The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-08-28
REsWEATiNo TOBACCO.
How the Weed Is CoIorcd Dark to Meettse
Popular Demand.

Popular Demand.
One of the latest tricks in the tobacco
trade is the artificial resweating of the
weed TO meet the popular craze for dark
colorcd cigars. The craze arises from
the false impression that, because all
good cigars are dark-colored, all dark
colorcd cigars are good. The ground
taken for this latter impression Is that
,hc dark color is I'm indication that the
tobacco has been naturally swcated
through about three summers. and has
thus reached perfection of flavor.
The color was formerly an indication
that this was tho fact. but it is 20 no
longer, for the increased demand for
tobacco of the requisite age caused
manufacturers to find way OF
aging it, or giving it the APP
pcarnncc of age, artiicially. This was
at first done by painting, but n spcedier
and more Wholesale process has been
invented within the last three or four
years called rcswcating. The fact that
tobacco sweats is well known. The
first summer after it is cut. tobacco
swcats very heavily so that it can be
twisted and tied in knots like "ksll-me-
quick tobcs. The next summer it
swcats much less, and the third summer
the sweat is hardly noticeable After
each summers sweat the leaf assumes II
darker color, until it reaches the hue of
the best Havana brands.
In order TO sweat tobacco the box is
opened and the leaf leased" or damp
cncd, one "hand' or layer ut II time, by
| dipping it in water. The tobacco is then
rcpackcd in the box and the box placed
| in stcam-tight receptacle a fnw inches
from the floor. a jet OF steam rises
through the floor of this chest right un-
dcrneath the box. and the steam is al
lowed to play inccssantly on it for sew
! enty-two hours. producing as profuse u
sweat us that of II fat man running up
| hill with the thermometer mt one hun
drcd degrees in the shade. The box is
then taken out and the tobacco shaken
out and allowed to col Off 1t is then
| repackcd and is ready for use. Great
care has to be exercised after sweating
tobacco to prevent it from becoming
moldv. If it is found to mold it is often
dipped in beer to kill the mold. Here
is probable explanation ofthe inebriat-
| lllU SHeclS pl SOnlc clHiTs. IHc loDicCO
must always have passed through one
summers sweat before being resweated.
This process ages the tobacco three or
four years, but whether it improves the
quality proportionatcly is an open ques-
ton with the trade. Some say that M
rewceating has the same effect rs the
natural sweat, resweatcd tobacco is per-
fec,ly equal to that which has aged nat
urally; others say that it Injuries the
flavor. Others, again, say that it does
not affect the flavor preiudcally or fa-
vorably. All agree that it makes the
leaf tender and difficult to work and
thereby causes loss to the manufacturer.
What is admitted by all judges is that a
natural sweat invariably improves the
quality so that the question remain:
how to distinguish tobacco naturally
sweatcd from that which has been arti
tically rcswcated. 1t is difficult one
to answer, the only guide Icing that ar
titicial sweating often makes the lea1
almost black. and always makes it /;
darker color than the natural sweat
produces. .-Pitsbur0h Times.