Turning Tobacco into Cigarettes / 菸業的後製
Turning Tobacco into Cigarettes
◎English written by Peng Hsin-yi ◎Yang Chan-hua, Hou Ya-ting
In Meinong, tobacco is harvested and then delivered to factories. Leaves are removed from stems in a deboning process and baked again to ensure leaves originating from different farmhouses obtain the same dryness. They are then packed into approximately 200 kilogram containers. Leaves are then re-packaged and aged for approximately one year to reach proper maturity. The packaged leaves are then loosened and different leaves are blended in a mixer for 3 to 4 hours. They are then cut into thin slivers and go through another round of drying. Different spices and flavors are added to the tobacco based on the particulars of each brand and then rolled into individual cigarettes.
Mr. Song Kant-sung is the foreman at Neipu cigarette factory and feels the crucial part of cigarette production is getting the perfect blend of tobacco leaves. Consumers in Taiwan prefer foreign cigarettes which require the blend of Virginia tobacco or yellow Taiwanese leaves, Burley tobacco and Oriental leaves. This produces a cigarette with a deep, complex aroma, produced from leaves that have been properly aged. Leaves are top grade and tobacco must pass a quality control procedure. This is up to the skill of leading manufacturers such as Neipu Cigarette Factory.
In 2010, the Neipu Cigarette Factory was outsourced by Japan Tobacco International (JTI). Each month, a percentage of Neipu's products are randomly picked and sent to a laboratory in Germany. It has a flawless record. Recently, a Taiwanese cigarette label won the Monde Selection, an honor only given to internationally recognized, quality products. This is clear evidence Taiwan produces a great quality of cigarette.
菸業的後製
◎文／侯雅婷 ◎攝影／楊蟬華、侯雅婷
美濃地區菸農繳交的菸葉統一被載往豐原菸廠進行加工除骨（將菸葉的葉片與葉柄分離），且因菸農烘乾菸葉程度不一，故需統一再乾燥，加工完畢後的菸草以200公斤為單位壓製成箱，送往製菸廠。
內埔菸廠廠長宋松康表示，菸草製程中，關鍵在於菸葉的配方，而為迎合消費者日益洋化之口味，所以必須混合不同比例的國際三大類的菸草：維吉尼亞菸葉(又稱黃色種菸草)、柏萊菸葉及東方種菸葉，讓菸草的風味更多元。
宋廠長也談到好的菸葉必須具備成熟度（菸葉的香味）、整齊度（每片菸葉大小均等）和葉片的可使用率，而內埔菸廠在菸葉選購的經驗與技術均在水準之上。
內埔菸廠產菸的技術精良且設備先進，自99 年起代工日本JTI（Japan Tabacco International)香菸，每月固定送交一定比例的菸品至德國檢查，目前檢查結果均為零缺點，自有品牌之香菸亦屢獲比利時MONDE SELECTION國際食品評選會獎牌，國產香菸品質備受國際肯定。
※製菸流程
菸葉經加工處理再裝箱，加工後的菸草需經１年的時間熟成，各種菸草依配方經過鬆散再回槽混合，調和3～4小時之後切製成菸絲重新乾燥，再加入適當的品牌香料，即可進行捲菸。(吸煙有害健康。Smoking is hazardous to your health)