Different Classes of Virginias

[Effortlessdepths]

So what kinds of Virginias are there? I know a decent bit about how they're grown, their ph, sugar content, all that stuff, and I know there are brights and reds, but are their other kinds? And what are their properties? I heard someone mention golden Virginias in a recent post, what are those? Are yellows and brights different? Are their different kinds of reds? I've heard tell of mahogany and African, but didn't know if it was just branding and growing region, or actual varieties/strains/seed. What are your thoughts?

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I smoke 4 to 6 bowls of Virginia blends daily. I know I generally smoke lighter Virginia in the morning. Then a medium dark. Then dark. Maybe mix a red in there somewhere. I know which ones I like best and the relative strength. That's all I need or want to know. I went to one of the nicest steak House in the area a few weeks ago. I didn't make the chef bring out the cow so I could stick my hands up it's ass before ordering. I just ordered the Porterhouse medium rare because that's what I like.

 

[renfield]

An awful lot has to do with how the leaf is cured and where it was grown. This means, for example, that one blender’s red Virginia won’t be the same as another’s red Virginia. Within a particular leaf there will be differing grades of leaf which will also have an effect on flavor.

It’d be easier and more practical to get familiar with each blender’s style of Virginias. In my experience each blender has a kind of house flavor in what they buy and use.

Broadly there are the lighter more grassy and hay-like Virginias and the darker, more deeply stoved or cured Virginias. I’d hate to guess how many variations there are out there.

I think that growers refer to all Virginias as bright leaf. Blenders may refer to lemon, yellow, red etc depending on the curing and processing the leaf has seen.

 

[bent1]

A good cut cooked medium rare is the best!

 

[maduromadness]

From what I know most Virginia's are from similar seed or maybe a varietal different due to when the seed was brought to that area when growing was initiated for that region. The leaf color denotes how they are processed and generally there is bright/yellow/golden, various shades of brown, red, orange, and black... basically all the colors one can achieve from the different curing processes plus stoving. To answer your question yes there are many shades of red but not in the sense that is called any other name. The specific color is relative to the final sugar content after curing. The brighter the leaf the sweeter it is with more citrus/fresh hay/spice. Then imagine a spectrum of medium browns providing more balance with bread/earth/floral/cereal. Then darker giving the least sugar content (but still alot relative to Burley...typically) with more earth/molasses/fermented hay. Stoving is usually done with brights to give a stewed fruit/spice/mellow feel...basically true Cavendish unflavored.
The unique growing regions will change the profile of whatever varietal they use due to climate and soil conditions, similar to cigar tobacco and the specific growing regions known for exceptional tobacco...Redfield explained it well...I just wanted to add some.