Pipe Tobacco

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The basis of this article was formed from the FAQs from Alt.Smokers.Pipes[1]. Unfortunately it is dated, and some of the information may be inaccurate. If you have expertise in this area, please consider editing this section. Click on the discussion tab above for additional information. Meanwhile we highly recommend the following websites, dedicated to pipe tobacco: TobaccoReviews.com | Greg Pease has a very interesting and informative website and blog


New to pipe smoking? See also [Selecting Your First Tobacco]

Broad Categories

"Drugstore" Tobaccos

Generally, you will be better off purchasing your tobacco from a tobacconist. Many of the commonly available blends found in discount stores or supermarkets are made from lower quality tobacco, and the additives with which they are laced for preservation and "taste enhancement" alter the way a tobacco smokes, usually for the worse.

Aromatics VS. Non-Aromatics

These are the two broadest subdivisions of pipe tobaccos, although often the distinctions are blurred.

Aromatics

A good aromatic tobacco is lightly topped with a natural flavoring. Aromatics tend to be more moist than non-aromatics due to the flavoring added, which can lead to problems smoking them. These problems can be avoided if care is taken in the preparation of the tobacco and in the pack of the pipe.

Non-Aromatics

These are tobaccos that contain no flavored additives, although sometimes the distinctions are blurred. Many of the better non-aromatic blends contain no additives whatsoever, other than water, and perhaps a trace of vinegar, others are less strict.

Common Types of Tobacco used in blends.

Burley

A low-sugar, high nicotine, slow-burning tobacco with a very subtle flavor, burley is often used as a base for aromatics or to modify the burning characteristics of a blend.

Cavendish

A term with a variety of meanings. Generally, a cavendish is "sweetened" in some way, either by a processing technique or by additives, or both.

Latakia

A "spice" tobacco that is cured over the smoke of particular types of wood. (You may read that it is cured over fires fueled by dried camel dung, but this is not the case.) Latakia has a distinctive "smoky" taste and a pungent aroma that some find very pleasant and others find just the opposite. Latakia adds body and depth to the flavor of many natural blends.

Orientals

By definition, "Orientals" are those tobaccos indigenous to the eastern Mediterranean region, including the various "Turkish" tobaccos and latakia. An "Oriental blend" contains at least one and often several of these tobaccos.

Most of this information comes from the ASP posts of Greg Pease, and Jon Tillman's Tobacco Reviews database. Additional material comes from the ASP posts of Michael Lindner, Paul Szabady, Bob Weiske, Lance Sang, Terry Freeman, Terry McGinty, Michael Lovell, Mike Gervais, Robert Crim, Mike Cox, Mark Peeples, J.W. Davis, Pascal Essers, and Ed Anderson.

The Characteristics of Oriental Tobacco

Oriental, or Turkish, is a spice tobacco known for its nutty, somewhat "sweet and sour" flavor. It's a main component in English blends, along with Latakia (which is itself an Oriental that's been flavored with smoke).

This tobacco derives its name from the area in which it's grown: the Eastern Mediterranean. Each of the varietals, in fact, are named after the towns or regions they come from. Thus Yenidje and Smyrna are Greek, Samsun and Izmir are Turkish, Drama is Macedonian, and Xanthe is from the region of Thrace, which is mostly in Greece. For all intents are purposes this is all one region, united for many years under Turkish rule (hence the interchangeable terms "Oriental" and "Turkish".)

Oriental tobacco plants characteristically have a great deal of small leaves. The finished product ranges in color from yellow to brown, and is strongly aromatic. Its smell is reminiscent of used horse bedding, which could possibly explain why it's often mixed with Latakia.

Where to Find the Different Varietals

Turkish varietals, unfortunately, are no longer available, even to professional blenders. Cigarette companies snap up most of the Turkish leaf production, and the remainder is made into a generic Turkish blend. This is the Oriental tobacco (often referred to as "basma") that one finds either in bulk, or in ready-made blends.

Popular Oriental Blends

Oriental Blends Without Latakia

   * Premier Cru, A&C Petersen
   * Pebblecut, Ashton
   * Royal Vintage Blended Flake, Butera
   * Yorkshire, Clan Shaw
   * Midnight Ride, Dan Tobacco
   * Cairo, GL Pease
   * Bulk No. 2025 English Cavendish, McClelland
   * Bulk No. 2045 Oriental Mixture, McClelland
   * Bulk No. 2050 Oriental Cavendish Mix, McClelland
   

Oriental Blends With Latakia

   * Old Dog, Ashton
   * Balkan Sasieni, Balkan Sasieni
   * Original Mixture, Balkan Sobranie
   * Latakia No. 1, Butera
   * Pelican, Butera
   * Royal Vintage Latakia No. 2, Butera
   * Caravan, GL Pease
   * Renaissance, GL Pease
   * Bombay Court, McClelland
   * Bulk No. 2020 Matured Cake, McClelland
   * Bulk No. 2030 #1 Grade Balkan, McClelland
   * Frog Morton On The Town, McClelland
   * Oriental No. 12, McClelland
   * Oriental No. 14, McClelland

Perique

Another "spice" tobacco grown only in St. James Parish, Louisiana. Perique is subjected to extreme pressure and is allowed to ferment as it is cured, which results in a very distinctive tobacco. TURKISH. Any of a number of tobaccos grown in numerous locales throughout the eastern Mediterranean region. Common "Turkish" varieties include Basma, Smyrna, Xanthi, Samsun, Izmir, Drama, and Yenidje. Generally, these names are derived from the region in which they are grown. Turkish tobaccos have a somewhat sweet, spicy flavor that gives "body" to many blends.

The following information comes from the A.S.P FAQ on Perique[2], which credits the Nichols and Brown home page, with additional information from the Perique web site by Gerard Faucheux, the New Orleans Times-Picayune (thanks to ASP member Daniel D. Marsalone), and the archived ASP posts of Irwin Friedman, Ray Newton, and Robert Holmes.

What Are the Characteristics of Perique?

Perique is a spice tobacco, usually used in Virginia blends. It has a dark, oily appearance, and a taste of pepper and figs. Its flavor is very strong, so it isn't usually found in high percentages in a blend. It can be smoked straight, but isn't intended to be.

Its role as a complement to VA's is not just because of its flavor. Being acidic, it tends to alleviate alkaline tongue bite, which is so often a problem with Virginia tobacco.

History of Perique

The process by which this tobacco is produced pre-dates Columbus. The Choctaw Indians of (what would later be) Louisiana would make it by pressing it into hollow logs with a long pole, and securing it with weights.

After the Acadians (Cajuns) settled the area in the mid-1700's, the Choctaws taught this process to a French colonist by the name of Pierre Chenet. The finished product was referred to as Perique, a Cajun variation on the word "prick". This referred either to the phallic shape of the carottes (the tight bundles of market-ready Perique), or Chenet himself, as it was his nickname! Where is Perique Grown?

The only place in the world Perique can be grown is in a small section of Louisiana called St. James Parish. Inside St. James Parish, the best location for growing (and the only place it's grown now) is a very small area called Grande Pointe Ridge, which can be found in the town of Paulina. This is due to both the climate, and the unusual soil of the area, which is referred to as "Magnolia" soil. Nourished by the swamps that surround Grande Pointe, Magnolia is a dark and highly fertile alluvial soil.

The actual strain of tobacco can vary, although tobacco that isn't native to the soils of Louisiana doesn't yield a good product. Supposedly the most common strain used with Perique is something called "red burley".

St. James Perique is extremely rare, so the tobacco is produced elsewhere to meet demands, though without the same results. Kentucky Green River Burley is most commonly used to make Perique. This particular version is the Perique that most pipe smokers are familiar with.

The making of Perique

At harvest time, the wilted leaves of the tobacco are hung up to dry for two weeks, stripped of hard veins, and packed into bundles (called torquettes). These torquettes are put into barrels under extreme pressure, and allowed to cure in their own juices (which collect as run-off at the top of the barrels). Over the course of many months, these bundles are periodically "turned", and then placed again under pressure in the barrels. Without any air to interact with the tobacco, Perique ferments anaerobically, producing the distinctive taste.

Is Perique Endangered?

Note: This section needs to be updated badly. Please help! Is the P&T article on Perique several issues back current on this subject? If so, perhaps someone would care to re-write this section based on the current situation. Until recently, there was only one farm left that produced this leaf full-time: Percy Martin Farms in Grande Pointe Ridge, Louisiana. After two bad crop years in the late 1990's, there was a distinct possibility that Percy Martin would stop producing it also. A partnership was formed in 1999 between Martin and New Orleans company Nichols and Brown. Apparently that was short lived? Help me out here folks.....

With interest from cigarette manufacturers, as well as from pipe tobacco companies, it's possible that other farmers in Grande Pointe Ridge will begin growing Perique, though for the moment its future is uncertain. As a low-return, labor-intensive product, it doesn't appeal to most farmers. Where Can I Buy Perique?

Bulk perique can be purchased anywhere that offers blending tobaccos. Some commonly-known retailers of blending tobaccos are as follows: Cornell and Diehl and Tobacco Direct

Popular Perique Blends

   * Escudo Navy Deluxe, A&C Petersen
   * Black Parrot, Ashton
   * No. 2 Virginia Mixture, Astley's
   * Three Nuns, Bell's
   * Kingfisher, Butera
   * Elizabethan Mixture, Dunhill
   * Dorchester, Esoterica Tobacciana
   * Dunbar, Esoterica Tobacciana
   * Haddo's Delight, G.L. Pease
   * Roll Cake, Mac Baren
   * Bulk No. 2015 Virginia Flake, McClelland
   * St. James Woods, McClelland
   * 633, Solani

Virginia

Despite the name, Virginias are grown in numerous locales. There are several varieties of Virginias, but all are characterized a relatively high sugar content. Virginias are often used as the base tobacco in blends, but they are smoked "straight" as well. Straight Virginias undergo changes in flavor as they age, similar to fine wines. Lighter in body than Oriental blends, they have a subtle complexity of flavor that makes them a favorite of many experienced smokers.

Much of this information comes from the ASP posts of Greg Pease and Paul Szabady, and from Jon Tillman's Tobacco Reviews site, with additional material from the ASP posts of Chase Turner, Bear Graves, Sykes Wilford, Steve Thomas, Mike Jacobs, Greg Sprinkle, Tapio Pentikainen, Art Ruppelt, Tarek Manadily, Michael McCormick, George Miller, Joshua Rosenblatt, Neal Mille, and Ray Roewert.

The Characteristics of Virginia

VA's are complex and delicate. When smoked poorly, they can taste like hot air, but with good smoking technique they can span a range of tastes, and are usually sweet, tangy and fruit-like. VA's are more prone to cause tongue-bite than any other tobacco, so there are a number of reasons to practice good technique with these blends.

Unlike most tobaccos, VA's improve toward the bottom of the bowl. A slow smoke will stove the bottom layers of tobacco, deepening the flavors and reducing the chance of tongue bite. What Are The Different Varieties of VA?

Virginias are referred to in a number of different ways. A "bright" VA is named as such because it's taken from the top of the plant, where the highest quality leaf is.

VA's can also be referred to by their colors. The most common color grades are lemon, golden, and red. Ignoring a great many factors (such as climate, soil, and time of harvest), the color of a VA relates to its sugar content. Tobacco that is cured longer (and is thus darker in color) will be less sweet than a tobacco cured quickly.

Stoved VA's are also referred to separately. Stoving (the process of literally cooking the tobacco) darkens a tobacco and changes its taste, usually reducing tongue bite. Incidentally, VA's with the most sugar will darken the most.

Where Is Virginia Grown?

VA's are grown all over the world. In the United States, the various Virginia-producing regions are referred to as "Belts", but this tobacco can be found in countries like Canada, Brazil, India, China, and the African countries of Tanzania, Malawi, and especially Zimbabwe. This last country, in fact, accounts for much of the world's VA production.

As stated before, location (soil, climate, etc.) will greatly affect the flavor and character of any tobacco. It is not necessarily true, though, that the best VA's come from the United States, or from the state of Virginia.

Popular VA Blends

Straight VA's

   * Brindle Flake, Ashton
   * No. 109 Virginia Flake, Astley's
   * Royal Vintage Golden Cake, Butera
   * Hamborger Veermaster, Dan Tobacco
   * Light Flake, Dunhill
   * Kingsbridge, Esoterica Tobacciana
   * Peacehaven, Esoterica Tobacciana
   * Virginia #1, Mac Baren
   * Blackwoods Flake, McClelland
   * Bulk No. 2010 Classic Virginia, McClelland
   * Bulk No. 2035 Dark Navy Flake, McClelland
   * Bulk No. 5100 Red Cake, McClelland
   * Christmas Cheer, McClelland
   * Dark Star, McClelland
   * Virginia No. 22, McClelland
   * Virginia No. 27, McClelland
   * Virginia Woods, McClelland
   * Red Ribbon, McCranie's
   * Brown Clunee, Rattray
   * Hal O' The Wynd, Rattray
   * Marlin Flake, Rattray
   * Best Brown Flake, Samuel Gawith
   * Full Virginia Flake, Samuel Gawith
   * Grousemoor, Samuel Gawith

Other VA's

   * Escudo Navy Deluxe, A&C Petersen(VA/Perique)
   * Black Parrot, Ashton (VA/Perique)
   * Three Nuns, Bell's (VA/Perique)
   * Elizabethan Mixture, Dunhill (VA/Perique)
   * Dorchester, Esoterica Tobacciana(VA/Perique)
   * Tilbury, Esoterica Tobacciana (VA/burley)
   * Cairo, GL Pease (VA/oriental/Perique)
   * Haddo's Delight, GL Pease (VA/Perique)
   * Arcadia, McClelland (VA/oriental)
   * Bulk No. 2015 Virginia Flake, McClelland(VA/Perique)
   * Bulk No. 5115 Old World Classic Cake, McClelland (VA/light fruit topping)
   * Deep Hollow, McClelland (VA/vanilla topping)
   * St. James Woods, McClelland (VA/Perique)
   * Club Blend, Mac Baren (VA/cavendish)
   * Dark Twist, Mac Baren (VA/cavendish)
   * Roll Cake, Mac Baren (VA/cavendish/Perique)

Off sight links

An excellent resource for exploring pipe tobaccos is tobaccoreviews.com Greg Pease has a very interesting and information website and blog