Shisha tobacco, also known as hookah tobacco or waterpipe tobacco, is a type of tobacco product that is smoked using a hookah device. It differs from dry cigarette or pipe tobacco in that it is a wet tobacco that is soaked in a combination of glycerin, molasses, or honey, and flavorings. Shisha tobacco is traditionally created by fermenting tobacco with glycerine, molasses, and a variety of flavorings. There are a wide variety of shisha tobacco brands on the market, and each brand has its own distinct characteristics and flavor offerings. Shisha tobacco can be divided into two main categories: blonde leaf and dark leaf.
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Blonde Leaf Shisha Tobacco: Flavors produced with blonde leaf tobacco tend to bring out sweeter and brighter flavor notes within each blend. Before processing starts, the tobacco is washed or boiled to purge as much nicotine as possible from it. This reduces the nicotine buzz while allowing the taste to come through throughout the smoking process. To make shisha, the tobacco leaves are dried using a method known as curing, and then molasses or honey, as well as flavoring oils and molasses, are added.
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Dark Leaf Shisha Tobacco: The powerful taste within dark leaf shisha is very long-lasting with proper heat management in comparison to blonde leaf blends. Blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry-flavored tobaccos are popular in the berry category of shisha. They carry a unique combination of sweet and tarty tastes, making them stand out from other fruit-based flavors. Air-cured tobacco leaves are also used, but typically this method is for dark leaf hookah tobacco options that feature higher nicotine contents. Air-curing commonly takes place in an open barn where the leaves are hung up to dry for several weeks. This method also nets a stronger tobacco taste than you’d find in flue-cured tobacco.
Shisha tobacco usually contains tobacco, which is sometimes mixed with fruit or molasses sugar, and popular flavors include apple, strawberry, mint, and cola. Shisha smoke contains large amounts of smoke and can contain nicotine, which is the addictive ingredient in cigarettes, so shisha smokers are at risk of developing the same health problems as cigarette smokers, such as cancer and heart disease.