Oh boy, you sure brought back memories here ... ! As a summer job a long long time ago, I use to go tobacco picking ... a tractor would pull about 6-8 of us sitting on ground level little bench and as it advanced, we'd pull the leaves. We had to be careful which leave to pull since the lower leaves, middle leaves and upper leaves all have a different ... composition for lack of a better term, and those compositions are multiplied to create different tastes for the cigarettes, some are strong, some are weak. Anyways, once picked, we'd have to climb huge dryers where we'd hand the tobacco leaves. The drying is very precise so as not to burn the tobacco, too dry or whatever. Then all the cigarette companies would send their inspectors to check the tobacco leaves, then they'd bid for the lot. Once that is done, we'd then pack the leaves un huge bales and send them to the winning bids place ... most tobacco that people smoke is at least 7-8 years old (like wine I guess, it has to mature slowly) ... so far so good. Then the co. to make tobacco shred the tobacco leaves almost to a pulp and it is then that their 'secret' chemistry happen, while the tobacco is almost mud like, they can add their deadly recipes. mix them well, and like when making paper from pulp, the remake leaves almost to their original look ... but now having their deadly and habit forming stuff in them! There, from the ground to the coffin, the story of tobacco!
