| Curing Tobacco: a NecessityLike many plants, | | | | CuringThe flue-curing consists of heating the |
| green tobacco is 90 percent water. After | | | | air in a very well closed barn. An outside |
| being harvested, and before going to the | | | | fire blows hot air (very hot!) into metal |
| barn, the tobacco has faded a little and the | | | | pipes running into the barn. There is no |
| water content is about 80%. It is still too | | | | direct contact between the fire and the |
| much water for fermentation and the curing is | | | | tobacco, the hot pipes just heat the inside |
| necessary to lower this rate to about 25%. To | | | | air. This process is used for curing Virginia |
| get 100 lb. of "dry" tobacco, the curing has | | | | tobacco for cigarettes and Connecticut type |
| to eliminate about 40 gallons of water. A | | | | wrappers. The goal is to fix the color on |
| full barn of tobacco will need millions of | | | | yellow to get bright tobaccos.Air or Fire |
| cu. ft. of air to drain off this water! | | | | Curing?Indonesian tobaccos are often |
| Whatever the curing process is, the barn has | | | | classified as fire-cured, even if they are |
| to be ventilated!Change the NatureIf you let | | | | air-cured. As the growers have to help the |
| green tobacco dry naturally, the color will | | | | curing with fire, the tobaccos are so |
| turn yellow first, then brown. To modify this | | | | classified for customs purpose, having the |
| natural transformation, and to get a | | | | advantage of a preferred duty tariff. It is a |
| different result, a special process has to be | | | | way to help the exports of developing |
| applied.Curing ProcessOnce harvested, the | | | | countries.Sun CuringOriental tobaccos are |
| tobacco must be cured without delay in order | | | | sun-cured. No barn, nothing but the sun! The |
| to start the stabilization of the material. | | | | tobacco goes out very yellow and keeps all |
| Without curing, the tobacco would dry and | | | | its sugar content. It is generally a very |
| turn to dust as any vegetable. There are four | | | | short tobacco. Leaves are 2 or 3 inches |
| main processes : Flue Curing, Fire Curing, | | | | large. The taste is sweet. This tobacco is |
| Air Curing and Sun Curing. The last one does | | | | used for blond cigarette, pipe and short |
| not need a curing barn. Cigar tobaccos are | | | | filler cigars. The main producers are Greece, |
| generally air-cured, but some light wrappers | | | | Turkey, and Bulgaria. All the countries |
| are flue-cured.Air CuringCigar tobaccos are | | | | around these three are also growing oriental |
| mainly air-cured (or dark air-cured). They | | | | tobacco.Hanging tobacco leavesFor curing, |
| dry in a closed barn with a natural | | | | tobacco leaves have to be hung in the barn. |
| circulation of air. This process is longer | | | | The old manner was to thread leaves with a |
| than any other but it is the most natural. | | | | needle on a thin string, one by one. Now |
| However, if the air is very humid (in some | | | | there are sewing machines. Leaves are put two |
| countries, or during the night), the barn is | | | | by two in a rail and are sewn automatically |
| heated with smokeless fires (made with gas or | | | | when pressing the petiole against the rail. |
| coal) in order to avoid rotting and to | | | | The string is attached to a slat that is put |
| accelerate the process a bit.Fire | | | | on supports in the barn. The barn is filled |
| CuringDuring fire-curing, the barn is really | | | | up from top to bottom, section by |
| a smokehouse! Wood fires are kept burning in | | | | section.John Payne is the Publisher of Web |
| the barn. Smoke is everywhere. The tobacco | | | | Marketing Ezine, and the Founder of |
| turns black and shiny. It is impregnated with | | | | Enviro-Friendly Products.Patrice Hirschfeld |
| a nice smoke smell. This process is used in | | | | has spent a lifetime in Tobacco, and is the |
| Kentucky and others places that try to match | | | | Proprietor of the Online Cigar Store- Voila |
| the product (Malawi, Italy). Fire-cured | | | | Cigars. John provides Marketing Consultancy |
| tobaccos are mainly used in roll-your-own , | | | | to Voila Cigars. |
| pipe tobacco and dark cigarettes.Flue | | | | |