Oriental tobacco has been used throughout history over the course of several hundred years and is the very tobacco that was rolled into the world’s first cigarettes. In many circles, it’s also known as Turkish tobacco, as Turkish soldiers were observed rolling the leaves in corn paper by British troops during the Crimean War. It was originally smoked in hookahs, but once the cigarette concept caught on, Oriental tobacco was favored by Europeans and even threatened to upset the pipe tobacco industry due to its popular spicy and aromatic flavor.
Main Unique Characteristics
In the fields, Oriental tobacco looks very different from other tobacco plants with a deeper color smaller size, and higher leaf count. It prefers drier growing conditions with lots of sun, and as such is primarily grown in places such as Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Greece, Bulgaria, and Macedonia. The leaves are smaller and are harvested by hand before being dried in the sun for about a week, helping to preserve the natural sugars and resulting in a sweeter end product.
The Demand is Increasing
The unique flavor of Oriental tobacco commands a fair bit of attention in the tobacco industry and the demand for it is constantly increasing. In the USA, various premium blends contain Oriental tobacco to provide that signature spicy flavor. But it isn’t something you’ll find in abundance – because the leaves have to be hand-picked, Oriental tobacco remains quite rare with such low production numbers.
Luckily, at Total Leaf Supply we are experts at sourcing top quality tobacco products from around the world and carry a wide array of unaltered whole leaf tobacco. Purchase Oriental tobacco and other whole tobacco leaves from our online store today and experience flavors from around the world.
