Pipe tobacco

Most blends of pipe tobacco will contain one of these tobacco varieties. Use this short guide to learn more about these blends and which one may be responsible for the flavors you love so much. Use what you learn here to ask better questions about the tobacco you’re buying and to more quickly find the one that’s just right for you.

Common Varieties

Virginia

Virginia is present is almost every tobacco blend. It has a light and sweet taste that matches well to most other tobaccos. It also burns well, so it can be used to round out faster-burning blends.

LATAKIA

Fire-cured and smoky, Latakia tobacco is a key component of English blends. It imparts a distinctive leathery and robust flavor.

Burley

Burley is a pleasant smelling pipe tobacco with a nutty taste. It is added to many blends because it is one of the slowest-burning of all widely cultivated tobaccos. Blending it in can slow the speed that the entire blend burns.

CAVENDISH

Cavendish is not a type of leaf but a process that involves curing and fermenting tobacco. It results in a mild, sweet tobacco often used in aromatic blends.

Perique

Perique is one of the most popular tobacco varieties for imparting a spicy taste to a blend. It is traditionally grown in the delta region in the US, including Louisiana.