EP2774498A1 - Method for making a tobacco product - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves providing tobacco leaf mixture, and drying the tobacco leaf mixture to relative humidity of 11 to 16 percent. The tobacco leaf mixture is separated in tobacco leaf layers, and the tobacco leaf layers are pressed into a parallelepiped form. The pressed tobacco leaf layers are vaccumized. The tobacco leaf mixture is flavored before drying and/or after drying and before the separation and produced by mixing of different tobaccos. The tobacco leaf mixture is added to a tobacco film before the pressing, where the leaf layers comprise height of maximum of 10 mm after pressing.

Description

The invention relates to a method for producing a tobacco product.

Tobacco products are offered for sale in a variety of forms, e.g. In the form of cigarettes, roll-your-own or make-your-own tobacco, pipe tobacco, cigars, cigarillos or water pipe tobacco.

A disadvantage of these forms is that they are relatively bulky, because the tobacco is delivered in smokeless form. Furthermore, most types of tobacco are offered as a ready mix. Thus, it is almost impossible for the consumer to make his own mixture according to his own wishes and ideas.

The object of the invention, starting from the state of the art, is to disclose a method for producing a tobacco product in which the tobacco in the packaging form has a high density and is not smokable.

This object is achieved by a method with the measures of claim 1. Advantageous developments of the method will become apparent from the dependent claims.

• ● Bereitstellen einer Tabakblattmischung;
• ● Trocknen der Tabakblattmischung auf eine relative Feuchte von 11 % bis 16 %;
• ● Vereinzeln der Tabakblattmischung in Tabakblattlagen;
• ● Pressen einer Tabakblattlage in eine Quaderform; und
• ● Vakuumieren der gepressten Tabakblattlage.

The method according to the invention for producing a tobacco product comprises the following steps:

• ● providing a tobacco leaf mix;
• ● drying the tobacco leaf mixture to a relative humidity of 11% to 16%;
• ● Separating the tobacco leaf mix in tobacco leaf layers;
• Pressing a tobacco leaf layer into a cuboid shape; and
• ● Vacuum the pressed tobacco leaf layer.

The advantage of the method according to the invention is that the tobacco leaf layer has a high tobacco density after vacuuming. Nevertheless, the tobacco product is protected by the drying step from spoiling and from damage during transport or further processing. In order to bring the tobacco of the tobacco product into a smokable shape, it only has to be cut transversely to the sheet layer. The cutting width can vary, to produce the desired fiber width. Furthermore, so also different varieties can be put together by the consumer himself to a ready to smoke mixture.

Preferably, the tobacco leaf mixture is dried during drying to a relative humidity of 14% to 16%. At this level of humidity, the tobacco product is particularly flexible and storable at the same time, without causing increased perishability.

The tobacco leaf mix can be flavored both before drying with sauce (flavor enhancer) and after drying and before singulation. By flavoring the tobacco flavor (fragrance aromas) is added.

The tobacco leaf mixture can be prepared by mixing different tobaccos, sauces and / or conditioning. These measures ensure a particularly uniform quality of the tobacco. The conditioning can be carried out in particular by introducing a conditioning medium. The conditioning medium may in particular be water vapor. The conditioning medium can be easily introduced, in particular, when the tobacco is moved, for example in a drum.

Advantageously, the tobacco leaves of the tobacco leaf mixture are stripped before drying. In this way, only the parts of the tobacco leaf are processed, which can also be smoked. Another advantage of the entanglement is that the density of the pressed and vacuumed tobacco leaf layer is increased.

If necessary, a tobacco sheet (homogenized leaf) is added to the tobacco leaf mix. The tobacco sheet may contain binder, humectant, preservative and / or additive and is preferably added prior to conditioning.

The tobacco leaf layer advantageously has a maximum height of 10 mm after pressing. The densification of the tobacco leaf layers should be such that after cutting by the customer, the tobacco fibers can be easily detached from each other. In this way, the tobacco leaf layer is particularly handy and can be easily processed.

The pressed tobacco leaf layer can be trimmed along the edges before vacuuming. Thus, the produced tobacco leaf layers can be brought to a uniform size.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the tobacco leaf layer is provided with a cover layer after vacuuming. The top layer stabilizes the shape of the pressed tobacco leaf layer and ensures a particularly advantageous visual impression with the end user. Several vacuum tobacco leaves layers can be stacked and made into a package. Thus, the product reaches a shape that corresponds to usual commercial sizes. Usually, these commercial sizes contain tobacco in an amount of 50 g to 100 g.

Fig. 1

ein Flussdiagramm mit den einzelnen Verfahrensschritten; und

Fig. 2

eine schematische Darstellung einer Tabakblattlage, die mit dem erfindungsgemäßen Verfahren hergestellt wurde.

The invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Hereby show:

Fig. 1

a flowchart with the individual process steps; and

Fig. 2

a schematic representation of a tobacco leaf layer, which was prepared by the method according to the invention.

The process for producing the tobacco product is shown as a flowchart in Fig. 1 shown. First, the raw tobacco products are provided. These may be, for example, the so-called strips, ie stripped tobacco leaves, or whole leaves, for example Oriental tobacco, and are present initially in step S1 or step 1a. Depending on which mixture is to be achieved, the raw tobacco products are mixed in step S2, and optionally in step S1b and / or conditioned in step 1c. In this case, the tobacco mixture can also optionally be flavored in step S1e and / or supplemented with a tobacco foil, the "homogenized leave" in step S1d, in order to give the tobacco mixture the desired aroma. Subsequently, the mixture is dried in step S3. As a drying target, the relative humidity of the tobacco mixture is dried to a value between 11% and 16%, in particular to a value between 14% and 16%. By drying, the quality of the mixture is stabilized. The relative humidity of at most 16% achieved in step S3 is low enough to prevent spoilage, for example due to mold formation, of the tobacco mixture. On the other hand, the relative humidity is still high enough to prevent damage during further processing or transport by brittle fracture. Additionally or alternatively to the aromatization before drying in step S1e, the dried tobacco mixture can also be flavored.

In step S5, the dried tobacco mixture is separated or portioned. Alternatively or additionally, tobacco foil may also be added after mixing in step S2, drying in step S3 or singulating in step S4. Subsequently, the isolated or portioned tobacco mixture is compressed in step S5, so that only a few millimeters thick layer.

The pressed tobacco leaf layer thus obtained is then trimmed at all edges in step S6, ie cut to obtain good handling of the tobacco leaf layers. The edged Tobacco leaf layer is then optionally provided with a cover sheet and vacuumed in step S7, whereby the best possible protection and preservation of the aroma is ensured.

In the last step S8 the vacuumed tobacco leaf layers are stacked and assembled. The amount of stacked and ready-made layers can be oriented in particular to the desired commercial sizes. As a target value, a commercial size with a tobacco weight of between 50 g and 100 g can be considered realistic.

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a tobacco leaf layer 1, which has already been trimmed in step S6, but is not yet vacuumed. Good to see the individual tobacco leaves 2, which are pressed together and trimmed so that the tobacco leaf layer 1 assumes a square shape. The length I of the tobacco leaf layer moves in this case in a range between 100 and 150 mm, the width b in a range between 50 and 80 mm and the height h is limited to a maximum of 10 mm. These dimensions allow optimal handling of the tobacco leaf layer. 1

Claims (10)

Process for producing a tobacco product comprising the following steps: Providing a tobacco leaf mixture (S1); Drying the tobacco leaf mixture (S3) to a relative humidity of 11% to 16%; Separating the tobacco leaf mixture in tobacco leaf layers (S4); Pressing a tobacco leaf layer (1) into a cuboid shape (S5); and Vacuuming (S7) the pressed tobacco leaf layer (1). A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the tobacco leaf mixture is dried during drying to a relative humidity of 14% to 16%. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tobacco leaf mixture is aromatized before drying (S3) and / or after drying (S3) and before singulating (S4). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tobacco leaf mixture by mixing (S2) of different tobaccos, sauces (1b) and / or conditioning (S1 c) is prepared. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tobacco leaves (2) of the tobacco leaf mixture are stripped before drying (S3). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tobacco leaf mixture before pressing (S5) is added a tobacco foil (S1d). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tobacco leaf layer (1) after pressing (S5) has a height of at most 10 mm. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pressed tobacco leaf layer (1) before the vacuuming (S7) along the edges (l, b, h) is trimmed (S6). Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tobacco leaf layer after vacuuming (S7) is provided with a cover layer. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of vacuum tobacco leaves sheets are stacked and assembled into a package (S8).

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