HOW TOBACCO IS BORN

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There are many kinds of tobacco, but only Nicotiana Tabacum is used for pipe tobacco. Botanically, the tobacco plant belongs to the nightshade family, which includes potatoes, tomatoes and red peppers. These plants came to Europe from America after the discovery of “the new world”, and they have had a large influence on people's daily lives for many centuries.

The cultivation of tobacco is time-consuming work, since in many regions tobacco is grown and harvested the same way as it was 100 years ago. The process begins by sowing tobacco seeds in large hotbeds (there are about 12,000 seeds per gram of tobacco seed). When a tobacco plant has grown four leaves, it is planted out in the field.   Then Mother Nature takes over the rest of the plant's growth, closely monitored by the tobacco grower. When the plant's flower appears, it is clipped so that the plant uses all of its energy to grow the leaves. At this point, a Virginia tobacco plant is somewhere between 2.3 and 3.0 metres tall and has developed about 30 leaves.

The time for harvesting tobacco varies from type to type. Burley tobacco is harvested when the first signs of reduced suppleness appear in the leaves and the leaves' colour becomes a yellowish brown. Virginia tobaccos ripen longer on the plant and are therefore harvested later. There are large differences in the ways the individual tobacco types are harvested and dried - more about that later. Then the leaves have dried, they are sorted and categorised according to the following traits:      - their position on the tobacco plant      - their colour      - their structure, including their thickness      - their aroma and strength (when smoked)      - their purity

The higher the leaf sits on the plant, the higher its nicotine content. In the top leaves, called Tips, the nicotine content is so strong that the leaves cannot be used for pipe tobacco. We use mainly the leaves from the groups called Leaf, Cutters and Lugs. The normal nicotine content in tobacco is 1% to 3%. Tobacco leaves are a natural product, and weather and soil conditions have a large influence on the development of the individual leaf. There can even be large differences between leaves from the same field from year to year. The recipes for our blends therefore contain up to 30 different raw tobacco types. Our experienced raw tobacco purchasers have much experience in selecting exactly the raw tobaccos that are appropriate to an individual blend, and they can thus ensure a uniform taste.

For more information of the various tobacco types click here.