Disastrous experience with plug tobacco

[Airborne]

=

 

[Puff Daddy]

You should be able to cut off a chunk and rub it out with your fingers. All of the American made plugs I've tried aren't pressed so firm as to keep a guy from rubbing out a carved out chunk. There are some british made plugs that have to be registered as weapons.....

I'd imagine you'd be able to get a knife and slice a nice flake off and treat it as any other flake.

 

[Puff Daddy]

Read this: http://glpease.com/BriarAndLeaf/?p=89

 

[s.ireland]

Maybe yours was a QC slip up?


"Cornell & Diehl pays tribure to Ameria's African American airmen with Tuskegee Airman, the second in their new series. A blend of Virginias, Perique, Turkish and Latakia is pressed to marry the flavors then sliced for easy packing."

 

[alfredo_buscatti]

I dice my plugs, making a mixture of small and larger chunks.

 

[docwatson]

I use an antique tobacco plug cutter to slice my plug. You may find one hunting in some antique shops, and they are a great advertising piece as well as being functional. Just keep the cutter away from the kids as they are just an old fashioned guillotine!!!

 

[Airborne]

Thanks, gents. I believe I have enough information to give it another try!

s.ireland - I decided to buy Tuskegee Airman because I noticed it was a favorite with a lot of guys here on BoB. So I ordered a tin along with my regular blends to try it out without reading up on it. I know, I know . . . my bad! I shouldn't have too much of a problem with it this go around because one of my regular blends is a flake. It's the block that threw me.

Have a good day to all!

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

Never tried Tuskegee Airmen, but I found with Jackknife Plug you really have to use a very sharp knife. Then you can cut thin slices that smoke as well as any flake tobacco.

 

[Buckshot]

I use an antique tobacco plug cutter to slice my plug. You may find one hunting in some antique shops, and they are a great advertising piece as well as being functional. Just keep the cutter away from the kids as they are just an old fashioned guillotine!!!

Would a cigar cutter do just as well?

 

[mike_68]

My Tuskegee was plug as well...just break some off and crumble it/pull it apart. I DO have to let it sit for a while before smoking as it seems sticky when first breaking off the chunks, pack it sorta loose too - that seems to help a bit..

Good luck! It really is a great toby..

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

I use an antique tobacco plug cutter to slice my plug. You may find one hunting in some antique shops, and they are a great advertising piece as well as being functional. Just keep the cutter away from the kids as they are just an old fashioned guillotine!!!

Would a cigar cutter do just as well?

Cigar cutters are great for rope tobacco, but these plugs are in bricks about 2.5" x 3" so you would need a pretty darn big cigar cutter.

 

[Storm_Crow]

Want to hear about a disaster with plug tobacco? Struggling while cutting the plug in the kitchen while the frying pan is boiling oil in preperation for a meal, the plug goes shooting out across the room, hits the pan which knocks over, igniting the kitchen and the poor cat standing beneath the pan which, now on fire, dashes out the open front door.

bad times

I mean...that didn't actually happen anywhere to my knowledge, but ya gotta admit, that would be a disaster.

 

[Airborne]

Want to hear about a disaster with plug tobacco? Struggling while cutting the plug in the kitchen while the frying pan is boiling oil in preperation for a meal, the plug goes shooting out across the room, hits the pan which knocks over, igniting the kitchen and the poor cat standing beneath the pan which, now on fire, dashes out the open front door.

bad times

I mean...that didn't actually happen anywhere to my knowledge, but ya gotta admit, that would be a disaster.

:affraid: :affraid: :affraid:

 

[Buckshot]

:affraid: :affraid: :affraid:

----a cat losing three of it's nine.

 

[Airborne]

:affraid: :affraid: :affraid:

----a cat losing three of it's nine.

:cheers:

 

[Brewdude]

I too had issues with plugs at first. What I found worked best was to slice off some flakes with a sharp knife lengthwise. Sort of the same as you'd get with any prepared flake 'baccy.

I cut these up on my kitchen cutting board with a serrated edge carving knife trying to produce the thickness of about 1/8".

Then I dried them out in a saucer for several hours and rubbed them up in the normal fashion. If they were still too moist I let them dry a couple more hrs.

After that they were ready to go, and I've been enjoying plugs ever since.

Once in a while I'll put the flakes in a whirly grinder (if it's something like Revor or Warrior, which seem to have a much greater density than GLP Jacknife or Triple Play) and pulse a couple times until I have medium sized pieces. It's too easy to overdo this, and I quickly found that whirling too long produced a grind that was too small and which had a tendency to clog the pipe.

I'm no expert, but this is what worked for me.


Cheers,

RR

 

[Airborne]

I too had issues with plugs at first. What I found worked best was to slice off some flakes with a sharp knife lengthwise. Sort of the same as you'd get with any prepared flake 'baccy.

I cut these up on my kitchen cutting board with a serrated edge carving knife trying to produce the thickness of about 1/8".

Then I dried them out in a saucer for several hours and rubbed them up in the normal fashion. If they were still too moist I let them dry a couple more hrs.

After that they were ready to go, and I've been enjoying plugs ever since.

Once in a while I'll put the flakes in a whirly grinder (if it's something like Revor or Warrior, which seem to have a much greater density than GLP Jacknife or Triple Play) and pulse a couple times until I have medium sized pieces. It's too easy to overdo this, and I quickly found that whirling too long produced a grind that was too small and which had a tendency to clog the pipe.

I'm no expert, but this is what worked for me.


Cheers,

RR

Thanks RR - I'm going to have a go at it again tomorrow. Once I have it down to a flake and dried a bit, I'm on familiar territory.

Have a great evening!

 

[user 1862]

Speaking of kitchen tools, one time in desperation, I used a hand grater to attack a plug. the plug was about 3/4 gone and due to the ingestion of liquid refreshment, I had an (great?) idea. It did work after a fashion, the large serrations working the best. Would I do it again? Now that I reflect upon it, possibly a sober person could do a better job. Ah, but then I have a perfectly serviceable knife at hand.

 

[Blackhorse]

You guys are killin' me! It's like I can hear Henri Mancini theme music in the background with Herbert Lom lopping off another finger and maybe a few toes while Sellers is setting fire to the whole place...but in a suave yet affectionately dodgy way. It only lacks Elke Sommer in the upstairs maid's costume. But then all that's EVER really lacking is Elke Sommer in the upstairs maid's costume.

So - answers:

1) a cigar cutter will not work on plug.
2) a cheese grater is not really sharp enough to shred plug...it just kind of turns it into a coarse powder that would be a disaster to try and smoke (don't ask me how I know).
3) under no circumstances would you be advised to try and saute the plug in that pan of hot canola oil..you have to use extra virgin olive oil.
4) unfortunately Elke Sommer no longer qualifies as an extra virgin anything...but still would be a likely candidate to help you with your 'plug'.
5) good luck...it would seem to be called for.

 

[user 1862]

It's good to see I'm in good company and that I'm not alone in my pursuit to find a better way. As for dear Elke, granted, her extra virgin days have passed, but out of kindness may we simply say that she has been previously enjoyed? Blackhorse, your prompt caused me to dig out some Henry Mancini on vinyl to complete the vision, as such a sight requires vintage equipment. It has been a long time and from there I went on to some Glenn Miller, and then to Mildred Bailey. Look what you started with your last post!