Fermentation method for improving quality of cigar raw materials

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of cigar processing and discloses a fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar raw materials. The method first involves alternately stacking low-quality cigar raw materials and high-quality cigars for fermentation. Water obtained by soaking the high-quality cigars is used as a moistening liquid during the fermentation process, i.e., the high-quality cigars are used as an external medium in the fermentation process in liquid form. Simultaneously, the moisture content is maintained at no less than 25% during the fermentation process. The resulting cigar tobacco leaves exhibit significantly improved flavor and aroma, thereby enhancing the quality of the cigar product and enabling them to replace imported cigar raw materials in cigar formulas.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of cigar processing, and in particular to a fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar raw materials. Background Art

[0002] Currently, the main raw materials for Chinese cigars are Hainan (Cuban variety), Laifeng (Indonesian Besuki variety), and local sun-cured tobacco. These raw materials all have varying degrees of quality deficiencies compared to imported cigar tobacco. Mid- to high-end handmade cigars on the market typically emphasize "pure naturalness" and lack flavorings, making it difficult to improve product quality through standard tobacco industry flavoring methods.

[0003] Cigar tobacco leaves after curing are typically grayish, uneven in color, and have a raw, pungent smell. They also suffer from rough drawing quality and dark ash. To improve the quality of the original tobacco, a certain period of aging and fermentation is usually required. Fermentation is a crucial process for improving tobacco quality. A good fermentation process not only reduces the tobacco's irritation and green smell, but also improves color uniformity, elasticity, and combustibility. It also provides a more balanced composition of the tobacco's internal components, enhancing its aroma and flavor.

[0004] Tobacco fermentation is the process of aging tobacco leaves under artificially enhanced or natural conditions after baking and re-baking. This process causes a series of chemical and biochemical changes in the tobacco leaves, reducing certain quality defects of the original tobacco, making the tobacco aroma more pronounced, and significantly improving the smoking quality.

[0005] In various production areas, the most commonly used fermentation method for cigars is pile fermentation, which is also a basic fermentation method. The fermentation process is greatly affected by human intervention, and the fermentation effect is directly related to factors such as fermentation additives, processing environment, and operating technology.

[0006] In the prior art, a Chinese patent application with publication number CN110122920A discloses a method for fermenting cigar tobacco leaves using microbial flora. The method uses microbial flora to ferment cigar tobacco leaves. The specific bacterial species composition contains yeast and one or more of Penicillium, Aspergillus niger, Mucor, and Rhizopus. The method catalyzes the degradation of starch in tobacco leaves into monosaccharides and degrades complex organic matter such as protein by adding microbial flora during fermentation. The organic matter is decomposed, hydrolyzed, oxidized, and converted into small molecular aromatic substances such as aldehydes and ketones, thereby improving the quality of fermented tobacco leaves. However, the microbial flora added in this method requires control of the species and quantity of the microbial flora. Since the carbon and nitrogen content of cigar raw materials of different qualities are often different, and the content of organic matter such as protein also varies greatly, the same species of microbial flora with the same ratio often has different effects when fermenting cigar raw materials of different qualities. In particular, for low-quality cigar raw materials, this method cannot effectively improve defects such as pungency and bitterness. Summary of the Invention

[0007] As mentioned above, when the same fermentation additive is used to treat cigar tobacco leaves of different qualities, the fermentation effect of improving the quality of cigar tobacco leaves cannot be guaranteed. The present invention provides a fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar raw materials to improve the quality of cigar raw materials of different qualities through fermentation.

[0008] The specific technical solutions of the present invention are:

[0009] The present invention provides a fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar raw materials, comprising: adding high-quality cigars as an external medium during the fermentation of low-quality cigar raw materials to improve the quality of the low-quality cigar raw materials.

[0010] Unfermented cigar tobacco not only contains green, earthy, and woody notes, but also produces a harsh, irritating smoke. Prior art methods often enhance the quality of fermented cigar tobacco by adding additives, such as sugars or microbial flora, to the fermentation process. However, the content of nitrogenous substances and sugars varies among different cigar tobacco raw materials. Consequently, the fermentation medium and fermentation process used in fermentation can have varying effects on different cigar tobacco raw materials, hindering the effectiveness of improving the smoking quality of the tobacco.

[0011] The applicant accidentally discovered that after cigar tobacco raw materials that need to be improved in quality are alternately stacked with high-quality cigar tobacco and subjected to artificial fermentation, the smoking quality of the cigar tobacco that needs to be improved in quality can be effectively improved.

[0012] After multiple experimental verifications by the applicant, low-quality cigar raw materials from different raw material sources, when added to high-quality cigars, the smoking quality of the tobacco leaves can be greatly improved. In response to one or more of the above problems, the present invention provides the above-mentioned fermentation method with high universality to cope with the improvement of the quality of low-quality cigar raw materials from different raw material sources. Further analysis of the reasons shows that microorganisms are the key factors affecting the fermentation of cigar tobacco leaves. In the process of alternating stacking and fermentation of low-quality cigar raw materials and Cuban cigars, the fermentation flora and fermentation mode of high-quality cigar tobacco leaves are dominant, making the fermentation of low-quality cigar raw materials and their products tend to develop towards the fermentation behavior of high-quality cigar tobacco leaves, thereby improving the smoking quality of low-quality cigar raw materials. The low-quality cigar raw materials described in the present invention are cigar tobacco raw materials that need to improve tobacco quality.

[0013] Specifically, the fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar raw materials comprises the following steps:

[0014] S1. Take high-quality cigars and soak them in water to obtain a yeast solution;

[0015] S2. After moistening the low-quality cigar raw materials with fermentation liquid, the low-quality cigar raw materials are stacked alternately with high-quality cigars, and then fermented to improve the quality of the low-quality cigar raw materials;

[0016] During the fermentation process, the yeast solution is used to maintain the moisture content of the low-quality cigar raw materials at no less than 25%.

[0017] The present invention provides a specific method for fermenting low-quality cigar raw materials using high-quality cigars as an external medium to improve the smoking quality of the low-quality cigar raw materials. The present invention improves the quality of low-quality cigar raw materials by alternately stacking low-quality cigar raw materials and high-quality cigars for fermentation, using high-quality cigars as an external medium. The applicant further discovered in practice that during the fermentation process, the quality of low-quality cigar raw materials can be further improved by using water obtained by soaking high-quality cigars as a humidifying liquid in the fermentation process. During the fermentation process, yeast liquid is used to maintain the moisture content of the low-quality cigar raw materials at not less than 25%. The cigar tobacco leaves obtained by fermenting low-quality cigar raw materials from different raw materials through the above steps S1 to S2 can greatly improve the smoking taste and tobacco aroma richness, thereby improving the quality of cigar products, so that they can replace imported cigar raw materials in cigar formulas.

[0018] As a preferred embodiment of the above technical solution of the present invention, the high-quality cigar is a Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98.

[0019] As a preferred embodiment of the above technical solution of the present invention, in step S1, the mass ratio of high-quality cigars to water is 1:10-15, and the soaking time is 16-24 hours.

[0020] The water obtained by soaking high-quality cigars is used as the moistening liquid in the fermentation process, that is, the high-quality cigars are used as the added medium in the fermentation process in liquid form, which can make the added medium better and more evenly mixed with the low-quality cigar raw materials to be fermented.

[0021] As a preferred embodiment of the above technical solution of the present invention, in step S2, during the fermentation process, the stack is turned over once every 7 to 10 days; and the fermentation time is 30 to 45 days.

[0022] More preferably, before the first stacking, the moisture content of the low-quality cigar raw materials is maintained at 30-35%.

[0023] The early fermentation phase of tobacco leaves is the stage when microbial fermentation behavior is formed. Therefore, the fermentation quality of the resulting low-quality cigar raw material depends on this process. Before the first stacking, the moisture content of the low-quality cigar raw material should be maintained at 30-35%. The water obtained from soaking in high-quality cigars is then added to the low-quality cigar raw material to dampen it to a moisture content of 30-35%. This allows the fermentation microbial communities and fermentation patterns inherent in high-quality cigar tobacco to dominate in the early stages, favoring the fermentation of low-quality cigar raw material and the development of its products towards the fermentation behavior of high-quality cigar tobacco.

[0024] As a preferred embodiment of the above technical solution of the present invention, in step S2, the method of alternately stacking the low-quality cigar raw materials and the high-quality cigars is: a layer of high-quality cigars is placed for every 5-7 cm high low-quality cigar raw materials, and the two are stacked alternately up and down, wherein each layer of high-quality cigars contains 3-10 tobacco leaves.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following technical effects:

[0026] Microorganisms are a key factor influencing cigar tobacco fermentation. This method leverages the inherent fermentative flora and fermentation patterns of high-quality cigar tobacco during the fermentation of low-quality cigar raw materials. This allows the fermentation of low-quality cigar raw materials and their products to mimic the fermentation behavior of high-quality cigar tobacco, thereby improving the smoking quality of the low-quality cigar raw materials. When high-quality cigars are added as an external medium, the smoking quality of low-quality cigar raw materials from different sources is significantly improved. The fermentation method provided by this invention is highly universal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the following embodiments. Those skilled in the art will be able to implement the present invention based on these descriptions. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention described below are generally only a portion of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Therefore, all other embodiments derived by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] The high-quality cigar used in the present invention is Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98.

[0029] Example 1 Preparation of moistened liquid

[0030]

Moisturizing liquid 1

[0031] Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves were soaked in water for 20 hours to obtain a fermentation liquid, namely, moistening liquid 1. The mass ratio of Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves to water was 1:12.

[0032]

Moisturizing liquid 2

[0033] Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves were soaked in water for 16 hours to obtain a fermentation liquid, namely, moist liquid 2. The mass ratio of Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves to water was 1:15.

[0034]

Moisturizing liquid 3

[0035] Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves were soaked in water for 24 hours to obtain a fermentation liquid, namely, moistening liquid 3. The mass ratio of Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves to water was 1:10.

[0036]

Moisturizing liquid 4

[0037] Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves were soaked in water for 20 hours to obtain a fermentation liquid, namely, moist liquid 1. The mass ratio of Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves to water was 1:17.

[0038] Example 2 Tobacco fermentation

[0039] The cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented are unfermented new tobacco from Laifeng, Hubei, totaling 500 kg, and are fermented according to the following method:

[0040] (1) Moisturizing the fermented cigar tobacco leaves with [moistening liquid 1] to a moisture content of 32%;

[0041] (2) Then, the cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented and the Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves are stacked alternately, and the specific method is as follows: a layer of Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves is placed on every 6 cm high cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented, and the stacks are stacked alternately up and down, wherein each layer of Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves has 5 tobacco leaves, and the stack height is 1.5 m;

[0042] (3) After the stacking is completed, the fermentation is carried out in a fermentation room at a temperature of 28°C ± 2°C and a relative humidity of 70% ± 3% for a total of 35 days. During the fermentation process, the stacks are turned over every 7 days, and [humidifying liquid 1] is used to maintain the moisture content of the fermented cigar tobacco leaves at not less than 25%. That is, during the fermentation process, [humidifying liquid 1] is used to moisten the cigar tobacco leaves after each stacking to make the moisture content 30%. At this moisture content, it can be ensured that the moisture content of the cigar raw materials detected each time the stacks are turned over is not less than 25%.

[0043] (4) After fermentation, the Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves were recovered and dried for storage.

[0044] Example 3 Tobacco fermentation

[0045] The cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented are unfermented new tobacco from Laifeng, Hubei, totaling 500 kg, and are fermented according to the following method:

[0046] (1) Moisturizing the fermented cigar tobacco leaves with [moistening liquid 1] to a moisture content of 30%;

[0047] (2) Then, the cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented and the Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves are stacked alternately, and the specific method is as follows: a layer of Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves is placed on every 6 cm high cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented, and the stacks are stacked alternately up and down, wherein each layer of Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves has 5 tobacco leaves, and the stack height is 1.5 m;

[0048] (3) After the stacking is completed, the cigars are fermented in a fermentation room at a temperature of 32°C and a relative humidity of 75% for a total of 35 days. During the fermentation process, the stacks are turned over every 7 days, and [moistening liquid 1] is used to maintain the moisture content of the fermented cigar tobacco leaves at not less than 25%. That is, during the fermentation process, [moistening liquid 1] is used to moisten the cigars after each stacking to make the moisture content 30%. At this moisture content, it can be ensured that the moisture content of the cigar raw materials detected each time the stacks are turned is not less than 25%.

[0049] (4) After fermentation, the Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves were recovered and dried for storage.

[0050] Example 4 Tobacco Fermentation

[0051] The cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented are unfermented new tobacco from Laifeng, Hubei, totaling 500 kg, and are fermented according to the following method:

[0052] (1) Moisturizing the fermented cigar tobacco leaves with [moistening liquid 1] to a moisture content of 35%;

[0053] (2) Then, the cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented and the Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves are stacked alternately, and the specific method is as follows: a layer of Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves is placed on every 6 cm high cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented, and the stacks are stacked alternately up and down, wherein each layer of Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves has 5 tobacco leaves, and the stack height is 1.5 m;

[0054] (3) After the stacking is completed, the cigars are fermented in a fermentation room at a temperature of 32°C and a relative humidity of 75% for a total of 35 days. During the fermentation process, the stacks are turned over every 7 days, and [moistening liquid 1] is used to maintain the moisture content of the fermented cigar tobacco leaves at not less than 25%. That is, during the fermentation process, [moistening liquid 1] is used to moisten the cigars after each stacking to make the moisture content 30%. At this moisture content, it can be ensured that the moisture content of the cigar raw materials detected each time the stacks are turned is not less than 25%.

[0055] (4) After fermentation, the Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves were recovered and dried for storage.

[0056] Example 5 Tobacco Leaf Fermentation

[0057] The cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented are fresh tobacco from Deyang, Sichuan, totaling 500 kg, and are fermented according to the following method:

[0058] (1) Moisturizing the fermented cigar tobacco leaves with [moistening liquid 2] to a moisture content of 32%;

[0059] (2) Then, the cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented and the Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves are stacked alternately, and the specific method is as follows: a layer of Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves is placed on every 5 cm high cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented, and the stacks are stacked alternately up and down, wherein each layer of Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves has 3 tobacco leaves, and the stack height is 1.5 m;

[0060] (3) After the stacking is completed, the cigars are fermented in a fermentation room at a temperature of 32°C and a relative humidity of 75% for a total of 30 days. During the fermentation process, the stacks are turned over every 7 days, and [moistening liquid 2] is used to maintain the moisture content of the fermented cigar tobacco leaves at not less than 25%. That is, during the fermentation process, [moistening liquid 2] is used to moisten the cigars after each stacking to make the moisture content 30%. At this moisture content, it can be ensured that the moisture content of the cigar raw materials detected each time the stacks are turned is not less than 25%.

[0061] (4) After fermentation, the Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves were recovered and dried for storage.

[0062] Example 6 Tobacco Leaf Fermentation

[0063] The cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented are fresh tobacco from Yunnan Yuxi, totaling 500 kg, and are fermented according to the following method:

[0064] (1) moistening the fermented cigar tobacco leaves with [moistening liquid 3] to a moisture content of 35%;

[0065] (2) Then, the cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented and the Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves are stacked alternately, specifically, a layer of Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves is placed on every 7 cm high cigar tobacco leaves to be fermented, and the stacks are stacked alternately up and down, wherein each layer of Dominican Cuban C-98 tobacco leaves has 10 tobacco leaves, and the stack height is 1.5 m;

[0066] (3) After the stacking is completed, the cigars are fermented in a fermentation room at a temperature of 32°C and a relative humidity of 75% for a total of 45 days. During the fermentation process, the stacks are turned over every 10 days, and [moistening liquid 3] is used to maintain the moisture content of the fermented cigar tobacco leaves at not less than 25%. That is, during the fermentation process, [moistening liquid 3] is used to moisten the cigars after each stacking to make the moisture content 30%. At this moisture content, it can be ensured that the moisture content of the cigar raw materials detected each time the stacks are turned is not less than 25%.

[0067] (4) After fermentation, the Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves were recovered and dried for storage.

[0068] Comparative Example 1

[0069] The main difference from Example 2 is that the high-quality cigar used is Dominican Criollo 98. The other steps are the same as those in Example 2.

[0070] Comparative Example 2

[0071] The main difference from Example 2 is that the moisture content after adding moisture in step (1) is 28%. The other steps are the same as those in Example 2.

[0072] Comparative Example 3

[0073] The main difference from Example 2 is that the moisture content after adding moisture in step (1) is 37%. The other steps are the same as those in Example 2.

[0074] Comparative Example 4

[0075] The main difference from Example 2 is that in step (3), the cigar raw materials are moistened with [moistening liquid 1] each time the stack is turned, so that the moisture content is 23%. At this moisture content, the moisture content of the cigar raw materials detected each time the stack is turned is guaranteed to be no less than 21%. The other steps are the same as those in Example 2.

[0076] Comparative Example 5

[0077] The main difference from Example 2 is that [humidifying liquid 4] is used for moistening. The other steps are the same as those in Example 2.

[0078] Effect Evaluation: After the cigar tobacco leaves obtained in Examples 1 to 6 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 were rolled into single-material cigarettes, their sensory quality was evaluated (using a percentage system). The evaluation indicators include aroma quality, aroma quantity, miscellaneous smell, irritation, aftertaste, sweetness, combustibility and ashness, with full marks of 18, 16, 10, 12, 16, 10, 10 and 8 respectively, with a total score of 100 points. The higher the score of each indicator, the better the quality of the tobacco leaves. Among them, three batches of samples were drawn for each evaluation, and five judges conducted smoking evaluation and scoring, and the scoring results were averaged. The results are shown in Table 1 below.

[0079] Table 1

[0080]

[0081] As can be seen from Table 1:

[0082] ① The data from Examples 1 to 6 demonstrate that, using the method provided herein for fermenting cigar raw materials using high-quality cigars as an external medium to improve the quality of low-quality cigar raw materials, the sensory scores for aroma quality, aroma quantity, off-flavors, pungency, aftertaste, and sweetness of the fermented cigar tobacco leaves were all above 80 points. When the fermentation conditions were changed to those other than those of the industrial fermentation method provided herein, the scores decreased to varying degrees. This further demonstrates that the fermentation method provided herein can improve the aroma quality of cigar tobacco leaves from different raw materials, increase the aroma quantity, reduce off-flavors and pungency, and provide a more harmonious and mellow aroma with a more pleasant aftertaste.

[0083] ② Comparative Example 1 and Example 2 show that the scores for Comparative Example 1, which used different high-quality cigars as the fermentation medium for low-quality cigar raw materials, were somewhat lower. This indicates that the fermentation pattern of the Dominican Criollo 98 cigar flora was not dominant during the fermentation process, and was unable to drive the fermentation behavior of the fermented cigar raw materials to resemble its own. The microbial flora in different tobacco leaves varies, and the microbial fermentation process is relatively complex. This further demonstrates the superiority of the microbial flora in the Dominican CUBAN C-98 cigar.

[0084] ③ Comparative Examples 2-3 and Example 2 show that the moisture content after moistening in step (1) of Comparative Examples 2-3 is greater or less than that of Example 2. The scores of Comparative Examples 2-3 decrease to varying degrees, and the decrease is significant. This indicates that moistening low-quality cigar raw materials with water obtained by soaking high-quality cigars to a moisture content of 30-35% can make the fermentation flora and fermentation mode of high-quality cigar tobacco leaves dominant in the early stage, which is conducive to the fermentation of low-quality cigar raw materials and the tendency of their products to develop towards the fermentation behavior of high-quality cigar tobacco leaves. Further analysis shows that the reason may be that the early fermentation of tobacco leaves is the period when microbial fermentation behavior in the tobacco leaf pile is formed, and therefore has a greater impact on the fermentation effect of tobacco leaves.

[0085] ④ Comparative Example 4 and Example 2 show that the score of Comparative Example 4, which used [Moistening Liquid 1] to maintain the moisture content of the low-quality cigar raw materials at no less than 21% during fermentation, was significantly reduced, demonstrating the importance of maintaining a moisture content of no less than 25% during fermentation.

[0086] ⑤ By comparing comparative example 5 with example 2, the score of comparative example 4 was reduced to a certain extent when [Moistening Liquid 4] was used for moistening during the fermentation process. A careful analysis of the preparation processes of [Moistening Liquid 4] and [Moistening Liquid 1] showed that the mass ratio of Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves to water in the preparation of [Moistening Liquid 4] was 1:17, which indicated excessive water. This indicates that the mass ratio of Dominican cigar CUBAN C-98 tobacco leaves to water needs to be maintained within a certain range during the preparation of the moistening liquid.

[0087] The term "turning the pile every 7 to 10 days" as used herein means turning the pile every 7 to 10 days starting from the first day of fermentation, and the time between the last turning and the end of fermentation may be less than 7 to 10 days. For example, turning the pile every 10 days, for a total of 45 days of fermentation, turning the pile is performed on the 10th, 20th, 30th, and 40th days.

[0088] The high-quality cigars used in the present invention are sourced from Nicaragua.

[0089] Unless otherwise specified, the raw materials and equipment used in the present invention are commonly used in the art; the methods used in the present invention are conventional methods in the art unless otherwise specified.

[0090] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the present invention in any way. Any simple modification, change and equivalent transformation made to the above embodiment based on the technical essence of the present invention still fall within the scope of protection of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar raw materials, characterized by: During the fermentation of low-quality cigar raw materials, high-quality cigars are used as an external medium to ferment and improve the quality of the low-quality cigar raw materials. The high-quality cigars are CUBAN C-98; The fermentation method comprises the following steps: S1. Take high-quality cigars and soak them in water to obtain a yeast solution; S2. After moistening the low-quality cigar raw materials with yeast solution, the low-quality cigar raw materials and high-quality cigars are stacked alternately, and then fermented; During the fermentation process, the yeast solution is used to maintain the moisture content of the low-quality cigar raw materials at no less than 25%; before the first stacking, the moisture content of the low-quality cigar raw materials is maintained at 30-35%; In step S1, the mass ratio of high-quality cigar to water is 1:10-15; and the soaking time is 16-24 hours.

2. The fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar raw materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S2, during the fermentation process, the stack is turned over once every 7 to 10 days; the fermentation time is 30 to 45 days.

3. The fermentation method for improving the quality of cigar raw materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step S2, the low-quality cigar raw materials and high-quality cigars are stacked alternately by placing a layer of high-quality cigars for every 5-7 cm high low-quality cigar raw materials, and stacking them alternately up and down, wherein each layer of high-quality cigars contains 3-10 tobacco leaves.

4. A cigar tobacco leaf fermented according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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