using coffee mug warmer for tobacco extraction?

[pantoporos aporos]

Hi all,

I've been reading all I can in this sub forum, and from what I gather pipe tobacco yields more flavor than cigars, and heat extraction yields bolder flavor than cold extractions (particularly for cigars, and in VG).

So it looks like a hot extraction is in my future, but from what I've read it's best to keep from going above 150° F, making crock pots a bit of a problem.

So here's my question: has anyone successfully used mug warmers for their extractions? It seems most such warmers stay between 125 and 140 degrees, which sounds about right.

My plan at the moment is to cut up a cigar or two, put in a tall mason jar and pour a generous amount of glycerin on top. Maybe a few days of heat and a few weeks of steeping ought to do it?

 

[usr/]

Hey p a, although I've not used a coffee mug warmer for a heat source for extracts, I suppose it could be used without issue. A lot of people use the crock pot method successfully, though. I think you would get a more even distribution of heat on the extract because the water in the crock is usually up around the sides of the jar. With the mug warmer your heat will be concentrated more at the bottom only portion of the jar. I'm assuming your using the flat plate type warmer. You could go ahead and use it but may find you need to very gently give the extract a little stir just to distribute evenly into extract before starting the room temp soak. You may also consider just doing a room temp maceration (cold soak 6-8 weeks). You get very good results with this method also. I noticed you mentioned using vg. If that's the case I think your biggest challenge ahead will be filtering your extract. Unless your going to use a vacuum or an Aeropress type of device you may find it very difficult to gravity filter 100% vg. I use 100% pg so I have no experience with filtering vg other than what I've read others experience with it. I filter with coffee filter and then 2.5 micro filter. I think the key to a good extract is not to pull it off too quick and give it time to extract thoroughly. Especially with the cigars. Also with cigars they need a lot of age before they fully develop after they have been mixed. I'm talking months. These are just a few of my observations and maybe some other veteran extractors will give some more pointers. Good tobacco, good filtering, time and patience are key to a good extract. Anyway hope this helps. Don't rush it and good luck to you.

 

[Shirtbloke]

I would have thought that using a coffee mug warmer would get more convection going than using a crockpot. You'd get hotter liquid rising in the centre and falling as it cools at the outside. There'd be less of that going on in a crockpot that's the same temperature all round. Might result in better and quicker dispersion of flavour/ingredients.

Just a thought.

 

[Str8vision]

I have a coffee mug warmer and have used it to help speed evaporation of PGA but with110ml of liquid the temperature never exceeded ~110F with an open container. Don't really know what temp it would reach if the container was sealed and perhaps insulated but the mug warmers aren't thermostatically controlled. Perhaps a test run to determine ultimate temperature would help. No tobacco for the test, just the container and correct amount of solvent. After a few hours on the warmer measure the temperature of the solvent.

 

[pantoporos aporos]

Thanks, all. A test run sounds like a good idea... And I'm hoping that convection will do what a gentle stirring would do otherwise, but we'll see!