Once harvested, the plants are cut and hung up to dry on battens in barn like structures to ensure that the nicotine gravitates to the tips of the leaves. The leaves are then graded between top leaves, middle leaves and bottom leaves and shredded into various cuts – some finer than others. The farmers themselves are master blenders, creating a myriad of strengths and flavours by just adding a pinch of this leaf and a pinch of that leaf to create Light, Medium and Hot Dokha blends. The shredded leaves, of whatever strength, are quickly stored in air-tight bottles to help preserve the strength and natural colouration of the tobacco plant.
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. Its flavor is very strong, so it isn’t usually found in high percentages in a blend. If you are choosing a Western Pipe Tobacco in Bags as opposed to Dokha Arabic pipe tobacco, then you will have to think carefully about what kind of container you will need – especially if you buy it in bulk. Air-tight is a must, as long term exposure to air can dry out the tobacco, and also change the flavour.
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. Dark Fired Kentucky is featured in several blends, such as Mc Baren’s HH Old Dark Fired and Peter Heinrich’s Dark Strong, and G.L. It is also used as a component for many other blends where it serves a variety of purposes.
Generally, is loose leaf tobacco, burned in a traditional smoking pipe which has a bowl on the end in which the shredded tobacco leaves are put in and burned. Pipe tobacco has been around for centuries and various cultures around the world have their own methods of cultivation, fermentation, and mixing. It is recommended that if you want to experience pipe smoking you should try different flavours and styles of cut to find a tobacco that you really like.
Cavendish can be produced out of any tobacco type but is usually one of, or a blend of Kentucky, Virginia, and Burley and is most commonly used for pipe tobacco and cigars. Once the tobacco “drinks” the sauce, it’s conditioned in large cylinders that dry it back to the desired moisture level, generally between 12% (on the dry side) and 22% (very moist). Optimal moisture for smoking depends on the smoker, but it’s generally in the 13-16% range. The aromas and flavours imparted by casing will remain in the tobacco pretty tenaciously, and will affect the smoke throughout the bowl.
You can put a small humidifier inside the pouch and mix the tobacco up by hand from time to time. The leaves are partially dried to ensure that they are still supple so the stems on the leaves and any remaining dirt Pipe Tobacco can be easily removed. The leaves are rolled into torquettes and packed into whiskey barrels. The tobacco is kept under pressure using oak blocks and screw jacks to force most of the air out of the moist leaves.