard to cure just right cause how it hung.

So I'm tole
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by thecroweater »

Yeah pretty hard to get any expertise on it here with commercial growing shut down a few years ago now and the big scare tactics they got here on growing ya own which has been upped from outrageous to fanatically ridiculous. There is a max mandatory penalty per plant, think its 2 years in prison and 500 penalty points which now equates to $85,000. Post harvest is where its getting super crazy which is the same penalties but per seed and or leaf so yep potentially hundreds of thousands of years prison sentences and many billions of dollars in fines not to mention the estimated tax times 5. Industrial relations would call that an "ambit claim" :crazy: That's only for personal use if its for illegal sale I think the fine is capped at $10,000 :wtf: . Ya can't make this shit up but ya can Google it on the gov sites. I'm not saying Aussies shouldn't grow and I doubt they could ever really prosecute such ridiculous legislation but its sensible to look up current laws and be aware.
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Stargazer14 »

To flip this thread on it's side (change title to: "tobacco in alcohol production") I recently saw an episode of 'Booze Traveller" and he visits a guy who is distilling tobacco.
The was one certain type of plant that this works well with, the others not so much.
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Pikey »

Stargazer14 wrote:
an episode of 'Booze Traveller" and he visits a guy who is distilling tobacco....
.
With what object in view ? :shock: - trying to poison a reservoir or summat ? :twisted:
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by goose eye »

Some folks call it fermentin bacca when sugar turn to nicotine when you curing. Mello it out.

So I'm tole
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Stargazer14 »

here is a bit more on the fermented tobacco -

http://www.amountainofcrushedice.com/?p=15384
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Re: alcohol in tobacco production ?

Post by Hilltop »

The alcohol made the nicotene easier to pull out of bad cured baccky, much the same way thc is pulled out through alcohol. I bet it was harsher than three day roadkill.
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