Tobacco extraction using heated Ethanol

[Exchaner]

I wonder if this could be inserted into the line supply of the crock pot???

Amazon.com : AC 110~120V Digital Temperature Controller Thermostat F : Renewable Energy Charge Controllers : Patio, Lawn & Garden

or this one....

Lerway 110V Stc-1000 All-Purpose Temperature Controller + Sensor 2 Relay Output Thermostat for Home brew, Hatch, ect - Hvac Controls - Amazon.com

I use a simple light dimmer like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Lutron-TT-300..._sbs_lg_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=16W3RKV795Y8FNH8ZWSQ

It does not have temp control, but I have solved that problem by doing a simple test. I measure the temp inside my crockpot and mark the dimmer at the desired setting that keeps the temp constant. Works perfectly, and no need for a probe inside the crockpot. You will need to ensure the wattage on your crockpot is compatible with the dimmer. I personally use a 200 watt crockpot with this dimmer.

 

[Str8vision]

I use a simple light dimmer like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Lutron-TT-300..._sbs_lg_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=16W3RKV795Y8FNH8ZWSQ

It does not have temp control, but I have solved that problem by doing a simple test. I measure the temp inside my crockpot and mark the dimmer at the desired setting that keeps the temp constant. Works perfectly, and no need for a probe inside the crockpot. You will need to ensure the wattage on your crockpot is compatible with the dimmer. I personally use a 200 watt crockpot with this dimmer.

A dimmer switch may not have programmable temperature control but it still beats my "lid placement" technique by leaps and bounds .

 

[Dan Bean]

Sorry, 96% ethanol, as far as I understand. Not too sure though.

 

[Exchaner]

I need to try this method. What is a good source for 1 micron filters? I found these 1.1 micron filters on amazon, but they are darn expensive. Can't I just stuff some cotton inside a syringe and push the liquid through?

http://www.amazon.com/Ahlstrom-1610...9570616&sr=8-3&keywords=1+micron+borosilicate

http://www.amazon.com/Ahlstrom-1610...9570616&sr=8-1&keywords=1+micron+borosilicate

P.S. Wondering why one is more expensive than the other - even though it is smaller. Does it have anything to do with thickness?

 

[Str8vision]

I need to try this method. What is a good source for 1 micron filters? I found these 1.1 micron filters on amazon, but they are darn expensive. Can't I just stuff some cotton inside a syringe and push the liquid through?

http://www.amazon.com/Ahlstrom-1610...9570616&sr=8-3&keywords=1+micron+borosilicate

http://www.amazon.com/Ahlstrom-1610...9570616&sr=8-1&keywords=1+micron+borosilicate

P.S. Wondering why one is more expensive than the other - even though it is smaller. Does it have anything to do with thickness?

Cotton balls properly packed into a syringe provide between 15 - 25 microns of retention, coffee filters (Bunn), provide 25 - 35 microns. Both are pretty inadequate if you want a clean extract. Filter felt is reusable but is "nominally" rated meaning that it doesn't actually filter all the particles at it's rated retention level. I bought 1 micron filter felt and would guesstimate it provides around 5 microns of actual filtration. Even so it does a pretty decent job so I use it as a pre-filter.

The two filters you linked are the exact same filter just different diameters. I'd opt for the larger less expensive ones. The pricing doesn't always make sense and sometimes fluctuates "wildly". I bought 1 micron borosilicate glass filters for somewhere around $27 for a hundred, a week later the same filters cost $110. Filters with a retention rating below 1.5 microns get pricy. To be honest I don't feel the performance difference between 2 micron and 1 micron justifies the cost but I do like borosilicate glass better than cellulose.

 

[Bunnykiller]

the smaller ones are more expensive......

pay more get less.... the American way

 

[Exchaner]

I think I will use cotton balls for now just to see if I like the extract. I can always switch to the other filters once I am sure.

 

[gt_1955]

Filtered mine tonight being careful to leave any settlement undisturbed. This is what's trapped after filtering through a standard coffee filter (brand name doesn't matter, be different to US brands anyway). Have yet to give it a toot (I'll report back when I do).

Okay, back after mixing it at 10% 6mg/ml, no added VG (usual is 12mg/ml nowadays after starting at 24mg/ml). Tastes very smokey and has a similar taste to what the tobacco smelt like fresh ... I like it

Now I made some slight changes to the method, and that was to presoak the shredded (in a coffee grinder) tobacco in 190 PGA for 12 hours in the freezer at -20C. The tobacco and PGA were in the freezer for 3 days prior to that. This was done in attempt to extract some alkaloids prior to the flavour extraction using the heated ethanol.

I think this has been successful on both counts.

 

[Str8vision]

Filtered mine tonight being careful to leave any settlement undisturbed. This is what's trapped after filtering through a standard coffee filter (brand name doesn't matter, be different to US brands anyway). Have yet to give it a toot (I'll report back when I do).

Okay, back after mixing it at 10% 6mg/ml, no added VG (usual is 12mg/ml nowadays after starting at 24mg/ml). Tastes very smokey and has a similar taste to what the tobacco smelt like fresh ... I like it

Now I made some slight changes to the method, and that was to presoak the shredded (in a coffee grinder) tobacco in 190 PGA for 12 hours in the freezer at -20C. The tobacco and PGA were in the freezer for 3 days prior to that. This was done in attempt to extract some alkaloids prior to the flavour extraction using the heated ethanol.

I think this has been successful on both counts.

I was a bit surprised and impressed by how much gunk the freezing cycle was able to pull from an extract. Heated ethanol extraction does seem to produce a clear flavor that is not murky or muddied but more true to the actual flavor of the tobacco. That's good for some tobaccos but perhaps not all. I didn't like the "true" flavor it pulled from Dunhill Elizabethan mix, a Virginia, Perique (VaPer), blend as the grassy, straw like notes from the Virginia were very up front and distinct. Taste is subjective but for true VaPer blends I think I might actually prefer a dual stage extraction better. What tobacco did you extract?

 

[gt_1955]

Around about 15g of Drum Classic Blue RYO tobacco (around, because my scales I use to measure small amounts failed). Because I'm regional, varieties of tobacco are very difficult to obtain, and expensive (about $1/g, so an ounce is around $30 retail). Chop-chop (illegal, home grown tobacco) is considerably cheaper but almost non-existent where I live.

 

[Ian444]

In January, before I knew I couldn't get pga any more, I put down four 100% pga cold macerations, just to see what would happen. Lately I had been worrying/wondering how I was going to get the oil out of them, and was thinking it was probably all a silly idea. Now I don't have to worry, the freezer should do the trick. Thanks for sharing! They've been going for four months so should be more than ready now. I might filter them this weekend or next, I'll let you know how it goes.

I would never have thought of using heat with pga even though I like to use a bit of pga in the solvent, usually around 15% with pg in a cold maceration, sometimes hot for a much shorter time (hours instead of days). I have noticed a bit of oil from those extractions occasionally, but it dissolves back in after a month or so and I've not noticed any strange side-effects from doing that. But with 100% pga solvent, it might be a different story.

As GT mentioned our only local supply of pga which was the Polmos rectified spirit mentioned earlier, is no longer available. I have about 300ml left. It used to cost $62 for 500ml. I have a friend with a still, he might be able to help out.

 

[Bunnykiller]

ouch... 62$ for 500ml? I just bought a 750ml for 11$ to do a set of extracts... odd how different countries control such things... also I picked up 4 oz of various blends of tobacco for 12$ total. ( 3$ per oz)

Im planning on doing the vacuum method of reduction this time... hopefully it will retain the goodness

 

[gt_1955]

We pay "sin" tax in Australia ... alcohol, tobacco and fuel are all taxed heavily ... have been cash cows for all political parties since the '60s

 

[Str8vision]

If I had to pay outrageous prices for ethanol I would perform vacuum distillation to not only reduce (concentrate), the extract but also to recover the ethanol for re-use. If I only had watered down ethanol available I would employ fractional distillation to purify the ethanol. The difference in boiling points between the two liquids is more than adequate.

 

[usr/]

I have a friend with a still, he might be able to help out.

What's your laws on growing your own tobacco?
Heirloom Tobacco Seeds for Sale - Sustainable Seed Co.

"country boys can survive.................."

Samuel Gawith 1792 Flake,Dark Bird's Eye and Five Brothers. These will be my first ethanol extractions.

 

[gt_1955]

What's your laws on growing your own tobacco?
Heirloom Tobacco Seeds for Sale - Sustainable Seed Co.

"country boys can survive.................."

Samuel Gawith 1792 Flake,Dark Bird's Eye and Five Brothers. These will be my first ethanol extractions.

You will get more time/bigger fine than commercially growing dope ... because you are evading tax which is about $500/kg, and they assess that on what the plant could produce, not actually has.

Ahh ... the lucky country

 

[Bunnykiller]

oooops... dont fill the crockpot when your jar of extract is at minimal volume... it will flip over ... lost an extract of Virginia Red ... what was weird tho is the extract turned to a milky orange muck as soon as the warm water hit it.... but OMG the water smelled awesome

 

[Ian444]

I had four cold extracts in 100% pga, 4 months old, but filtered two yesterday and put them in the freezer. I have never seen such clean looking extracts, plenty of colour, but very clean. Filtering is a breeze with the pga solvent. The oils are an off-white colour in the bottom of the jars in the freezer, will do the final filtering tomorrow. They smelt stronger than previous extracts I've done. Black Irish X and Lane 1-Q. This method is looking really good, thanks for sharing Str8. I know I should be using heat, but they were put in before this thread started.

If I use this extract without replacing the alcohol with say PG, at what percentage of alcohol in the final mixed juice does the alcohol become a problem, if it even becomes a problem? I think I've had up to 2% alcohol in the final juice in the past and not even noticed it...

 

[gt_1955]

I've used 10% before Ian

 

[Str8vision]

I had four cold extracts in 100% pga, 4 months old, but filtered two yesterday and put them in the freezer. I have never seen such clean looking extracts, plenty of colour, but very clean. Filtering is a breeze with the pga solvent. The oils are an off-white colour in the bottom of the jars in the freezer, will do the final filtering tomorrow. They smelt stronger than previous extracts I've done. Black Irish X and Lane 1-Q. This method is looking really good, thanks for sharing Str8. I know I should be using heat, but they were put in before this thread started.

If I use this extract without replacing the alcohol with say PG, at what percentage of alcohol in the final mixed juice does the alcohol become a problem, if it even becomes a problem? I think I've had up to 2% alcohol in the final juice in the past and not even noticed it...

I've used up to 10%, it will thin the juice to the point pure VG has the viscosity of PG and the flavor is slightly different but not in a bad way. I normally reduce/condense the ethanol extract by around 50 - 60% before the final filtering and rarely use the condensed/filtered extract above 5-7%. I've been so busy that my last dozen extractions were never transferred to PG, just condensed. I'm using VG liquid nic and adding only VG to the mix so the ethanol extract thins it just right. If ethanol (PGA), is difficult to come by where you live you might want to reduce/condense your extract via vacuum distillation in order to recover the ethanol for reuse. Done properly, the purity (proof), of the recovered ethanol can actually be higher than it originally was....

I've never processed a cold ethanol extraction for that length of time, experiments that I ran for two weeks tasted off, plant like, but I didn't know about freezing the extract to precipitate/coalesce the oils and gunk for easy removal back then. Let us know how your extractions turn out as a long term cold extraction might yield -great flavor- once the oils and gunk are successfully separated/removed.