I was wondering what a basic process for creating snus would look like. Would any of you experts fill in the gaps here for me?
1. Grow plants
2. "top" those you aren't going to use for seed
3. Harvest the leaves
4. Dry the leaves
5. Grind the leaves
6. Mix with sodium carbonate, salt and glycerol
Then there is a bunch of info about curing. Some places say it is just to reduce the smell. Some places say it just means "drying." In other recipes it seems like a required chemical reaction. What is 'curing'? Do you have to do it?
Could I just take the leaves off the plants, maybe dry them for a few days in the sun, then stick them in a cheapo food dehydrator at 90 degrees F until they are good and dry?
I understand that you need the sodium carbonate (and that you can bake your own from baking soda) to free the nicotine. Do you have to cook this in? Or can you just add it to a brine and stir it up with the tobacco and flavorings?
Then there is glycerol... Do I even need it in a non-commercial production scenario? My plan is to make the stuff, then freeze 90%+ of it and just get out a tin at a time (which would be kept in a fridge right up until it goes in my lip. As long as I seal everything up, or plan to re-moisten it, do I need a humectant at all?
Similarly, do I need the salt? I prefer sweeter snus and tend to avoid salt for taste reasons. And I am substituting cold for preservation.
And then 'sweating' or 'steam pasteurizing' - do I need to do this? I know snus is done this way, and it is to kill bacteria. But what if I freeze the snus to keep the bacteria under control? Are the bacteria themselves harmful to me, or are they just harmful because they create TSNAs during the distribution chain?
What does the most basic "snus" recipe look like? I saw one that seemed to indicate that at some point in the past you just mixed ground tobacco with coffee grounds. Now THAT interests me.
I think I am learning a bit, but I am also coming up with as many new questions as I am answers.
Thanks for any help you can provide!