Part Two: Full Curing & Partial Fermentation
In the last article, I discussed some important aspects of growing tobacco. I showed pictures of the journey from the seed to the curing barn. This is what the curing barn looks like now.
Now how did I get here?
First, I started with the place where the curing barn would go. My back yard! I found the location I wanted to place it, and then started the build.
Here’s what you need:
1 – 6×8 Greenhouse (Amazon)
12 – 24inx24in Concrete Pavers (Home Depot: Pewter Square Concrete)
18 – 2x3x8 lumber (Home Depot: 2x3x8 Lumber)
1 – Pack of Wood Screws (Home Depot: Screws)
3/8in Ribbon (Multi-Color) (Amazon)
2 – Brown Tarps (10×20) (Amazon)
1 – Pack of Zip ties ( Amazon)
60ft – drip line and mister nozzles (Amazon)
(If you scroll down on amazon, the other parts will be with this item to purchase all together)
1 – Drip Line Hose Adaptor (Amazon)
Pliers, Drill, and Measuring Tape as well.
Here is what the foundation looked like.
Now, there are some things you need to know about the structure.
- Heat rises – Being able to rotate the tobaccos as they cure and become darkened is key.
- Hottest closest to Greenhouse – The Greenhouse is going to be very hot within an inch of the lining. It will be hot.
- Humidity – Humidity will sustain itself for the first day or so, then you will need to add moisture if you allow airflow into it or if you are in a really hot/ arid environment.
- Natural cooling temperature of sunrise and sun set – As the sun rises, you will increase the internal temperature of the barn as the day goes on, reaching the hottest in midday. It will slowly decrease as the sun goes down. It’s important to remember this because the humidity with dramatically change throughout the day and stay higher at night.
- Control Air Flow – One thing you want o keep in mind is controlling the amount of airflow in the barn. Make sure to close off as much as you can if its not humid or cool in your climate.
With that said, what is actually taking place?
According to Tobacco University: “After about 50 days in a curing barn, the leaves have released their chlorophyll and much of their moisture (85%): causing them to turn brown in color. Curing also fixes the sugar content of the leaf and halts the maturation process.” (Tobacco University Article)
In essence, we are forcing heat into the tobacco and keeping the moisture relatively high, in order to have the tobacco release its chlorophyl while maintaining softness of the leaves.
So how long do they stay in this hot, humid environment?
What I experienced is faster than normal drying times because of the California heat. I was able to have dried main ribs of the tobacco after 4 weeks, It can take up to 8 weeks depending on your climate.
What do you do next?
After curing, what Id like to call the initial fermentation, I take the cured tobaccos out of the barn and tie them into hands. Then, it’s a matter of keeping them moist enough will maintaining pressure and heat dispersion. This is the part were I will let you spread your wings and fly! (Find a way) After you find a way to make those conditions for the hands, fermentation is the next step.
Here is a video that I based my first fermentation on, and I think you can learn a lot from this gentleman’s video. His name is @RedofSub. With this video you can understand the basic premise behind the fermentation process and find out how you can build one yourself and have at it. The basic point is that you are controlling the moisture and temperature to allow the tobacco to get rid of the impurities and darken in color. This is not the normal way a pilon is made, but for small amounts of tobacco leaves, this works well.
Fermentation Box: (YouTube)
This was my subsequent attempt at making this box below.
The tobaccos are resting nicely, and it is going to be interesting to try the tobaccos and see how year one went! Now, on to year two…
Welp, this is where I leave you. This is just a snapshot of what took place In terms of growing and fermenting. Please, If you have any questions or would like to know how to ferment the tobacco in different environments, feel free to reach out to me. If I can be a resource, let me know. Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope you learned something new or interesting about the processes that meticulously go into our passion for cigars. Look out for the next videos when the fermentation is done, and cigars are made. Onward!
Timothy Greene
Hi, my name is Timothy Greene. I enjoy cigars so much that I have learned how to create them myself. I hold tasting events and rolling demonstrations in the central valley year-round. I joined Cigar Public to provide my honest opinions and reviews of the cigars currently available on the market today. I aim to help broaden your palate and assist you in getting the most out of each cigar you enjoy.
