If you want to enhance your ability to discern more nuances, a number of websites sell Sutliff and C&D component tobaccos in bulk so you can buy an ounce or two to just experience that variety by itself. It’s a great way to clearly differentiate what flavors/smells are coming from which tobacco and also which aspects get buried in a particular blend. 

And remember, there are never any dumb questions.

The process of making cavendish from burley (American cavendish) doesn’t really make it sweet, although it can slightly. It does make it an excellent carrier for added sweeteners and flavoring. American cavendish that hasn’t been sweetened or flavored only adds creaminess to the smoke and smooths a mixture, which is the reason it may be added, to maya blend milder or smooth som roughness as well as unify some flavors of the tobacco. Some people claim they detect a slight vanilla type flavor to it as well, although I’ve never picked that up from unflavored/unsweetened cavendish and I’ve smoked it straight. Keep in mind that cavendish in Europe is something different than in America. European cavendish often has a slightly different processing done, but more importantly it is often made from Virginias instead of burley. Even then, there is no one definition for cavendish and it can mean different things depending on where your tobacco was produced and who made it.

There are so many tobacco makers doing so many different things with tobacco that it's difficult to define any one thing as this or that. So let me just say a few things with the understanding that nothing is really set in concrete and there are no hard and fast rules as far as tobacco processing is concerned.

1. Virginia tobacco has inherently more sugar than Burley does.

2. When adding sugar or flavor, Burley tobacco absorbs sugars and flavors better than Virginia tobacco does.

3. Cavendish is a process where heat and pressure are used to modify and process tobacco for consumer use.

With that being said, Ted is correct in that American or sometimes also called Danish Cavendish usually almost always involves Burleys and adding sugars or flavors to make the tobacco taste better. This particular Cavendish is a big part of the Aromatic tobacco genre.

European or sometimes also called English Cavendish usually almost always involves Virginia Tobacco. This particular Cavendish almost never uses any added sugar or flavors. It's just pressure and heat-treated Virginia tobacco. This is the Cavendish that most tobacco blenders call "Unsweetened Cavendish." They call it that because it has no added sugar. And yes, it might have a kind of creaminess or vanilla character.

A third Cavendish is called Golden or sometimes Dutch Cavendish. This particular Cavendish almost always involves Virginia tobacco and particularly yellow or bright Virginias. This is mostly the only Cavendish that doesn't use heat. So there you go, we broke a definition or a rule, a Cavendish that doesn't use heat. Dutch Cavendish is most often bright Virginias that are pressure treated. Sugar or flavors may be added. Virginias don't absorb sugars or flavors very well, so taste wise, Dutch Cavendish may taste lightly or barely flavored or sweetened. This Cavendish is usually a part of the OTC, Drugstore, or Old Codger genre.

One more thing. It's the heat treating that turns tobacco black. So Black Cavendish simply reiterates the fact that the tobacco was heat treated.

Disclaimer: All of the above information is for entertainment purposes only. Any false or inaccurate statements hold no binding legal representations or responsibilities. 

----Just kidding. 😉😊