When it comes to understanding the multifaceted world that is pipe smoking, there is a whole arsenal of words that will come in handy as you peruse our website and others in this industry. We here at Smokingpipes like to help spread our knowledge. Today I am going to share some of the key tobacco terms to better understand the nuances of this hobby. For more terms, be sure to check out our glossary as well as our past pieces on pipe and cigar words.

Tobacco Families

Let's start with the tobacco families.

Virginia

This varietal is the most popular and prevalent component used in pipe tobacco in the modern day, with about 60% of the United States' tobacco crops being Virginia. This tobacco is mild and has the highest sugar content, affording a light sweetness that is used in a wide assortment of blends. It burns easily and aids in lighting tobacco. Pure Virginia, or blends with 100% Virginia tobacco, is commonly enjoyed in flake or ribbon cuts.

Virginia/Perique (Va/Per)

These mixtures combine Virginia and Perique, typically comprised of mainly Virginias and a light amount of Perique for some added spice and complexity. These blends are commonly referred to as Va/Pers.

Burley

This varietal burns slowly and is cool to smoke, containing almost no sugar, resulting in its use in many Aromatic blends due to its ability to absorb flavors. It is nicotine heavy and air-cured, coming in two strains, White and Dark. It can also be processed to make Perique, Black Cavendish, and Dark-Fired Kentucky.

Oriental

This is a general term for sun-cured spice tobacco. Orientals are known for their nutty, sweet, and sour flavors, deriving their name from the Eastern Mediterranean growing region. Every tobacco type under this family is named after the area it is grown in, such as Izmir being Turkish tobacco. Oriental is the main component in English blends along with Latakia, yielding small leaves with complex flavors and aromas.

Aromatic (Aro)

Aromatics are lightly topped with natural flavorings to provide both added aroma and flavor when smoked and afford more moisture than non-Aromatic mixtures. The term Aromatic is also used to describe tobaccos which are heavily scented.

English

These blends typically have a base of Virginia tobacco, to which Latakia and Orientals are added, and perhaps some Perique. In common usage, "English" also denotes a tobacco that is free from artificial flavoring, though natural casings like various spirits or floral compounds may still be present.

English Aromatic (English Aro)

Traditional English with a bold Aromatic character defines this tobacco type. It is often an excellent transitional choice for English smokers who want to crossover into the world of Aromatics. Likewise, Aromatic smokers who want to jump into the world of English will discover lots to enjoy in these mixtures.

Perique

This rare tobacco is produced at 31 Farms in St. James Parish, Louisiana. It is subjected to extreme pressure for one year in wood barrels, fermenting and marinating, and the result is a spicy flavor profile. Perique is typically used in Virginia blends and is dark, oily, and has strong flavors.

American Blend

Traditionally, American tobacco blends consist of Virginia, Burley, and Oriental in varying proportions, often cased with aromatic flavors.

Tobacco Processes

Latakia

Latakia is the result of fire-cured leaves over controlled fires of aromatic woods and fragrant herbs. Named after the city of the same name in Syria, this Oriental varietal is the most well-known spice tobacco, mainly grown in Cyprus and northern Syria.

Cavendish

This is a method of treating tobacco, not a type of tobacco. Cavendish is mainly produced from Virginia and Burley tobacco. It is created by steaming the tobacco and then storing it under pressure for several days (or weeks) to allow it to ferment.

Curing Processes

Curing

Curing is the process of drying and preparing newly harvested tobacco. These methods take on multiple forms, such as air curing, flue curing, fire curing, and so forth.

Air Cured

Burley tobacco is the only type that is air-cured, so the two terms are interchangeable. Air-cured is the process of drying tobacco naturally while being sheltered from sunlight. The drying process can be carried out on the whole plant or as individual leaves reach maturity over a period of one to two months, resulting in less sugar. This varietal has more oils and a higher nicotine content.

Fire Cured

Kentucky fire-cured is stalk-cured under controlled humidity conditions in barns with a series of gentle smoldering hardwood fires within it. This process requires care and skill so as to not burn the tobacco. The result of this time-consuming affair is a robust smoky note, like that of smoked meats, and provides a smoky and sweet note in tobacco mixtures.

Flue Cured

Flue-cured tobacco is lemon, orange, or mahogany in color, with a high sugar content and a medium-to-high nicotine content. This process requires a closed building equipped with a system of ventilation and a source of heat. With controlled heat and humidity, the color of the leaf changes, moisture is removed quickly, and the leaf and stems dry.

Sun Cured

Sun curing is the drying of tobacco leaves in the sun. The best known sun-cured tobaccos are Orientals, such as those found in Turkey, Greece, and other nearby countries, which are low in both sugar and nicotine.

Tobacco Cuts

Cake

Cake indicates a ribbon-cut blend that is pressed within heat for production. The density of these compacted cakes differ depending on the intended outcome. A crumble cake, for instance, is less dense than a traditional plug. Cake can also refer to the small layer of protective carbon allowed to form and remain in the bowl of a briar pipe, protecting the briar from burning. Too much cake can damage the pipe and cause an uneven burn, so be cautious of this type of cake.

Cube

Cube refers to leaf that is cut into small square chunks. Cube-cut is a popular cut orientation for Burley tobacco.

Flake

Flake is a type of tobacco produced after being compacted under great pressure for days at a time, producing cakes of tobacco which when taken from the press are cut into thin slices.

Shag

Shag is tobacco which has been cut very finely. This orientation is renowned as it was Sherlock Holmes' cut of choice, though at that time shag was considered an inferior grade.

Plug

Plugs are comprised of whole leaf that are conditioned with water; the blend is slowly pressed in large steam presses for several days to meld the rich and varied aromas. Plugs, when sliced, produce Flakes, yet the plug form allows the smoker to cut and rub it out to their own preference.

Ribbon

Ribbon-cut tobacco is exactly as it sounds — long, thin ribbons, though not as long or as fine as a shag-cut orientation.

Twist/Rope/Spun

A Twist, rope, or spun cut refers to tobacco that is moistened and twisted into a rope form, typically cut with a knife to create ribbons of tobacco to put in a pipe. Twisted tobacco is ideal for transport in a bag or pocket for travel rather than processed ribbons or whole leaves that could make for a messy packing experience into the bowl later.

Rubbed Out/Ready-Rubbed

Rubbed-out or ready-rubbed tobacco is a flake that has been broken up to form a ribbon. Many pipe smokers gravitate to this cut style due to the added convenience, also making it more ideal for newcomers.

Other Tobacco Terms

Mixture

A mixture is a blend of different tobacco, each chosen for their particular characteristics, assembled by a blender to achieve a particular tobacco taste or experience. This creation takes considerable time and effort for blenders to create, often with various versions of a blend with slightly different percentages of components, for example, before it is ready for market. You can make your own mixtures with pure components we have on-site and create your perfect blend.

Casing

Casing is a treatment added to tobacco varieties before they are utilized in blends.

Toppings

Toppings are flavorings added to make specific blends from those tobaccos which are already cased. Most tobaccos are cased to some extent, whether that is a light sugar topping or something more aromatic.

Aging

Aging refers to the mild fermentation of tobacco over a certain period of time. Sometimes tobacco is aged before being blended with other components, or is aged before being packaged. Tobacco can also age in the packaging, often in tobacco cellars for storage. Age can marry and amplify flavors, allowing different components and aspects of the tobacco to marry for added complexity to smoke in time.

Cellaring

Tobacco cellars, or cellaring, is the practice of storing tobacco that allows the tobacco to age and improve with time, often evolving with extended age (multiple years, for example). A tobacco that was produced in 2015 and has been cellared since has now reached 10 years of age. Much like an aged wine, aged tobacco is rare and affords delightful flavors once it is enjoyed by the consumer.

Delayed Gratification Technique (DGT)

This is a practice consisting of lighting your pipe, smoking half of a bowl, then putting it down to re-light later to create a new flavor experience.

Retrohale

Meaning the same thing for both pipe and cigar smoking, the retrohale is the process of blowing smoke through the nose rather than the mouth in order to detect nuanced flavors and aromas easier due to the receptors of the nose that perceive experiences that the palate on its own cannot.

As is the nature of pipe tobacco, there are a lot of facets that go into the overall process of creating the blends we love. For more information, check out our glossary, and if we missed anything you believe is crucial for newcomers to know, make sure to leave it in the comments!