_ AMERICAN TOBACCO TYPES, USES, AND MARKETS 59 
so that the juices would be reabsorbed uniformly throughout the 
twists. This procedure, with some modification, was continued for 
several months, during which time the blackened, gummy tobacco 
mellowed and aged and acquired the aromatic fragr ance peculiar to 
Perique. 
The present practice in handling Perique tobacco is to pack the 
twists or torquettes immediately into very heavy white oak casks 
each bound with 10 steel hoops. The tobacco is packed in very high 
order, and the casks are filled gradually and under constant pressure. 
BPI 646 
FicurE 27.—The old way of applying pressure to the twists or “‘torquettes’”’ of 
Perique tobacco during the pressing process. Although a few of these old 
lever presses are still in use, the modern practice is to use heavy jacks within 
a framework of massive beams, and heavy oak casks are used instead of boxes. 
In rows of 10 or more they are placed within frames of massive tim- 
bers against which heavy jackscrews, similar to those used in con- 
struction work, are used to supply the required pressure. At first the 
casks are only partly filled with tobacco and the jacks are turned 
down until the juice is pressed out of the leaves. More tobacco 1s 
added and the pressure is again applied and this process is repeated 
until the casks are filled. Heavy pressure is maintained, however, 
until the tobacco is sold, which may not be for a year or more. Dur- 
ing that period the tobacco ferments in its own juice. The result is 
a rich black tobacco, very strong and possessing a heavy, sweet and 
distinctive aroma. A cask or barrel of tobacco weighs approximately 
400 pounds. 
Because of the equipment necessary for this treatment, the growers 
customarily deliver their tobacco, stemmed and made into twists, to 
a dealer’s packing plant for processing, although small quantities are 
put up by a few growers for their own use, utilizing the old box 
method. Two dealers control the Perique industry. 
