Native to middle America, tobacco is now widespread across the world and its leaves that are dried, carefully selected and subsequently processed, constitute the raw material which forms the basis for the production of our blends.
Tobacco cultivation requires passion, dedication and commitment. It all starts inside large greenhouses where the tiny tobacco seeds are planted. Once the fledgling tobacco plant shoots its first leaves, it is moved outside into the fields, where it grows up to 3 metres tall in some cases.
Harvest time varies according to the type of tobacco and several methods are used during the curing phase. Virginia tobacco is cured by the heat generated inside the piping that runs across the rooms where the tobacco leaves are stored; Burley tobacco undergoes an open-air curing process, sheltered from direct sunlight; the smoke generated by fire boxes placed underneath the leaves lies at the heart of the curing process used for dark-fired Kentucky tobacco; the small leaves of Oriental tobacco are instead spread out in the sun like clothes hung out to dry.