DIY tobacco leaf juice?

[Purplefowler]

This is something I've been toying with for a while now and after a nice chat with ZT a couple of weeks ago I have decided the time has come to stop fanning around and jump in. So with my flavour order with leisureliquids yesterday I added some Nicaraguan cigar leaves and am now thinking "oh shit, what am I doing!!!" I've read and reread this thread http://www.planetofthevapes.co.uk/f...-at-Leisureliquids-com/page2?highlight=Leaves and think I get the basics. I've also bought a tala preserve jar for the stuff to steep in. Then I realised I've nothing to filter it out with. I was thinking a funnel with aquarium filter sponge shoved down the tube (see you reefers ain't the only ones to use fishy stuff for vaping purposes ) and running it through a few times. I get that it must not boil but will keeping it heated for a while make a stronger concentrate? How long can the mixture be kept for? So many questions so I guess what I'm really asking is who has done their own real leaf juice, how did you do it, what mistakes did you make and are there any hints and tips that may be handy for me or anyone else that fancies having a go?

 

[ocd13]

This is something I am also really interested in trying sometime so will be interesting to see replies from people who have been successful

 

[KulrMeStoopid]

I know a guy.. Jimmy Southern (on FB, he should be on the group Wick n Wire) who mentioned doing this some time ago.


You need to figure out if you want to grow/harvest your own or used ready dried/fermented leaves.


Its easier to use the dry fermented leaves, but youve got to make sure they're the right ones. Some of them are kiln dried and I believe this removes the nicotine from them, they need a humid kiln dry or ferment I believe. (i'm just trying to remember what he was telling us.

 

[Purplefowler]

I'm quite happy buying ready dried leaves at the moment so that should be fine. I don't even know if I'll like it as I usually stay well clear of tobacco juice but I've recently had some sort of craving. I don't fancy a smoke at all, just fancy a nice real tobacco taste if that makes any sense at all!

 

[EthelKing]

I'm glad you asked about this PF, as I have been considering "steeping" leaves etc. but I have a question/concern. If I buy cured leaves - for example - flue cured - what actually ends up in the PG, substance wise, after it has done it's thing, been filtered etc?

My understanding is less than zero on this subject - but it seems quite feasible that some of the "crap" in cigarettes can potentially end up in the finished juice. If it does, has anyone got an idea of what the final juice is composed of? I know that some e-juices taste a little more authentic to the tobacco taste because of the process used to extract the nicotine - Hangsen springs to mind, as I am sure that I read somewhere that was the case with their processing system; but obviously the extraction is done in what can only be described as pharmaceutical manufacturing plants, whereas our processing would be done in the kitchen without the benefit of the micro filters and analysis etc.

I'd love to give it a go - but what could potentially end up in the juice makes me keep putting it off. Does anyone think (or ideally know if) there could be an issue, or am I just being a tart?

 

[Purplefowler]

From what I've read steeping leaf extraction really just takes the flavour and not much else, but proper distiller extraction (the dangerous type) extracts a lot more. There is surprising little on the Internet about the composition of the steeped liquid though so I guess not many people have looked deeply into it. The usual answer is that we smoked the stuff for years without worrying too much so this should be fine, but that doesn't take into consideration and chemical reactions that can occur when messing about with stuff

 

[Purplefowler]

Oh and if you are using tobacco for smoking to make the juice then yes you will get loads of crap but using untreated, dried leaf is meant to be ok but again I've not seen any proof that it is or isn't.

 

[Mark]

It is said that these juices could contain TSNAs which are carcinogens. Way less dangerous than smoking but I do consider I may be taking more of a risk with these juices
Wikipedia on TSNAs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco-specific_nitrosamines
I know eBaron says his tobacco sources are 'naturally cultivated and are pesticide free which I would never have thought about
I also recall this coming up before and eBaron said he done tests that showed the TSNAs were below what would be considered unsafe for Vaping. But who really knows?

 

[EthelKing]

Yeah, it's the lack of information and the "we used to smoke the stuff" reasoning that puts me off - wimp that I am! Still very tempted though...

 

[Purplefowler]

Yeah, it's the lack of information and the "we used to smoke the stuff" reasoning that puts me off - wimp that I am! Still very tempted though...

I know exactly what you mean, which is why it's taken so long for me to take the plunge. The whole "well we used to smoke..." is such a cop out. We should be questioning everything as this leads to greater understanding-knowledge is power and all that