Whole leaf advice

[Woodchuck]

Hi I’m new here, not sure if this is the appropriate place to post this but here goes,

I received for Christmas two 1/4lb packages of Virginia leaf and a clamp to the table type shredder. The stuff is from leafonly. What now? Do I take the ribs out, run it through the shredder and start smoking or does this leaf require more preparation? I’m wondering if it has been cased already or not, I’m not sure how to tell.

 

[Mikewood]

Call up leaf only and ask them what you have and get directions. they have a YouTube channel. If these are cigar making and wrapper leaves they need to be treated, cut, layed and rolled correctly or will be wasted. Even whole pipe tobacco leaves need special treatment to be their best. It sounds like a fine present.
https://youtube.com/c/Leafonly

 

[Mrm1775]

I doubt that it has been cased. The shredder you have will likely produce a thin ribbon.
Remove the main middle stem and toss it.
You don't have to case it or you can. The casing will adjust the ph a little. I notice little difference.

you can run it through the shredder or roll it up and cut coins of your desired thickness.

The leaf needs nothing else to be smoked. Everything else is like a condiment.

Virginia leaf is known to nip some tongues, smoke slowly.

 

[Woodchuck]

Thanks for the advice. It was a really neat present and I’m excited to try the leaf. I don’t usually smoke straight Va’s, but I will try some just for fun, and probably mix the rest a little at a time into the blends I normally smoke. I will check out the leafonly YouTube vids

 

[mongo]

Paging @Ozark Wizard ...

 

[Falstaff]

@Ernie Q started a great thread about casing both raw and blending pipe tobacco - link.

 

[Woodchuck]

I’ve read Ernie’s thread a few times. It’s very educational, and is what led me to wonder if the whole leaf from leafonly has been cased or not. I guess just going to them directly and asking might be the way to go

 

[Ozark Wizard]

I’ve read Ernie’s thread a few times. It’s very educational, and is what led me to wonder if the whole leaf from leafonly has been cased or not. I guess just going to them directly and asking might be the way to go

Any whole leaf tobacco source only sells unprocessed stuff, save perique and Latakia. Something about the difference between an agricultural product and a finished product. Lots of money and hoops different.

The clamp on shredder is great for certain applications. I don't use it much. I mostly use a 2007 Brother paper shredder. Or hand cut it. Hand cutting is meditative.

 

[Ernie Q]

Hi I’m new here, not sure if this is the appropriate place to post this but here goes,

I received for Christmas two 1/4lb packages of Virginia leaf and a clamp to the table type shredder. The stuff is from leafonly. What now? Do I take the ribs out, run it through the shredder and start smoking or does this leaf require more preparation? I’m wondering if it has been cased already or not, I’m not sure how to tell.

The leaf from LeafOnly is basically not cased. Some folks think it smokes well as is but I personally think they have zero taste buds and/or are full of crap.

Remove the mid ribs. Cook up a casing-

15oz Water
15oz Apple Cider Vinegar
2oz Brown Sugar
Tbsp honey
that’s for a quart. You will only use a few ounces per pound so scale down if you need to
bring to a boil for a moment or two and let cool down to around 100 deg or so.
Seal tobacco in a ziplock and crack it to vent
Heat a pound for about 1 minute. spray on casing. Do not soak the leaf! You want it moist but not soaked. About 2-3 oz per pound.
Reseal and dry down to to about the same moisture level as you would smoke it.
then you can shred it OR press it. To press it
Heat it again same way in the microwave.
Press it. If you are using wood or metal for press plates put a layer of Saran Wrap on top and Bottom.
in either case let the stuff rest for a couple weeks.
E.

 

[Woodchuck]

Thank you @Ozark Wizard and @Ernie Q! These are the answers I’ve been searching for. In regards to applying the casing, what is the alternative to the microwave. I don’t have one.

 

[Ernie Q]

Thank you @Ozark Wizard and @Ernie Q! These are the answers I’ve been searching for. In regards to applying the casing, what is the alternative to the microwave. I don’t have one.

steaming is ok but it’s messy and needs more dry down time. Maybe the @Ozark Wizard has another idea?

 

[Ernie Q]

Any whole leaf tobacco source only sells unprocessed stuff, save perique and Latakia. Something about the difference between an agricultural product and a finished product. Lots of money and hoops different.

The clamp on shredder is great for certain applications. I don't use it much. I mostly use a 2007 Brother paper shredder. Or hand cut it. Hand cutting is meditative.

Once you remove the midrib you become a manufacturer under the ATF’s Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. I think that is still the rule.

 

[Ozark Wizard]

Once you remove the midrib you become a manufacturer under the ATF’s Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. I think that is still the rule.

Affirmative.

As far as heating without microwave. If you have a toaster oven, (or conventional for that matter) place the tobacco on a tray lined with parchment paper, apply topping/casing, cover with parchment paper and then seal the top with foil. Heat at 150 for 5-10 minutes, then remove from oven but leave covered until cool. It won't get too warm but the leaf will get to soak up your juice. Let air dry after a while to bring back to case. In the late summer I'll case some sun dried Virginia and lay out on the van dashboard in the sun. That works fast.

 

[Woodchuck]

Thanks!

 

[ClintonvilleLeather]

Affirmative.

As far as heating without microwave. If you have a toaster oven, (or conventional for that matter) place the tobacco on a tray lined with parchment paper, apply topping/casing, cover with parchment paper and then seal the top with foil. Heat at 150 for 5-10 minutes, then remove from oven but leave covered until cool. It won't get too warm but the leaf will get to soak up your juice. Let air dry after a while to bring back to case. In the late summer I'll case some sun dried Virginia and lay out on the van dashboard in the sun. That works fast.

I have been using a crock pot to steam leaf before putting it into jars for fermenting for snuff. Seems to get the grassy raw flavor out and smoothed out.

 

[Ozark Wizard]

I have been using a crock pot to steam leaf before putting it into jars for fermenting for snuff. Seems to get the grassy raw flavor out and smoothed out.

The Crock-Pot and colander gig is great for darkening leaf and infusing. It can also smooth out a lot of rough edges. But I've turned some orientals and some Virginia into cooked spinach by getting distracted.

 

[ClintonvilleLeather]

The Crock-Pot and colander gig is great for darkening leaf and infusing. It can also smooth out a lot of rough edges. But I've turned some orientals and some Virginia into cooked spinach by getting distracted.

I dont think I let it go that long but I could see that happening or burning if it went dry

 

[Ozark Wizard]

Some types of leaf are more tender than others. Burley leaf can take a beating whereas Katarini is pretty tender. I recall a time I "Crock-Pot Cavendished" some Izmir in an experiment with herbal infusing and couldn't separate half of the leaves to bring back to case so I could do something with it. Pretty frustrated.

 

[ClintonvilleLeather]

Some types of leaf are more tender than others. Burley leaf can take a beating whereas Katarini is pretty tender. I recall a time I "Crock-Pot Cavendished" some Izmir in an experiment with herbal infusing and couldn't separate half of the leaves to bring back to case so I could do something with it. Pretty frustrated.

I noticed Basma didnt like heat either. I put other ones in the oven to dry out afterward. Seemed to work fine for VA and Air Cured. Some of those burlies are pretty rough. I tried one called Blind Monkey and it wasnt hard to see how they got the name. It was STRONG 😂

 

[Pavel V]

The leaf from LeafOnly is basically not cased. Some folks think it smokes well as is but I personally think they have zero taste buds and/or are full of crap.

Remove the mid ribs. Cook up a casing-

15oz Water
15oz Apple Cider Vinegar
2oz Brown Sugar
Tbsp honey
that’s for a quart. You will only use a few ounces per pound so scale down if you need to
bring to a boil for a moment or two and let cool down to around 100 deg or so.
Seal tobacco in a ziplock and crack it to vent
Heat a pound for about 1 minute. spray on casing. Do not soak the leaf! You want it moist but not soaked. About 2-3 oz per pound.
Reseal and dry down to to about the same moisture level as you would smoke it.
then you can shred it OR press it. To press it
Heat it again same way in the microwave.
Press it. If you are using wood or metal for press plates put a layer of Saran Wrap on top and Bottom.
in either case let the stuff rest for a couple weeks.
E.

15 oz of Vinegar? Will it not spoil the tobacco? I think you taught us to apply less of it (a tbsp?) in other threads. Maybe it's 15 oz sugar and 2 oz Vinegar?