How to roll a cigar at home. Great Cigar Encyclopedia (b.s.e). About machine twisting. Laying tobacco

Perhaps the main difficulty in the production of cigars is to achieve stability of the flavor bouquet and aroma of a certain brand from year to year, from harvest to harvest! You might think that making a cigar is a simple matter - grow the tobacco, collect it, dry it, roll it, ready! But it was not there. Cigar production technology is about 200 small steps from the tobacco grain to the consumer! And the taste and aroma of the final product depends on strict adherence to technology at every step. One small mistake and the cigar is ruined!

In every cigar production, perhaps, the main person is a specialist in breeding a variety of tobacco. Experimenting, crossing tobacco and creating new varieties can be compared to creating perfume. Sometimes it can take 15-20 years to grow a new variety!

To begin with, to grow tobacco, the seeds are sown in small pots in special nurseries. A little later, when it grows up, the plant is transplanted to a plantation with the necessary soil data! Here, under special canopies and sometimes in direct sunlight, tobacco grows until it is time to harvest. While the tobacco is growing, it is carefully and constantly trimmed, this is necessary to direct the growth energy into the roots! And many other processes - watering, fertilizing, pest control - require constant attention and care! Typically, the plantations employ about 1,000 people.

It is worth noting that in the production of the best brands of cigars, 100% natural tobacco is always used - various types of chemical additives and pesticides are strictly prohibited!

When harvesting, the leaves are sorted - the juicy, thick leaves will go into the cigar filling, and the thin ones will form the covering layer! After collection, the sheets are sent for drying. In drying houses, leaves are strung on a thin line using multi-tiered structures. Upon completion of the process, the leaf should be completely free of chlorophyll, become completely brown, but at the same time soft, elastic, and not crumble in the hands. To do this, the necessary temperature and humidity conditions must be maintained!

Then comes one of the most difficult stages in production - the leaves are sent to a warehouse for fermentation. The specialist determines the quality of the harvest, the compliance of the indicators of the tobacco leaves with the standards and the previous harvests! Based on these data, the temperature, duration and humidity of fermentation are determined.

This process is precisely the main one in order to preserve the taste of a certain brand of cigars from year to year. And sometimes getting the right bouquet can be very difficult. After all, the taste of tobacco depends, among other things, on weather conditions - in rainy and dry years, the same variety will show different aromas! At the stage of processing the sheets, the professionalism of the master is revealed, who must equalize these indicators in order to maintain the same aroma of the cigars. Experts ensure that tobacco loses all unnecessary taste elements, but does not get rid of its aromatic bouquet.

Once the sheets are ready - dried and processed, they are sent to the factory where the cigars are rolled. Here again, the professional work of bag masters and tasters is needed, who, in order to get the right bouquet, sometimes need to mix sheets of different types of tobacco, different treatments!

But the sheets are ready to be rolled. A master who rolls cigars is called a torcedor. His job is to select the appropriate sheets from each group and roll the cigar correctly - not too loosely, but not too tightly, without clamps, but tightly enough. It is especially difficult, but very important, to maintain the correct diameter of the cigar, regardless of the size of the leaf!

It is important to correctly place the leaves of the filling, which create the basis of a harmonious bouquet. The filling is wrapped with a binder sheet and then with a cover sheet. This is done carefully and carefully so that when cutting the cigar the original shape is maintained.

After rolling, the cigar is placed under a press in a special mold to compact the leaves. She must spend some time there, but even after that it is too early to say: “The cigar is ready!”

The next step is a very important stage - quality control. Each cigar is checked for damage to the cover, length and diameter, weighed, and tasted! Cigars that have passed the inspection are placed in wooden boxes in which they are left for “aging”.

During aging (usually at least 21 days), the moisture content of the cover and filling is compared, the tobaccos are rubbed against each other, and excess oils are removed.

Before cigars are packaged, they are classified by color. Professionals with extensive experience and a very sharp eye sort cigars so that when opening a box of cigars, the end consumer receives real aesthetic satisfaction from the extraordinary beauty of the product!

Judging by numerous consumer reviews, smoking a personally rolled cigar is much more enjoyable than a store-bought one. This is explained by the fact that it is simply pleasant to realize your involvement in its creation. How are cigars made? According to experts, they can be twisted manually or using a special device. However, true connoisseurs like precisely those cigars that are rolled by hand. In Cuba, which is the birthplace of this tobacco product, making a cigar by hand is a real art. You don’t have to go to a specialty store to enjoy it. A handcrafted cigar would be a good alternative to a branded product. You will learn how to make cigars at home from this article.

About tobacco leaves

In addition to the question of how cigars are made, many beginners are interested in what types of tobacco are used in this area. According to experts, a cigar is formed from the following types of tobacco:

Fortaleza 1. This tobacco leaf has a low strength. It has ideal flammability, thanks to which cigars smoke easily and quickly.
Fortaleza 2. Unlike the previous type, this leaf is much stronger and smokes longer. In addition, it has a bright aroma. Judging by the reviews, this version conveys the taste better.
Fortaleza 3. This tobacco leaf is used to form the structure of the cigar. The fact is that it hardly burns. It has a bright aroma and a characteristic tobacco taste.

The above sheets represent the filling of the cigar, namely its internal component. To prevent the cigar from falling apart, all its components are tied together with a special capote sheet. The shape is given by the next fifth element - the “sara” wrapping sheet. It does not have any practical properties, but only completes the appearance of the product. Overall, it represents designer “clothing.” Cigars wrapped in this tobacco leaf look very aesthetically pleasing.

Arrangement of the workplace

To make a homemade cigar, you need not only to choose high-quality tobacco, but also to properly prepare a place, which in enterprises is called a rolling shop. You need to work on a flat wooden surface. Home craftsmen use a table and a wooden board for this purpose.

Your main tool will be a flat knife with a semicircular end. You will also need a special guillotine, through which the edges of the finished cigars will be trimmed. Vegetable glue should be kept nearby in a separate container.

In the production of cigars, craftsmen use exclusively natural binder mixtures. Vegetable glue takes a long time to prepare. In addition, it undergoes multi-level processing, due to which it not only reliably fixes the tobacco sheets, but also provides the product with additional taste.

Where to begin? Processing tobacco for filling

For those who do not know how to make cigars from tobacco leaves and where to start, experts recommend first preparing the raw materials. This is the tobacco that makes up the cigar's filling, binding and wrapper. Through the latter, the product is given shape. It takes several years to prepare the tobacco composition for the filling. In order for the mixture to have the characteristic taste and aroma by which cigars are classified into different varieties and types, it must be subjected to a fermentation procedure. It consists of three cycles. This explains why cigars take so long to smoke. The preparation of raw materials is a rather meticulous and lengthy process. The fact is that it is done only manually. How are Cuban cigars made? First, take out and carefully inspect the tobacco leaves, which will later be used as a filling. Raw materials are cleaned of dust, debris and any other components. If there is excess moisture, it is also removed. Next, the tobacco must be infused in oak barrels for three years.

Preparation of the tobacco wrapper leaf

The wrapper fermentation procedure consists of one cycle. How to make cigars correctly? How to process the cover sheet? If you are new to this business, experts will advise you to maintain the integrity of the tobacco web. This will be possible if the central core of the leaf remains in place. Only small veins are removed. Finally, the cover sheet is moistened and sorted. How are cigars made in branded factories? According to experts, only women are allowed to process the cover sheets. The fact is that this element of the cigar must be elastic with a designer texture and an even shape. Rough male hands are not suitable for such work.

What do you need for hand twisting?

Before making tobacco cigars by hand, get the following:

With a sharp knife.
Cover leaf.
Mold.
Binding sheet.
Special glue. With its help, the edges of the cover sheet will be connected to each other.
Tobacco filling.

We make cigars with our own hands. First step

At this stage you will be working with the filling tobacco leaves. Before you start rolling, remove the stems from the tobacco. Then the raw material is slightly moistened and left for some time. It is advisable to have high humidity in the room. To ensure a strong cigar, you should take at least three sheets in one bundle.

Place them on the board so that the leaf with the veins is inside. The remaining two are folded into a stack or an accordion. It is important that the weak leaves are at the beginning of the cigar - they will be lit, the strong ones - at the end. Thus, the strength of the cigar will increase during smoking. Next, the prepared filling needs to be twisted into a rope and tied on top with a binding sheet. After completing these steps, the cigar preparation is considered ready.

Second phase

Now you have to process the workpiece in a special mold. This device consists of two wooden blocks that will press your cigar. To give the product a familiar shape, the boards were equipped with special recesses. The cigar should lie under the press for at least an hour. As a result, the tobacco bundle will have a clearly formed structure and contour.

Completion

At the very end you should wrap the tobacco filling. A cover sheet is provided for this purpose. First, a tape is cut out of it along the edge with a sharp knife, directly around which your product should be evenly wrapped. Judging by the reviews, this procedure is considered the most delicate. You will have to be very careful. Otherwise, the cigar will look unpresentable. Of course, you are not making it for sale, but for yourself. However, a beautifully designed cigar is much more enjoyable to smoke. Once your cigar is wrapped, carefully trim the edges. Now the tobacco product must infuse for two weeks in a room with air humidity of at least 30%. Your product will not lose its integrity while smoking if you maintain uniform tension at the wrapping stage. To wrap the bottom end of the cigar, you will have to cut a special cap for the product. The remains of a shed are suitable as material for it. At the very end, use a well-sharpened guillotine to trim the cigar and seal it.

About machine twisting. Laying tobacco

If you don't know how to make cigars using a special device, here's what you need to do. First, place the tobacco in the device. It should be distributed evenly and so that the machine closes without difficulty. It is impractical to make a bookmark that is too small. After loading the tobacco leaves, close the machine and start turning the rollers. This must be done counterclockwise. Judging by numerous consumer reviews, you can limit yourself to five turns. If everything is done correctly, the leaves should take on a cylindrical shape.

Work progress

At this stage, the machine is filled with a certain tobacco leaf that will be used to wrap the cigars. You need to insert the sheet so that its adhesive side is pointing down. The adhesive ability of the cover sheet is activated after you run a special compound along its edge. Now you need to turn the rollers and remove the finished tobacco product from the device.

Finally

A cigar is a rather complex and multifaceted product. In Cuba, many applicants read specialized literature before getting a job in a factory. There are special technical institutions for beginners, where they learn the skill of rolling cigars, and then spend several more years as apprentices.

Only professionals with many years of experience are allowed to produce large and thick tobacco products. In general, one person makes up to 150 cigars per day.

Many lovers of “smoking with pleasure” ask the question: “How to make cigarillos at home?” There are many aspects to this issue, but the main ones are:

twisting method;
method of stuffing a sleeve.

Smoking a hand-rolled cigarillo is much more enjoyable than a store-bought one, if only because of the very fact of your involvement in its creation. Rolling cigarillos can be done either manually or using a special device.

Today there are a huge variety of twisting machines with different shapes. However, the most popular is considered to be a machine that rolls cigarettes 7 cm long. The design of such a device is a pair of rollers connected by a ribbon. Such a cigarillo machine, the drawing for which can be found on the Internet, is quite easy to build at home with your own hands.

Machine twisting

To roll cigarettes, you need to spread the tobacco evenly in the machine. You need to take enough tobacco so that the machine can close without difficulty. However, you should not invest too little. After loading tobacco leaves, the machine closes and the rollers are rotated counterclockwise. It is necessary to make 4-5 revolutions. After this, the tobacco should curl into a cylinder shape. At the next stage, you need to insert a certain paper intended for rolling cigarettes into the machine and turn the rollers again. The paper should be inserted so that the adhesive side is at the bottom. Finally, you need to run your tongue along the edge of the paper to activate its adhesive ability. After turning the rollers a few more times, the finished cigarillo is removed from the machine. The design of the machine implies the possibility of making cigarettes both without a filter and with it. In order to add a filter, simply place it on one of the sides of the future cigarillo when twisting it.

The method of making cigarettes by stuffing them into sleeves is significantly different from simply rolling them. For this approach, a machine is used that has a much more complex structure. However, drawing parallels with the previous device, such a unit is also equipped with a special hopper for storing tobacco. Tobacco should be laid out evenly, but not tightly, in such a compartment, after which a sleeve is inserted from the side. Next, you need to move the machine sideways to the limit and return it to its original position. The result of such simple steps will be a completely finished cigarillo.

Hand twisting

To make cigarillos in the best traditions of Cuban craftsmen you will need:

Press form;
special glue;
cover sheet;
connecting sheet;
tobacco.

Before you begin the rolling process itself, you should remove all excess (stems, veins) from the tobacco. Afterwards, the tobacco leaves should be lightly moistened with water or left for a short time in a room with high humidity. At the next stage, the filling sheets are twisted into bundles, after which they must be wrapped in a binding sheet.

After the blank is ready, it must be placed in a special mold, which is a pair of thick wooden blocks with which the cigar will be pressed. These boards have special grooves that will give the cigarillo its usual shape.

The next stage of work is very delicate, as it requires wrapping the cigar with a wrapper sheet. From this sheet you need to cut a ribbon that will be used to wrap the cigar. It is necessary to wrap carefully and evenly.

As you know, the era of tobacco smoking in Europe coincided with the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus. The Indians, among other gifts, presented the Europeans with a bunch of dried tobacco leaves. However, Columbus, unable to obtain a clear explanation of the purpose of this plant, threw the gift into the sea. Over time, observing the traditions and habits of the Indians, the Spanish conquistadors learned to fill pipes and smoke.

But this time there were some incidents. The Spanish Inquisition, having noticed a man emitting smoke from his nostrils and mouth, ruled that he was undoubtedly possessed by the devil and sentenced him to prison, which ended only after it became clear that the devil had nothing to do with smoking.

Church Both Catholic and Orthodox, in principle, had a negative attitude and still have a negative attitude towards smoking, classifying it as a sin. But this did not stop even believing smokers.

One way or another, tobacco spread in Europe. Doctors of that time decided that tobacco was a good remedy for toothache and dysentery, and prescribed it as a medicine. In the 17th century, wealthy people enjoyed smoking cigars, cigarettes and filling pipes; Snuff is spreading. In the second half of the 19th century, cigarettes began to be produced on an industrial scale.

It is now known about numerous dangers health problems that smoking exposes to, and many people either give up this habit (especially when a child appears in the family) or do not touch cigarettes at all. The steady increase in prices for tobacco products is also of serious importance: for example, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation proposed to increase the cost of cigarettes in 2018 by 10%, which will bring the price of an average pack to European standards.

It is declared that this measure will reduce the number of people smoking. However, as practice shows, increasing excise taxes only allows you to increase the budget, and people who do not want to part with cigarettes either switch to lower quality cigarettes or grow tobacco and learn to make roll-your-own cigarettes.

The production of cigarettes at home is determined not only by the pricing policy of the state. Many people do not trust factory-made products and prefer to completely control the process, especially since this does not require much: tobacco, special paper and a filter (which can be used as cotton wool).

Tobacco preparation

For rolling papers, you can use either specially purchased tobacco, either extracted from old cigarettes or self-sapling. In the latter case, you need to follow a few simple tips:

It is best to pick tobacco leaves before 11 a.m.: during this period, the plant’s metabolism is at its peak, and, as a result, the leaves are more fragrant.
Tobacco should be dried by disassembling it into small batches in a dark, well-ventilated room. The minimum period for this process is three weeks.
After drying, the leaves are collected in a plastic bag, well packed and again kept in a dark room until their color turns yellow-brown.
At the final stage, the prepared leaves are cut as thin as possible and kept in an oven preheated to 100 degrees on a baking sheet lined with paper. Of course, the process should be controlled: the leaves should dry thoroughly and not burn.
After this, the tobacco is ready for use. It is best to store it in a glass container or a cotton bag.

Making a cigarette

Having prepared the tobacco in this way, you can begin making rolled-up cigarettes. It is best to buy special paper for it, with already applied glue strip. Often in villages you can see older people using old newspapers for smoking. This should not be done under any circumstances: printing ink contains disproportionately more harmful substances than any cigarette.

The algorithm for making a paper cigarette is very simple:

Take special paper with an adhesive strip or cut regular tissue paper into strips measuring 5x6 centimeters.
Distribute the required amount of tobacco over the paper, stepping back from the edge by approximately 5 millimeters.
Place a filter into the cigarette (either purchased in advance or made independently from cotton or cotton wool).
Roll the cigarette with the thumbs of both hands until the tobacco is compacted and evenly distributed.
Seal the resulting cigarette.

Of course, at first the final result of all the work will be very far from ideal. Beginners complain that their cigarette is almost impossible to light, or, on the contrary, it burns out too quickly. But don’t be upset: skill comes with time.

Some people do not really like cigarettes, citing the fact that paper takes away the taste of tobacco smoke. All nicotine-containing products prefer cigars: tightly rolled whole leaves of tobacco. Their price is also relatively high and will also continue to creep up, so connoisseurs of the taste and smell of smoke will have to either give up their usual pleasure or make cigars at home.

This will require much more skill and tools than when making a cigarette, but all difficulties recede before the prospect of making a good cigar with your own hands and enjoying smoking it. For work you will need: a mold (you can also make it yourself from two wooden planks), a very thin and sharp knife, glue without taste, color or smell and, of course, tobacco leaves (a large cover leaf, a connecting leaf and smaller ones for the filling).

Sorting and preliminary preparation of tobacco leaves

First of all, it is necessary to way prepare tobacco. This is done as follows:

Removing all excess parts of the leaf (stems and veins) using scissors or a stationery knife; It is necessary to cut from the base of the leaf to its top.
Moistening with a spray bottle or an ordinary bottle with holes in the lid (in a very extreme case, you can simply soak the leaves in some container).
Next, you need to choose a cover sheet: the thinnest, largest and softest.
Select connecting (in other words, binding) leaves: their quality should be superior to those that will be used for the filling, and rather closer to the cover leaf.
Check the remaining leaves: they should have approximately the same smell, and they can be moistened less.

Manufacturing process

Having prepared the tobacco and the mold, you can begin rolling the cigar. This is a very delicate job and must be approached with great care. First of all, take the leaves left for filling the cigar. They need to be rolled into a bun. Its length and thickness are regulated purely by the preferences of the smoker. So, lovers of longer and thinner cigars can roll the bunch so that the leaves protrude freely from the palm in both directions.

The resulting workpiece is wrapped in a binding sheet. At this stage, you also need to determine which side of the cigar will be lit. The free edge of the binding sheet is fixed with a small amount of glue. After this, the cigar is placed in the mold for 30-45 minutes. The time can be adjusted depending on preference - the longer the cigar is under pressure, the denser it will be. If the workpiece turns out to be longer than the recess in the mold, it can be cut off.

After this, it is necessary to wrap the workpiece in a cover sheet diagonally in the direction from the sharp edge to the blunt one. Before you start wrapping need to be positioned the wrapper sheet on the table so that its smooth side is at the bottom: this will make it more pleasant to pick up the cigar and smoke it, and all the roughness of the sheet will be inside. This work requires the greatest care and caution, since you need to wrap it with even pressure. You need to cut a small semicircle from the remnants of the cover sheet, apply glue to it and carefully seal the head of the cigar.

Some people start lighting a cigar immediately after completing the previous stage. But experts recommend infusing a cigarette on a wooden board in a dry room for a day or even two. In this case, it is necessary to regularly turn the cigar so that the taste is evenly distributed throughout all the leaves.

Recently, they have become especially popular electronic cigarettes. They cause much less harm to health, since the evaporation of special liquids does not form heavy resins and carcinogens. Electronic cigarettes are often considered as one of the stages on the path to a complete cessation of smoking, but still the majority sees in them only an opportunity to replace traditional cigarettes, cigarillos and other tobacco-containing products with something new and more modern.

Another advantage of electronic devices is the wide variety of liquids available for vaporization. You can choose ones that contain an impressive amount of nicotine or none at all; there are different flavors, ranging from traditional tobacco to various exotic additives. This kind of flexibility appeals to many people. And, of course, among them there are those who are not averse to making an electronic cigarette with their own hands.

In this case, a person must have knowledge in the field of electrical engineering, have the skills to work with metal and wood, and also have special tools.

To begin with, take three D-type batteries and connect them according to the “plus to minus” rule so that the positive pole is at the top. After this, a piece of electrical wire is exposed at both ends, and the length of one exposed section should be 5-7 centimeters, and the other - no more than three. The longer end is twisted into a spiral, attached to the negative pole and secured with electrical tape. A clamp is fixed at the short part.

A case is made from thick cardboard of such a diameter that the batteries fit freely inside. The upper part is wrapped in rubber, and a bend is formed at the bottom, on which the wire is fixed with glue or a staple. The batteries are placed in the case with the negative pole facing down. The free edge of the wire should rise above the body.

Then you need to wrap a regular screw with electrical tape; it will be the central terminal and you also need to use it to secure the manufactured cartridge. To operate such a device, you need to attach the clamp to the ring base. The center terminal is connected to the positive terminal of the battery.

However, you should not start working without special skills. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the quality of the parts used, be careful about the assembly and understand that this is not a toy device at all. The slightest mistake can lead to quite serious consequences. For example, a short circuit and even a fire may occur when the cigarette is very close to the face. Therefore, it is better not to take risks, but to purchase the necessary device in specialized stores.

Reading time: 6 minutes.

It is only at first glance that it seems that making a cigar is a trifle. It is enough to sow tobacco, harvest the crop, dry the collected leaves and roll a cigar. In fact, the production of cigars requires hundreds of different manipulations, each of which is carried out by a specialist. Let's take a closer look at how to make a cigar in industrial production and at home.

Serial production of cigars

Good cigars can only be made from high quality tobacco. Therefore, large tobacco corporations are doing everything possible for this: they cross different varieties, use intensive cultivation technologies, and monitor the quality of seed material. Breeders claim that on average it takes up to 15 years to develop a new variety.

First, it is necessary for the seeds to germinate; to do this, they are mixed with ashes and placed on trays with peat, and covered with rice husks on top so that the wind does not blow away the seeds. After the seedlings begin to peek out from under the husk, they are transplanted into deep containers divided into cells. As the tobacco grows, its side leaves are regularly trimmed, this is necessary so that the root is well strengthened. After the root system becomes strong enough, the plants are planted on plantations. The plantations themselves are located in different areas, so they differ in soil content and microclimate. Therefore, varieties are distributed depending on soil characteristics. Of course, you can influence the soil by artificially adding microelements necessary for a particular variety, but this will not have the best effect on the quality of tobacco. They tend the crops manually; workers pick flowers from plants and apply fertilizers and insecticides.

Harvesting is hard work. And here it is very important to correctly determine the optimal timing. Workers must work quickly to prevent the tobacco from becoming overripe. After this, the women who work in the drying houses string the freshly collected lily onto a fishing line and secure it on wooden sticks, which are placed on the crossbars. The drying process is carefully controlled. In the drying house, the required level of humidity and temperature is maintained: if necessary, fires are lit and the floor is filled with water, doors and windows are opened or tightly closed. Therefore, as a result, the tobacco leaf becomes uniformly brown, elastic and oily.