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CUBE
Cube cut is just what it sounds like, a pipe tobacco which is cut or shred into small, square-like pieces. These relatively uniform, chopped up pieces of tobacco are easily blended and smoked. Burley tobaccos are the most common cube cut.
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FLAKE
Pipe tobacco which has been pressed into bricks and then sliced into broad, flat flakes. Flake cut tobaccos, as depicted here, can be comprised of many different tobaccos. These tobaccos benefit from the pressing because it allows their flavors, densities, and moisture levels to marry: it will also help them synergize more as they age. Flake cut tobaccos should be rubbed out for smoking purposes.
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PLUG
Also known as Navy plug, it was given the name because sailors would fill a long canvas tube with tobacco and flavorings (rum, fruits, spices), then twist the tube tight, mimicking the pressing process. This technique created a dense "rope" of tobacco about an inch thick. When a piece of the tobacco is sliced/cut off it is called a plug: this must be rubbed out for smoking purposes.
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RIBBON
Ribbon cut is exactly what is sounds like, pipe tobacco cut into thin, long ribbons which are shorter and thicker than shag cut.
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SHAG
Tobacco which is finely cut/shredded into long threads; it is thinner and longer than ribbon cut. Virginia tobaccos lend themselves to this cut because of their large size. This cut is common for natural RYO cigarette tobaccos as well.
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