Tombac

[istanbulin]

According to a post about hookah (nargile) tobacco, I want to post a new topic because Tombac is a different and very interesting strain.

The tobacco used in nargile is Tombac (Tömbeki). World's best tombacs are grown in Isfahan (Iran) following Iraq, Syria and all Arabia. There may be a very small tombac production in Greece and Turkey.

Tombac can be used alone in a form of wide strips in nargile, but it's oftenly used flavored.


Whole leaf and flavored tombac (respectively)

Texture of Tombac is very thick and leaf form is larger. Mid and side ribs are also very thick. Combustion of this tobacco is very low that's why it's prefered as hookah tobacco. It has a sweet and strong taste. Nicotin, sugar and protein content of Tombac is recpectively about 3%, 9% and 2%.

Cured leaves has a yellow base color and reddish spots. This is why tombac sometimes called tiger (slang). These red leaves called " lal " (Arabic) means red. Light cured (yellow) leaves called " zard " (Persian) means yellow.

In some countries (e.g. India) tombac is directly used as chewing tobacco.

Turkish grown Tombac is red (below). I'm not sure if it's still growing here because all of the nargile tobaccos are imported from Arab countries like Bahrain, UAE, etc...

 

[SmokeStack]

Would you classify tombac as Oriental leaf? I have a few 250 gram "bricks" of tombac and the label says it is grown in India. I like to smoke it in my pipe - adding a little Latakia with tombac makes for an interesting blend. Are there different varieties of tombac in the same way as there are different varieties of Burley, Virginias, etc.?

 

[oldsouth]

Man, I just can't get over that leaf! If anyone every finds any seeds for Tombac, especially the red variety, please let me know.

 

[SmokesAhoy]

I could have sworn I saw a link to a seed supplier posted on one of these threads

 

[johnlee1933]

OldSouth

Is your avatar William Powell?

John

 

[oldsouth]

Is your avatar William Powell?

John

Yeah - it was a tough choice between him and Groucho Marx! But, I love the Thin Man movies and I figured being Nick Charles might be fun for a while.

 

[istanbulin]

Would you classify tombac as Oriental leaf? I have a few 250 gram "bricks" of tombac and the label says it is grown in India. I like to smoke it in my pipe - adding a little Latakia with tombac makes for an interesting blend. Are there different varieties of tombac in the same way as there are different varieties of Burley, Virginias, etc.?

Although tombac has very different caharacteristics than common oriental tobaccos, it was cultivated in Mideast. Nowadays India took the lead in tombac production but they are mostly poor quality. Upper two pics I posted belongs to Indian tombacs as you see their leaves are narrower than Turkish growns. Also their colors look different (I mean red one). These differences may due to different growing techniques. I'm not sure if there are more varieties of tombac (genetically).
Also there is a big question about the origin of tombac. Some of tobacco experts associate it with N.rustica, N.persica(?) or common tobacco. I think there is an issue waiting for illumination.
As a result classifying tombac as a semi-oriental strain will be more logical.

 

[FmGrowit]

I got a sample of this in a couple of days ago.

I haven't tried it yet, but it sure looks like the Tombac this thread is about, but it smells more like a Flue Cured. I'll give it a smoke tomorrow and report back.

It's called lalchapadia, but I can't find anything anywhere on this tobacco. The nicotine content is said to rival that of Rustica.

 

[wrigsted]

Wow, I had never seen the entire leaf Tombac packed on the way! I only tasted flavored tombac, I must try to find the pure leaf, they look great!
I have smoked a good deal of hookah, I actually have a standing beside me. But I do not smoke so much after our tax authorities have become aware of hookah tobacco. It went from I could buy 250g. for $ 10 in the back room, to $ 10 for 50g. at the counter.
If you want to buy hookahs, then Mac Baren made ​​some good pipes at a reasonable price. Many other pipes (expensive or cheap) has trouble keeping close, but my Mac Baren model "Habibi" has held for nearly 10 years of regular use. I've had a few other kinds of hookahs but they have not had the same quality.

 

[istanbulin]

I got a sample of this in a couple of days ago.

I haven't tried it yet, but it sure looks like the Tombac this thread is about, but it smells more like a Flue Cured. I'll give it a smoke tomorrow and report back.

It's called lalchapadia, but I can't find anything anywhere on this tobacco. The nicotine content is said to rival that of Rustica.

It seems like an Indian tombac, because only in India tombac is called chopadia.

 

[Boboro]

I'll keep my eyes open for Timbac seeds and Mac Baren hookahs. I'm mak'in a winter hobby of lear'in to smoke hookah.

 

[istanbulin]

I've heard that there is still some tombac production here. In the map below there are there areas where tombac is grown. Hadım/Konya is located in the Central Anatolia Region and others Samandağ and Arsuz are districts of Hatay which is located in the Mediterranean Region.

 

[leverhead]

I bought some Tombac over the weekend, when at about 15% moisture content it smells allot like flue-cured. The flu-cured I did this year smells more like raisins and the Tombac smells more like prunes, but definitely like dried fruit. I shredded a small amount and made a couple of cigarettes, it's not something I'd smoke straight on a regular basis. The nicotine is there, but not too much and the PH seems to be right for an inhale-able smoke. I think it has potential to be substituted for flue-cured in a blend. I bought it to make some fruit based Shisha, but that may take a while before I have anything worth talking about. I have all the fixin's now and a little ambition.

 

[istanbulin]

leverhead, what is the origin of that tombacs ? Are they red or yellow ?

Once I tried it in a RYO cigarette like you, I started to cough very badly. It was a very strong Turkish tombac.

I don't like nargile too much but it's good for long after dinners with coffee or cognac

 

[leverhead]

The sun is getting low so the shadows mess things up a little bit. It's more orange with some dark leaves. This didn't make me cough, I'm as sensitive as most people.



Steve

 

[istanbulin]

I think, leaves are looking different than usual. I wish I could read and understand some Arabic, but no.

 

[deluxestogie]

The packaging say, in French, that it's from the Lebanese tobacco monopoly (Regie), and that it is Tombac grown from Persian seed, whatever that signifies.

Bob

 

[leverhead]

The packaging say, in French, that it's from the Lebanese tobacco monopoly (Regie), and that it is Tombac grown from Persian seed, whatever that signifies.

Bob

You're a man of many talents, Thank you! I'll sort through the package tonight to see if I can find something like a whole leaf. With better light in the morning I'll take some more pictures. Right now I'm sampling a fig and honey mix, it's not bad.

Steve

 

[leverhead]

I think, leaves are looking different than usual. I wish I could read and understand some Arabic, but no.

Different languages are one thing, but different alphabets are too much.

 

[leverhead]

OK, so here is a picture with a 6" scale. The color is horrible, that surface behind the leaves is white.