Bale
A unit of storage for fermented cigar tobacco. Bales vary in weight and appearance, depending upon where the tobacco was grown, and the company that grew the tobacco. To make a bale, workers in a tobacco warehouse take dry tobacco that’s been cured and fermented and layer it in a wooden crate atop a scale that has been lined with material. Burlap or nylon are two of the more common. When the desired weight has been achieved, a hydraulic press compresses the tobacco into a rectangular block that might weigh 110 pounds or so. The sides are then stitched by hand, and the wooden s removed, revealing the bale. Tobacco ages in bales, and can be kept in this form for decades, but a few years is more common.
