Alcoholization method for improving flavor characteristics of cigars by using medium container

Abstract

The invention belongs to the field of tobaccos, and provides an alcoholization method for improving flavor characteristics of cigars by using a medium container, which comprises the following steps: after wine in an oak barrel filled with the wine is completely used up, airing for a preset time to obtain an alcoholization medium container; and putting the rolled single cigar into the alcoholization medium container for alcoholization to obtain the cigar. The sample alcoholized for 90 days is good in maturity, rich in fragrance, comfortable in aftertaste and grey in cigarette ash color, the rum oak barrel alcoholized sample is fuller and richer in fragrance amount and distinct in layer, the whisky oak barrel alcoholized sample is comfortable in fragrance quality and smoother in smoke, and the rum oak barrel alcoholized sample and the whisky oak barrel alcoholized sample have characteristics.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of tobacco, and relates to a method for improving the flavor characteristics of cigars by using a medium container. BACKGROUND

[0002] The information disclosed in this Background section is only for the purpose of increasing an understanding of the general context of the present application and does not necessarily constitute an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms part of the prior art already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

[0003] In the traditional process, cigars, as a special tobacco product, need to be cured and aged in a constant temperature and humidity environment for several months to several years after being rolled, and the flavor characteristics, aroma levels and overall quality of the cigars will be significantly improved. Therefore, cigar aging is an important research link for improving the flavor characteristics of cigars. With the deepening of the innovative exploration of the cross-border integration of wine and tobacco, wine-filled oak barrels have been reported as fermentation containers. Studies have shown that oak barrel fermented tobacco leaves can effectively improve the aroma quality, reduce the offensive odor and improve the aftertaste. Liu Fengfei put the cigar wrapper into a cedar barrel, a 1916 oak barrel and a whiskey oak barrel for curing, and found that the cedar barrel had a good effect on improving the sensory quality of the cigar, and increasing the total sugar content, the content of olefins and alcohols, the number and content of volatile components helped to improve the quality of the cigar. However, the new oak barrel was used, and the quality improvement of the cigar was not involved. Liu Liping detected the volatile components of cigar before and after being treated in a cedar barrel and a cypress barrel, and found that the two containers could improve the quality and style characteristics of the cigar, and the cypress barrel had a better effect. However, the new wood was used, and the quality improvement of the cigar still needs to be strengthened.

[0004] Because the flavor of the wine, the storage time, the material of the barrel, the post-processing technology and the like will affect the quality and style characteristics of the cigar, therefore, it is still necessary to study the existing medium container and the aging method to meet the requirements of rich and full aroma, distinct levels and comfortable aftertaste. SUMMARY

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a method for improving the flavor characteristics of cigars by using a medium container. The present application uses a cured rum oak barrel or a whiskey oak barrel to purify the cigar, which significantly improves the flavor characteristics of the cigar.

[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present application adopts the following technical solutions: In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for improving the flavor characteristics of cigars by using a medium container, comprising: After the wine in the wine-filled oak barrel is completely used up, the barrel is cured for a predetermined time to obtain an aging medium container; The rolled cigar single cigarette is placed in the alcoholization medium container for alcoholization, and the rolled cigar single cigarette is obtained.

[0007] The wine-filled oak barrel has high recycling value due to unique flavoring substances (such as tropical fruit aroma, molasses sweetness, vanilla aroma, etc.) still remaining in the barrel wall. However, if the wine-filled oak barrel is directly used to alcoholize cigars, the improvement effect on the flavor characteristics of the cigars is limited. Therefore, the present application systematically studies the influence of the flavor of the wine, the storage time, the material of the barrel, and the post-processing technology on the quality and style characteristics of the cigar. Through large-scale experiments, it is found that: after the wine in the oak barrel is used up, the barrel is air-dried at room temperature for a certain period of time (15 days-90 days), and then used to alcoholize the cigar, the obtained sample has good maturity, rich aroma, and comfortable aftertaste.

[0008] In a second aspect of the present application, the rolled cigar single cigarette prepared by the above method is provided.

[0009] In a third aspect of the present application, the application of the wine-filled oak barrel in improving the flavor of the cigar is provided. The cigar core tobacco leaf produced in Yunnan is taken as the research object, the rum oak barrel and the whiskey oak barrel are taken as the alcoholization medium container, the chemical composition and volatile substances of the cigar sample after alcoholization of the oak barrel are detected, and the flavor characteristic changes of the cigar core tobacco leaf in the time dynamic alcoholization process are analyzed and compared by combining the sensory evaluation, so as to provide a reference basis for improving the cigar alcoholization conditions and process upgrading.

[0010] Advantages of the present application (1) The rum oak barrel and the whiskey oak barrel are used to alcoholize the cigars in the present application. With the increase of the alcoholization time, the chemical composition tends to be balanced, the total content of the alkane, alkene, alcohol, ketone, ester, aldehyde and other substances in the cigar is gradually increased, the p-methoxyaniline, N-isobutyl-(2E,4Z)-octadienyl amide, 5-dihydro-1-phenyl-1H-furo(2,3-c)pyrazole and cinnamin disappear after 90 d of alcoholization, the sample after 90 d of alcoholization has good maturity, rich aroma and comfortable aftertaste, and the ash color is grayish white. The research results show that: the alcoholization effect of the oak barrel gradually increases with the time sequence, and has a significant influence on the flavor characteristics of the cigar.

[0011] (2) The rum oak barrel enhances the sweetness while the smoke is more transparent, and the pungency is gradually increased, and the rum oak barrel is slightly inferior to the whiskey oak barrel at 60 d of alcoholization; the whiskey oak barrel enhances the sweetness of the cigar while imparting various aromas to the cigar, and the overall integration is the best. The sample after 90 d of alcoholization has good maturity, rich aroma and comfortable aftertaste, and the ash color is grayish white. The aroma of the sample alcoholized by the rum oak barrel is more full and rich, and the levels are distinct. The aroma of the sample alcoholized by the whiskey oak barrel is comfortable, and the smoke is more oily. The rum oak barrel and the whiskey oak barrel have their own characteristics.

[0012] (3) The preparation method of the present invention is simple, practical and easy to promote. Detailed Implementation

[0013] It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are exemplary and intended to provide further illustration of the invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used in this invention have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0014] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of skill in the art. The reagents and raw materials used in this invention are readily available through conventional means, and unless otherwise specified, they are used in accordance with conventional methods in the art or product instructions. Similarly, unless otherwise specified, the test methods of this invention are performed in accordance with conventional methods in the art or industry-standard methods or practices. Furthermore, any methods and materials similar to or equivalent to those described herein may be applied to the methods of this invention. The preferred embodiments and materials described herein are for illustrative purposes only.

[0015] As described in the background section, there are currently few reports on oak barrel-aged cigars, but they are expected to form a new model in a unique end-market, attracting more consumers who pursue personalization and high quality to explore and practice, thus injecting new vitality into the cigar industry.

[0016] Therefore, the present invention provides an aging method for enhancing the flavor characteristics of cigars using a medium container, comprising: After all the wine in the oak barrels that had previously held wine has been used up, the barrels are left to dry for a predetermined time to obtain a container for aging. The rolled cigar tobacco is placed in the aging medium container for aging to obtain the final product.

[0017] The flavor of the alcohol can remain on the aging medium container, which in turn affects the aroma, off-flavors, and aftertaste of the cigar. Therefore, the present invention has screened the types of alcohol. In some embodiments, the oak barrel that has held the alcohol is a rum oak barrel or a whiskey oak barrel to obtain better cigar flavor characteristics.

[0018] Among them, the characteristics of rum oak barrel flavor are: (1) Rich tropical fruit flavor: Rum is usually brewed in tropical regions, and its oak barrels will give the liquor a rich tropical fruit aroma and flavor, such as pineapple, mango, banana, coconut, etc., bringing a rich tropical flavor.

[0019] (2) Sweet molasses and vanilla aroma: Since rum is made from sugarcane molasses through fermentation and distillation, the oak barrels of rum have a distinct molasses sweetness and are often accompanied by the aroma of vanilla, making the taste of the liquor sweeter and more mellow.

[0020] (3) The complex flavor of spices and coffee: Some rum oak barrels also have a spicy flavor of spices such as cinnamon, clove, etc., and coffee aroma, which increases the complexity and layers of the liquor, making the flavor more rich and diverse.

[0021] The flavor characteristics of whiskey oak barrels: (1) Sweetness of vanilla and honey: Bourbon barrels made of American oak are rich in natural sugar and compounds such as vanillin, which can give whiskey a rich vanilla and honey flavor, with a sweet and smooth taste.

[0022] (2) Light fruit and floral aroma: Bourbon barrel-aged whiskey may also have some light fruit aroma such as apple, pear, etc., and a slight floral aroma, making the overall flavor more fresh and pleasant.

[0023] It should be noted that the brand and origin of the wine also have a subtle impact on the flavor characteristics of the cigar, but the main difference comes from the type of wine, so the brand and origin of the wine in the present application are not specially limited.

[0024] In order to make the flavor substances in the wine fully penetrate into the oak barrel, the storage time of the wine is studied in some embodiments, and the storage time of the wine is more than 1 year, so that the flavor of the wine can be left on the aging medium container, thereby effectively improving the aroma quality, off-flavor and aftertaste of the cigar.

[0025] The temperature and time of airing will affect the dryness of the medium container and the amount of flavor substances left, so the temperature and time of airing are studied in the present application, and in some embodiments, the airing is carried out at room temperature to better improve the flavor characteristics of the cigar.

[0026] In some embodiments, the predetermined time is 15-90 days, which not only makes the medium container have a certain dryness to meet the aging requirements of the cigar, but also retains enough flavor substances to improve the flavor of the cigar.

[0027] The maintenance of the aging environment is appropriate, and the cigar can reach a good quality state in a relatively short time, so the temperature, humidity and time of aging are studied in the present application, and in some embodiments, the temperature of aging is 18-22℃; the humidity of aging is 65±5%, and the time of aging is 60-90d, so that the cigar has a good flavor in the shortest possible time.

[0028] The origin of the cigar tobacco leaf in the present application is not specially limited, and in some embodiments, the single tobacco leaf for rolling the cigar is prepared from tobacco core tobacco leaves from Yunnan, so as to cooperate with the aroma of the oak barrel and obtain a more optimal flavor characteristic.

[0029] The application will be further described in detail below in connection with specific examples, it should be pointed out that the specific examples are an explanation of the application rather than a limitation.

[0030] In the following examples, tobacco leaves from Yunnan were used as the research object, and each oak barrel and reagent was a commercially available product.

[0031] Among them, the preparation methods of the rum oak barrel, the whiskey oak barrel and the liquor oak barrel are as follows: respectively taking the rum, whiskey and liquor products (all are commercially available products, and the storage time is 1 year) stored in the oak barrels, pouring out the wine in the oak barrels, airing at room temperature for 60 days, and using the oak barrels to alcoholize the cigar.

[0032] Example 1: Cigar single filler alcoholization test The test sample tobacco leaves were each rolled into 100 cigar single fillers according to the oak barrel category (Table 1), and were placed in the oak barrels for alcoholization in an environment with a temperature of 18-22 ℃ and a humidity of 65±5%, and the tobacco leaves were checked once a day. Using the five-point sampling method, 30 samples were taken at 30 d, 60 d and 90 d using sterile sampling bags, and the 0 d alcoholized tobacco leaves were used as the CK control group, which were stored at-4 ℃ for analysis and evaluation.

[0033] Table 1: Basic information of samples

[0034] Example 2: Detection of chemical components of tobacco leaf samples The continuous flow analyzer was used to determine the conventional chemical components (total sugar, total nicotine, total nitrogen, potassium and chlorine) in each cigar sample prepared in Example 1 according to the standard YC / T 159-2019, YC / T 468-2021, YC / T 161-2002, YC / T 217-2007 and YC / T 162-2011.

[0035] Example 3: GC-MS detection of volatile components The headspace solid-phase microextraction conditions were as follows: 1.0 g of each sample prepared in Example 1 was weighed into a 20 mL headspace bottle, and equilibrated at room temperature in a desiccator for 1 d. 10 μL of phenethyl acetate internal standard solution was added, and 3 parallel samples were sealed for headspace treatment. The solid-phase microextraction fiber head was 80 μm DVB / CAR / PSMS; the equilibration temperature was 70 ℃; the equilibration time was 20 min; the extraction temperature was 80 ℃; the extraction time was 30 min; the analysis temperature was 280 ℃; the analysis time was 8 min; and the aging time was 30 min.

[0036] GC-MS conditions: the chromatographic column was DB-5MS chromatographic column (30 m x 0.25 mm x 0.25 μm); EI ion source 70 eV; mass number range 35-550 amu; ion source temperature 230 °C; quadrupole temperature 150 °C; programmed temperature setting: 40 °C, holding for 2 min, increasing to 290 °C at 10 °C / min, holding for 5 min; carrier gas: high-purity He; flow rate: 1.0 mL / min; inlet temperature 280 °C; splitless injection. The retention time of the standard sample and neutral aroma components obtained by GC-MS was calculated to obtain the corresponding retention value, NIST 17 was used for retrieval matching, and the components were qualitatively determined by combining the matching degree and retention index in the database. According to the peak area, the relative content of each neutral aroma component was obtained by internal standard method, assuming that the relative correction factor was 1.

[0037] Example 4 Sensory quality evaluation A panel of 5 cigar sensory evaluation personnel was formed, and the sensory quality of the single filler tobacco of the samples prepared by rolling the cigar tobacco in Example 1 was evaluated by using the sensory evaluation method of the research group for cigar tobacco leaf style quality and the evaluation method described in “GB 15269.4-2011 Cigars Part 4: Sensory Technical Requirements”.

[0038] Example 5 1 Effect of oak barrel aging on cigar chemical components As shown in Table 2, in the L1, L2 and L3 samples aged in rum oak barrels, the contents of total alkaloids, total nitrogen and potassium first decreased and then increased, the contents of total sugar and reducing sugar first increased and then decreased, and the potassium-chlorine ratio of L3 was significantly higher than that of L1 and L2; in the W1, W2 and W3 samples aged in whiskey oak barrels, the contents of total alkaloids, total sugar and total nitrogen first decreased and then increased, the contents of potassium and chlorine first increased and then decreased, and the potassium-chlorine ratio of W1 was significantly higher than that of W2 and W3. It was found by comparing L3 and W3 aged for 90 d that the content of total alkaloids in W3 was significantly lower than that in L3; the contents of total sugar, reducing sugar and the potassium-chlorine ratio in L3 were significantly higher than those in W3; and the content of total nitrogen in L3 was significantly lower than that in W3.

[0039] Table 2 Contents of main chemical components after aging of cigars %

[0040] 2 Effect of oak barrel aging on volatile components of a cigarette From Table 3, 69 volatile components were identified in CK control group, rum oak barrel and whiskey oak barrel aging samples by HS-SPME-GC-MS method. According to the structure of volatile components, they can be divided into 9 categories, including alkanes (15 kinds), alcohols (11 kinds), olefins (8 kinds), esters (8 kinds), ketones (8 kinds), aldehydes (3 kinds), indoles (3 kinds), acids (3 kinds) and other components (10 kinds). The results showed that the volatile components of 7 samples were mainly alkanes, alcohols, olefins, ketones and esters, and the content of volatile components of two oak barrel aging samples was the highest at 90 d, followed by whiskey oak barrel and rum oak barrel. The number of aroma components in W3 and L3 samples was significantly higher than that in other samples.

[0041] After comparison of 7 samples, 25 volatile components were detected. The volatile components that appeared after aging were cubebene, bugbane alcohol, isophytol, cubebol, 1,3,3-trimethylindolinium benzopyran spiro ring, indole, ethyl oleate, ethyl phenylacetate, 3-ethyl-4-methyl-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione, octanoic acid. The volatile components that appeared after aging for 60 d were bugbane alcohol, ethyl oleate, ethyl phenylacetate. The volatile components that appeared after aging for 90 d were indole, 3-ethyl-4-methyl-1H-pyrrole-2,5-dione. The volatile components that disappeared after aging for 90 d were τ-turmerol, butyl diglycol, butyl trans-dec-3-enyl phthalate, p-methoxyaniline, N-isobutyl-(2E,4Z)-octadienamide, 5-dihydro-1-phenyl-1H-furo (2,3-c) pyrazole, and cotinine.

[0042] Table 3 Volatile component content of fermented tobacco core (unit: μg / g)

[0043] 3 Influence of oak barrel aging on sensory evaluation From Table 4, the total score of sensory evaluation of each sample is W3>L3>W2>L2>L1>W1>CK. From Table 5, the smoke of CK sample is slightly dry, the aftertaste has a bitter taste, has a dry gas, and the ash is slightly off-white; the smoke of L1 sample is relatively thick, has a strong mature feeling, a medium to high strength, has obvious woody, green, and baking aroma, the aftertaste has a bitter taste, and the ash is slightly off-white; the smoke of L2 sample has a moderate concentration, slightly with a mature feeling, has green and baking aroma, and the dry gas, green gas, and woody gas are relatively heavy, and the ash is off-white; the smoke of L3 sample is relatively smooth, the aroma is sufficient and relatively transparent, has obvious mature aroma, and the tongue tip stimulation is relatively strong, and the ash is off-white; the aroma of W1 sample is relatively transparent than CK, has woody and baking aroma, slightly with dry gas and green gas, the aftertaste has a bitter taste, and the ash is relatively scattered; the aroma of W2 sample is sufficient and relatively transparent, has woody and baking aroma, slightly with a fishy smell and dry gas, and the ash is off-white; the maturity of W3 sample is relatively good, has obvious woody and baking aroma, and the ash is off-white.

[0044] Table 4: Sensory quality evaluation table of cigar

[0045] Table 5: Sensory evaluation table of cigar leaf style quality

[0046] It can be seen that, with the increase of the aging time of the rum oak barrel and the whiskey oak barrel, the chemical components of the cigar tend to be balanced, the total content of the alkane, olefin, alcohol, ketone, ester, and aldehyde in the cigar gradually increases, the p-methoxyaniline, N-isobutyl-(2E,4Z)-octadienyl amide, 5-dihydro-1-phenyl-1H-furo(2,3-c)pyrazole, and cinnamin disappear after aging for 90 d, the sample aged for 90 d has good maturity, rich aroma, and comfortable aftertaste, and the ash color is off-white, the LMJ oak barrel aging sample has more abundant and rich aroma, and the layers are clear, the WSJ oak barrel aging sample has comfortable aroma quality, and the smoke is more oily, and the research shows that the aging effect of the oak barrel gradually increases with the time sequence, and has a significant influence on the flavor characteristics of the cigar.

[0047] The rum oak barrel improves the sweetness while the smoke is more transparent, and the pungency gradually increases, and the rum oak barrel is slightly inferior to the whiskey oak barrel when aged for 60 d; the whiskey oak barrel enhances the sweetness of the cigarette while giving the cigarette various aromas, and the overall integration is the best.

[0048] Comparative Example 1 The difference from Example 1 is that the liquor oak barrel is used instead of the rum oak barrel.

[0049] The test results show that the liquor oak barrel aging cigarette can obviously improve the pungency and smoke irritation, and the integration with the tobacco leaf is slightly inferior to the rum and whiskey oak barrels.

[0050] The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present application, and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing the flavor characteristics of cigars using a medium container, characterized in that, include: After all the wine in the oak barrels that had previously held wine has been used up, the barrels are left to dry for a predetermined time to obtain a container for aging. The rolled cigar tobacco is placed in the aging medium container for aging to obtain the final product.

2. The aging method for enhancing the flavor characteristics of cigars using a medium container as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The oak barrels that held the liquor were either rum oak barrels or whiskey oak barrels.

3. The aging method for enhancing the flavor characteristics of cigars using a medium container as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The wine was stored in the oak barrels for more than one year.

4. The aging method for enhancing the flavor characteristics of cigars using a medium container as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The drying process is carried out at room temperature.

5. The aging method for enhancing the flavor characteristics of cigars using a medium container as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The scheduled time is 15 to 90 days.

6. The aging method for enhancing the flavor characteristics of cigars using a medium container as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The alcoholization temperature is 18-22℃, and the alcoholization humidity is 65±5%.

7. The aging method for enhancing the flavor characteristics of cigars using a medium container as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The aging time is 60-90 days.

8. The aging method for enhancing the flavor characteristics of cigars using a medium container as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The single-filler tobacco for the rolled cigars is made from filler tobacco leaves produced in Yunnan.

9. A rolled cigar tobacco prepared by the method according to any one of claims 1-8.

10. The use of oak barrels that have held alcohol to enhance the flavor of rolled cigars.

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