Q: What's Pima Cotton?
A: Pima cotton is a type of Extra Long Staple (ELS) cotton, grown primarily in the United States, South America, and Australia. Similar to Egyptian cotton, Pima cotton is an ideal candidate for linens as the super fine fibres lend to producing smooth, densely woven, high quality fabric. The main difference is that Pima cotton has slightly shorter fibres, while the longer fibres of Egyptian cotton lend to extensive weaving capabilities.
It's important to keep in mind that the longer the staple of the cotton, the more durable your linens will be. It also provides a significant difference to the hand of the fabric - extra long staple cotton produces the finest soft linens. This isn't to say that Pima cotton isn't a good choice, it is still considered to be one of the superior cottons. Think of it as being second best to Egyptian cotton!
(You can also read page 14 of our Handbook for an explanation of why Egyptian cotton is so special.)
