Buy machine-stemmed tobacco wholesale

Machine-stemming and when to choose it

How machine-stemming works

A mechanical line separates most of the lamina from the central stem. It is faster and more repeatable than hand work, so strip sizes come out more even and large volumes become practical. The catch is that stem content, fines and moisture still have to be agreed for each order. Leaf that is too dry going into a threshing line breaks, and breakage shows up as fines.

The result is sold as machine strips. Every grade in the strips table can be supplied machine-stemmed.

Choose machine-stemmed if…

• you run industrial volumes and want standard strip sizes,
• you want material that is ready to cut or blend with minimal handling, or
• cost per kg of prepared leaf matters more than very large lamina pieces.

For closer selection and bigger pieces, see hand-stemmed.

Types available machine-stemmed

• FCV / Virginia
• Burley
• Oriental, for blending
• Dark air-cured and Rustica
• Custom blends on request: blends

Packing and terms

Strip grades are packed in C48 export boxes. Packing, samples, documents and payment are on the wholesale terms page.

How machine strips are made and who they suit

Inside a threshing and redrying line

Machine stemming is done in a threshing line, which separates leaf from stem in several stages. In outline, the leaf is conditioned to the right moisture, fed into a series of threshers and separators that tear the lamina away from the midrib, and then classified by air and screens into strips, stems and small pieces. The strips pass through a re-drier, which brings them down to storage moisture, and a cooler, and are then packed. The stem fraction goes to a separate stream and can be sold as stems (see our scraps and stems page).

What determines the quality of machine strips

• Conditioning. If the leaf is too dry going into the line, it shatters and produces fines. If it is too wet, the threshing is poor and stem remains.
• Thresher settings. Too aggressive and the lamina breaks into small pieces. Too gentle and the stem is not separated.
• Classification. The air and screens must remove stem and dust without carrying away good lamina.
• Redrying. Wrong moisture here is hard to fix later; it affects storage life and cutting behaviour.
• Blending. A lot is usually blended in bulk before packing, which improves consistency from box to box.

The numbers worth asking about

Who machine strips suit

• Cigarette and RYO plants that cut at high speed and need even strips.
• Manufacturers that want to minimise preparation and start cutting on arrival.
• Blenders who need to repeat a blend and want consistent strip size from order to order.
• Buyers who prefer a lower price per kilogram of prepared leaf than hand-stemming allows.

Samples, other types and choosing

Who should consider hand strips instead

• Makers of specialised or traditional blends that want larger pieces.
• Buyers who want the leaf selected by eye as it is stemmed.
• Smaller volumes where a line is not practical.

Our hand-stemmed page has the process, and the strips page compares the two forms.

What a good machine-stemmed sample looks like

The strips should look like pieces of leaf, not dust. A handful should show a fairly consistent size, with little stem visible and few small pieces falling out when you shake it. The colour should be even. It should smell clean. If the sample is full of dust, or if you can easily find long pieces of stem, ask whether it is typical of the lot and what the limits are. Our processing guide explains why each of these appears.

Machine-stemmed leaf in other types

Machine stemming is applied to several types: FCV, burley, oriental, dark air-cured and rustica, as listed above. The same principles apply, but each type behaves differently. Burley, for instance, has thick, heavy stems and needs different settings from the finer oriental leaf. Tell us the type, and we will tell you what the form involves.

Choosing between hand and machine: a short decision guide

Using machine strips in your plant

Troubleshooting machine strips

If you receive machine strips and something looks wrong, these are the usual causes. The first step is to compare the leaf with the approved sample and the specification.

• Too many fines. Leaf was too dry going into the line, or the settings were too aggressive. Check the moisture at shipment and the fines limit in the contract.
• Stem in the strips. The settings did not separate stem properly. Compare with the agreed limit and with the sample.
• Uneven strip size. The lot may mix leaf from several sources, or the classification was loose.
• Damp or musty leaf. Re-drying was insufficient, or the packing was exposed to moisture. Check the moisture and the packaging condition.
• Colour variation. Mixed lots or sorting before the line was not done. Ask whether the lot was blended.

Document any problem with photographs and measurements and send them to us promptly, within the inspection period set in the contract.

Strip size classes

Strips are sometimes described by size classes, such as large, medium and small, with the share above or below a given size in each. There is no universal standard, so describe what you need: either a reference sample, or a percentage of strips above a stated length or mesh. An agreed method of measuring, such as screening a sample through a set of sieves, makes the numbers comparable.

Machine-stemmed leaf and the later steps in your plant

Machine strips are designed to slot into your process after conditioning and before cutting. They may still need a short conditioning step on arrival if the moisture is low or the leaf has been stored for some time. Run a test batch through your own equipment, since the interaction of strip size, moisture and cutter settings is specific to each plant.

Throughput, lead time and scheduling

A machine line processes a lot of leaf in a short time, but the line is shared, and lots are scheduled in batches. Lead time depends on the queue, the leaf on hand and the lot being prepared. If you order a large quantity, tell us when you need it and whether the date is firm. If you are planning a repeat order, tell us the pattern. Where we can plan the line ahead, the lead time shortens and the consistency improves, because similar lots are processed together.

Keeping lots consistent

A machine line can process a lot in a uniform way, but the leaf going in is variable. Blending leaf from different sources before processing, or blending finished strips afterwards, averages the variation and gives a steadier lot. Ask whether a lot has been blended, and how many packages it covers. A lot that is blended across all its packages is more consistent than one that is simply the sum of several different batches.

Writing a machine-strips enquiry

For a machine-strips enquiry, include: the grade or the nicotine and sugar range; the strip size band or a reference sample; the maximum stem and fines; the moisture target and tolerance; the packing; the quantity; the port; and whether the lot should be blended across all packages. With that information, we can tell you quickly whether a lot is close, and what a sample would show.

Tobacco is harmful to health. JKTabak supplies tobacco leaf to licensed commercial buyers only (manufacturers, processors, importers and distributors). The buyer is responsible for confirming that import, purchase and resale of tobacco is lawful in the destination country.

Photos and video from our lots

Pictures and clips of leaf we handle. For current photographs or video of a specific lot, ask us. The full sets are on the gallery and videos pages.