After finishing up what I had labeled as simply “Batch 6”, the VA/Per blend I tried earlier, I decided to make some more. This batch is a small run of 16 grams, slightly altered with a 50/50 mix of Samsun and Izmir for the Turkish portion. After 3 days under fairly high pressure in the noodle press, it was like a dark, solid little puck of tobacco. I let it sit in a jar for a day before slicing off a small chunk to try out. It’s good, and I know from experience it will get substantially better with some additional age.
At this point I plan to make a larger batch with the same mix. the largest plug I’ve made in the noodle press was 100 grams, and it was a challenge to get it out of the press. I’ll probably limit future plugs to 50 to 65 grams.