| Author | Message | ||
     Ken Wilson Member Username: The_pirate Post Number: 17 Registered: 12-2006 |
I read that the various Virginia tobaccos are high in sugar content. Is this an added sugar like glucose, or is it a natural sugar inherent in the leaf? | ||
| Harvey Click Member Username: Fafhrd Post Number: 581 Registered: 03-2006 |
It's a natural sugar inherent in the leaf. Burley has much less sugar and therefore blenders are more likely to add some sweetener. | ||
| Felix Member Username: Felix Post Number: 90 Registered: 09-2006 |
Harvey or anyone else who's knowledgeable on the subject, I've heard there are two main parameters that affect how "sweet" a Virginia is...the drying method (artificial heat, flue-cured Virginias will be sweeter because they dry faster) and the lighter colored the Virginia is, the higher the natural sugar content. Do I have that correct? And are there any other considerations? Like maybe where on the plant the leaf comes from? | ||
| Harvey Click Member Username: Fafhrd Post Number: 588 Registered: 03-2006 |
Felix, it's been a long time since I've read up on this, and I'm as far from an expert as anyone could be, but I believe soil, location, weather conditions when it was grown, top leaves vs. bottom leaves, insects, and a number of other factors affect the sweetness. Melvin often digs up links to some relevant articles (don't know how he finds all of them), so maybe he'll help us out on this question. As much as I love the taste and aroma of really sweet Virginias, many of them burn my tongue. | ||
| Melvin S. Schwartz Board Administrator Username: Admin Post Number: 3763 Registered: 02-2002 |
He who asks shall receive  What Are The Different Varieties of VA? Virginias are referred to in a number of different ways. A "bright" VA is named as such because it's taken from the top of the plant, where the highest quality leaf is. VA's can also be referred to by their colors. The most common color grades are lemon, golden, and red. Ignoring a great many factors (such as climate, soil, and time of harvest), the color of a VA relates to its sugar content. Tobacco that is cured longer (and is thus darker in color) will be less sweet than a tobacco cured quickly. Stoved VA's are also referred to separately. Stoving (the process of literally cooking the tobacco) darkens a tobacco and changes its taste, usually reducing tongue bite. Incidentally, VA's with the most sugar will darken the most. Source: http://www.aspipes.org/faq/faq/va.html | ||
| Harvey Click Member Username: Fafhrd Post Number: 591 Registered: 03-2006 |
Thanks for the link, Melvin. |