BRITISH-AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY LIMITED
P O Box 482 Westminster House 7 Millbank ' London SW1
Telephone Abbey 1222
Telegraphic Address Vehicular London SW: LD/WJS/EH/527.
R . St . C . Walmisley Esq .,
C/o Sunel T .T .A .O .
Pk . 448,
Izmir, Turkey .
14th July, 1964 .
My dear Walmisley,
LATAKIA .
We have now received the enclosed information on the process of Latakia in Syria and Cyprus from the Imperial Tobacco Co. which may be of some use to you in connection with the experiments you will be conducting in Izmir to produce this type of product.
If there are any specific points on which you may require further details we shall do our utmost to obtain this information.
With kind regards ,
Yours sincerely ,
??? [unreadable signature]
Latakia grown in Syria
Latakia is a variety of N . Tabacum with a flower varying in colour from white to purple . The plant normally, produces 15 - 20 leaves the shape of which is narrowish and pointed with a feathered butt . It is grown in the mountains and on the plains. In the mountains where the setting is closer and the soil less rich, a much smaller plant is produced than on the plains. The plants are not topped and when ripe are cut. They are then cured by being strung between trees or laid on the ground for two to three weeks after which.they are bulked in the house until-fumigated. At this stage the tobacco is normally sold to the brokers who have it fumigated. This process takes two
to three months and is mainly done in winter.
The houses are constructed of stone with beams on which to fix the strings of tobacco and one or two fire pits in
the floor. The usual internal dimensions are about 20 ' ft. square by 12 ft. high. There is often no ventilation except through the door. Fires are lighted from any type of brushwood available in the area. Oak is said to produce the best results, though pine is the most commonly used. The houses are all situated in the mountains and the fires are burning during most of the fumigation period. After fumigation the tobacco is bulked and sprayed before being brought to the depot at Latakia. This liquor (water) and the smoke increase the weight by 10-15%.
After the tobacco has been fumigated it is brought to the imperial Tobacco Company factory by the brokers. Most of the tobacco nowadays is destalked. This is done by women who sit crosslegged and pick the leaves from the stalks. The tobacco is then placed in bulks together with the smaller plants from the mountain districts which are not destalked. One of the vaulted rooms is filled with the bulk measuring about 23 ft. x 16 ft. x 9 ft. where it remains from 60 to 90 days according to the weather. During this time the tobacco undergoes a fermentation, which gives it a more mature flavour and helps to drive off the excess moisture. A fair amount of heat is generated in the tobacco during this process. After bulking the tobacco is packed in a frame for export. This usually takes place during the Winter months in order to avoid damage from fermentation in transit. The tobacco arrives in the Imperial Tobacco Company factory containing about 28% moisture and is shipped with about 18%.
Latakia grown in Cyprus
The cultivation and handling of Latakia grown in Cyprus differs from the Syrian product in the following respects:
1) Over 90% of the tobacco is derived from the top of the plant which is grown, mainly for the yellow leaf. The yellow leaf is obtained by priming the lower two-thirds of the stalk and the top portion is cut and used for fumigation.
2) The plants used mainly for fumigation are Cyprus Myrtle and Lentisk [Mastic tree]. Pine, Carob and the Scrub Oak used in Syria are not used though they grow in the vicinity.
3) The method of fumigation is the same in a similar type of stone houses, but water is not added afterwards. It is therefore possible to leave the tobacco in bulk without starting fermentation or without risk of mould.
The following is extracted from Mr . George Mills' booklet:
- "When ripe, the plant is cut commencing from the top into 2 or 3 pieces, each about 9 inches long, composed of the stalk with the leaves left on. These are then strung into lengths of about 4 ft, the loose leaves picked from the bottom part of the plants being intermingled with the stalky pieces. The "strings" are then either hung on frames for curing or the method more commonly adopted in Cyprus is to lay them on the ground for drying in the sun and keep turning them over every few days until the curing is completed; this generally lasts about 18 to 20 days.
There is nothing against carrying out this method, especially for irrigated tobacccs, except that the leaf is apt to show a greenish texture and I prefer the former method of curing the tobaccos by hanging, particularly if they should be from dry (unwatered) lands.
After curing, the strings of tobacco are hung on a wired frame erected inside the fumigation hut. The dimensions of an averaged size but are: 22 ft. length, 14 ft. breadth and 15 ft. height with one or two fire pits in the middle part. The fire pit is approximately 3 by 3 by 6 feet in size and is covered with a raised zinc cover to provent the
lower rows catching fire.
In regard to the kind of fuel used, I found that the most satisfactory results were obtained by firing for the first few days with some slightly aromatic shrub such as myrtle, then for the next day or so fire the hut fairly heavily with hard wood, such as pine or oak, for the purpose of producing a considerable heat in order to dry out the leaf as much as possible and then to continue until near completion with mixed scrub wood in a rather green state which imparts a greater intensity of smoke than dry wood . For the last few days, myrtle or such other shrub maybe used again to improve the flavour.
A hut of the above dimensions will take from 400 to 600 okes [Turkish unit of weight: 1 oke=2.75 pounds] dependant on how close the tobaccos are placed in the rows: it is advisable not to pack too closely so as to ??? [missing text]
With continual firing the fumigation will last over 20 to 30 days until the tobaccos are properly blackened, the lower rows above the fire-pits being ready first when they should be taken down and the firing continued until the remraining tobaccos are of the desired extent of fumigation.
Fumigation may also be done with sawdust by filling tins or other similar receptacles with a quantity of wood sawdust and lighting same after soaking with methylated spirits [ethanol denatured with methanol]. These are then placed in the huts.This, however, is a slow method. of fumigation- and I find does not answer to the same satisfactory degree as with wood fuel. The conditioning of the Latakia type is the most troublesome process and requires considerable care and experience.
During the course of fumigation it often happens that a certain amount of condensation takes place in the huts causing the tobaccos to become over-moist and for this reason great care has to be exercised at the time of taking down the tobaccos to ensure that they are in fairly dry order, just pliable enough to work. This can be accomplished by keeping the doors of the fumigating huts open for several days to dry out the tobaccos as much as possible. In wet or damp weather which occurs in the late autumn and during the winter months, this difficulty becomes greater and the only way in Cyprus to ensure really satisfactory results is to complete the fumigation during the summer period of hot weather or to recommence it in the early Spring.
On taking down the tobacco from the huts, the strings are placed lengthwise in small piles, after which they are taken and cut in half for making into small folded bundles.
These bundles are then carefully piled into stacks of 10,000 to 30,000 lbs; this needs a certain amount of skill and experience to obtain closely packed square-formed stacks. They should remain piled in this state for 6-8 months, preferably over a hot season in order to condition and dry out properly, before being ready for baling and export.
Fermentation of Latakia will only take place in large stacks of at least 80,000 lbs. when allowed to remain over a hot season in stores with reduced ventilation. The process also involves a certain amount of risks as the fermentation heating starts in the centre of the pile to a somewhat intense degree and this is difficult to control on account of the large size of the piles. However, it can be watched by either making a narrow tunnel in the pile towards the centre or preferaby by the insertion of a special thermometer for control. I have seen a similar method used in the Quebec district of Canada for the fermentation of the local cigar leaf.
During the hot summer months in the year following that in which the crop has been produced, fermentation is liable to start in the bulk and may spread quickly from the
centre of the pile showing at times intense heat in that quarter up to as much as 180°F. and liable to cause fire mould damage. In one instance I lost the greater part of a
pile owing to self-combustion resulting in the centre tobaccos being entirely charred.
The fermentation in piles, however, generally proceeds normally, but on the first signs of the interior showing overheating the pile should be opened by cutting a channel towards the center in order to allow ventilation.
Undoubtedly fermented. Latakia has superior flavour and improved quality, but on account of the risks and trouble involved it is to the disadvantage of the average producer to undertake the process in the ordinary course of business as I have found that the manufacturer does not appear to appreciate any particular benefits in using the fermented tobacco, although I mention the process as a matter of interest."
