Tobacco aging process
The third and last process to which
tobacco is subjected after harvest is aging. In this stage, a complex
ecological transformation takes place which, under certain conditions of
temperature and humidity, changes the physical and chemical characteristics and
significantly improves the aroma and flavor of the tobacco leaves.
This cycle generally takes 24 to 30
months to allow a host of microbial and enzymatic actions and other chemical
interactions to occur in the leaves, which play an important role in improving
the quality of the tobacco during processing.
In this phase the treatment of the
leaves is differentiated according to the function they will fulfill in the
cigar. Thus, the leaves that will be part of the filler and those that will be
used for the binder are
ventilated for several days, on platforms called barbecue pits. They are then
packed in containers called pacas and transferred to the warehouse where
they will age for a large period of time.
The strongest leaves that make up
the casing, called light and medium time, are subjected to the longest aging
period, which lasts at least 2 years. The leaves of medium strength, called
dry, require a period of between 12 and 18 months of aging, while the leaves of
minor strength (blown and binder)
require a shorter time, although it should never be less than 9 months. The variation
in the time required for the aging of the different types of leaves according
to their fortresses, means that more than one separate harvest is needed to
make a quality cigar.
For its part, the leaves intended to
act as a layer are packed in containers called tercios, made with yagua,
a textile fiber from different palm trees in Latin America.
It is very interesting to know that
each bale and each third carry a label that contains all the information about
the leaf, including the size, the year of harvest and the date of packing.
The aging of cigars
There is another aging process that
can occur after the cigar is completely made. However, it is a completely
different process, during which it will only be possible to add value to the
flavor or texture of the product if the temperature and humidity conditions in
which it is allowed to stand are appropriate, and if the variety of cigar from
which it is used treat, meets the requirements to undergo that additional aging
process.