In the days when America was merely a group of colonies, and pipe tobacco smoking was still in its infancy, a devotee of the pipe would simply take a tobacco leaf, crumble it in his hand, and place the shreds in the pipe bowl. He knew that if the leaf came from the base of the plant, the smoke would be strong and heavy; if the leaf came from the center portion of the stalk, the smoke would be fairly mild; and if the leaf had grown near the top of the plant, the smoke would be very light and rather tasteless.

Early American pipe smokers were also aware that the taste of the smoke varied according to the region where the pipe tobacco plant was grown. They knew that their own Virginia leaves yielded a sweet, full-flavored smoke, that Persian pipe tobacco gave a light, mild smoke, and that the acrid smoke of French tobacco was nearly unbearable.

Sometime during the nineteenth century, smokers discovered that by blending different tobaccos they could obtain various mix­tures incorporating the best qualities of each type of pipe tobacco. Any smoker could thus prepare his own mixture to suit his per­sonal taste. Blended tobaccos became very popular, and the practice of blending persisted, so that the pipe mixture which you buy today may be a combination of as many as five or ten differ­ent tobaccos.

What makes the pipe tobacco grown in Turkey different from that grown from the same type of seed in the Carolinas? Many factors influence the quality of the smoke from a pipe tobacco plant. Among them are the weather, altitude, soil, moisture, and rainfall of the region. The cultivation is also of the greatest importance. Growers must choose the proper time to pick the leaves and perform the drying, curing, and other necessary processes. Just as wines de­rived from grapes grown in different vineyards may have different taste, tobacco from the same type of seed, but growing in adja­cent plantations, may smoke very differently.

Moreover, during the curing process, organic changes take place in the leaf, similar to the action yeast has on dough. Much of the flavor of pipe tobacco results from this fermentation process.

All these factors make pipe tobacco blending somewhat of an art. Private blends have sometimes been handed down by tobacconists through several generations. As long as the tobaccos remain the same, so do the blends.

If you wish to make up your own blend, you should first be­come acquainted with the flavor and burning qualities of the var­ious types of pipe tobaccos. Then you can experiment with small amounts of selected pipe tobaccos. When you have a satisfactory mix­ture, give the formula to your tobacconist and he will compound larger amounts for you upon request. Or you may find that a pre­pared blend suits your taste perfectly.

BURLEY TOBACCO

Itis reasonably safe to say that burley tobaccos are smoked in more pipes than any other variety of pipe tobacco. Burley is probably the best pipe tobacco for a straight (unblended) smoke. The two types of burley, generally known as Kentucky burley and white burley, are both clean, cool-smoking pipe tobaccos. White burley is very mild, with little flavor or aroma. Its neutral taste makes it ideal for mixing and reducing the strength of heavier-flavored tobaccos. Kentucky burley, while not quite as light-colored or smooth as the white variety, is still extremely mild when compared to some of the heavier tobaccos.

Both white burley and Kentucky burley are actually greenish-yellow or brownish-yellow in color, the "white" burley being somewhat lighter, hence its name. The two varieties of burley comprise the second largest pipe tobacco crop in the United States, grown mostly in Tennessee, Kentucky, and southern Ohio.

Burley forms the basis of most tobacco blends, with many pop­ular-priced mixtures containing as much as 75 per cent burley. Burley is also popular with manufacturers because it readily blends with other pipe tobaccos. If you find your pipe tobacco blend too harsh, too sweet, or generally too highly flavored, you can add as much as 50 per cent burley to your mixture. The result will be a milder blend which will yield a flavorful smoke.

VIRGINIA TOBACCO

Virginia pipe tobacco has been cultivated in Virginia ever since colonist John Rolfe, husband of the Indian princess Pocahontas, first planted the seed there in 1612. Today the bulk of Virginia pipe tobacco is grown in a much wider region, including Virginia, but also North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. The best grade of Virginia tobacco, generally called Virginia Bright, is a light lemon-yellow color. Other grades of Virginia tobacco vary in color from light green to brown and dark tan, depending on the soil and processing.

Virginia, like burley, can be smoked straight or used as a base for blends. When smoked alone, it has a full, light-bodied flavor and a sweet taste resulting from its high natural sugar content. Actually, Virginia pipe tobacco resembles burley except that it has more flavor and aroma and less oil, so that its smoke is very mild.

Virginia Bright is a flue-cured tobacco produced by controlled, even, smokeless heat being introduced into the curing barns by flues carrying hot air. The heat and moisture in the barn are care­fully regulated during the entire curing process. Virginia Bright is usually cut fine for the pipe, and therefore smokes rather fast and hot.

Other types of Virginia pipe tobacco include Virginia Bright Pick­ings, cured and cut somewhat differently from Bright. Several leaves are pressed together to form a "cake," and the cake then sliced to give a coarser cut. The result is a slower-burning tobacco, which yields a cooler, sweeter, more woody taste.
Virginia Plug Cut is similar to the Bright Pickings except that it has a much coarser cut. Producing a cool and very rich, mellow smoke, it is widely used in British blends.

Virginia Dark, grown in different kinds of soil, undergoes a fire-curing process by being exposed to an open fire. This pipe tobacco has broad, dark-green leaves and is rarely used in pipe mixtures.

Virginia Sun-Cured, a regional variety grown almost exclu­sively near the city of Richmond, gets its name from an early practice of curing the leaves in the open sun. Today, most "sun-cured" tobaccos are actually cured in barns.

Pipe smokers owe it to themselves to become familiar with all types of Virginia pipe tobacco, as well as the various cuts. Try each type, both as a straight smoke and as a blend. Too much Virginia in a mixture may make it bite, because the pipe tobacco generally lacks essential oils. For this reason, plus the fact that it burns slowly, Virginia should not constitute more than 15 per cent of a mixture.

CAVENDISH TOBACCO

Practically all types of pipe tobacco generally belong to one of two groups: those used as the "base" of a mixture, such as burley and Virginia, and those used for adding flavor, taste, and aroma to the blend, such as Latakia, Perique, and Turkish. But one pipe tobacco, Cavendish, can be used both as a base and as a flavoring agent.

Cavendish is said to have received its name from Lord William Cavendish, the Duke of Newcastle, when he discovered this vari­ety of tobacco around the year 1660.

Modern Cavendish differs from Virginia in that it is processed with sweetening agents such as maple sugar, sugar water, rum, or honey. This gives the pipe tobacco a dark mahogany color and a very sweet flavor. Today, the word Cavendish often refers to other tobaccos, such as Virginia or Maryland, which have been similarly processed. The smoker may run across such varieties as Virginia Cavendish, Cavendish Wine-Cured, Cavendish Dark Plug Cut, Honey Cavendish, and Shredded Cavendish.

Cavendish can be smoked straight and many smokers prefer it that way. But it is often blended with other base pipe tobaccos such as burleys and Virginias. If you are preparing your own blend, start by mixing equal amounts of Cavendish and burley. This will give you some idea of the use of Cavendish as a base. If you wish, you can keep adding Cavendish until it makes up as much as 90 per cent of the mixture.

To familiarize yourself with the use of Cavendish as a flavor­ing agent, first smoke a few pipefuls of plain white burley. Once you are familiar with this taste, add about 25 per cent Honey Cavendish to the blend. This will yield a mild smoke with very lit­tle aroma. For more flavor, you can add small amounts of Perique, Latakia, and other flavoring pipe tobaccos. The variety of sweetening agents used to flavor Cavendish pipe tobaccos makes it a never-ending source of interest to the pipe smoker who enjoys experimenting with new blends.

MARYLAND TOBACCO

Unlike other pipe tobaccos, Maryland pipe tobacco actually grows ex­clusively in the state from which it derives its name. It is culti­vated in the southern part of Maryland, between the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. The gray-and-yellow sandy soil on which the pipe tobacco is grown must be carefully prepared. After being cut, the pipe tobacco leaves are cured in large barns by normal ventilation of the air, without artificial heat or fire.

The finished leaf, thin, dry, and holding fire very well, burns slowly. Smoked plain, it has a very subtle flavor; when blended, it adds little taste to the blend. For these reasons, it is often used in a mixture likely to burn too rapidly or with difficulty. Maryland can also be used to reduce a strong blend and give it a more neu­tral flavor.

The Maryland pipe tobacco crop is small, and there are few vari­eties. The smoker should first try some plain Maryland, and then add to it one of the many flavoring pipe tobaccos. As an experiment, some Maryland might be introduced into a mixture whose char­acteristics are already familiar to the smoker. Use Maryland sparsely when blending; the addition of as little as one part in sixteen will make a noticeable difference.

LATAKIA TOBACCO

One harvesting season about ninety years ago, an unusually large crop of pipe tobacco was cut in northern Syria. Much of the pipe tobacco remained unsold, and the ripe plants were hung from the roofs of the native houses, where the pipe tobacco cured over the fires used to heat the dwellings. The fuel of the region which, some say, in­cluded camel dung, gave the pipe tobacco a strong odor and color never experienced before.

It was found that this pipe tobacco, when included in a blend, made an excellent flavoring agent. The new pipe tobacco was discovered near the town of Lattaquie, from which it was to obtain its name, Latakia. Today, the pipe tobacco is cured over the smoke of various aromatic herbs.

Unlike other pipe tobaccos, the stem and ribs of the Latakia plant produce the best smoke. So, in its case, the entire plant—includ­ing the flowers—makes up the pipe tobacco. The curing process in­stills it with a heavy, sweet flavor and a dark, oily appearance. As Latakia possesses a highly distinctive taste, only very small amounts are needed in a blend. One ounce in a pound is very noticeable, and it would be unwise to have more than 15 per cent Latakia in any mixture.

Found in most good smoking mixtures, Latakia is fine tobacco for adding spice, natural flavor, and aroma.

PERIQUE TOBACCO

Just about the time the American colonies were rising in revolt against the British King, an Acadian Frenchman named Pierre Chenet wandered into Louisiana and entered a region known as St. James Parish. There he observed the Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians processing pipe tobacco in a hollow log by placing it under great pressure until the tobacco's natural juices were squeezed out. The Indians would then allow the leaves to soak and ferment in their own natural juices.

Chenet tested the resulting pipe tobacco and found it to have a pronounced sweet and flavorful taste different from that of any other pipe tobacco. He studied the process and improved on the Indi­ans' methods. As the popularity of the new pipe tobacco spread, it became known as "tabac de Perique," since Perique was Pierre's nickname.

Perique pipe tobacco ranks as something special among pipe tobacco plants. For some unknown reason, it grows only on a small tri­angle of land some fifty miles west of the city of New Orleans. All attempts to grow Perique seeds on other soils have failed. Since Perique has such unique flavor, 5 per cent in a blend is usu­ally sufficient.

Perique adds flavor and aroma to mixtures, burns slowly, and reduces the bite of fast-burning pipe tobaccos. Today, Perique curing methods are essentially the same as they were when discovered by Chenet; but the processes which yield this fine, flavorful to­bacco have remained a mystery.

TURKISH TOBACCOS

Although the Western Hemisphere is the original home of the pipe tobacco plant, many smokers feel that the world's choicest tobac­cos come from parts of Turkey and other regions bordering the Black Sea. They are convinced that these pipe tobaccos are unexcelled in aroma and flavor. The climate and soil of Turkey is in fact ideal for the growing of pipe tobacco, and the plant has thrived there, gaining many desirable characteristics.

Turkish pipe tobaccos grow not only in Turkey, but also in Mace­donia, a part of Greece adjacent to Bulgaria, and other nearby countries. The name "Turkish" has carried over from the time when all these lands were under the hegemony of the Turks. There are many types of Turkish pipe tobaccos, as well as different ways of growing, harvesting, and curing each type. Thus, innum­erable variations in the finished pipe tobacco have been the direct result. The following are some of the more common types of Turkish pipe tobaccos:

Xanthi, is one of the finest Turkish varieties, often referred to as the "Queen of Tobaccos." It has a fresh, sweet, taste, a full body, and a very pronounced aroma. These qualities make it suitable as a flavoring element. It will give character to a mixture when added in small quantities. Xanthi production is relatively limited. Its cultivation is centered around the Greek town of Xanthi, from which it gets its name.

Djebel is very similar to Xanthi, since it is grown in the same geographical area. Djebel shares the same deliciously sweet flavor and grand aroma of Xanthi, but in smaller proportions. It burns and holds fire very well, has slightly less body than Xanthi, and therefore rates as a somewhat lighter pipe tobacco.

Macedonian are pipe tobaccos that grow in the Macedonian region of Greece. Macedonian pipe tobaccos possess a mild, light taste, are very sweet, give off a pleasant aroma, and have excellent com­bustion qualities. Their mild yet fragrant character makes these pipe tobaccos acceptable both as a base and as a flavoring agent.

Adrianoplepipe tobacco is cultivated in the peninsula which forms the European part of Turkey. Of medium quality, it produces a rather strong smoke and has a neutral taste. Most Adrianople pipe tobacco is consumed in Europe and Asia. Very little of it ever appears in this country.

Smyrnais very rich pipe tobacco grown along the west coast of Tur­key. Famous for its pleasant aroma, some claim it to be the most aromatic of all pipe tobaccos. Smyrna has a low rate of combustion but has a light, sweet taste which makes it a good addition to bland mixtures. Because of its heavy aroma, it should never be allowed to predominate in a blend.

Samsoun is a fine, pleasant pipe tobacco cultivated in the east cen­tral part of Turkey, where the country's north shore touches the Black Sea. It is noted for its unusual, delicate, agreeable taste, which differs from that of any other pipe tobacco. Samsoun will im­prove any blend and can perk up an otherwise mediocre mixture. This pipe tobacco also enjoys excellent burning qualities.

Trabisond, a pipe tobacco which grows near the Samsoun district, possesses an unusually strong, yet agreeable, taste. Trabisond is usually employed to increase the strength of a mixture.

Djubek is really a Russian pipe tobacco, although the plant is the same as the Turkish Xanthi. It has a light, full-bodied taste and an especially strong, fine aroma. Many smokers consider it the finest oriental pipe tobacco, and use it to add a touch of spice to their blends.

This is only a partial list of the many fine pipe tobaccos available from the Near East. Turkish pipe tobacco, as purchased at your tobac­conist, may be any one of the types mentioned, or it may be a mixture of several different types. Seldom smoked straight, Turk­ish is used primarily as a flavoring agent since a little of it goes a long way. If you wish to do your own blending with Turkish to­baccos, start by adding one part Turkish to sixteen parts of burley or Virginia. You will be happily surprised by the new taste and aroma which even this small amount of Turkish pipe tobacco will impart to the blend.

TOBACCO CUTS

The generally accepted methods of cutting pipe tobacco are the result of trial-and-error experiments performed over many decades. All cuts are made either from single leaves, or from groups of pressed leaves. Any cutting of the single leaf is usually termed a "long" cut, while slicing the pressed leaves, or "cake," is referred to as a "plug" cut.

Single leaves can be broken up in a "chop cut," where the leaf is actually chopped into small pieces about one-quarter inch square. The leaf can also be "ribbon cut," in which case it is sliced into long, narrow strips. Chop-cut pipe tobacco has fairly slow, cool-burning qualities. On the other hand, the thin, stringy struc­ture of ribbon-cut pipe tobacco, and the large air spaces between the shreds, make this type of cut burn fast.

The combustion of plug-cut pipe tobacco is much slower than that of any chop cut or ribbon cut. Since several layers of leaves pressed tightly together with little space for air compose a section of plug cut, plug-cut pipe tobacco takes a long time to ignite and even longer to burn. Accordingly, it tends to give a very cool smoke.

The smoker can vary the cuts of pipe tobacco he employs so as to control the rate of burning. This in turn will affect the flavor of the pipe tobacco, and will determine how many times a pipe has to be relighted. The types of cuts will also determine whether a mix­ture will hang together or not, and the manner in which it packs into the pipe bowl. In choosing pipe tobacco cuts, experience is the best teacher.

The first step in mixing your own blend is to pay a visit to a leading pipe tobacconist in any large city. He will usually carry a stock of straight, unblended pipe tobaccos, such as burley, Cavendish, and Catakia. If the dealer does not have a particular pipe tobacco or cut in stock, he probably will be glad to order it for you.

The base pipe tobaccos are usually sold by the quarter-pound, half-pound, or pound, while the much stronger aromatic and flavoring pipe tobaccos may be sold by the ounce. The dealer keeps the pipe tobaccos in humidors and measures the correct amount by weight, using a balance scale.

Cut plug (burley)

Granulated (Virginia) THE FOUR BASIC PIPE TOBACCO CUTS

In preparing your blend at home, you can measure by volume if you do not have a scale at hand. When you have prepared the desired amount of each tobacco, place the pipe tobaccos in separate piles on a clean, level surface. Then mix the tobaccos together gently by using the open fingers of both hands as "forks." Keep mixing until all the pipe tobaccos are evenly distributed through the blend; then store the mixture in your humidor.

Blending tobaccos to suit your particular taste, one of the great thrills of pipe-smoking, is both simple and difficult to achieve. It requires no special equipment and very little time. Yet it takes years of experience to make an intelligent appraisal of the quali­ties of various blends. Because of this, pipe tobacco blending has remained an art, but it is an art which every pipe smoker can practice and enjoy.

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