Samples of different Virginia tobacco varieties grown under typical conditions were analyzed and compared to a standard - the typical American Virginia variety K 326. The tobaccos were characterized through analysis of 19 chemical and biochemical parameters and an expert evaluation and smoking panel assessment of color, aroma and flavour. The chromatographic profiles of polyphenols and essential oils were compared by the pattern recognition technique and used for calculating the similarity indexes (Is, %) of the samples to the standard variety K 326. The chemometric data obtained are completely in line with the expert evaluation and the smoking panel assessment. Based on the results obtained the tobaccos may be distinguished as: 1) typical full-flavoured Virginia - aromatic; 2) typical full-flavoured Virginia - less aromatic; 3) filler-type Virginia. The possibilities of pattern recognition method for objective evaluation of Virginia tobaccos were demonstrated.