Hookah tobacco: What is the difference between Burley and Virginia?

Different basic tobaccos are used for hookah tobacco. The most common types of tobacco are Burley and Virginia. But what exactly is the difference between these varieties?

Virginia Tobacco - The mild base tobacco

Virginia base tobacco forms the basis for most hookah tobacco varieties. Mostly, a Virginia tobacco of class 1 is used here. This tobacco is very well suited for hookah beginners, as it has a low to medium nicotine content and a high sugar content at the same time. Due to the high sugar content, the base tobacco already has a certain sweetness, which is also reflected in the taste of the end product. Virginia tobacco is a light-coloured tobacco that was originally produced in South America, but is now planted all over the world. Even in Germany, primarily in Bavaria. If you are interested in how the raw tobacco production of Virginia tobacco looks like in Germany, you can watch this video from the Bayrischer Rundfunk:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW0_vWuzc08

Burley Tobacco - The strong base tobacco

Burley tobacco is a mutation of the Viginia tobacco plant. The leaves of the Burley tobacco plant are brown and the cultivation of the plants is more care-intensive than that of the Virginia tobacco plant, for example. The cultivation areas of Burley tobacco are more limited than those of Virginia: it is mainly grown in the USA, Canada, Uganda, Central America and Indonesia.

From raw tobacco to hookah tobacco

After the basic tobacco is harvested, it must first be dried out. In the case of Virginia, the tobacco is usually hot-air dried using special equipment, while Burley tobacco is usually simply air-dried. In the next step, the tobacco is washed and dried again. The more often this process is carried out, the milder the tobacco will taste in the end. After washing the tobacco, glycerine, sugar and flavourings are added to the base tobacco to create the finished mass for the hookah tobacco.

This is stirred thoroughly and left to stand for a while so that the liquids can be absorbed into the tobacco. Would you like to learn more about hookah tobacco production?

 In our hookah shop you will find the ready-made hookah tobacco - no matter if you are looking for Virginia or Burley hookah tobacco!