John Rolfe Should Get More Credit

[Briar Lee]

We all know the story of Christopher Columbus bringing back tobacco from the New World, and then Sir Walter Raleigh’s maid tried to put him out after he’d caught on fire.

They name tobaccos after Sir Walter Raleigh.

But the Virginia pipe tobacco in our pipes really got it’s start from the man who married Pocahontas.

(Travis Kelce and Greg Allman also have other achievements)




Rolfe didn’t discover tobacco and he wasn’t the first to sell tobacco from Spanish seeds, but he did start the export of Virginia tobacco by somehow experimenting with a new kind of tobacco crop in Virginia.

John Rolfe (d. 1622) - Encyclopedia Virginia

Early Years Little is known of Rolfe’s parentage or early life. While historians and genealogists have generally maintained that he was baptized in Heacham, Norfolk County, England, on May 6, 1585, and was the son of John Rolfe and Dorothy (Dorothea) Mason Rolfe, this is unlikely to be true...

encyclopediavirginia.org

I wonder if there are any true heirloom Virginia tobacco strains left from 400 years ago?

And if there are, do they smell good to the ladies in the room?

 

[JoburgB2]

John Rolfe was/is a cigarette brand in South Africa of the Rembrandt Tobacco Company. It seems that "John Rolfe" is not a recognized cigarette brand in the United States. The "John Rolfe" cigarette brand employed some striking and controversial marketing strategies in South Africa. One of their most notable campaigns involved a surf rescue helicopter branded with the cigarette name. This helicopter was showcased at coastal resorts, drawing large crowds with its dramatic presence. But it faced significant backlash for targeting public spaces and children, leading to its eventual discontinuation following South Africa's tobacco advertising ban. Here’s a photo of a shop ciggies cabinet with the Rolfe branding.

 

[cynyr]

I've got a pipe somewhere stamped john Rolfe.

 

[huntertrw]

After reading a positive review of John Rolfe Pipe Mixture by Pipestud a few years back I was able to find and add a full tin to my cellar. That I like this tobacco is no surprise, as I find his palate to be similar to my own, and also because this mixture was made for the House of Edgeworth.

The tin's label reads as follows:

"John Rolfe Pipe Mixture is named in honor of America's first successful tobacco planter whose crop in 1612 saved the Virginia colony at Jamestown.

"John Rolfe Pipe Mixture combines a blend of choice, specially cured tobaccos with a precise amount of Peach Brandy flavor for an exciting smoke with a fresh , satisfying taste and aroma."



If you like aromatics, this is one (though out of production) that I can recommend. Tins show up on various Websites periodically, so add it to your radar. As Pipestud sometimes writes, "you can thank me later!"