Update: I am becoming much more efficient at stripping the stems from the leaves; I guess it comes with practice. I did a 1/4 pound of Virginia the other day in less than 15 minutes. The orientals, with the small leaves will continue to be troublesome, just by the sheer numbers of leaves. Even with them I have come up with ways to speed up the process. I've seen stem-stripping tools available... anyone ever tried one of them?

Also thinking about applying a small amount of lakeland-type toppings if I can find a source for them, particularly the tonquin bean top dressing. Don't much care for the grandma's perfumey stuff though.