Cavendish tobacco
Production
Production is the process of curing and cutting which is used to amplify the natural flavours of tobacco leaves. The varieties of tobacco leaves most commonly used for cigars and pipes are: Kentucky, Virginia, and Burley.
The process begins by pressing the tobacco leaves into a cake, approximately one inch thick. Heat is then applied to the cake using fire or steam, and the tobacco is allowed to ferment.[1] After that, the fermented cakes are cut into slices and packed into pipes. Finally, flavoring may be added before the leaves are pressed. English Cavendish uses a dark flue or fire cured Virginia, which is steamed and then stored under pressure to allow it to cure and ferment for several days or weeks.
There are several colours (including the well-known black Cavendish), blends, and flavours of Cavendish. Modern blends include flavours and ingredients such as cherry, chocolate, coconut, rum, strawberry, vanilla, walnut, and bourbon.
In the late 16th century, Sir Thomas Cavendish commanded a ship as part of Sir Richard Grenville's expedition to Virginia. Cavendish discovered that dipping tobacco leaves in sugar produced a milder and mellower smoke.
- A typical mix of ingredients would be around 54% tobacco, 22% water, 8% alcohol (glycerol-sorbitol) and the rest sugars and any specific flavouring (e.g. cherry).