There are many small windows in the tobacco leaf house, some open and some closed, which is used to adjust the temperature and humidity in the warehouse at any time, during the processing of tobacco leaves, the temperature in the tobacco room is always controlled at about 23 degrees, and the humidity is strictly controlled at 65%-75%, all the picked tobacco leaves are neatly hung in the tobacco room, in order to remove the moisture in the tobacco leaves, until the tobacco leaves turn from green to dark brown.

This is where cigars differ from cigarettes, they are not roasted, but completely dried, a process that takes about a month and a half to slowly and evenly remove the moisture from the tobacco leaves.

Don't underestimate this process, this is very knowledgeable, all tobacco leaves are sewn together with thread at the petiole and hung on the drying rack every two pieces, and there is a certain interval between each tobacco leaf, so that the tobacco leaves will not touch together, so as to avoid stagnant water or mold. It is also important that the spacing between the drying racks is even, so that the air circulation is good and thus the temperature and humidity are kept at a uniform level.

During these weeks of drying, someone has to keep an eye on the place, and it is also a painstaking process to control the doors and windows to ensure that the tobacco leaves do not become too dry or wet.

When the tobacco leaves are dehydrated, they are taken to the fermentation room, placed on a wooden platform, and stacked in neat piles before fermentation. In this process, the tobacco pile should be kept moist to ensure that the tobacco leaves will not be damaged, and the tobacco leaves should be turned frequently to ensure that the fermentation of all tobacco leaves can be completed at the same time, and the temperature should be controlled at this time, and the core temperature of the tobacco leaves should be kept at about 35 degrees.

In this process, it is the unique secret of each tobacco maker------- the taste of the tobacco leaves is added in this process.

At the end of these two processes, the final step is ripening: the tobacco leaves are stored in sacks in a room with strict temperature and humidity control, a process that can take up to several years. The process of maturation of tobacco leaves is also different for different functions.

The most unique thing about this top-of-the-line Cuban cigar is that it is always made with whole leaves. Cigars are composed of three parts: wrapper, binder, and filler, the wrapper is the outermost coat of the cigar, and the binder is the 'underwear' that wraps the filler, and the filler is the key part that determines the taste of a cigar.

Ordinary cigars are composed of three tobacco leaves, a wrapper, an binder, and an ashheart, while the fillers of top cigars are usually made of three or more tobacco leaves, and never use the same batch of tobacco leaves!

"Mr. Xiao, do you like our cigars?" asked Regra curiously.

"Of course, I think the biggest highlight is the white pepper and cardamom you use to enhance the flavor, and you don't use the usual black pepper, which is a very good combination. Xiao Peng replied.

Regra laughed when he heard this: "You are indeed an expert. ”

Xiao Peng shook his head and said: "What kind of connoisseur am I, I have a friend who once gave me a lot of world-famous cigars, and I got used to smoking too much." ”

Dana looked disdainful after hearing this: "What a world famous cigar, any Cuban smoker has his own unique secret recipe, when the Cuban economy was in a downturn, many good Cuban cigar technicians chose other industries, now look at it is really a pity, Xiaoka when he was in power, said 'soybeans are as important as cannons', vigorously develop the economy, cancel business and travel restrictions for citizens, I have always wanted my mother to contact her former colleagues to make a handmade cigar brand." ”

"That's a good idea, why don't you do it?" Xiao Peng was puzzled.

Dana said: "We actually have a lot of cigar brands in Cuba, and many of them are of very good quality, but tourists who come here only know the big brands like 'Cohiba', 'Romeo and Juliet', 'Montecristo', 'Partagas'. Cuban cigars sold to foreigners and domestic are two different concepts, and cigar brands that have export channels can make money. Otherwise...... ”

Dana's words were not finished, but Xiao Peng suddenly remembered that the smugglers on the boat gave him a bundle of cigars, and they didn't need to buy that bundle for a dollar to sell to tourists? At least a few dollars a piece, this is the difference.

Xiao Peng looked at Garcia puzzled and asked, "It's not difficult to find an exit route based on your social connections, right?"

Garcia smiled bitterly: "It's because I'm an official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs that I can't do this." ”

Xiao Peng patted Sun Pengcheng: "You kid, why are you still stunned? Aren't you crying poor all day long? The opportunity to get rich has arrived!"

Sun Pengcheng was stunned: "Brother Peng, what do you mean?"

"Do you still need to ask? Find someone to set up a foreign trade company, import this cigar and sell it back, and the opportunity to make a fortune has come. Xiao Peng said.

Sun Pengcheng blinked: "Can this make a fortune?"

Xiao Peng gave him a blank look: "You deserve to be poor! Regra, how do you make money making cigars now?"

Regra looked at Garcia and Dana, Dana thought for a while and said, "Mom, just tell Mr. Xiao, this Mr. Xiao should be a rich man, and the person who can buy three cars at the Pebble Beach auction is definitely not a simple person." He won't expose a small business like yours for you. ”

After hearing this, Regra said to Xiao Peng: "Our own cigars are usually sold to counterfeit cigarette dealers in Havana, who will repackage the cigars and sell them to tourists as big brands such as 'Cohiba', and it just so happens that my cigars are the same size as Cohiba 'Century 6', so they are still relatively easy to sell." That's what most tobacco makers do. There is another way to sell to regular cigar factories and sell them to foreign countries outside the label, but the recycling price of cigar factories is too low, so we generally don't do that. ”

There are countless sizes of these cigars, as do they vary from country to country, with 69 Cuban cigars alone, 42 of which are handmade cigar sizes, each with a specific name. Now Cohiba and Montecristo are available in 11 sizes each, while Partagas is available in 40 sizes.

Xiao Peng nodded after hearing this: "How much did you sell them one?"

"Ten pesos a piece. Regra said.

Xiao Peng calculated the exchange rate, which was about forty cents: "Then how much can you sell each month?"

Regra shrugged: "This thing is not necessarily, it depends on the situation of tourists, and it can sell three or four hundred sticks a month." ”

"What about your yield?" Xiao Peng continued.

"I have a limited amount of tobacco here, and the maximum annual production is 6,000 cigars. Regra said.

Xiao Peng sighed after hearing this: "Alas, this amount is too small, it's not interesting, so I can only keep it for myself." Dana, in the future, I will charge as much as you want, and you don't have to worry about the taxes, I will directly buy you for one dollar, do you think this price is appropriate?"

Before Dana could reply, Regra had already replied: "Suitable, too suitable." "Her handmade cigars are the same size as the Cohiba Century 6, which is exported for less than a dollar.

Dana interjected: "Mr. Xiao, my mother and several colleagues also make handmade cigars, I don't know。。。。。。 ”

Xiao Peng asked, "What is the quality of their cigars?" ”

Dana hurriedly said: "They are all time-honored tobacco makers." There is certainly no problem with the level. ”

Xiao Peng smiled: "Okay, I believe you, I don't have much energy on this cigar, it's just because I like to smoke." I need 24,000 a year. Except for the six thousand of your family, you will raise the remaining eighteen thousand. But the quality must be guaranteed. ”

Dana was overjoyed: "Great!

After hearing this, Sun Pengcheng frowned and said, "Brother Peng, what is the use of just more than 20,000 cigars? You say smoke it yourself, it's too much." Cuba exports 160,000 cigars a year, right?

Xiao Peng pointed out his middle finger at Sun Pengcheng: "You know how to fart, so you have such good resources, you are still a poor life in this life! Hurry up and register a foreign trade company, and I will give you 20% of the shares!"

Sun Pengcheng blinked: "Brother Peng, is there no mistake? I took the trouble to set up a company, and as a result, you accounted for eighty percent of the shares?"

Xiao Peng lit a cigar and said slowly: "Now I have nine percent。。。。。。 ”

Sun Pengcheng hurriedly waved his hand: "Don't! Two achievements are two! This matter is left to me!"

Xiao Peng smiled: "You are still a smart person, this cigar is not smoking, most of the people who smoke this are just for the sake of the two words------ pretending to be X." How many people can really smoke the difference between cigars? Since I'm going to have an X, I'll let them fill enough! Believe it or not, I can make you count the money and count the cramps of your hands with more than 20,000 cigars?"

"Believe! Brother Peng! I will believe everything you say!" Sun Pengcheng is not stupid, he has already heard the meaning of Xiao Peng's words, Xiao Peng is preparing to sell this cigar to a sky-high price. He was just curious that Xiao Peng was going to operate this thing.

Is anyone really that stupid enough to pay a sky-high price for a cigar smoker?

Dana is also in a really good mood now, it turns out that her family secretly produces cigars and sells them to cigarette dealers, and if she is caught, it will be troublesome, which is an illegal act.

Although Garcia can deal with such a problem, it will also cause problems for Garcia personally.

Now, don't worry about safety, don't worry about sales, and the good days for the family are coming!

Dana's happy expression was written on her face, and Xiao Peng smiled: "Okay, okay, don't be happy yet, it seems that it is very troublesome to register a company with you, right?"

Dana turned to Garcia, "Honey, it's up to you." ”