I’ve been snusing a lot lately and have learned more about the pasteurization and fermentation methods used during the manufacuring of different snuses. I was wondering if all snuff is made using fermentation and/or fermented leaf? Thanks in advance.
All tobacco has some level of fermentation. It’s a natural part of the aging process, it begins when the leaf is removed from the plant. The difference is the type and length of fermentation. Pasteurization, supposedly, stops or slows the process. Most tobacco has been off the stem/plant for a year or more, curing, before being processed into it’s final form.
Most tobacco has been off the stem/plant for a year or more, curing, before being processed into it’s final form.
I imagine that it is hard to determine if the leaf has been fire, flue, sun or air cured unless the snuff manufacturer lists the process in a product description, as snuff recipes tend to be guarded secrets; rightfully so. This is what I really like about @chefdaniel and his approach, in that, he is open to sharing processes and ingredients used in the manufacturing of his snuffs. It’s nice to know more about the products one so dearly respects, enjoys, and uses. I also can appreciate a man that is confident enough in his product that he does not feel it necessary to keep secrets from his customers. I liken it to a band writing and playing music that is original, unique, and complex enough that they need not worry about others replicating it to an equal standard.
I kind of missed the idea of what I was trying to get at with this post. I could have chosen a better title. Would it be possible to take sun and air cured tobacco leaf, grind it down, pasteurize it, and then make a snuff out of it? Is there anything for snuff manufacturing to learn from snus manufacturing, or are they two totally separate processes?
@Jim There are similarities in the processes, but they pretty much end with they are both pulverized tobacco. I’ve been known to sniff a pinch of Copenhagen FG when in my cups, in other words, rarely. I can’t speak to the chemical additives in others’ nasal or oral snuff/snus, but I get the feeling that snus is loaded with them, including anti-fungal/mold/yeast compounds, propylene glycol, ammonia, sodium derivatives and several I vaguely recall from my days in the chem lab. None that I really want. Nasal snuffs, especially the artisan types, are free from chemicals, save a pinch of salt and perhaps some carbonate salts to level out the pH. Both are pretty benign. One thing to keep in mind is that the pH of distilled water is 7.0, so raising the snuff to that level doesn’t free up or make the nicotine more available. Above 7.0 it helps a bit, but too much and it’s impossible to snuff without shredding your nasal passages. I shoot for a range of 8.0-9.0. The reason to age and/or ferment tobacco is to dissipate the ammonium compounds in the leaf. If you’ve ever chewed, smoked or snuffed “green” tobacco, you’ll appreciate the difference quickly. To say it’s unpleasant is being kind. Aging is generally a drying process and fermenting is a wet process; either way, temperature and humidity control is essential. BTW, you’ll know fire cured quickly. It’s smokier than a good BBQ and and a nicotine bomb if burley is the victim. This year’s burley was harvested in October, and some of it is still in the barns over fire. 2014 will be a great crop year for KY/TN burley. Yields weren’t that impressive, but the leaf certainly is. Cheers and Happy New Year