Profiles in Pipes –– Thomas Cavendish

TPLHistory

Thomas Cavendish (born September 19, 1560; died May 1592) was an English explorer and privateer who led the third expedition to successfully circumnavigate the globe. Cavendish descended from a wealthy family and inherited a fortune from his father’s estate at age 12. Unfortunately, by the time he had turned 25, he’d squandered the majority of his riches on a luxurious lifestyle and took up the career of privateering (state-sponsored piracy) to re-establish his wealth. 

On his very first journey to the “New World” in 1585, he inadvertently created the famous tobacco process that still bears his name. Sailing with Admiral Sir Richard Grenville, Cavendish visited Roanoke, Virginia. There, Native Americans presented Cavendish and his men with tobacco as a gift. While sailing back to England, Cavendish infused the tobacco with dark rum –– either to preserve it or to prevent it from drying out during the voyage. When he and his crew eventually got around to smoking it, they were astonished by the wonderful flavor. Today, Cavendish tobacco is a term used to describe tobaccos that have been “double-fermented,” in a manner similar to how Thomas Cavendish cured his tobacco store with rum. Most often, Virginia and/or Burley tobacco leaves are used to create Cavendish tobacco. Modern Cavendish tobaccos come in a variety of flavors and styles. 

After his first successful journey across the Atlantic, Cavendish set sail again in 1586 with the intention of traveling across the world. And he did indeed return to England two years later in 1588 after accomplishing his goal. Though he had lost two ships along the way, Cavendish arrived back in England after having “acquired” tremendous amounts of treasure. On this journey, he and his crew even managed to raid a ship owned personally by King Phillip II of Spain. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his exploits on the high seas. 

His second planned journey around the globe, however, proved much less successful. Encountering difficult waters by the Strait of Magellan, Cavendish faced a near mutiny by his crew. Shortly thereafter, his ship was attacked by a Portuguese vessel off the coast of Brazil. Having canceled the remainder of the trip and set off across the Atlantic to return to England, Cavendish died some time in May of 1592 of unknown causes. However, one ship and a small number of his crew did eventually return to English shores from this expedition.

Montecristo

Make Your Own Cavendish 

Cavendish is stewed or steamed tobacco. The process darkens the leaf color and also dramatically alters the flavor, burn characteristics, and aroma. The process has no substantive effect on the level of nicotine.

Place cured leaf into a large colander inside a large pot, suspending the tobacco above the simmering water. Eight or more hours are required to appropriately darkening the leaf. 

A faster method is to pack very damp tobacco into Mason jars, and pressure-cook the sealed jar for about 5 hours. After cooling, the tobacco can be removed and dried for use, or left in the jar, since it has been sterilized, and will not mold. 

A temperature of 212°F for steaming versus 249°F for pressure-cooking, and the length of time the tobacco is subjected to heat have less influence on the color than how wet the leaf was during cooking: wetter equals darker. 

If you un-jar/un-seal it after processing, be sure to allow enough time to dry, before storing it. 

by Robert Goff (?)