Virginia cigar

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Virginia cigars of the brand "Brissago originale"

Virginia cigars or Virginians (singular: Virginia ) are long, thin cigars with a mouthpiece.

Name and quality

The Virginia cigar gets its name from the fact that it was originally made from Virginia tobacco , which is particularly well removed and dried over hickory wood fires . This process (still used today) is called "dark fire-cured". On the one hand, this serves to preserve the tobacco; on the other hand, it gives the cigar its special smoky taste. In addition to Virginia, Burley, Kentucky and Maryland tobacco are sometimes used. The inventors are the Aztecs, who smoked tobacco leaves wrapped around a reed.

The distinctive mouthpiece can be a straw or plastic pipe. In addition, a dried blade of grass can be incorporated that runs through the entire cigar. It must be removed before smoking, thus exposing a smoke channel. This channel is beneficial to the draft behavior of the cigar, since the tobacco is processed particularly moist and is therefore particularly dense.

A lighting ceremony known from the films with Wachtmeister Studer , for example, consists of pulling out the blade of grass, breaking off the tip of the cigar with the width of a finger and using the burning blade to heat it until the smoke comes through the mouthpiece.

Manufacturer

Austria tobacco

Virginia cigars had been manufactured in Austria since 1844, with production and distribution being a full monopoly of the Österreichische Tabakregie (later Austria Tabak ) founded in 1784 .

The Stein an der Donau cigar factory, which was built between 1920 and 1923, produced enormous numbers of pieces, which enabled 800 women to find employment, with exemplary social benefits. Among Austria Tabak's cigars , Virginia cigars had a market share of ten percent with a sales volume of 3.2 million pieces (1997). After Austria Tabak was partially privatized, the new owner Japan Tobacco stopped producing and selling all three varieties ("Regie Virginier", "Spezial Virginier", "Jubiläumsvirginier") in October 2008.

Virginia cigars were Emperor Franz Joseph's favorite cigars, which is why they were popularly known as "imperial ones". Chancellor Julius Raab also smoked these cigars, even on official occasions.

Brissago

Since 1847, a slightly curved cigar with an integrated blade of grass has been produced in Brissago under the name “Brissago originale”.

Today, the Ticino factory belongs to the Swiss tobacco manufacturer Burger Söhne .

Villiger

Villiger "Original Krumme Junior"

The Swiss competitor Villiger is represented throughout Austria and Germany with its Virginia cigars "Original Krumme" and "Original Krumme Junior" (sold under the export brands "Curly" and "Culebras").

Since the end of August 2009 this company has also been offering the “Villiger Virginia”.

R&G

Since September 2009, the Austrian company R & G has been selling the “Virginia” and “Virginia Special” cigars, manufactured by Tabacalera Altagracia in the Dominican Republic .

Manifatture Sigaro Toscano

Since September 2011, the "Pedroni Virginia" made from 100% pure dark-fired Virginia tobacco has been available in Austria, produced by the Italian manufacturer Sigaro Toscano, famous for the " Toscano " cigar .

Wolf & Ruhland

Another supplier is the Bavarian cigar manufacturer Wolf & Ruhland, which sells the completely handcrafted "Edelweiss Virginia" (blue variety with a mild Sumatra wrapper and red variety with a strong Virginia wrapper) as well as the handcrafted "Kleine Herren Virginia ”(straight and plaited) in its range. The use of strip tobacco and artificial tobacco additives such as fire accelerators or humectants is completely avoided. The entire production takes place in Perlesreut near Passau .

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