Have you ever wondered why you like one type of cigar or tobacco more than others? The report I gathered below might give you a small idea… ^_~ In the following article you will get information I gathered from a number of different sources I found on-line. Including good old Wiki...
Cigar tobacco is first cured, air-cured then fermented. This is where it differs from Pipe
Tobacco: Why is cigar tobacco fermented and what does it do?
After fresh tobacco has been harvested and cured (by air, flue or fire curing), it must be further
processed in order to make it a premium product. This applies to the leaf used for all parts of a cigar - filler, binder, and wrapper.
The process is known as fermentation and must be carefully monitored at all times. Essentially, the bales of cured (and dried) leaf are received, moistened, and laid up into large piles called "bulks." The centers of the bulks generate heat and are monitored so that they are not allowed to exceed 115 to 130 degrees F.
The leaves in the bulk are rotated out from center to outside and the heat allowed to build up again. This process is repeated, as necessary, from four to eight cycles until the generation of heat levels off. Each cycle or rotation is know as a "sweat." The "sweating" or fermentation process releases nitrogen and other chemical compounds. It also reduces the nicotine content. Consequently raising the sugar content.
After fermentation has been completed and the leaves re-dried, the tobacco is again restacked into bales or barrels and allowed to age. This aging process helps to enhance the flavors and the burning qualities. It is this step that sets aside premium, high quality cigar manufacturers, an hence their cigars, from the inferior ones.
Common signs that the tobacco leaf has not been fully fermented and aged include:
- harshness, bitterness, or a metallic taste on the tongue, lips and in the mouth.
- a feeling something like heartburn in the chest cavity.
- the cigar keeps going out easily.
One last point, once a cigar is made, the tobacco in it can no longer be fermented. A cigar must be maintained under proper storage conditions, may mellow and improve with age. That said, if unfermented or un-aged tobacco is used in the making of a cigar, no amount of time will improve its characteristics.
But If you are a Pipe smoker the differences are in how its cured only (with one exception , the Perique), if it’s a Non-Aromatic blend. If its an Aromatic blend it is then cased (sugar is added) and an aroma is added to it, cherry, chocolate, rum, fruit, etc.
Here is some basic information on tobacco that may help you better understand what you are smoking and why you might like it or dislike it. Of all the compounds in pipe tobacco there are two that are the most important to the tobacco blenders.
NICOTINE & SUGARS
The sugars refer to naturally occurring reducing sugars as dextros
e.
Since tobacco crops can vary from
year to year, they are tested to measure the diff
erent levels of these two compounds. Knowing of the general characteristics of the different types of tobaccos from different places around the world, and the different types of curing, is what enables the tobacco blenders to produce consistent blends with sometimes non-consistent crops.
The amount of nicotine vs. sugars is usually an INVERSE relationship. Tobaccos high in sugar are usually low in nicotine and tobaccos high in nicotine are low in (natural) sugars.
Tobaccos high in nicotine and low in sugars
- Burly
- Kentucky
- Perique
Curing forms producing high nicotine and l
ow sugar
- Fire-Cured (with one exception - see below)
- Air-cured
- Air-cured, pressure / fermented (for Perique)
Tobaccos low in nicotine and high in sugar -
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Turkish / Oriental
Curing form producing low nicotine and high sugar -
Flue-cured
Most tobaccos are flue-cured. A fast process which takes 3 to 5 days. Making the tobacco economically desirable. It also helps hold the sugars in the tobacco by quickly killing the leaf. – Once the tobacco is hanging in the curing barn it is heated using “Flues”, large big tubes that create an oven-like effect. Kept at 200 degrees Fahrenheitt.
Fire-curing
Smokes the tobacco, like smoke-curing meat. Fires are lit on the floor of the barn and the smoke rises to the hanging tobacco.
Air-curing
Is when the tobacco is left to dry out naturally without adding heat or smoke. It takes 4 - 6 weeks. Same as cigar tobacco.
Sun-curing
is like air-curing, but as it's names implies, the tobacco is left out in the sun. Sun-cured tobaccos are usually used for cigars and not often found in pipe blends.
Note*
Here's an interesting rule and an exception to the rule
Fire-cured tobaccos like "Dark-Fired Kentucky" have high nicotine and little to no sugars.
However, the quite popular Latakia tobacco is fire-cured, but contains low nicotine and high sugars. This is because Latakia is made from Oriental tobaccos which have high sugar and low nicotine to begin with.
Pressure/Fermented Perique
Unique to only this one type of tobacco, the tobacco plants are manually kept suckerless and pruned to exactly 12 leaves through their early growth. In late June, when the leaves are a dark, rich green and the plants are 24-30 inches (600 to 750 mm) tall, the whole plant is harvested in the late evening and hung to dry in a sideless curing barn. Once the leaves have partially dried but are still supple (usually less than 2 weeks in the barn), any remaining dirt is removed and the leaves are moistened with water and stemmed by hand. The leaves are then rolled into "torquettes" of approximately 1 pound (450 g) and packed into hickory whiskey barrels. The tobacco is kept under pressure using oak blocks and massive screw Jacks, forcing nearly all the air out of the still-moist leaves. Approximately once a month the pressure is released, and each of the torquettes is worked by hand to permit a little air back into the tobacco. After a year of this treatment, the perique is ready for consumption, although it may be kept fresh under pressure for many years. Extended exposure to air degrades the particular character of perique. The finished tobacco is dark brown, nearly black, very moist with a fruity, slightly vinegary aroma. The fruity aroma is the result of hundreds of volatile compounds created by anaerobic fermentation of the tobacco. Many of these are responsible for the flavors of fruits and are often found in wine.
Often considered the truffle of pipe tobaccos, perique is used as a component of various blended pipe tobaccos, as many people consider it too strong to be smoked pure.We have been curing Perique this same way since 1776. A method invented by a French farmer called Pierre Chenet.
Now you know why you are nuts for Latakia or Perique or prefer an Ashton VSG or a Davidoff 2000!
Enjoy!!
Christina
Pipe smokers often like to recite one of his most relevant quotes: "I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs". Indeed, it is difficult to measure the calming qualities of pipe smoking and the possible beneficial effects on our work, productivity, relationships, and relaxation.