Could you please send a link to the filters you used? I'm a bit confused on the selection available on Amazon. Also, do use the Buchner funnel with a vacuum pump? If so how much was it if I may ask?
Slow Cooker Extraction of Tobacco and Tea
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Could you please send a link to the filters you used? I'm a bit confused on the selection available on Amazon. Also, do use the Buchner funnel with a vacuum pump? If so how much was it if I may ask?
Worked up third batch of extracts this time using a heat assisted. Took my dehydrator and modified the top tray to hold 4-4oz. jelly canning jars. Made a H&H 10 to midnight, Sutliff PS Maple Street, Stanwell Kir and Apple. 100% pg. Filled with tobacco and covered and mixed in pg. Set temp to 125 for 12 hr. Then went to 155 for 2 hr. Turned off and allowed to cool. All three jars seemed to have sealed down. I didn't open any of them to look or smell, just put them in the drawer. They've been there for about four days now. Was just wondering if it would hurt to leave them for another couple weeks or if maybe I should go ahead and get them strained (separated) and ready to filter. I've read where a lot of people go ahead and get it done after using heat. Just looking for some opinions or best advice. Thanks in advance.
All the various strategies seem to work well: Cold process (room-temp) long-steep (2 weeks to 2 months) macerations, heat-assisted (120° to 170° F) short-steep (12 hours to 5 days) macerations, and heat-assisted followed by longer room-temp steep macerations. Despite admonitions to the contrary urging only low temps (less than 150° F) for heat-assisted macerations to prevent caramelizing the sugars in the tobacco, I've had good results with temperatures as high as 175°. Simple soak macerations are apparently very adaptable to different approaches and conditions.
Most of my 40+ macerations over the past year and a half have been heat-assisted without any additional room-temp steep time. What I find helpful is to sample the unfiltered solvent during the maceration. My maceration jars are always clear glass, so I can monitor the color of the solvent during the slow cook. When I think the solvent of a particular maceration might be "ready"---I do four or five jars at a time---I take that jar out of the water bath and remove the lid. Using a dropper, I siphon off a little liquid from the surface of the solvent, enough for 10-15 drops. I squeeze that into a 3ml bottle, add liquid nic and PG/VG in the proportions I want, and atty-drip the sample to check potency and flavor. If I like it, the maceration cook for that particular jar is over, and I filter the solvent as soon as it cools. If the sample isn't sufficiently potent or flavorful, I re-seal the jar and put it back into the heated water bath for further steeping, to be sampled again later. Sometimes I raise the temperature of the water bath, other times not. (I know the temperature of the water bath precisely because I submerge an old-style metal oven thermometer in the water, allowing me to see the exact temperature just by looking into the pot.)
In my early macerations, I simply guessed when the solvent was ready, based in part on color and in part on whatever length of heat-assisted steep I'd originally chosen. That worked out OK---I never had an extract that turned out lousy doing it that way. But mixing up small juice samples during the maceration seems to me a better process, allowing more accurate assessment. This is especially relevant when extracting cigars, since color alone is not a reliable guide.
That said, improved filtering is far and away the major factor in enhancing the quality of my extracts, much more important than whether or not I sample along the way.
I heat the PG in glass jars to 150F. Then I slowly put in the tobacco, stirring the whole time. When the tobacco with PG just barely covers I let it sit for an hour at 120F. Then I seal it and put it up to extract. Four to six weeks for pipe tobacco and six to eight weeks for cigars. When the extract is ready I filter with an Aeropress and pour into 60 ml brown glass bottles. Label it, and et voila!. Not counting the latest batch of ten still stewing, I have five out of sixty-three extracts that I call ADV's. There are others I'll keep extracting so as to supply my trading buddies with there favorites. For instance, Orlik Sun Sliced is not my cup of tea but I keep extracting it for a trading buddy. Tatiana Honey is another, although I enjoy a tank full once in awhile myself.
Cigar extracting I find a different kind of animal from pipe tobacco. I layer the different wraps the same order as they came wrapped, only I cut the cigar in half and the second half I layer in reverse going into the PG. Trial and error has taught me to use the whole cigar and to mix the resulting extract at a higher ratio than I would for a pipe tobacco. Also, they need a longer steep time.
By trading I get to taste a much wider sampling than if I just had my own extracts. It's definitely added to my enjoyment in vaping.
Cigar extracting I find a different kind of animal from pipe tobacco. I layer the different wraps the same order as they came wrapped, only I cut the cigar in half and the second half I layer in reverse going into the PG. Trial and error has taught me to use the whole cigar and to mix the resulting extract at a higher ratio than I would for a pipe tobacco. Also, they need a longer steep time.
By trading I get to taste a much wider sampling than if I just had my own extracts. It's definitely added to my enjoyment in vaping.
boomer,
papabogart reported in the Cold Maceration thread that the Aeropress wouldn't work (presumably for him) without "extensive modification." I've read that same opinion in other posts not on ECF. Obviously, you're not encountering any issues. This leads me to four questions:
1. Did you modify your Aeropress is any way?
2. Do you use special filters or just the standard filters that come with the Aeropress and are sold in replacement packs?
3. Do you think the Aeropress would work effectively to filter macerated solvent that is either partly VG or all VG?
4. Do you have a sense of why the Aeropress didn't work for papa but does for you?
I'm happy with my French Presses, but I'm curious about the Aeropress.
Thanks in advance.
Just to clarify a bit. Specifically, I couldn't get the Aeropress to accept the 5 micron (or any felt for that matter) filters that Bill put me onto. It seems the Aeropress is designed to tightly hold paper filters, but anything much thicker would require modification. I too, am inquisitive as to what filters you are using Boom.
I use the paper filters that came with the Aeropress. They work just fine IMHO. I haven't modified the Aero as it works great. I have filtered 50/50 PG/VG without a problem. You just have to use evenly applied pressure to the plunger, and of course the VG made it go a bit slower compared to 100% PG. Where the included filters worked for me, I have given up the idea of using felt or any other kind of filter. If it ain't broke don't try fixin it.
I haven't run into any problems with my coils gunking up. When there is a build-up it's easy enough to burn it off and replace the cotton wick. I'm not fussy about it but I can understand others wanting to minimize particulates in their extracts. We all have our own philosophies as to methods and procedures. I find my extracts taste better with the filtering I use. That and the length of time I let the extracts stew. I punch up the flavor ratio when mixing cigar juices, twenty-five to thirty percent versus twenty percent for the pipe tobaccos.
My taste buds need a good swift kick when it comes to cigar vapes. Most of them taste like nothing to me, while others, like La Fior Dominica Double Ligero, are like a slap in the face flavor-wise.With all the trades going on I have vaped a lot of cigar juices and very few have impressed me. Oscuro wrappers with double Maduro inner wraps are my favorites and also just about the whole Tatiana flavored line-up.
My method of tasting a new juice is to vape it in an HH357, 306 or 510 atty, a dripper on a micro coil with cotton and a tank ie: Aerotank, KF or EVOD. I try to give all of them a fair playing field and if a juice has a flavor I don't like, I always keep in mind that someone else may like it. So, I have a very thick notebook
I haven't run into any problems with my coils gunking up. When there is a build-up it's easy enough to burn it off and replace the cotton wick. I'm not fussy about it but I can understand others wanting to minimize particulates in their extracts. We all have our own philosophies as to methods and procedures. I find my extracts taste better with the filtering I use. That and the length of time I let the extracts stew. I punch up the flavor ratio when mixing cigar juices, twenty-five to thirty percent versus twenty percent for the pipe tobaccos.
My taste buds need a good swift kick when it comes to cigar vapes. Most of them taste like nothing to me, while others, like La Fior Dominica Double Ligero, are like a slap in the face flavor-wise.With all the trades going on I have vaped a lot of cigar juices and very few have impressed me. Oscuro wrappers with double Maduro inner wraps are my favorites and also just about the whole Tatiana flavored line-up.
My method of tasting a new juice is to vape it in an HH357, 306 or 510 atty, a dripper on a micro coil with cotton and a tank ie: Aerotank, KF or EVOD. I try to give all of them a fair playing field and if a juice has a flavor I don't like, I always keep in mind that someone else may like it. So, I have a very thick notebook
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Holy cow my first batch is in the cooker. After reading your posts several times through I'm finally extracting. I've got an Aging Room Small batch M series, a Rocky Patel Winter 2012, and a Rocky Patel Olde World Reserve Corojo in a warm (150 degree) bath for the next four days. I gathered my wife's best knifes and cutting boards and all of my supplies and started in. I forgot to weigh the cigars and cut up a Toro size cigar and put it in the jar and covered it with 60ml of a 65/35 PG/VG solution. Then another 60 ml, hoping to cover the tobacco per everyone's instructions. I'm guessing that there's about 150ml on that one and a baggy with the left overs from the other two cigars are back in my humidor. My aeropress and the 2.5 micron filters are standing by. I was thinking a couple of times through the aeropress and then a gravity fed lab filtering? Has anyone tried cutting the lab filters to fit the aeropress and could that work? Thanks again, folks, for sharing all of your knowledge and I look forward to seeing how this all comes out next week!
Maybe you could just press the extract through a coffee filter designed for the Aeropress into your fluted filter paper for gravity filtering. You are still getting two stage filtering and it would probably be a lot less hassle.
Folks, I'm experimenting with the aeropress and it's still in process but here's what appears to be working for me. I took the maceration out of a warm crock pot after five days at around 150 degrees and let them cool. I then ran the "mash" through the aeropress with a single aeropress filter and pressed it pretty well to squeeze the juice out of the tobacco. I then took that and ran it through one more time with double aeropress filters set in the device. I started to do a gravity filter through a 2.5 micron Labexact filter and watched as I got three drops in the first hour. Next I used an aeropress filter as a template and cut one of the Labexact filter to be just ever so slightly larger. So I'm filtering through the aeropress with the 2.5 micron filter right now. I placed the jar and the aeropress close to a wall next to my bench and balanced a two pound brick on top of the aeropress. I get very slow but steady drips coming through and I'm guessing about 4-5 hours to filter the 60-70 mls. I haven't tried the extract yet but I cannot discern any particulates in it. I kinda like this program okay (don't forget to rub some PG on the plunger as someone else pointed out).
My question is this, am I defeating the filter by keeping the pressure on it?
Thanks again for the knowledge sharing here. This would be really tough to start from scratch and I hope to become a contributor as I get better.
My question is this, am I defeating the filter by keeping the pressure on it?
Thanks again for the knowledge sharing here. This would be really tough to start from scratch and I hope to become a contributor as I get better.
I'm still kinda new to this also, but it's really coming along very good. I haven't used the Aeropress but was thinking about maybe trying it out, especially for primary and quick filtering. I started out with my first couple of extractions as just cold macerations but have since made a few using a combination of heat and cold, and getting very good results. Seems like with the addition of heat things speed up considerably. But if I understand your question, I don't think keeping pressure applied would be an issue as long as no extract is getting out around any openings around where the filter is attached. Was seriously considering some type of small scale vacuum system but gravity gets the job done, just takes patience waiting on it to finish. I'm kinda in a waiting stage at the moment but I have been doing some blending that has been going very well. Tweaking and testing and re-tweaking. Good luck to you.
A 10 square centimeter Advantec 3 micron cellulose paper filter will rupture under a 15 cm column of water (i.e. Wet Strength). I can't speak to the integrity/quality of the filtration at excess pressure, but filter flow rates are measured under the pressure of a 10cm column of water. (all dependent of the manufacturer) My guess is that as long as the filter doesn't rupture, it's likely that the filter is still performing (removing particulate at least close to its rating). You could try to locate the "wet strength" for your particular filter, do the calculations and then stay under that pressure. Once the filtrate stops flowing, you don't want to add pressure for fear of rupture or loss a filtration quality.
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My experience with gravity filtering through 3 micron paper is about 10 - 12ml per hour with things slowing as the process goes on. So, if you're getting about 12ml per hour, you are probably okay.
Another thing to consider for improved flow rates (and filtrate quality) is the viscosity of the PG. PG at 50 degrees F. is approximately 100 times more viscous than water (at 70 degrees). PG at 180 degrees F is only about 3 times as viscous. Higher temperature will allow for slightly greater pressures resulting in higher flow rate while still retaining filter integrity.
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Links that you may find helpful:
http://www.coleparmer.com/Virtual-Catalog/US/595
http://www.lyondellbasell.com/techlit/techlit/2514.pdf
Edit:
Links that you may find helpful:
http://www.coleparmer.com/Virtual-Catalog/US/595
http://www.lyondellbasell.com/techlit/techlit/2514.pdf
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After 6 weeks steeping there is plenty of noticeable cigar, but right after extraction I couldn't detect any cigar characteristics. I mixed it 1:6 (14%) and it is too much, I'll have to dilute it to at least 12% or more. I'm loving it, very rich flavor. Might become one of my favorites, time will tell. I highly recommend it to others, its definitely not subtle, quite the opposite, the word "overpowering" comes to mind, but its very enjoyable.
The other two tobacco's I did at the same time (Lane 1-Q and MacBaren HH Old Dark Fired Ready Rubbed) also turned out very nice, they were all done with 10% PGA in the PG solvent. The method used was quick heat via microwave, sit overnight, then 5 hours at 70C the next day and filter.
Hi everybody,
Congratulation for the great thread ! I'll start my maceration in few days.
Got a question that may sound stupid, do you absolutely have to put the mason jars in the pot uncovered or can you lid them ? If you lid them do you also have to cover the pot ?
Thank you
Probably not the response you are looking for, but when I tried ScarfAce's crock pot method, I noticed the long brew time in the uncovered pot created so much moisture in the house that I was getting a lot of window condensation. I covered the pot to stop the moisture from escaping, but noticed that the condensation from the lid was dripping into the mason jars so I put lids on the jars. The others may be able to tell you if there is any difference in the final product between using lids or not.
Was looking for that sort of replyThank you. Did you cover both, jars and pot ?
Yes, I covered both. As a novice I can't tell you how it does/doesn't affect the the quality of the final extract tho.
One thing comes to mind. I used 100% PG. It may not be safe to cap the mason jars if you are using alcohol or water as a solvent at high temperatures.
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