- It improves fermentation and increases the quality of tobacco
- It provides elasticity of outer sheets
- It prevents loss of aroma during the storage of finished products
- It prevents drying and crushing of cigars and cigarettes in warehouses and stores
Tobacco is extremely hygroscopic (absorbs or releases moisture until a balance between tobacco and air is achieved). The air extracts moisture from tobacco if the tobacco is damper than the ambient temperature in which it is located. This is a simple drying mechanism. If the drying of stored tobacco is to be avoided, it is enough to ensure a balance between the moisture content of the air and the desired moisture content in the tobacco.
Recommended values of relative humidity of air in the warehouse and processing of tobacco:
Procedure/Location | Temperatureod – do°C | Rel. humidityod – do % | Average value% r.v. |
Storage of raw tobacco* | 20 – 25°C | 70 – 80% | |
| Storage of paper filters | 20 – 22°C | 55– 65% | |
Wet room for rolling** | 25 – 30°C | 95% | |
| Preparation of the outer sheets | 5 – 10°C | 95% | |
| Cutting room | 22 – 24°C | 60% | |
| Production plant units Cigarettes Cigars | 20 – 22°C 20 – 26°C | 60% 70% | |
Cigarette storage*** | 18 – 20°C | 55 – 60% | |
| “Walk-In” humidors | 18 – 20°C | 55 – 60% |
* Fermentation is also improved without presence of mold.
** In order to achieve the desired elasticity of the outer sheets, the air must be saturated with moisture.
*** The appropriate air humidity ensures that cigarettes slightly lose their humidity and that they are stored on a humidity level suitable for packaging. The air that is too dry causes a loss of aroma. The air that is too damp leads to the formation of mold.
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