Theory: hydrating tobacco with whiskey

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Greenleaf

Greenleaf

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I've recently read of ways to rehydrate tobacco, and I just got to wondering if this could be done with liquor so as to permeate the leaf with the flavor. What about immersing humidifier coins in whiskey?

Is this safe and would it have any actual effect? I don't know what I'm talking about, does anyone else? I want to play around with my PA.
 
I am not sure how much of the flavors in the liquor would be volatile enough to transfer to the tobacco. Winston amongst others has posted some recipes for using liquor and other liquids to flavor otherwise normal tobaccos. I think the method used was to spritz the tobacco, then let the alcohol portion evaporate, leaving behind the essence of whatever was used.
 
I've done it to make a "home made navy flake"

I took a tin of Union Square that had about 6 months on it, dumped it into a glass mixing bowl & left it out uncovered for 2 days.

I then spritzed it with a liberal amount of Pusser's British Navy Rum .
This is the "Good Stuff" I brought back from St. Thomas VI. in 1990.

covered the bowl with Saran Wrap over night, Then packed tight into a mason Jar.
Tried my first bowl after it had mellowed for 6 or 8 weeks.. it wasn't too bade for a Do It Yourself project.
 
Rum and whiskey are reputed to be good flavors to add to tobacco, if one knows how to do that right. As a beverage, however, hard liquor of any kind is also reputed to have a dehydrating effect on the imbiber, due to its alcohol content. Of course, it's not axiomatic that dehydration would affect tobacco in a similar fashion, but it could be a factor to consider.
 
I'd assume anything that isn't extremely high proof would work since whatever % is not alcohol wouldn't evaporate as quickly. I'd also guess that you'd want to at least let the alcohol have enough time to evap so eyebrow burning flair up are avoided. :)


Ooo, gives me a good idea though. What if you have a tobacco that has an excellent room note but the flavor sucks, you could make a tobacco alcohol candle. Take a very skinny glass, stuff it with the baccy and everclear and set it alight.
:bom:
 
Interesting Thread, Yea what Yak said!!!!
Keep us posted!

I have no Idea either!
 
Thanks, y'all. Guess I'll start off with a 250 ML Mason jar of my PA (my backup/travel jar). First, I gotta find out WTF 250 ML is, in ounces, you know, whatever. This has been informative, I'll give it a shot and report back.
 
It just so happens I had a tin of Solani 633 that I had forgotten to place in a mason jar once it was opened. It was really dried out in the tin so I rubbed it out and sprinkled it with Candadian Whisky then sealed it in the mason jar. Problem is I don't know how long I should wait.
 
Absolutely safe, and quite effective. Those volatiles that you smell in the glass will be readily absorbed by the tobacco, providing a little extra something. You can just spray a little on, seal it up and wait, or you can put some in a glass, and incarcerate everything together in a sealed container for a couple weeks or so. The volatiles will permeate the leaf without adding much moisture.

You'd be surprised by how LITTLE it takes to influence the taste and aroma of your tobacco. A single clove of garlic? Garlic tobacco. Ill-advised.

-glp

 
Interesting thread indeed. As a whiskey and rum man myself I reckon I might just be in for some experimenting, down in the lab...
 
glpease":dn52km5t said:
Absolutely safe, and quite effective. Those volatiles that you smell in the glass will be readily absorbed by the tobacco, providing a little extra something. You can just spray a little on, seal it up and wait, or you can put some in a glass, and incarcerate everything together in a sealed container for a couple weeks or so. The volatiles will permeate the leaf without adding much moisture.

You'd be surprised by how LITTLE it takes to influence the taste and aroma of your tobacco. A single clove of garlic? Garlic tobacco. Ill-advised.

-glp
Click to expand...
Garlic, uhhhhh I could imagine?
Greg, do you speak from experience here??
:lol: :lol: :lol:
 
The one detail I'm uncertain of is how moist the tobacco should be, both before and directly after the whiskey spraying. I've read here of applying aqua vitae "liberally," though, and I'd think that this does call for some careful experimentation of my own. This is as giddy as I've ever been, either alcohol and tobacco is my life or I just have no life.

Garlic tobacco ... sounds like someone had just finished off all his whiskey.
 
Garlic tobacco........... :shock: Oh. Somebody had been cooking and got garlic juice on their fingers. Then loaded up a pipe I bet. :lol: Greg does like to cook.
 
Well, I just spritzed about a dozen spritzes of Jim Beam on about two ounces of PA, having let it sit in a glass mixing bowl for twenty-something hours. It seemed dry enough, I sort of want to do this less than precisely the first time around for the sake of experimentation. I'll leave plastic wrap over it while I'm at work tonight and put it all in my 250 ML Mason jar sometime tomorrow morning. I only hope I can fight the urge to liquor it up again, wouldn't be the first time I've gone overkill until a project is FUBAR.
 
Sixteen days after packing my bourbon PA into a jar, I'm smoking my first bowl. Not bad. It's got a round, rich flavor with just a hint of sweetness. The tobacco itself smells like a homemade whiskey cake. Very nice, pleasant, satisfying flavor. This being my first bowl, I can't give an actual review, though. Maybe safe to say that this is good shit and a nice change of pace. It tastes like liquor and burley, what more could you want from life itself? And pairing just great with my evening coffee.

My method was basically borrowed from Old Salt, but the aging period was significantly shorter. This is very easy to do, you gotta try this. This could become my usual smoke vs. straight PA, although I don't know if my heavy smoking would cause tongue bite just from the addition of liquor (sugar). Also, trying this with my new bottle of brandy might be nice, but it seems like a strong liquor would work best for my taste.

Thanks again, gents, couldn't have done it without you.
 
Thanks for the post.. I am going to be buying a supply of PA soon.. I will try a portion of this to age in some whiskey.. I am thinking of getting a fine Canadian Whiskey to use.. :cheers:
 
velveteagle":gzhm92te said:
Thanks for the post.. I am going to be buying a supply of PA soon.. I will try a portion of this to age in some whiskey.. I am thinking of getting a fine Canadian Whiskey to use.. :cheers:
Click to expand...
VE, it's just like when you put beer in the fish batter. the recipe goes, whatever you put in batter, double down the hatch!
 
bruins":7gxo5khi said:
velveteagle":7gxo5khi said:
Thanks for the post.. I am going to be buying a supply of PA soon.. I will try a portion of this to age in some whiskey.. I am thinking of getting a fine Canadian Whiskey to use.. :cheers:
Click to expand...
VE, it's just like when you put beer in the fish batter. the recipe goes, whatever you put in batter, double down the hatch!
Click to expand...
So very well said bruins.. I think taste testing will have to have a chaser with it for sure.. Now that sounds like a well rounded afternoon to me.. You have such great ideas !!
:cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
 
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