Pipe Tobacco

Broken Flake from tobacco is partially broken up. Broken Flake is prepared from cake. Cake is so called plugs, which are dense in form. They hold the moisture & are very handy to carry. Broken flakes are cut from cake into desire pieces of around 1/8 in size. The smoker slices off a bit to the thickness he desires and rubs it between his hands to create a fine or coarse tobacco. Cake can also be cut in thicker slices, smoked, folded and crushed for further preparation.

Curly Cut is known as thin slices of tobacco or tobacco circles that we get when cut from twisted rope tobacco. Curly cut appearance is like coin or roll cake. Curly Cut looks same as Flake tobacco, difference is in just shape & thickness. Preparation process is also almost same like Flake tobacco. Curly Cut tobacco is much rougher in appearance as for instance neatly stacked medallions in a tin.

Flakes or “slices” are cut from compressed cakes such as Plug, into slices, which are typically rectangular in shape but can be somewhat oddly or loosely shaped as well. Flakes keep somewhat well after opening, and are quite easy to prepare for smoking. Flake is folded & stuffed into smoking chambers similar to that of Ribbon.

Plugs are square in shape or rectangle in shape cut from tobacco & compressed with heat to create pressed form. Plugs are stored in less air exchange areas. Plugs are sliced, folded or rubbed out for smoking. Plug holds different type of tobacco, So each time it’s important to cut grain layers of a different type of tobacco.

Ribbon tobacco is instinctively cut from plugs into thin strands of about 1/16. . It is a good cut for tobaccos that don’t burn easily. Once ribbon cut tin or bag is opened it very difficult to keep it well for long period, unless precaution is taken for proper storage. Ribbon tobacco can simply blow up into the bowl and smoked.

Rope tobacco are not cut, but they are spun by machine into long ropes or thick cord about 1” in diameter. Rope tobacco can be 60 feet long, so they are sold in different lengths. It’s generally considered as “bulk tobacco”. There are a few of this thick cord which are cut into coins before they are finally packed. Rope tobacco is quite dense & storage well.

Similar to Ribbon cut, Shag cut tobacco is also into finely cut/shredded into long threads. Shag is much thinner & longer than a ribbon cut. Shag tobacco is very delicate and smoked straight from the tin without preparation. Shag bag or tin once opened should be stored in airtight container to prevent it from drying out. A shag cut can easily pack too tightly and burns very well.