Tobacco fermentation: 9 ways at home and how to cook with your own hands

Fresh tobacco leaves are not suitable for direct use, it is just a raw material for a future product. Before the harvest can turn into a finished product, a lot of time will pass. First of all, this will require the fermentation process of smoking tobacco. This can be done in several ways, both industrially and at home.

What is fermentation

The process by which organic matter in tobacco leaves is broken down into inorganic compounds and esters (volatile substances) is called fermentation.This process affects not only the appearance, but also the properties of raw materials, technical characteristics, aroma and advantages of the smoking composition.

If tobacco leaves are fermented correctly, the following results can be obtained:

1. Disappearance of the greenish tint left after drying.
2. Changes color to olive and brown tones with reddish, brown and reddish undertones.
3. The appearance of a recognizable tobacco aroma.
4. Changing the chemical composition of tobacco: the appearance of melanoidins and the destruction of pectins, nicotine and amino acids, the transformation of essential oils and resins.
5. Reducing excess strength.
6. Smoother flavor when smoked.
7. Partial loss of bitterness.
8. Improve the quality of tobacco burning.
9. Increase in aromatic characteristics.

After fermentation, the raw material turns into a product that needs to rest for some more time, sometimes up to six months. The taste, smell and strength of the future tobacco largely depend on this.

For which varieties of tobacco do you need?

Not all varieties of smoking tobacco need fermentation. Plants of American and Turkish selection, as well as some folk varieties, contain little sugar, volatile essential substances, and saturated resins. Because of this, the leaves of these varieties do not need to be fermented to produce high-quality tobacco. To obtain excellent properties, it is enough to dry them well. However, all the same, the raw materials must be well aged so that all the aromatic notes and taste components are revealed in it.

It is not necessary to ferment the following varieties:

1. Burley.
2. Trapezonde 92.
3. Samsun 85.
4. Dubek and many others.

However, for the popular Virginia tobacco leaves, fermentation is necessary because they contain about 20% dextrose and 2% nicotine. Virginia tobacco is extremely common, used in its pure form and for making blends. Based on wild ancestors, numerous modern varieties have been bred, the names of which mostly reflect the different colors of the foliage: Yellow Virginia, Virginia Bright, Virginia Red, Virginia Brown, Virginia Stoved, Virginia Gold, Virginia Matured. They all need a full fermentation.

Tobacco enzyme activation conditions

To start tobacco fermentation, two basic conditions must be met:

1. Temperature (50-55 degrees Celsius).
2. Humidity (60-70%).

Create such conditions can be different methods, in industrial and domestic conditions. Harvested tobacco leaves begin to prepare for fermentation, resorting to drying.

Preparation for the process

To obtain high-quality tobacco, regardless of its further use - for cigars, cigarettes, pipe tobacco, rolled cigarettes - the collected leaves must be properly prepared. Drying is such a starting process. This is a responsible and important process from which the processing of raw materials begins before the fermentation of the product begins.

You need to dry tobacco leaves correctly. In industrial conditions, special sheds are used for these purposes. They are made of wood, have a rectangular shape and are oriented from east to west.This provides ideal conditions for fast and high-quality drying of raw materials, regardless of what is planned to be prepared from it in the future.

Leaves of the same size are tied in pairs and hung on special poles located horizontally at different levels in sheds. On one pole, on average, up to 50 pairs of tobacco leaves are placed. As the poles dry, they move from bottom to top as new ties are constantly added.

It is also used to dry tobacco on frames in the sun. For this method, the foliage is strung on ropes, fixing them in wooden frames exposed to direct sunlight. An important condition for success is the absence of strong winds that can break raw materials.

The duration of the procedure depends on the humidity of the air, its temperature, the presence and absence of wind. It can take from 20 to 45 days. An indicator of readiness is the complete drying of the central vein of the leaf.

Fermentation methods at home

You can carry out the procedure not only with specialized tools, but also with simpler methods at home. The main thing is to ensure the presence of two main points: temperature and humidity.

In the sun

This method is especially good for hot regions where the sun is bright and warm during harvest. The collected dry, but not crumbling tobacco is placed in glass jars, covered with metal lids. The resulting containers are exposed to direct sunlight on an iron sheet. It will glow in the sun and give off heat to the jars, which will speed up the fermentation of the tobacco.

After 10 days, the raw materials must be removed from the cans and dried. They can already use it. This method also helps to destroy mold and fungus spores that can damage the finished product. Under the scorching rays of the sun, they simply do not survive.

Microwave

This method is a quick and affordable fermentation at home. With its help, you can reduce the strength of tobacco and prepare too wet leaves for smoking. This requires the following steps:

1. Cut leaves into thin strips.
2. Put it in clean glass jars, close with the same lids.
3. Place the containers in the microwave.
4. Select the minimum temperature for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the jars from the microwave.
6. Cool containers at room temperature.

The procedure will need to be repeated 3 to 4 times.

On the radiator

You can make good tobacco with your own hands even in an apartment.This will require properly functioning central heating batteries. Tobacco raw materials are cut into strips, moistened with clean water and placed in plastic bags or glass jars. They are placed on radiators or placed close to them.

Every two or three days the contents of the containers should be shaken and ventilated so as not to get moldy.

In the slow cooker

This method is closest to tobacco fermentation in bales. The main condition is the presence of a multicooker. For her, tightly rolled leaves are placed in bags made of natural fabric, placed in layers in a slow cooker and the temperature is set to 50 degrees Celsius.

Layers need to be periodically swapped, as some of them will dry faster than others. After a couple of hours, the raw materials begin to exude a pleasant aroma of honey, and after 3-4 days the tobacco will be completely ready for use.

Attention! The steam outlet valve in the multicooker must be covered with foil to eliminate moisture loss during the process.

In the oven

Ovens are in every modern home. They can be used to ferment tobacco. This will require a three-liter glass jar and dry, but not brittle tobacco raw materials. The crushed elastic leaves are placed in a container, placing it in an oven heated to 50 degrees Celsius. Maintain this temperature for 5-7 days.

Ready-made tobacco must be removed, dried until it reaches the level required for smoking and used for its intended purpose.

In a water bath

The process of fermentation in a water bath in a saucepan is available to everyone. To do this, glass jars are filled with prepared foliage and placed in a hot water bath, making sure that the water temperature does not exceed 60 degrees Celsius. The duration of the process is from 4.5 to 6 hours.

In a rustic stove

If a Russian stove has been preserved in the house or in the country, you can use it to carry out the fermentation of homemade tobacco. For this you need:

1. Dilute a tablespoon of natural honey in an incomplete glass of pure water.
2. Sprinkle prepared raw materials with the resulting solution.
3. Compress the blanks lightly and place them in plastic bags.
4. Lay them on the stove, on a couch, covering them with a mattress.
5. Fire the oven.
6. Maintain temperature 50-55 degrees and humidity 60-70 percent.
7. Heat the stove every other day.
8. After 7-10 days, check the condition of the blanks.

The finished product should have a pleasant aroma and moderate moisture, that is, the sheet should bend, but not break. If necessary, damp leaves can be dried a little.

Fermentation in a fermentation cabinet

To obtain a product of ideal quality, a special device is used - a fermentation cabinet. It is used in the industrial production of smoking tobacco, but if you have the desire and basic skills, you can make a cabinet with your own hands.

Such a device has a number of advantages:

1. In the closet, tobacco does not absorb odors and does not impregnate appliances and the entire room with its aroma.
2. The transformation process is even, regardless of the size of the planted foliage.
3. Fermentation takes 3-6 days.
4. The performer will require a minimum of physical effort and time.
5. A large batch can be processed in one load.

You can carry out the procedure both in an industrial and in a home-made cabinet.To do this, the raw materials are placed in glass bottles and sealed with lids to prevent moisture from evaporating. Set the temperature to 50 degrees and wait for the process to complete. The cabinet operates continuously throughout the fermentation. If it does not have a temperature and humidity sensor, you will have to check the condition of the tobacco from time to time and adjust the indicators. After 3-6 days, the tobacco will be ready.

Natural fermentation (maturing)

Initially, tobacco leaves were not fermented, but subjected to natural aging during storage. And these days, many fans recognize only such a product. To obtain it, the crop is dried and stored for a period of six months to a year or more. During this period, natural processes occur in the leaves, giving them the necessary color, texture and aroma without human intervention. The duration of the process depends on the storage conditions and the type of tobacco.

Fermented tobacco processed in any of the ways must be stored in compliance with the temperature and humidity levels, then it will retain its properties and high performance.

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