After the second fermentation, the sun-grown leaves are aired on racks for a few days, then packed and transferred to the warehouse where they join the wrapper leaves for the final process of ageing.
The fullest-flavored leaves are aged the longest and the lightest-flavored leaf is aged the least. Like a fine wine, the longer the leaf is left to mature, the better it will be.
Filler and binder leaves are packed in bales called. Wrappers are packed in the loose bark of the Royal Palm tree, a material used for many purposes in Cuba.
Every bale carries a label with information about the leaves including their size, the year of harvest and the date of packing. The wrapper bales are also marked with a sorting code of the place where they were sorted.
This information gives the blender the specific local character of the leaves, which is the key to the distinctive blending of each Habano cigar brand.