From green leaves to brown leaves
A good handling of the tobacco plant during the cultivation phase ensures the production of high quality tobacco leaves. The stages that follow the cultivation and harvesting phases are very important since they determine the organoleptic quality of the leaves, as well as eliminate irritating substances from them.
Freshly harvested green leaves are transported to the drying
house, casa de tabaco. In the casa de tabaco, the leaves are subjected
to conditions of controlled temperature and humidity. The leaves are hanged
on wire lines where they are left to dry.
During the drying process, the leaves are displaced from bottom to top, since the lowest temperatures are near the floor and the higher temperatures up above. After an adequate drying time, the colour of the leaves, which changes from light green to yellow, finally becomes brown.