The tobacco’s stalk position, color, quality, texture and elasticity are among the factors taken into consideration in the grading process. SLS re-grades all tobacco when it arrives at processing facilities to better define the leaf characteristics.

SLS processes tobacco to meet each customer’s specifications for quality, yield, chemistry, particle size, moisture content, and other requirements. Unprocessed tobacco is a semi-perishable commodity that generally must be processed within a relatively short time period to prevent fermentation or deterioration in quality. After grading, most of the tobacco is then blended to meet customer’s specifications; threshed to remove the stem from the leaf; and then further processed to produce strips of tobacco and to separate out the smaller pieces, or scrap. The tobacco is then re-dried to remove excessive moisture so that it can be held in storage for extended periods of time. Throughout the process, our technicians use laboratory testing equipment for quality control to ensure that the product meets customer specifications.