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OFF TO MARKET
- When the first curing cycle has ended, factory buyers come to inspect the tobacco leaves' quality, during which period their market value is determined.
Once the leaves have been chosen by the buyers, they are transported to the factories, where the shade-grown leaves (leaves that are grown under muslin tapados) and sun-grown leaves are sorted by size, texture and color.
These re-sorted hands are then stacked in massive, free-standing piles, often as tall as six feet high, called burros, where a third fermentation period takes place.
A SEASON OF CYCLES
- Tobacco is a winter plant, though what passes for winter in Cuba doesn't conjure images of chestnuts roasting by an open fire.
The growing season begins in September, when seedlings are planted in the beginning of the month, and continues to the end of March or the beginning of April.
In the Vuelta Abajo, plants are started in three cycles:
early November plantings harvested in January; mid-November plantings harvested at the beginning of March; and late November plantings harvested at the end of March.
OFF TO SEE THE BLENDER
- Once the leaves have been sorted according to their function in the cigar's physiognomy, they are sent to the blender, who determines which leaves are best suited for the varying cigar sizes, shapes, and most important, tastes the factory manufactures.
PICKY PICKY
- Once the tobacco plants are placed in the ground, the tobacco farmer, called a veguero, must tirelessly attend to them.
While it takes only 45 days for a young tobacco plant to mature enough for its initial harvesting, a fledgling crop faces many hazards including weather, pests, mold, and disease.
Most Tobacco farms actually plan for 15% of their planting to be lost.
LIFE IN THE FIELDS
- Young tobacco plants are meticulously planted in rows, with a precise amount of space allowed between the plants.
Shade-grown tobacco, used for the wrapper, is grown under a screen of cheesecloth or mest, to inhibit direct contact with the sun's rays.
Sun-grown tobacco is grown without any protective covering.
DRY OUT, MAN
- After the leaves are picked, they are classified by size and texture, and then braided or stacked into bundles, called gavillas, or hands.
The gravillas are then taken to curing barns, where they are draped over long poles and protected from direct sunlight and temperature changes.
Here, the tobacco leaves slowly dry out and eventually change color-from dark green to yellow, to brown-as they lose their moisture content.
This process takes from 3 to 8 weeks, depending on the type of tobacco and the weather conditions.
ALMOST READY TO ROLL
- Leaves to be used for binder and filler are taken through the de-stemming process, and the left and right sides of the plant are separated and sorted by size, color, and quality of leaf.
Leaf used for long-filler cigars (all those in the premium and ultra-premium category) is usually de-stemmed before fermentation, but only a small part of the stem is removed, so the leaf does not fall apart during fermentation.
These leaves are again sorted, graded, and finally categorized as leaves suitable for filler, wrapper, or binder.
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