Where "hookah" refers to the water pipe, "shisha" is the tobacco that will be smoked in your hookah. Shisha tobacco 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 flavoring. This combination of ingredients allows for the flavoring juices to soak into the tobacco leaves providing robust flavors, allowing the tobacco to be smoked over a longer period of time than dry tobacco as it is being slowly cooked as opposed to being burned or combusted.
There are a wide variety of shisha tobacco brands on the market and each shisha brand will have its own distinct characteristics and flavor offerings, but there are two important distinctions to consider when choosing a shisha brand.
Blonde Leaf Shisha Tobacco
"Blonde" or "Gold" leaf tobacco is a washed tobacco that has been rinsed during the tobacco curing process resulting in a lower nicotine buzz factor. This type of tobacco is recommended for smokers of all levels or those who prefer a lower nicotine buzz when smoking.
Flavors produced with blonde leaf tobacco tend to bring out sweeter and brighter flavor notes within each blend. There are some brands that utilize golden leaves but use food-safe dyes to give a reddish color to their tobacco, such as Al Fakher.
Dark Leaf Shisha Tobacco
"Dark" or "Black" leaf tobacco is an unwashed & washed tobacco that produces a higher nicotine buzz factor and stronger tobacco taste profile. This type of tobacco is recommended for experienced smokers due to its high nicotine content.
The powerful taste within dark leaf shisha is very long-lasting with proper heat management in comparison to blonde leaf blends. Tangiers experts are known to make a bowl last upwards of 3-4 hours from a single bowl. How long does a hookah last? We've got you covered with another blog.
Herbal Shisha - Tobacco Free
Outside of the standard two tobacco profiles listed above there is still one more variation that we must talk about for the full picture. Herbal shisha blends are crafted without the use of tobacco and typically contain zero nicotine.
We carry a variety of brands that utilize different alternatives to their base composition like real fruit, sugar cane fibers, and tea leaves. They all still provide a thunderous amount of clouds throughout a long-lasting session.
Still have questions that weren't covered above? Drop a comment down below to let us know and your question just might be our next blog!
Thanks for reading,
Happy smoking!
