TYPES OF PIPE TOBACCO
Pipe tobaccos are evaluated on the basis of three fundamental criteria: the body, the aromatic flavor and the ambient aroma.
And with respect to these three criteria, tobacco blends are made to achieve very personal flavors.
In order to understand it better we can qualify these criteria:
The Body:
Reflects the overall appearance of a blend: the selection of the tobacco leaf, the proportion of special tobaccos, the preparation and the cut.
Flavor:
It is the special note given by each type of tobacco, thanks to its curing or drying, and in the case of blends, by the greater or lesser harmony achieved when making them.
In the case of aromatic tobaccos, it is the incorporation of certain ingredients, such as vanilla, chocolate, liqueurs, etc., that will mark the flavor of the cigar. Those that will mark the flavor of the smoke.
The aroma:
It is the environmental intensity that will leave the tobacco fragrance.
MAIN VARIETIES OF THE TOBACCO PLANT:
- VIRGINIA: They are usually cured with hot air (flued-cured), do not have a pronounced aroma, are slow-burning and have a high sugar content.
- BURLEY: It is a mutation of Virginia, from the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is air-dried, and unlike other varieties, it is made from the whole plant. It has a chocolaty, earthy and nutty aroma; low in sugars and widely used for the manufacture of vanilla-flavored tobaccos, liqueur …
- LATAKIA: Originally from Syria. Tobacco cured in the air and subsequently smoked with pine, oak, herbs … which imbues the tobacco with a very unique flavor and smell. It is indispensable in English blends.
- ORIENTAL: These are tobaccos produced in Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Lebanon and Macedonia. They are very aromatic, of low nicotinic potency and are cured in the sun. The leaf is smaller than in the rest of the varieties. Among the most famous are: Izmir, Yenidje or Samsun
- PERIQUE, KENTUCKY AND CAVENDISH: They are not tobacco varieties per se, but the result of the treatment of the previously mentioned varieties; they are used for blends.
- PERIQUE: Originally from St. James, Louisiana. This type of tobacco is air-cured and then subjected to a special barrel fermentation process. Old Bourbon barrels are usually used in the fermentation process, where it is subjected to high pressure and temperature for 9 months. Its production is scarce, only a few barrels are produced each year.
- KENTUCKY: It is the fire-cured Burley variety, which gives it a smoky, earthy and chocolatey flavor, as well as a higher nicotine load than the Burley from which it comes.
- CAVENDISH: It is achieved through a process of steaming and subsequent pressing until fermentation is achieved, which cures the tobacco and enhances its sweetness. The Burley variety is usually used.
TYPES OF CUT OR PRESENTATION
The aim is to obtain a well blended tobacco, with a uniform flavor and an adequate degree of combustion.
The combustion speed will be determined by:
– The type of tobacco used.
– The moisture content of the tobacco.
– The degree of drying.
– The amount and type of flavorings, in the case of aromatic tobaccos.
– The type of cut or presentation.
The types of cut can be:
- BROAD CUT: Cut in wide ribbons. It is similar to the “Broad Cut”.
- BROKEN FLAKE: Cut in long slices.
- CAKE: Called PLUG. They are tobacco pills slightly chopped and strongly pressed.
- COIN: Also called MEDALLION, POUNDEL or ROLL CUT. They are thin circles like coins that generally contain a central core of Cavendish. They come from the cross section of a Roll Cake.
- CRIMP CUT: Pieces of irregular strands, this typology being understood as a derivation of “Flake”.
- CROSS CUT: Cut in the form of square flakes, being understood as transversal cuts of the “Broad Cut”.
- CRUMBLE CAKE: Unlike the “Cake” or “Plug”, the pastillas are formed by tobacco previously cut in “Ribbon” or strands and non-uniform strips. It retains enough moisture and is a type of cut very easy to crumble.
- CRUSED PLUG: Short and irregular sheets obtained from a “Plug” or “Cake”.
- CUBE CUT: It comes from the cut in small cubes of a block of well pressed tobacco or “cake”. It burns slowly and is a type of cut with which the tobacco should not be pressed too much in the burner because otherwise the combustion will be seriously impaired.
- CURLY CUT: Follows the same procedure as the “Coin” cut, but generally in thinner slices and is offered partially broken.
- FINE CUT: Similar to the “Long Cut” or “Shag”, as thin strands of 0.8-0.6 mm thickness.
- FLAKE/NAVY FLAKE: It is a “Plug” pressed under high pressure and at different temperatures, and then cut into sheets perpendicularly to its layering. They keep the humidity very well and it is a cut that keeps the homogeneity of the tobaccos used very well.
- LANYARD: It is a “Rope” or “Twist”, like a thick cord or twisted rope. It is similar to the “Navy Plug” cut.
- LOOSE CUT: Cut in long ribbons where strands of different widths are appreciated and therefore of loose or not very uniform aspect.
- MIXTURE: Mixture of different cuts, tobaccos and flavors.
and several others that we will be describing in our Expert Level section.
You can find them in FAUSTO, where we will advise you on the type of tobacco that best suits your particular tastes
