Perique Tobacco

Perique
Nicotiana tabacum L
[ Approximately 100 seeds per packet ]

'Perique' has leaves that are medium-sized, glossy in texture, gummy and tough but have fine fiber with small stems. It has been historically used as a smoking, chewing, cigar, and cigarette variety. It is generally not used exclusively but rather used sparingly in mixes to add body and dimension to a blend.

'Perique' tobacco (the plant) is a specific, unique, variety which you can grow anywhere that tobacco can be grown. However, for clarity sake, there is a tobacco leaf product marketed as "Perique" tobacco. Unless you grow it in Louisiana’s St. James Parish and follow the now centuries-old traditional curing processes, what you grow in your garden will not be Perique the product.

This is not to say that you cannot find success in your garden. We just want to explain the difference between "Perique" the tobacco product and 'Perique' the tobacco variety that both originate from Louisiana's St. James Parish.

The history of the variety dates back to the beginning of tobacco production in St. James Parish. In the late 1700s, a man named Pierre Chenet introduced tobacco cultivation to his fellow Arcadian countrymen. He not only taught them how to successfully grow the crops, but also how to cure and prepare it for market in tightly wrapped rolls called "carottes." In honor of his efforts, they called this plant, and the process, "Perique."

Our seed originated from USDA accession number PI 552742.

Click here for a history of the variety and its historic curing method.