Virginia is for Lovers (of the Leaf)
or, on Virginia Tobacco: The World’s Most Famous
Picture it: Jamestown Settlement, 1612. In a desperate attempt to save the struggling Virginia Company-sponsored settlement, John Rolfe AKA Mr. Pocahontas tries his weary-wary hand at a tobacco crop. Prior to his arrival and subsequent hail mary, silk making, glass making, lumber, and a host of other enterprises had all failed to catch on. Lo and behold, the West Indies originating seeds his agricultural experimenting landed him on, would grow to become the first profitable export of the state that actually wouldn't become a state until 1788.
During his experimentations, he shared samples of his process with his fellow clay pipe smoking settlers. It would seem from their feedback of Rolfe's new plant being "Pleasant, sweete, and strong," that little has changed since regarding the now famed leaf's characteristics. Fine, it's not currently regarded as strong, instead, it is quite-to-moderately mild-medium (more on that below in processings). Up until the point of Virginia tobacco's arrival on the world scene through European markets, the game was controlled by Spain, the country that introduced tobacco to the Western World on the heels of Columbus's first voyage to the New World.
To be certain, it took the leaf only a short time indeed, to become the European standard. Since then, it is known the world over as Virginia (one of three main categories of pipe leaf alongside Burley and Oriental) and is the most popular tobacco type used in pipe blends today, which of course is our focus herein. Some 60% of the total American tobacco crop is Virginia Tobacco. Too, Virginia tobacco is grown and duly enjoyed, the world over. Countries such as Canada, Brazil, India, China, Tanzania, Malawi, and Zimbabwe all grow copious amounts. To be clear, the highest grades of pipe tobacco still come from the US, alongside South America and Africa.
When speaking of Virginias, the major fermentations and processings are Bright, Red, Matured, and Stoved. I'll now delve briefly as is possible into each, knowing full-well I've already lost many a once riveted reader. Note that each step listed makes for a stronger, more intense smoke, as the list unfurls.
Bright Virginia is the staple rendition, taken from the top of the plant, and cured quickly. It's high in sugar, and often exhibits as lemon-grassy with notes of sunlit hay and light spices. This is the base of many English blends. Reds take on their namesake hue due to longer fermentation. Favor-wise their deeper profiles hold less sugary sweetness. Matured VAs are pressed and naturally caramelized via this process and are also known as "True" or "Natural" Cavendishes. Finally, stoved VA is, as it sounds, heated in a tray or pan, or in other ways subjected to heat. Stoved yields leaf which can be smoked as a stand-alone offering.
All told, ever-flexible Virginia is used in virtually all blends of pipe tobacco, as it makes a fantastic base whose agreeable flavor notes allow condimentals to be well-displayed. In the renowned VA/Perique blends (Va/Pers), the Virginia is at least predominantly of the flue-cured variety. Plus, whether in the forefront of a blend or not, it is oft employed to aid in combustion--as it is both a good burner and aids in lighting, thanks to its low oil-levels. That stated, tongue-bite is a somewhat common occurrence if handled less-than well by either blender or smoker. Funny then, that this uber-popular and easy-going leaf is not often an easy smoke. Dichotomy? Perhaps.
Unlike most if not all pipe tobaccos, when smoked slowly, VAs improve toward the bottom of the bowl--so smoke into that heel, gentlepersons (slowly-so). To wrap it up here, and to tuck in my probably already asleep readership, Virginia is quite perhaps the ultimate connoisseur's pipe tobacco. The choice of aficionados. This is due to its aging like a fine wine and inherently complex profile capabilities. "Sweet dreams," seems a two-fold apt note on which to end this article. Now if you'll forgive me, I'll just see myself out after placing your hand in a warm bowl of water. I'm all about the pranks LOL.
::: very :::