Novice pipe smokers tend to think that the only things that affect the smoking experience are the variety and blend of the tobacco. Some might also be aware of how the curing process can affect things. But few are aware that the way tobacco is cut also contributes mightily to what they experience when they fire up their wooden tobacco pipes. In this post, we're going to look at popular tobacco cuts, what they are and how each cut affects the overall pipe smoking experience.

The Cube Cut

With the cube cut, flakes are cut into cubes using machines in factories that process the tobacco. It is also possible to do your own cube cut. All you have to do is take some of your flake tobacco and cut it into squares. Machinery may be designed to cut the cubes in one motion or tobacco flakes may be fed into the machinery 'sideways' as it were to produce the square or cubed effect. Cube cuts load, light and smoke well right out of the tin with the cubes permitting more air into the bowl to facilitate an even burn.

The Flake Cut

The flake cut results in what amounts to pressed rectangular sheets of tobacco about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch thick. In order to achieve this result moisture must be added to the tobacco before it is pressed. Manufacturers often use special binders, including sugary binders, to ensure the sheets retain their integrity over time. The exact size of the flakes will be up to the manufacturer and is sometimes determined by the size of the tin the flakes are destined for. Flakes give smokers a variety of choices. They can be ground into chunks, cut into cubes (see above), or the flake can be rolled up and loaded into the bowl. Different methods shift the balance of flavors, change the taste and alter the burn speed.

The Plug

A plug is not really a cut in literal terms. It’s actually just a bunch of tobacco that has been pressed into a block. Factories use plugs to produce flakes, and so can you. People who purchase plug tobacco are usually those who enjoy taking a hands-on approach to pipe smoking. They enjoy slicing the plug into flakes and then further processing the flakes by grinding them, cutting them or rolling them up before loading them into their tobacco pipes. The plug is a mainstay for those invested in the almost sacramental aspects of pipe smoking.

The Ribbon Cut

With the ribbon cut, we are getting into a more mainstream cut. Ribbon cuts are quite popular, burn consistently, blend well, and are easy to load. Manufacturers like them because they are easy to produce compared to something like a cube cut.

Ribbon cuts are the result of cutting all the different tobaccos that will go into a blend separately and then bringing them together. During the first year or so ribbon cuts age more quickly than something like a plug or cubes. But after a year the aging process tends to stabilize.

The Rope Cut

The rope cut is produced using very large pieces of the tobacco leaf. Depending on the blend you are after you would take two or more types of leaf and feed them into a machine that will coil them together, producing a rope-like product that would no doubt seem attractive to pranksters. (When you see it you will know what we are talking about.) You obviously cannot load a rope of tobacco into briar or meerschaum pipes as is. So most people take a sharp knife and cut across the end of the ‘rope’ creating a disk of tobacco that they load into the pipe. A word of caution: rope cuts tend to be quite moist and produce a very strong smoking experience.

The Shag Cut

No, the shag cut is not a trendy hairstyle from the 1970s. Instead, think of it as a finer version of the ribbon cut. To make a shag cut, large pieces of different types of leaf are blended together and then pressed for a short period of time, usually 20 minutes or so. After that, the lightly pressed tobacco is cut very finely. The ribbon cut is the most common type of cut. It burns consistently well, is easy to load into the bowl and once fired up individual components of the blend don't dominate one another.

Ready Rubbed Tobacco

With ready rubbed tobacco a blend is loosely pressed into a flake and that flake is then cut and rubbed out. Think of ready rubbed as occupying that space on the tobacco spectrum between flakes and ribbon cuts. Some manufacturers may rub the tobacco out mechanically, but there are still those who do it by hand. Ready rubbed tobacco appeals to those who take a less hands-on approach. It packs easily, burns evenly and the flavor tends to be consistent from the top to the bottom of the bowl.

The Bottom Line

The different cuts of tobacco play an important role in the pipe smoking experience and level of enjoyment. If you are a novice tobacco smoker, take some time to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the different cuts before you decide on a favorite. And don’t forget to visit Paykoc Pipes and browse our extensive collection of tobacco pipes. If you would like to know more about purchasing wholesale tobacco pipes for your own pipe shop or novelty store, submit a wholesale pricing application at the link below, or call our team at (888) 313-7137.

WHOLESALE APPLICATION