How and how to properly flavor tobacco at home

Owners of small tobacco plantations on their site often wonder how to flavor tobacco at home, because over time, the natural taste and smell of this plant becomes boring. With the help of aromatization, tobacco blends are given special aromatic qualities, creating unique bouquets.

From the article you will learn how to properly flavor tobacco at home and what products are used for this.

What is tobacco flavoring

Aromatization is the final stage in the preparation of tobacco, during which it acquires a special flavor.

In factories, alcohol-based products are used for this: it quickly disappears, leaving only a pleasant aroma. Additionally, antifungal compounds, moisturizers and other substances are used to preserve the useful life.

Not everyone likes industrial additives, so homemade tobacco flavoring methods are relevant.

By the way! Aromatization is needed to improve the aroma of the smoking mixture. At the same time, the base taste changes minimally.

When to carry out the procedure

Before flavoring, the tobacco is prepared. This is an extremely important and mandatory step.

The first thing to do with the leaves is to dry them well in one of the following ways:

1. Under the open sky in the shade.
2. Steam - in a closed room, the temperature is artificially increased with hot air, steam or chimneys. At the same time, the amount of sugar in tobacco remains the same, but the content of tar decreases.
3. In a sunny place.
4. Smoked in the smoke of embers.

After drying, the tobacco is folded into bags or sacks and moistened with a spray bottle. They are left in this state for a day.

Heat treatment

Thermal is the additional processing of tobacco. It is carried out after or during fermentation.

Three processing methods:

1. Ferry - as a result, the sugars are caramelized, the pores in the leaves open and the tobacco is impregnated with flavors more effectively.
2. Hot air - sugars are caramelized, excess substances are eliminated.
3. Toasting - tobacco comes into contact with a hot surface, its taste changes dramatically.

Types of flavors

There are two types of supplements:

• natural - based on organic products - generally edible;
• synthetic - with the addition of chemical compounds.

How tobacco is flavored

It is not necessary to use a specially prepared aroma composition to impart a pleasant smell. Fruit or berry juice is often enough.

Fruit

This is the easiest and most common way. The juices of various fruits impart a sweet, invigorating aroma to the smoking mixture.

Citrus variant:

1. Peel 1 orange and 1 lemon each.
2. Pour the zest with 200 g of vodka, let it brew for 24 hours in a glass jar.
3. Sprinkle the resulting juice over the tobacco.
4. Place the mixture in a jar with a tight-fitting lid, keep in a warm place for several days.

Food flavors

There are many nutritional supplements available in stores. Among them are melon, cherry, mint and other flavors.They are weakly concentrated and give the tobacco a light, unobtrusive aroma. Choose food flavoring based on your preference. Experiment with small portions to get started.

Important! For the first time, the product is diluted with water in a ratio of 2: 5.

Leaves of fruit trees

Almost all leaves are used for aromatization: from currant to mountain ash. The most popular option is with a cherry leaf.

Everything is done to taste, but there is also a standard recipe:

1. Insist on yellowed cherry leaves. To do this, put them in a jar, add half an apple to moisturize on top. After 2 days, take it out and leave it for another couple of weeks.
2. Grind the leaves and mix with tobacco. Take about 1-2 sheets per cigarette.

The lighter method uses not too young green cherry leaves. Those collected in late summer are perfect. They are crushed and mixed into tobacco, about 2 sheets per cigarette.

Honey

Honey flavoring recipe:

1. Dissolve 2 tbsp. l. honey in 200 ml of cognac. Add 80 ml of 9% vinegar and 1 ml of glycerin.
2. Pour in distilled water to a total volume of 1 liter.
3. Moisten the tobacco with this mixture.
4. Pack and place in an airtight place with + 40 ... + 50 ° С. Let the tobacco breathe every 10-14 days, and then close it again.

To fully infuse, the mixture takes 2 months.

Hookah mixes

For aromatization hookah mixes are diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10, tobacco is processed from a spray bottle.

Important! With this method, the smell will come from the tobacco itself more intensely than from the smoke during smoking.

How to make your own flavoring

The easiest way is to use available tools that can be found in almost every home.

Tea

To do this, put a bag of good tea in a jar of tobacco and close it tightly with a lid. They are sent to languish for several weeks. Experiment with different flavors of the drink.

Coffee

Natural ground coffee is used to prepare the coffee flavor. Boil 2 liters of water, cool it and pour 0.5 kg of coffee. Mix the mixture thoroughly, keep in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

Apples

The jar is half filled with tobacco. The apple is fixed on a thread so that it hangs, holding on to the neck. To do this, pierce the fruit with a needle and thread and tie it up. All are closed tightly with a lid and kept for 3-4 days.

Cinnamon

The sticks are crushed and mixed with moistened tobacco. In this state, they are left for several days at room temperature.

Donnik

Melilot flowers, when dried, have a coumarin aroma. Some initially grind the plant and add it to the tobacco, but experienced tobacco growers advise preparing an alcoholic extract for spraying the mixture.

For this, the flowers are placed in a resealable container and filled with moonshine, insisted for 2 days. The news of the smell of moonshine disappears during this time. After the first step, the tincture looks like a gruel. 1 tsp is added to the tobacco, after which it is simmered in the heat for several hours. Then they are dried.

Another method is more energy-consuming: 100 g of sweet clover flowers are poured with 70% alcohol and kept in a dark place for 2 weeks. The strained tincture is sprinkled with tobacco, packed in bags for 5-7 hours. After aired.

Fermentation in this case, stage-by-stage: stage 1 lasts 3-5 days at a temperature of + 45 ... + 70 ° С. After that, the mixture is aired for 10 minutes, sprinkled with tincture again. The next stage takes several days. After drying, the tobacco is insisted for 10 days so that it is completely saturated.

Home aromatization methods

There are several ways to make tobacco flavorful: infusion, water bath, use of synthetic additives.

Infusion

Simmering tobacco in a warm environment (at a temperature of + 25 ... + 35 ° C and an air humidity of 80–90%) is called infusion. This is a longer, more effective and reliable option.

Water bath

It will help you get the desired aroma more quickly. The smell disappears in large volumes.In this case, it is impossible to control or weaken the bitterness: the strength at the exit is determined by the strength of the base.

Adding synthetic flavors

Synthetic fluids are available, sold in all specialty stores. They allow you to easily and quickly change the aroma of the smoking mixture. The main thing in this matter is to know when to stop. Otherwise, the tobacco will have a sugary chemical taste that will be difficult to get rid of. To prevent this from happening, carefully study the instructions on the package.

Sauce recipes

Sauce is the addition of substances that can soften the rough or harsh taste of tobacco, sweeten the sour leaves.

To do this, use any berries, honey and alcohol (cognac, rum, gin are suitable):

1. Pour the berries with water and put on fire. When boiling, the liquid should evaporate to a thick concentrate.
2. A little honey and alcohol are added to the sauce.
3. Tobacco leaves, better fermented, are placed in a container, poured over with the prepared sauce and removed for 2 days to soak.
4. After a day, the mixture is placed under a press and heated at a temperature of + 60 ... + 70 ° C for 5 hours.

Aromatization of cut tobacco in production

In factories, the leaves are treated with complex chemical compounds, preservatives are added to extend the shelf life. Propylene glycol, glycerin and sorbitol are used.

Flavors are alcohol-based. They are added at the final stage of tobacco processing. The next step is to add moisturizers and antifungal agents - often chemicals, less often vinegar.

Read also:

Varieties and characteristics of tobacco varieties.

Aromatic and delicious Havana tobacco for Cuban cigar lovers.

When and how to collect tobacco and dry it properly at home.

How to store flavored tobacco properly

So that the components of aromatic substances do not evaporate over time and the mixture does not lose its special flavor bouquet and smell, it is required correctly keep... It is best to place the leaves in a jar or plastic container and close tightly.

There is a misconception that if you put a slice of fruit or citrus in a container, it will retain the aroma for a longer period. This will actually reverse the process.

The finished product is kept in a dark room with an air humidity of no more than 75%. Avoid exposure to direct sunlight.

Attention! The product is stored for less than a year.

Conclusion

At home, it is easy to give any tobacco a unique flavor. To do this, use the ingredients available in the house and experiment with different combinations. Special ready-made flavors are also ordered, both chemical and based on natural extracts.