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Types of tobacco
There are many different species of tobacco. In pipe tobacco and fine cut the most commonly used by Scandinavian Tobacco Group are:
Virginia:
Virginia is the most common of all tobacco leaves. It can be either flue-, fire- or air-cured. The Virginia has a high content of sugar in the leaf and therefore it has a natural sweet taste and aroma to it. The leaves are huge – 20-50 cm – and the colour varies from light golden to dark mahogany. Virginia is used in mixtures of cigars, pipe tobacco, rolling tobacco and cigarettes.
Burley:
The colour of cured Burley leaf can be light brown, reddish brown to very dark brown. It is the second most used tobacco leaf and it has a low content of natural sugar which gives it a full body taste with a touch of cocoa. The leaves have the same size as Virginia but they are narrower. Burley is used in mixtures of both cigars, pipe tobacco and cigarettes. Burley is used in many aromatic blends because it absorbs the flavourings better than other tobaccos.
Oriental:
A sun-cured tobacco mainly grown in Turkey and Greece. When harvesting the leaves are put on a string by hand and dried in the sun. Due to the hot, dry climate the leaves contain a high level of aromatic oils and the colour varies from green to light golden and dark orange. The leaves vary in size from 2-15 cm which is very small compared to leaves from Virginia and Burley.
Latakia:
A small-leaved oriental tobacco growing close to the ground in only two places, namely Cyprus and to a lesser extent Syria. Sun-cured and afterwards fumigated over open fire. This gives the tobacco a dark almost black colour and a distinctive spicy aroma, but the precise flavour depends on the particular wood used. Latakia is primarily used as a flavour in certain pipe tobacco mixtures.
Perique:
A very rare sort of tobacco only produced in Louisiana, USA. It is stored in old bourbon barrels with a sauce and under high pressure. It is the strongest and most expensive of all tobaccos.
Black Cavendish:
The only basic tobacco not grown in the nature. It is produced on the basis of Burley and Virginia tobaccos. Black Cavendish is dark, yet the mildest of all basic tobaccos. Steaming and heating the tobacco at the same time, makes the tobacco ”ferment” and that makes the tobacco black, mild, round and sweet in taste.
Kentucky Dark Fired:
Heavy fertilizing during growth makes it a strong tobacco. The leaves are between 30-70 cm and dark brown. After air curing the curing continues over an open fire. Kentucky Dark Fired is mainly used for hand rolling tobacco and snuff.
Types of tobacco
There are many different species of tobacco. In pipe tobacco and fine cut the most commonly used by Scandinavian Tobacco Group are:
Virginia:
Virginia is the most common of all tobacco leaves. It can be either flue-, fire- or air-cured. The Virginia has a high content of sugar in the leaf and therefore it has a natural sweet taste and aroma to it. The leaves are huge – 20-50 cm – and the colour varies from light golden to dark mahogany. Virginia is used in mixtures of cigars, pipe tobacco, rolling tobacco and cigarettes.
Burley:
The colour of cured Burley leaf can be light brown, reddish brown to very dark brown. It is the second most used tobacco leaf and it has a low content of natural sugar which gives it a full body taste with a touch of cocoa. The leaves have the same size as Virginia but they are narrower. Burley is used in mixtures of both cigars, pipe tobacco and cigarettes. Burley is used in many aromatic blends because it absorbs the flavourings better than other tobaccos.
Oriental:
A sun-cured tobacco mainly grown in Turkey and Greece. When harvesting the leaves are put on a string by hand and dried in the sun. Due to the hot, dry climate the leaves contain a high level of aromatic oils and the colour varies from green to light golden and dark orange. The leaves vary in size from 2-15 cm which is very small compared to leaves from Virginia and Burley.
Latakia:
A small-leaved oriental tobacco growing close to the ground in only two places, namely Cyprus and to a lesser extent Syria. Sun-cured and afterwards fumigated over open fire. This gives the tobacco a dark almost black colour and a distinctive spicy aroma, but the precise flavour depends on the particular wood used. Latakia is primarily used as a flavour in certain pipe tobacco mixtures.
Perique:
A very rare sort of tobacco only produced in Louisiana, USA. It is stored in old bourbon barrels with a sauce and under high pressure. It is the strongest and most expensive of all tobaccos.
Black Cavendish:
The only basic tobacco not grown in the nature. It is produced on the basis of Burley and Virginia tobaccos. Black Cavendish is dark, yet the mildest of all basic tobaccos. Steaming and heating the tobacco at the same time, makes the tobacco ”ferment” and that makes the tobacco black, mild, round and sweet in taste.
Kentucky Dark Fired:
Heavy fertilizing during growth makes it a strong tobacco. The leaves are between 30-70 cm and dark brown. After air curing the curing continues over an open fire. Kentucky Dark Fired is mainly used for hand rolling tobacco and snuff.