Tobacco is the foundation of any hookah session. The quality of smoke, aroma, and overall atmosphere of the company depends on it. Today, despite the market being saturated with a variety of options, there are still few worthy representatives. Let’s break down everything you need to know about tobacco to truly enjoy your hookah experience.
Types of Tobacco
Flavored Muassel
When you smoke hookah, you are consuming flavored muassel. The name literally comes from the Arabic word “honey,” as honey used to be used in the production of tobacco. Nowadays, molasses has replaced honey in production, but the name remains.
Flavorings are key ingredients in flavored muassels, making the tobacco fruity, spicy, sweet, refreshing, and so on. In addition to tobacco, molasses, and flavor mix, glycerin and preservatives are included in muassel.
Unflavored Muassel
As the name suggests, this mixture does not contain flavorings. It may seem stronger as a result, although the raw material used is usually the same.
Tombak and Jurak
Tombak consists of large tobacco leaves. First, they are soaked in water, the central vein is removed, then the leaves are wrapped at the top of the hookah like a cigar, with charcoal placed directly on the leaf. Tombak is very strong and has a strong tobacco taste when smoked.
Jurak is a mixture of finely chopped tobacco leaves, molasses, and sometimes spices. It is usually placed in a bowl with a mound, and charcoal is placed on top without foil.
The last two types are rarely used now: they are difficult to find and have a taste that is acquired.
We are interested in muassel, so let’s talk about it below.
Composition of Hookah Tobacco
Tobacco Leaf
The tobacco leaf is the basis of the mixture and the source of nicotine. Tobacco can vary in taste, color, sweetness, strength, and more. Each type can have different characteristics due to the soil in which it grew, weather conditions, drying technology, and other factors. The most popular types of tobacco are Virginia, Burley, and Oriental. Burley has the highest nicotine content, usually stronger than Virginia, but there are also stronger varieties of Virginia.
Burley is easier to burn since it is dried longer with dry air, but manufacturers are working on this drawback. Burley’s taste also provides a sharpness that some enthusiasts enjoy.
Of the three tobaccos, Virginia is the most common. Golden Virginia, the most popular, is smoked with smoke, allowing the tobacco leaves to retain a lot of sugar. It is this sugar that gives the sweet taste when smoking tobacco and its heat resistance. Nowadays, blends based on more than one type of tobacco are becoming more common. For example, Dark Side uses a mix of Virginia, Burley, and Oriental in its production.
It’s hard to say which tobacco is the best, as they are all of high quality. However, a blend with Burley will be quite strong, while beginners may prefer blends with Virginia or Oriental.
Recently, cigar leaves have also started to be used as raw material for hookah tobacco. This can be either raw material common with cigars or finely ground ready cigars. This type of tobacco is characterized by a special, deep, and noble aroma of the raw material. Examples of such tobaccos include WTO, Kraken, Dogma, Trofimoff’s, and Bonche.
Flavoring
The first flavored tobaccos appeared on the market in the late 1980s. In the mid-1980s, employees of the Egyptian company Nakhla noticed that people were mixing tobacco with jam to give it a unique flavor, and they proposed making similar mixtures as part of their production. Nakhla now sells flavored and unflavored tobacco with equal success, but flavored tobacco (90%) is exported. In general, flavoring is one of the most important components of the mixture. The quality of the flavoring determines whether the mixture will smoke well and if there will be a chemical taste.
For example, Arab tobaccos are more natural: if you buy grape-flavored tobacco, you will get the taste of grape. However, some tobaccos may give you a taste more like grape soda than the fruit itself, so it makes sense to try “natural” tobaccos first.
Glycerin
Glycerin is added to any tobacco to preserve the leaf and remove moisture. It is worth knowing that there is no smoke in the hookah itself, but rather glycerin vapor, formed from the moisture from the tobacco. Glycerin also increases the smoke density of the hookah. Some try to add it to the mixture additionally, but such experiments are not recommended as it is easy to ruin the hookah.
Preservative
Even tobaccos require a preservative, as without it, they will spoil, such as mold appearing. The composition and name of preservatives are not disclosed, but it is believed that E211 is used, which, according to open sources, is quite safe and is even found in fruits and berries.
Colorant
To make the mixture look attractive and “appetizing,” sometimes a colorant is added. This does not mean that the tobacco will taste worse with it: the colorant does not affect the taste qualities. However, in recent times, manufacturers have started to abandon the option to “decorate” the product, considering colorants unnecessary. However, they can still be found in popular tobaccos like Al Fakher or Nakhla.
Blend Characteristics
Cutting
Tobacco for hookah mixtures comes in coarse, medium, and fine cuts. Coarsely cut leaves absorb flavor better, but they are less heat-resistant. Tobacco leaves with a medium cut absorb flavor better and are also very heat-resistant. Fine cut tobacco, like coarse, absorbs liquid poorly, but this depends on the type. Mixtures with finely cut leaves have low heat resistance. Generally, heat resistance can be adjusted using charcoal, regardless of the type of tobacco you use.
Soaking
Soaking tobacco is necessary, done in syrup made from flavoring and molasses. The saturation of flavor depends on the amount of syrup, but if there is too much, the hookah smoke may taste overly artificial.
Additionally, soaking affects smoke thickness: more syrup means more smoke.
Types of tobacco for hookahs by strength
Hookah tobaccos are not only distinguished by flavor. Mixtures come in different strengths. This is a definite plus, as every hookah enthusiast can find the ideal option for themselves.
So, tobaccos can be:
– light. These are classic tobaccos, such as Al Fakher, Adalya, Serberli, etc.
– medium. Most popular Russian tobaccos fall into this category. DarkSide, MustHave, Severnyi, Duft, Deus, etc.
– strong. This includes tobaccos based on cigar leaves. Some classify Tangiers within this category as well. Additionally, many manufacturers, such as Hooligan Tobacco, have separate Medium and Hard lines.
Flavor Intensity
Intensity is a subjective concept, but there are blends with more or less intense flavors. There are also natural (fruit, chocolate) or chemical flavors (like cola, ice cream). However, it is worth remembering that even in the most natural blends, real fruits are not used because they are expensive, spoil quickly, and are generally a lot of trouble.
Trash
There is a common belief that if there are foreign materials like “sticks” in the tobacco, then it is of poor quality. But this is not true: even good and recognized hookah tobacco manufacturers have “trash” in their tobacco. It is quite easy to remove it by hand, and small “sticks” do not affect the taste.
Strength
The more nicotine in the tobacco, the stronger the blend. Contrary to popular belief, different blends based on the same tobacco cannot have different strengths, as nicotine is only contained in the tobacco itself, not in the flavorings. However, this rule does not apply to different lines of the same tobacco brand.
Strength is also affected by “washability”: washed tobaccos are usually less strong than unwashed ones.
It is important to understand that in reality, there are no methods to determine the strength of a particular hookah tobacco. Although manufacturers write specific numbers, they are not backed by anything, so they can be safely ignored.
Smoke Output
The smoke output of hookah tobacco is primarily influenced by the syrup with flavorings and their composition, as well as the cut of the tobacco, but to a lesser extent. If you come across tobacco with low smoke output, you can achieve thick clouds of smoke by adding more heat.
Heat Resistance
Heat resistance is another subjective and relative thing. Good heat resistance of tobacco indicates that the blend can withstand heat well and does not give off a chemical taste or bitterness at high heat. If the tobacco has low heat resistance, it makes sense to simply use less charcoal.
Heat resistance depends on the type and cut of the tobacco leaf.
Shelf Life and Storage Conditions
On average, the shelf life of hookah tobacco blends is about two years, although it is quite conditional. Of course, much depends on storage conditions: if you store fresh tobacco near a heater, it will definitely not last for two years.
Production Process
Finding information about the production process is very difficult, although some skilled individuals have successfully tried making flavored tobacco “on the fly”. Usually, tobacco leaves are soaked, washed, or not subjected to any “water procedures”. After that, they are cut, mixed with molasses, preservatives, glycerin, and flavorings. The question is whether it is worth the effort to make tobacco in this way: you need to source ingredients, calculate proportions, and mix everything correctly. It is much simpler and cheaper to buy ready-made tobacco, leaving homemade preparation methods to enthusiasts who enjoy the process itself.
However, homemade tobaccos can sometimes be found for sale, but they will always be inferior in properties and quality to industrial ones. Ultimately, buying hookah blends from individuals is simply risky, so it is better not to take unnecessary chances.
Not many people think about how to properly choose hookah tobacco and what to pay attention to besides the flavor. Remember, there are four essential aspects to consider when choosing tobacco: strength, heat resistance, smoke output, and flavor profile.
Strength. Hookah tobacco is divided into three types based on strength. Light types are suitable for everyone, from beginners to passionate professionals. Generally, light tobaccos are more affordable. The harm from them is slightly lower than from heavier types because the percentage of nicotine in such blends is much lower. Medium and strong smoking mixes follow in strength. It is not recommended to jump straight into very strong, select, and potent hookah tobacco the first time—you will only experience a strong dizziness, and thoughts of relaxation will remain just dreams.
Heat Resistance. This parameter indicates how much charcoal needs to be placed before the tobacco mixture starts burning and turns bitter. Heat resistance is influenced by the cut of the leaf and soaking. The most heat-resistant tobaccos are produced based on Virginia leaf.
Smoke Output. This parameter is one of the main and most important qualities for hookah enthusiasts. Fans of hookahs note that smoking a smoky blend is more pleasant, plus you can do a large number of interesting tricks like rings. The amount of glycerin used in the soaking of the tobacco has a greater influence on this parameter.
Aftertaste and Aroma. Flavors in the mixture can be very diverse. Manufacturers spare no expense in adding various flavorings, which can be fruity, floral, with a hint of menthol, gum, and more. The selection is vast and caters to all tastes.