Sorting the tobacco
Chapter 4
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION
Our cigars are premium inside and out. But it’s not just the quality that makes it premium; it’s the delicate nature in which each individual tobacco leaf is sorted. After curing and prior to fermentation, every single leaf must be classified as either: wrapper, binder, or filler.
LEAF SPECIFICATIONS
TYPE 1: FILLER
Filler leaves are the heart and soul of our cigars. Located in the center of the cigar, these smaller leaves are responsible for the rich, distinct flavors found in every puff of a Rocky Patel premium cigar.
TYPE 2: BINDER
Binder leaves wrap around the filler leaves, holding them together, sealing in the bold taste that makes our cigars the best.
TYPE 3: WRAPPER
Wrapper leaves are the last and outer most layer to our cigars and are the absolute finest tobacco leaves in existence. A wrapper leaf is pristine with no water spots or tears, minimal veins and an even color. Nature’s beauty and man’s ingenuity are truly realized in every single leaf.
At the Sorting Tables
The Gallery
Fermentation
Fermentation
Chapter 4.5
REHYDRATED. REVITALIZED.
After the curing process, the real healing can begin in fermentation. Fermentation is designed to remove unwanted nutrients within the leaves to supply a clean fresh tobacco flavor. The process begins with the rehydration of every leaf.
Once the tobacco is evenly dampened, it is placed by hand into large stacks called pilons. Weighing approximately 2,500 pounds, each of these pilons utilizes their immense weight to create pressure. This coupled with the added moisture of the leaves, creates heat - allowing the tobacco to ferment, releasing all of the nutrients that were used to grow the leaf: leaving the leaves with a clean tobacco taste.
HEAVY-DUTY
Each individual pilon rests in place until it reaches a certain temperature (110-130 degrees). Then, the pilon is rotated into the next resting position. The pilons are flipped from top, to middle, to bottom, every 7-10 days to ensure that the leaves are evenly dried out. This painstaking process takes anywhere from six months to more than a year. That’s time well worth it.
Fermentation
The Gallery
FERMENTATION Trivia
Q. How heavy is the average Pilon?
End of Chapter 4 - Continue on to:
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Chapter 5
Rolling Room
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Chapter 6
Quality Control Room
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Chapter 7
Aging Room
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Chapter 8
Judging Aesthetics
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Chapter 9
Boxed Pressed
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Chapter 10
Banding & Boxing
PARTING WORDS
We put a lot of love into our cigars. When we brand and box them with the Rocky Patel logo, it’s not just for the purpose of sale. It’s an opportunity to pay homage to a living legend. And it’s our chance to say, “goodbye, good luck, and make us proud.”
