Making snus at home

[justintempler]

Based on your research, could I just prepare a few different tobaccos separately , and then try blending finished product in differing proportions to develop my own custom blend? That way, I could perfect the ratios of tobacco, and try adding flavors after developing the right mix?

That's the way I'm doing it. I'm sure most of the snus out there is a blend of not only different varieties but different grain sizes. Then on top of that you have different flavorings. That's a lot of experimenting. The smaller your batches are, the more experimenting you can do, the quicker you'll be happy with the results.

A case of home canning jars come in very useful for your different tobacco flours and finished snus. I have a triple beam balance scale so it's easy for me, to mix 10 grams from one jar with 40 grams of another.

[RRK]

Most likely I will just buy fresh leaf for experimentation.

That would be best because then you can do the steam curing but raw leaves seem a bit hard to get unless you know some farmers.

[Palazzo]

Has anybody who manufactures their own snus thought about selling it? In the American alcohol economy there is a highly pretentious "microbrew" market for home-made booze. I can envision the same sort of thing for snus.

[justintempler]

My experimentation continues
This basic recipe will give people who want to experiment a basic template
My latest batch has only aged for 72 hours and it isn't half bad. 8)
It still needs to continue aging but it's starting to resemble real snus

Step 1 - Days 1-6
100 grams Stokers Kentucky Dark Air Cured
100 grams water
13* grams salt (*use 5-6 grams salt)
10 grams glycerine
Cook for 6 days at 85-90° C
stirred once a day and water added to keep total weight 223 grams

Step 2 - Day 7
Add
7 grams sodium carbonate + 1 gram ammonium chloride dissolved in 50 grams of water
Cook for 24 hours at 85-90° C

Step 3 - after the cook
Add
7 grams glycerine
16 drops Wright's Hickory Seasoning + 16 drops Bergamot Essential Oil dissolved in a capfull of Everclear (about 10ml total)
stir and refrigerate


Notes
The maillard reaction works better with less water.
Do the first stage of your cook with equal weights of water and tobacco.
Kentucky Dark Air Cured tobacco is a burley tobacco that is low in sugar.
The maillard process is the interaction of sugars with amino acids.
The maillard process forms new flavors and is what causes the tobacco to darken during the cook.
Adding glycerine at the start of cook helps to compensate for the low sugar content of burley
Tobacco was sieved to pass through a 400 micron screen, it has the consistency of Prima Fint
If you are an amateur at baking prillas you'll need an Icetool :wink:

ratios based on this recipe
water - 150 grams - 52.08%
tobacco 100 grams - 34.72%
13* grams salt - 4.51% (*use 5-6 grams salt)
17 grams glycerine - 5.90%
7 grams sodium carbonate - 2.43%
1 gram ammonium chloride - 0.35%
flavour and alcohol ---

total - 288 grams (6.40 45g cans)

[BuLLitz]

Keep us posted please.

I'll be planting some tobacco seeds very soon. Am only planning on raising 4 or 5 plants to maturity this year... but that will give me some stock to "play around with".
:-)

[GoVegan]

You know Justin - I was looking over your ingredients and instructions that included stuff like baking for days and I am soooooooo glad I can just buy a can of this stuff for $3.00.

[justintempler]

You know Justin - I was looking over your ingredients and instructions that included stuff like baking for days and I am soooooooo glad I can just buy a can of this stuff for $3.00.

I'm just thinking ahead to when that $3.00 becomes $7.00-$8.00 because Uncle Sam has to balance his budget. :wink:

[BuLLitz]

I went to find my seeds that I purchased this past year, and can't find them.

I went to the website that I purchased them from to re-order... but maybe I should try these seeds instead...

#10 Common Indian Tobacco ( Rustica )(recommended for northern growers and containers)
A half hardy annual that grows to about 3 ft. and is cultivated worldwide for smoking and nicotine production. Has copious pale green flowers that remain open during the day.
A great tub or container plant.
Heirloom variety and seeds can be saved for future harvests. Caution: High in nicotine, makes a great all natural insecticide. Can be absorbed through skin so caution around pets and children warranted.

Hmmmm.... sounds tempting.


Edit: I couldn't help myself. I went ahead and bought them (from VirtualSeeds.com). I also re-purchased the "SMALL STALK BLACK MAMMOTH" since I still can't find my seeds..

[BuLLitz]

Mr. Templer. Maybe if my plants do well this year, we can work something out? I can do the cultivating... and you seem to know your way around the kitchen.

:lol:

[BuLLitz]

My experimentation continues
This basic recipe will give people who want to experiment a basic template
My latest batch has only aged for 72 hours and it isn't half bad. 8)
It still needs to continue aging but it's starting to resemble real snus

Step 1 - Days 1-6
100 grams Stokers Kentucky Dark Air Cured
100 grams water
13 grams salt
10 grams glycerine
Cook for 6 days at 85-90° C
stirred once a day and water added to keep total weight 223 grams

Step 2 - Day 7
Add
7 grams sodium carbonate + 1 gram ammonium chloride dissolved in 50 grams of water
Cook for 24 hours at 85-90° C

Step 3 - after the cook
Add
7 grams glycerine
16 drops Wright's Hickory Seasoning + 16 drops Bergamot Essential Oil dissolved in a capfull of Everclear (about 10ml total)
stir and refrigerate


Notes
The maillard reaction works better with less water.
Do the first stage of your cook with equal weights of water and tobacco.
Kentucky Dark Air Cured tobacco is a burley tobacco that is low in sugar.
The maillard process is the interaction of sugars with amino acids.
The maillard process forms new flavors and is what causes the tobacco to darken during the cook.
Adding glycerine at the start of cook helps to compensate for the low sugar content of burley
Tobacco was sieved to pass through a 400 micron screen, it has the consistency of Prima Fint
If you are an amateur at baking prillas you'll need an Icetool :wink:

ratios based on this recipe
water - 150 grams - 52.08%
tobacco 100 grams - 34.72%
13 grams salt - 4.51%
17 grams glycerine - 5.90%
7 grams sodium carbonate - 2.43%
1 gram ammonium chloride - 0.35%
flavour and alcohol ---

total - 288 grams (6.40 45g cans)

I compared your recipe to ones posted before and there are some interesting differences.

Yours does not contain Propylene Glycol (preservative). Did you not want to bother with that or did you think it isn't needed due to the small yield? Is it something you would consider if you started with, say, 700 grams of tobacco?

Your recipe contains ammonium chloride. Am curious where/how you came up with that ingredient. I have not seen that one used in other SNUS recipes.
I was wondering why black licorice (Anis) was a popular flavor of snus manufacturers... and now I might have the answer.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salty_liquorice

Your initial bake is 6 days at 85-90° C. Isn't that a bit higher than the norm (50° C) for a 6 day bake? Is there any risk in a higher temp for that long of a period?

[justintempler]

I compared your recipe to ones posted before and there are some interesting differences.

Yours does not contain Propylene Glycol (preservative). Did you not want to bother with that or did you think it isn't needed due to the small yield? Is it something you would consider if you started with, say, 700 grams of tobacco?

Propylene Glycol is there to keep the snus from drying out. If I wanted a long shelf life and I thought it would be months before I would finish the batch then I would include it.

It takes me about 5 days to go through a can of lössnus. So a batch using 100 grams of tobacco (6+ cans) would last me about a month.

I would rather make lots of small batches where I could experiment until I know what I'm doing. When I really really like the results then I might consider making bigger batches and including PG.

Your recipe contains ammonium chloride. Am curious where/how you came up with that ingredient. I have not seen that one used in other SNUS recipes.
I was wondering why black licorice (Anis) was a popular flavor of snus manufacturers... and now I might have the answer.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salty_liquorice

Bergamot + smoke flavouring + ammonium chloride = Lucky Strike 8)

BAT - Lucky Strike - Ingredients

Your initial bake is 6 days at 85-90° C. Isn't that a bit higher than the norm (50° C) for a 6 day bake? Is there any risk in a higher temp for that long of a period?

As long as you don't let it dry out, nope. I'm cooking it for that long because I'm using a Kentucky tobacco which has a lower sugar content so the chemical reaction we want takes longer. If I was using a sweeter tobacco it wouldn't take as long.

Strengbergs "legendariska" recept

P.S. Strengbergs also has Salmiak (ammonium chloride) :wink:

[Snusmun]

This is so cool justin, that you've taken this on and shared your experiences. Something I just may have to try some day. Would love to grow my own organic tobacco and make some snus!!

[snupy]

The Stoker's dark air cured was usable, but I'm not happy with it.

When I was still ryo, I used Stoker's #2. Actually, it was one of the first I tried. After smoking it for a few hours, I noticed this very odd, funky undertaste to the tobacco. It was also far too sweet. I never tried the dark air cured Stoker's, but I doubt I would have been impressed, given the taste and quality of the Stoker's #2.

[snupy]

ratios based on this recipe
water - 150 grams - 52.08%
tobacco 100 grams - 34.72%
13 grams salt - 4.51%
17 grams glycerine - 5.90%
7 grams sodium carbonate - 2.43%
1 gram ammonium chloride - 0.35%
flavour and alcohol ---

total - 288 grams (6.40 45g cans)

EXCELLENT! My leaves from last year are Virginia and Turkish, so I probably won't have to cook as long as yours. The Virginias are loaded with sugar, from what I understand. I will also have to convert the above weights to ounces, which will be trivial and I do have a postal scale that measures out to tenths of ounces. I most likely won't get to making mine until mid-May. It won't be much, since only two plants made it last year, but they are ready for processing now, having air cured for well over 90 days.

You're an inspiration justintempler, as well as a wealth of information.

Here's the dried leaf. Do you think I should use the Turkish or not, given that it dried green? Virginia on the left and Turkish (all of which dried green) on the right:

[justintempler]

Best info I could find. :?:

http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubs/PDF/B884.pdf

Green
snip .....

There are other deficiencies associated with green color, and such tobacco has a harsh, bitter taste Lighter shades of green will improve on aging, but pronounced green grades are most undesirable.