Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-12-10
RESUEA1YNG.
70 to J,G4e Ne'o 1obacco Appear ,nr..
Icnrs Cid
pittsburgh Times.

w. Icnrs Gid.
pittsburgh Tmes.l
One of the latest tricks in tho to,,ooo,>
trade is the artificial resweating of the
neel to meet the popular craze fo,
,,rk-colored cigars. This craze ar;sos
from the false impression that, because
al good cigars are dark colored MI
aark-colored cigars are good. The
ground taken for this latter impression
i that the dark color is an Indication
that the tobacco has been naturally
sveated through about three summars
and has thus reached perfection Of
favor.
The color was formerly an Indication
That this was the fact, but it is 80 no
longer, for the increasee demand for
tobacco of the requisite age caused
manufacturers to find a way of aging it.
or giving it the appearance of age ar1i-
feally, This was at first done by
painting, but q speedier and more
Wholesale process has been introduced
within the last three or four years.
called resweating. The fact that to-
bacco sweats is we'll known. The first
summer after it is cut tobacco sweats
very heavily, SO that it can be twisted
and tied in knot like some "kill-me-
quick" tobies. The next summer il
sweats much less. and the third summer
the sweat is hardly noticeable. After
each summers sweat the leaf assumes
darker color. until it reaches the hue
of the best Havana brands.
In order to resweat tobacco the box
is opened and the leaf ceased" or
dampened, one "hand" or layer at u
time, by dipping it in water. The to-
bacco is then repacked in the box and
the box placed in a steam-tight re-
ccptacle q few inches from the floor.
A jet of steam rises through the floor
OF this chest, right underneath the box,
and the steam is allowed to play in
rcssantly on it for saventy-two hours,
producing as profuse q sweat as that of
fat man running up hill with the
thermometer ut 100 degrees in the
shade. The box is then taken out and
the tobacco shaken out and allowed to
cool OIL. 1t is then repacked and is
ready for use. Great care has to be
exercised after reswcating tobacco to
prevent it from becoming moldy. If it
is found to mold it is often dipped in
beer to kill the mold. Here is prob
able explanation of some of the in
chriating effects of some cigars. The
tobacco must always have passed
through one summers natural sweat
hrfore being rcsweated.
This process ages the tobacco three
or four years, but whether it increases
the quality proportionately is IN open
question with the trade. Some say
that, as resweating has the same effect
as the natural sweat, resweated tobacco
is perfectly equal to that which has
aged naturally. Others say that it in
lures the flavor. Others, again, say
that it does not affect the flavor preju-
dicially or favorably. 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 in
variably improves the quality; SO that
the question remains how to distinguish
tobacco naturally sweated from that
which has been artifcially resweated.
1t is difficult one to answer, the only
guide being that artificial sweating often
makes the leaf turn almost black. and
always makes it darker than the natural
sweat produces.