Tobacco | Cigarettes | Cigar

Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from leaves of plants . It is a form of nicotine obtained from leaves of tobacco plant.Tobacco is the common name of several plant in Nicotina genus. It is a cash crop and can be consumed in form of smoking , chewing , snuffing and also is used in some medicines. It is recreational drugs . The red Indians discovered Tobacco. It was introduced in England by sir Walter Raleigh. Tobacco requires tropical and sub - tropical climate . The largest producer are Jamaica , Cuba , Russia, china, USA , Turkey. 


The yellowish green leaves of plant are harvested , dried and cured and only they become ready to be used in cigarette. 

The two methods used for curing tobacco are:-

1. Fermentative method : Air curing

2. Non - Fermentative method : Fire curing, Flue curing , sun curing.

In Fermentative method , the curing is done by exposing the tobacco leaves to temperature of about 77 degree Celsius for 3-4 weeks . The leaves will develop a distinct flavour and turn brown , glossy. 

In non - Fermentative method  the leaves are dried in sun for about 4-5 days.  After curing in the sun, the leaves are allowed on higher temperature for particular length of time to retain colour. Similarly,in Air curing tobacco is air dried for 6 to 8 weeks. Air cured tobacco are low in sugar , high in nicotine. Air curing is suitable for making cigar. In fire curing , smoke from a low burning fire is passed which gives tobacco smoky aroma and flavour . The sun curing method suits for cigarette as the result after sun curing is both low in sugar and nicotine . 


Varieties of Tobacco:-

Latakia - Strong in flavour and produced in Syria
Perique - Grown in Louisiana and used as pipe tobacco 
Virginia - Used in cigarette . It have superior flavour.

Note :- Tobacco smoking and chewing are harmful for health. It can lead to lungs cancer , chronic bronchitis, heart stroke and various cancer. Tobacco contains Nicotine which is very addictive. The body becomes nicotine addictive and demands for more and more.  Smoking is responsible for death of millions of people every year 

Cigarette Tobacco :-

Cigarette in French is known as 'small cigar'. It is small cylinder of fine cut tobacco  leaves rolled in thin paper for smoking. The paper wrapping for cigarette is normally white. 
The dry leaves are shredded by machines , rolled and allowed to mature . The tobacco are rolled in special paper and cut into required shape with filter. It needs 24 hours before packaging to dry.  Cigarette are produced all over the world and some famous brands are - Surya , Benson and Hedges , camel , 555 , Marlboro , Dunhill.

Parts of cigarette :-

Rolling paper to cover tobacco
Tipping paper to cover filter
Filter made of 95% callulose acetate
Tobacco blend

Usually cigarette consists of three parts,

1. Wrapper : It is special paper to roll tobacco leaves. Either hand or machine is used and are white in colour.

2. Filler : Fillers are Tobacco leaves which are cured and matured .it is dark in colour

3. Filter : it is cigarette tip and made up of cellulose acetate . 


How to serve Cigarette ??

  • Never serve cigarette on public areas and ensure guest is seated in smoking zone

  • Always serve cigarette with clean ashtray in table.

  • Help in lighting the cigarette if you are near to guest

  • Know the package size and brand available in outlet

  • Serve the packet by opening the top and inside protective foil a little

  • Change ashtray regularly on a table

CIGAR TOBACCO :-

The word cigar is originated from sikar, the Mayan word for smoking. 

Cigar is made from best quality of tobacco. Cigar is bigger and cylindrical shaped . They are produced with help of wooden mould known as Torpedor. The best quality of tobacco leaves are grown in Cuba, West Indies and should be stored between 15 degree Celsius to 18 degree Celsius. It have average size of 14 c.m 

Parts of cigar 

1. Filler

2. Binder

3. Wrapper

  • Filler is the inner core of cigar . Tobacco leaves are used for fillers which can be long or short. Long fillers are made of whole leaves of superior quality while short filler are made of chopped leaves of inferior quality.

  • Binder is good quality tobacco leaf to hold filler together. Two or four leaves of filler tobacco are laid and rolled into binder leaf

  • Wrapper is the most expensive part of cigar and forms outside part. It is finest tobacco leaf without hole. It should have good aroma and good colour . 

The wrapper of cigar determine cigar character and flavours some types/classification of wrapper are :-

1. Claro - Very light golden brown or yellow wrapper.

2. Colorado claro - Medium brown

3. Colorado - Reddish brown

4. Maduro - Very dark brown or black

5. Candela - Greenish - yellow in colour.

6. Natural - Also known as double Maduro and have black oily appearance .

Cigar have different shapes  like parejo, Torpedo , pyramid , perfecto and presidente.

Making of cigar :-

Tobacco leaves are harvested and Cured and aged. During curing, the water content and sugar content in leaves decrease. The second part fermentation is applied to help leaf dry slowly . The fermentation is carried out slowly without letting leaf rotting or breaking in proper temperature and humidity. Now when they are aged they are sorted for use as filler or wrapper based on quality. 

Brands of cigar :-

1. Punch.
2. Havana
3. Margarita
4. Churchills
5. Munda
6. Henry clay
7. Salam
8. Kent
9. Philip Morris

Lighting and service of cigar

  • Before the cigar is lit , the head of cigar is opened with cigar cutter to allow smoke pass easily.

  • The cut should be small, smooth and not too large

  • Light it with wood match or a lighter but never with wax match and petrol lighter 

  • Know the name of brand

  • Present cigar in humidor from left hand side of guest to select his cigar



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