Smoking is... good?

[Foxx]

Well there are different considerations here. The 4noggins offerings are bulk pipe tobacco, so they will have additives in the casing and topping. But since pipe tobacco is taxed at a much lower rate than cigarette tobacco you can get a decent price. But since they are pipe blends it won't taste or burn like a cigarette.

What do you mean by the casing and topping? I'm not familiar with those terms in this context (I'm still a relative tobacco newbie).

 

[LQB]

And all whole leaf will be additive free otherwise it would be taxed as a tobacco product, not as an untaxed raw material. Organic whole leaf is almost impossible to find, I found one source but they only offer Burley which doesn't taste so great unblended.

Same here on the organic whole leaf - I put out numerous feelers months ago and never heard back about any commercial sources. But I do think that whole leaf is the way to go. I just got seeds for many varieties delivered and am going to try growing this season. Mr P, Pashalis, or anyone else - if you have any growing tips based on your experience so far (beyond what you have already posted), I'd love to hear them.

Welcome to the tobacco growers club LQB. What part of the world do you live in? That would help in advising you on growing.

Thanks Mr P! I'm in mid-south Tenn - lots of growers around here but they use lots of chems both in the ground and on the plants. I have a big compost pile mixed with a large round bale of hay - been cooking for about 5 months.

 

[Mr. Premise]

Well there are different considerations here. The 4noggins offerings are bulk pipe tobacco, so they will have additives in the casing and topping. But since pipe tobacco is taxed at a much lower rate than cigarette tobacco you can get a decent price. But since they are pipe blends it won't taste or burn like a cigarette.

What do you mean by the casing and topping? I'm not familiar with those terms in this context (I'm still a relative tobacco newbie).

Sorry, Foxx, for the technical terms. Casing is a water solution with flavorings, some for of sugar usually and sometimes for the commercial stuff propylene glycol that is sprayed on the shredded tobacco which is then heated to dry. Topping is sprayed on after heating and drying.

 

[Mr. Premise]

Thanks Mr P! I'm in mid-south Tenn - lots of growers around here but they use lots of chems both in the ground and on the plants. I have a big compost pile mixed with a large round bale of hay - been cooking for about 5 months.

Well you're right there in tobacco country, then. For Tenn now is the time to start seeds. The seeds need to be exposed to light to germinate and the seed beds need to be at least 70F.

I gotta run and do some errands but I'll post more later.

 

[Foxx]

Well there are different considerations here. The 4noggins offerings are bulk pipe tobacco, so they will have additives in the casing and topping. But since pipe tobacco is taxed at a much lower rate than cigarette tobacco you can get a decent price. But since they are pipe blends it won't taste or burn like a cigarette.

What do you mean by the casing and topping? I'm not familiar with those terms in this context (I'm still a relative tobacco newbie).

Sorry, Foxx, for the technical terms. Casing is a water solution with flavorings, some for of sugar usually and sometimes for the commercial stuff propylene glycol that is sprayed on the shredded tobacco which is then heated to dry. Topping is sprayed on after heating and drying.

Thanks for clarifying Mr. Premise!

 

[Mr. Premise]

Well there are different considerations here. The 4noggins offerings are bulk pipe tobacco, so they will have additives in the casing and topping. But since pipe tobacco is taxed at a much lower rate than cigarette tobacco you can get a decent price. But since they are pipe blends it won't taste or burn like a cigarette.

What do you mean by the casing and topping? I'm not familiar with those terms in this context (I'm still a relative tobacco newbie).

Sorry, Foxx, for the technical terms. Casing is a water solution with flavorings, some for of sugar usually and sometimes for the commercial stuff propylene glycol that is sprayed on the shredded tobacco which is then heated to dry. Topping is sprayed on after heating and drying.

Thanks for clarifying Mr. Premise!

I think for Big Tobacco cigarettes, casing is when the chems are added.

 

[dant]

@ Mr. Premise: "I think for Big Tobacco cigarettes, casing is when the chems are added."

Yup!

I've been smoking uncased, in dry, natural form, and in a pipe.
I do not want to add *anything* else because to do so might
alter the chemical properties, or so I think.

One ought to go easy inhaling, because in dry form, one can go
through a load pretty fast and as a result may give one too heavy
of a buzz.

So I inhale as slowly as possible, as in a breathing rhythm.

 

[Ennio]

I wouldn't order from them. Their prices are way too high and the smallest quantities they sell are 5lb lots. That's a lot of tobacco to buy for something you haven't tried. I would try www.wholeleaftobacco.com from which a few of us here have ordered and discussed it on this thread. Their prices are half what they are on that wholesale site, the quality it top notch, you can order as little as 1lb., and they carry Turkish varieties which I like as part of a classic American cigarette blend (60% Virginia flue cured, 30% Burley, 10% Turkish is usual). They also have a good cigarette sampler that has 4 varieties in the right proportions.

Excellent. I wanted a good blend at a good price and this sounds like it's it. Thanks.

And all whole leaf will be additive free otherwise it would be taxed as a tobacco product, not as an untaxed raw material. Organic whole leaf is almost impossible to find, I found one source but they only offer Burley which doesn't taste so great unblended.

Last spring I wrote to a guy who grows organic based on this ad: _http://www.localharvest.org/organic-tobacco-grower-M41619. We agreed to touch base in the fall/winter but by the time I did he was sold out of his stock, which he says he received very good feedback on in years previous. Soo, maybe something to consider for next fall / winter.

I'll second Mr. Premise's suggestion. I ordered the cigarette sampler from them two months ago and it has worked out very well. I can't seem to be able to cut the leaf as thinly as a proper shag, but even the pipe width will still roll well. If you mix the different leaf types in the proportions sent to you it makes a nice smoke. You may find it a little harsh at first because there are no conditioning additives, but it tastes so much more real. It worked out to about 56 dollars with shipping and exchange for the sampler and this one order will keep me in cigs for at least another three months. What a bargain!

Taste is important, so I'm glad its pleasant! Like Foxx I too wouldn't want to spend a longish time cutting tobacco though, maybe a shredder is worth chipping in with others to purchase. But it sounds like you did it by hand with a knife - and/or some other appliance?

 

[Ennio]

Like Foxx I too wouldn't want to spend a longish time cutting tobacco though, maybe a shredder is worth chipping in with others to purchase. But it sounds like you did it by hand with a knife - and/or some other appliance?

This doesn't seem like a bad solution: _http://www.leafonly.com/tobacco_leaf_shredder_standard.php

 

[Foxx]

Like Foxx I too wouldn't want to spend a longish time cutting tobacco though, maybe a shredder is worth chipping in with others to purchase. But it sounds like you did it by hand with a knife - and/or some other appliance?

This doesn't seem like a bad solution: _http://www.leafonly.com/tobacco_leaf_shredder_standard.php

I initially cut the leaves with scissors--I personally wouldn't recommend it (slow, kind of hard on the hands, the cut isn't great). Then I got the shredder from leafonly (I mentioned it in my earlier post), but it's still not a quick process.

 

[Mr. Premise]

A pasta maker set to the narrowest width will also work to shred tobacco and they don't cost much.You sometimes have to run it through twice though.

 

[Foxx]

A pasta maker set to the narrowest width will also work to shred tobacco and they don't cost much.You sometimes have to run it through twice though.

I tried one of those and the gears broke after maybe half a pound. Reading through reviews on amazon, it looked to me like most (if not all) of the pasta makers in the <$50 range would have similarly shoddy gears.

 

[Ennio]

Like Foxx I too wouldn't want to spend a longish time cutting tobacco though, maybe a shredder is worth chipping in with others to purchase. But it sounds like you did it by hand with a knife - and/or some other appliance?

This doesn't seem like a bad solution: _http://www.leafonly.com/tobacco_leaf_shredder_standard.php

I initially cut the leaves with scissors--I personally wouldn't recommend it (slow, kind of hard on the hands, the cut isn't great). Then I got the shredder from leafonly (I mentioned it in my earlier post), but it's still not a quick process.

Just learned that one of the sellers of whole leaf is in my area so I will probably be paying him a visit soon. As for shredders, he has five powermatic units and all but one of them isn't working anymore - and that one not properly (hope yours continues to work well Mr. Premise). He may get some help from the company that makes them but he'll probably have to go in the machine a fix things up himself with the tools they provide. As it happens, he is going to purchase the leafonly.com model for the time being for his customers who want to shred their tobacco on premises.

 

[Mr. Premise]

Like Foxx I too wouldn't want to spend a longish time cutting tobacco though, maybe a shredder is worth chipping in with others to purchase. But it sounds like you did it by hand with a knife - and/or some other appliance?

This doesn't seem like a bad solution: _http://www.leafonly.com/tobacco_leaf_shredder_standard.php

I initially cut the leaves with scissors--I personally wouldn't recommend it (slow, kind of hard on the hands, the cut isn't great). Then I got the shredder from leafonly (I mentioned it in my earlier post), but it's still not a quick process.

Just learned that one of the sellers of whole leaf is in my area so I will probably be paying him a visit soon. As for shredders, he has five powermatic units and all but one of them isn't working anymore - and that one not properly (hope yours continues to work well Mr. Premise). He may get some help from the company that makes them but he'll probably have to go in the machine a fix things up himself with the tools they provide. As it happens, he is going to purchase the leafonly.com model for the time being for his customers who want to shred their tobacco on premises.

The newer models of the Powermatic fixed the problem. For the older models which I have, the manufacturer will send you a repair kit for free. I got one but haven't installed it yet.

 

[Mr. Premise]

Also, the harshness that Herondancer mentioned comes from the Burley. You can make the Burley smooth without any additives by toasting it. Just put the shredded Burley on a plate, spray it with water until it's all moist then put it in the oven at 250F until dry. Take it out, spray it again lightly and seal it in a jar or ziploc bag and let sit overnight. Makes a big difference.

When I toast I use a casing of 8 oz water, a teaspoon of honey and some licorice/anise extract, but if you want absolutely no additives, toasting with water works fine. Just make sure you stop toasting wheat the tobacco is dry, don't over toast it.