How are leaves flattened before ageing and storage?

[UmbriaFarmer]

How is leaf flattened as preparation for ageing and storage?
You know when you buy filler leaf, it is often completely flat, like Wiley E Coyote run over by a roadrunner, well how do they get it to behave like that in a cigar factory?
My leaf is much more 3 dimensional and does not want to flatten out and certainly not stay flat...seems like it real has a mind of it's own, no matter how cased it is and if I try and spread it out on a board, the second I let go of it, it springs back into it's crinkly shape so quickly I don't even have enough time to get a board on top of it to kinda iron it out...
Have any members mastered the art of getting it to stay flat? I'm half tempted to try my wife's iron....

 

[deluxestogie]

The veins in the leaf must be in case. For me, this requires misting the leaf, then enclosing it within a plastic bag or other container at least overnight.

Bob

 

[UmbriaFarmer]

Bob, I also have lots of trouble at the edges. The leaf tends to sit creased longitudinally and won't stay spread flat long enough for me to lay a chopping board on top. And, btw, atm I'm talking about the leaf more or less as it comes out from fermentation at 80% is rh so pretty well cased really.

 

[deluxestogie]

If the central vein and secondary veins are not limp, then the leaf is not fully in case.

Bob

EDIT:
Basically, what I am suggesting is that "case" is measured by the leaf properties, rather than instruments. After leaf is removed from the kiln, allow it to come to ambient temperature, then mist it and rest it until the leaf is in the desired case (i.e. relaxed veins).

 

[WillQuantrill]

I incorporate "light press" in my sorting procedure. So as leaf comes out of the kiln the shock of generally substantially lower temperature outside the box lowers the leafs inherent moisture dramatically. Thats why I will generously spritz the leaf as it comes out of the kiln mostly so my potential wrapper isnt damaged from handling. Then the leaf goes into any number of sealed containers (plastic bag, cardboard box etc) until it is safe for handling. Then I sort filler from binder/wrapper and as Im doing this I monitor status of moisture in unsorted leaf and spray again as it dries out. While making piles it all gets splayed out trying to eliminate creases and wrinkles, then when sorting is done I put a cutting board or any flat dense object on the pile and leave it like that until the case drops down below the mold point and its ready for packaging. I have noticed flattening is harder to achieve with leaf that is quite large but the only time it REALLY matters is in wrapper harvest and once you cut the lamina from midrib you will notice the leaf relaxes and will flatten out. Hope that helps.

 

[UmbriaFarmer]

I incorporate "light press" in my sorting procedure. So as leaf comes out of the kiln the shock of generally substantially lower temperature outside the box lowers the leafs inherent moisture dramatically. Thats why I will generously spritz the leaf as it comes out of the kiln mostly so my potential wrapper isnt damaged from handling. Then the leaf goes into any number of sealed containers (plastic bag, cardboard box etc) until it is safe for handling. Then I sort filler from binder/wrapper and as Im doing this I monitor status of moisture in unsorted leaf and spray again as it dries out. While making piles it all gets splayed out trying to eliminate creases and wrinkles, then when sorting is done I put a cutting board or any flat dense object on the pile and leave it like that until the case drops down below the mold point and its ready for packaging. I have noticed flattening is harder to achieve with leaf that is quite large but the only time it REALLY matters is in wrapper harvest and once you cut the lamina from midrib you will notice the leaf relaxes and will flatten out. Hope that helps.

That help a great deal! Thank you. Oh, and with your wrapper, at what point do you remove the midrib? Just when you are prepping to wrap a cigar or do you age the lamina already de-ribbed?

 

[WillQuantrill]

That help a great deal! Thank you. Oh, and with your wrapper, at what point do you remove the midrib? Just when you are prepping to wrap a cigar or do you age the lamina already de-ribbed?

The midrib stays until I am prepping wrapper leaf for rolling. Storing the leaf whole is actually more effective in preventing creases and wrinkles as the lamina is still bound to its backbone.
For my cigars I discard midrib in filler as well when bunching even the already frog legged filler leaf I trim it out.

 

[UmbriaFarmer]

The midrib stays until I am prepping wrapper leaf for rolling. Storing the leaf whole is actually more effective in preventing creases and wrinkles as the lamina is still bound to its backbone.
For my cigars I discard midrib in filler as well when bunching even the already frog legged filler leaf I trim it out.

Roger that. Have you experimented leaving the frog legged remaining rib in? I haven't yet, I always remove it, but I think I should experiment as I've no idea tbh what effect in/out has on the burn/flavour....

 

[WillQuantrill]

After extensive reading on tobacco product manufacturing my own opinion is that stem/midrib is a byproduct. Some claim leaving it helps in construction of the cigar but I dont have any of those problems trimming it out. No limp sticks here. My thought is that if Im going through all this trouble from seed to cigar what is one more QC step in the grand scheme of producing something from my own Craftsmanship. I only want the good stuff. Especially when I consider that many of my finished cigars become gifts I try to do anything in my power to make it as enjoyable as possible. I have smoked cigars with what I would liken to a tobacco "tree branch" hidden in the filler. The surrounding filler/binder/wrapper keeps burning and you have a twig jutting out of the ash an inch. Not only was it disappointing but it excluded that brand for any of my future purchases. I am left to believe that those things happen to enhance leaf yield which is fine; but Im producing a superior cigar.

 

[UmbriaFarmer]

After extensive reading on tobacco product manufacturing my own opinion is that stem/midrib is a byproduct. Some claim leaving it helps in construction of the cigar but I dont have any of those problems trimming it out. No limp sticks here. My thought is that if Im going through all this trouble from seed to cigar what is one more QC step in the grand scheme of producing something from my own Craftsmanship. I only want the good stuff. Especially when I consider that many of my finished cigars become gifts I try to do anything in my power to make it as enjoyable as possible. I have smoked cigars with what I would liken to a tobacco "tree branch" hidden in the filler. The surrounding filler/binder/wrapper keeps burning and you have a twig jutting out of the ash an inch. Not only was it disappointing but it excluded that brand for any of my future purchases. I am left to believe that those things happen to enhance leaf yield which is fine; but Im producing a superior cigar.

I know exactly what you mean, re twigs sticking out the front. And I hear what you are say about quality, I just would like to make sure I'm not missing out on some subtle flavour component that midrib might bring, so I think I'll do some test rolls, identical blend with rib/out. I'm just a guy who likes to make sure for myself rather than always go with received wisdom...it may well be I end up deciding the stogie tastes better with the rib removed but for me it's good to know I found out for sure by trial and error.

 

[jclif43]

Leaving a little of the finer midrib near the tip of the filler I think makes rolling entubado style easier and may help in not over compressing the bunch. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[UmbriaFarmer]

Leaving a little of the finer midrib near the tip of the filler I think makes rolling entubado style easier and may help in not over compressing the bunch. Just my 2 cents worth.

Agreed