The Story Behind the Montecristi Hat - Part 6

Maria’s task is long and thankless. It needs a great deal of patience. But she also knows that her role is determinant for the quality of the future hat. The color and strength of the hat will depend on the way she treats the straw. And she works at it with all the pride she takes in a job well done. The last stage is to bleach the “toquilla”. After being washed once more, the straw is laid on a clay slab over a brazier in which sulphur is burnt for an hour or two. This produces the subtle ivory like color. The curtain of vegetable matter forms again, for a last drying. Then the dry straw is selected according to the whiteness, suppleness, dimension and fineness of the fiber. The quality of a panama, and thus its price, depends, to begin with, on this selection process.