Given the incredible prices for tobacco products in our country, the population is becoming increasingly interested in tobacco growing. Moreover, it is not so much the opportunity to reduce the costs of your addiction that attracts you, as getting really high-quality products, and not the nitrate that is packaged in cigarettes.
Growing tobacco is not so difficult. Much more difficult is the implementation of certain
technological processes. These include tobacco fermentation at home. By the way, what is it all about?
This is a rather complex biochemical process, which is carried out for two to three weeks under conditions of constant temperature (50 degrees Celsius) and humidity.
Fermentation allows you to get aromatic and high-quality tobacco, even from shag. Of course, the smell will be rather weak, but still better than the feedstock. In a word, tobacco fermentation at home is not only a useful process, but also absolutely necessary.
After collecting, the leaves need to be hung in a drying room, and do not forget about the container with water. The latter serves to equalize air humidity. Note that the room must have good ventilation, otherwise the leaves will simply grow moldy.
They should dry from three weeks to one and a half months, depending on the variety. Then they need to be sprayed with water, in which honey was previously added, from a spray bottle (moreover, it is better to use spring water). Honey is put at the rate of a teaspoon in a mug of water.
After this, the fermentation of tobacco at home goes into a new stage. Leaves are placed in a dense plastic bag, closed as reliably as possible and incubated for 12 hours at room temperature. In no case should there be green areas on them, since such raw materials will simply rot! All greens are best cut in advance.
After the leaves become soft, fold them into rolls (or stack them in packs), place them in a glass jar with tightly ground lids and place it in a fermentation cabinet. It is very important to know that the temperature inside it should be strictly 50 degrees Celsius. The moisture content of the leaves throughout the process must be maintained at 50%.
Exactly two weeks later, we increase the humidity to 75%, after which the fermentation of tobacco at home continues for another 7 days. During this week, you need to raise the temperature to 70 degrees. After that, you can open the lid and smell the tobacco: if there is a pleasant and rich aroma, then everything worked out perfectly.
The easiest way to ferment tobacco involves the use of a conventional oven (electric), in which the temperature can be set within 50 degrees.
Note that if condensation appears in the bank, then the leaves need to be urgently removed and dried. Water on the walls of the tank is a sure sign that fermentation is not going right. If you skip this moment, then your products will simply rot.
There are different ways of fermenting tobacco, but almost all of them are designed for industrial conditions. The technique described by us makes it possible to obtain excellent raw materials at home. Costs are minimal.