Drying, grinding and sieving tobacco

You'll need Tick as you go

• Tobacco leaf of any kind
• Distilled water, or a casing liquid

Equipment

Method

1. Step 1 of 5Dry the tobacco quickly somewhere warm with good airflow. A low oven works if you watch it, and can add a toasted note. A slow cooker with the lid off works too, or you can leave the leaf out somewhere clean.
2. Step 2 of 5Grind the dry leaf in a blade coffee grinder. Crush any tough bits in the mortar.
3. Step 3 of 5Sieve while the flour is still dry. Tap the rim of a kitchen strainer to work it through, or stretch a pair of tights over a jar of flour and shake it.
4. Step 4 of 5Keep the flour that passes through first as your finest snuff. Regrind what's left and sieve it again for a coarser second grade.
5. Step 5 of 5Stir in distilled water or your casing liquid to bring the flour back into moisture. To scent snuff that's already moist, mist it instead, or seal it in a container next to a separate dish of water or scent.

Notes

Dry leaf grinds much finer than damp leaf. A burr grinder gives a more even, coarser grind, but a blade grinder can also mix. Use only clean ingredients, such as distilled water. How moist you make it is up to you.