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Last updated on 15.08.2023 | Reading time approx. 01:41 min
We often receive questions from customers about whether and how much nicotine is in hookah tobacco. The answer is probably not surprising: Yes, tobacco contains nicotine, and this also applies to hookah tobacco. Essentially, hookah tobacco is derived from the same tobacco plants used in cigarettes or pipe tobacco. The differences between cigarette, pipe, and hookah tobacco lie solely in how the raw materials are processed. Hookah tobacco is soaked in molasses, flavors, and glycerin, which gives it a different texture compared to other types of tobacco.
Therefore, it is not surprising that hookah tobacco also contains nicotine.
These figures are actually quite interesting. Hookah tobacco contains an average of 0.26% nicotine based on dry weight, which seems low compared to other tobacco products (1-2.5% nicotine concentration). However, due to the length and depth of inhalation during hookah smoking, the amount of nicotine absorbed is often higher than with a cigarette.
A strong Burley tobacco has an average nicotine content of 3-4%, whereas light Virginia tobacco, after multiple washes, contains only about 0.05%. The nicotine content is calculated based on dry tobacco. However, since most of the weight of hookah tobacco comes from flavors and molasses, the percentage of nicotine in hookah tobacco is significantly lower than in cigarettes.
According to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO), smoking one hookah bowl is equivalent to consuming about 100 to 200 cigarettes. This finding highlights the potentially higher harm of hookah smoking compared to cigarette consumption.
On average, a 20 g bowl of pure Virginia tobacco contains about 10 mg of nicotine. A cigarette typically contains about 13 mg of nicotine per 1 g of tobacco. However, disposable e-cigarettes actually have the highest nicotine content, with a ratio of 20 mg per ml. Considering that an e-cigarette contains 2 ml of liquid, you would need to smoke four hookah bowls to consume the same amount of nicotine.
When we talk about traditional hookah smoking, we usually refer to hookah tobacco, but there are also nicotine-free alternatives. If you're interested, check out this blog article:
