Hookah / Shisha Tobacco Leaves - Make Your Own Shisha Tobacco
Making your own Hookah / Shisha Tobacco can be a very rewarding hobby that allows smokers to not only create their own amazing flavors, but also to ensure and verify the integrity of the final product. To make shisha tobacco at home, all you will need are tobacco leaves (lighter colored virginia flue cureds are most common), molasses (unsulphered) or inexpensive honey, glycerin, and flavorings.Below is a general guide to making your own shisha tobacco along with a video of the process being done at home. Note that the video was not made by Leaf Only and the shisha being made varies slightly from most name brand shisha tobaccos.
General Steps to Making Your Own Shisha
- Step 1: Strip major stems and chop your leaf. Removing the main mid-rib stem is imperative to almost any tobacco product. Smaller veins can stay. Then process your leaf into smaller pieces by using a leaf shredder (our coarse cut shredder works well for this), a food processor, or by hand.
- Step 2: Rinse / Soak your leaves with clean water. Leave covered with water for 30 minutes or so, drain, and repeat. The more times you rinse your tobacco, the less nicotine and strength it will have in your final product. Some customers even boil their tobacco leaves which removes the majority of nicotine and strength. Afterwards, ring out your tobacco by hand and ensure your tobacco is you ideal size. The tobacco can be as fine or as coarse as you desire, and can be further chopped in this state by using a knife.
- Step 3: Add honey / molasses, flavoring, and glycerin. Start by adding your molasses or honey, along with a splash of water to make sure your tobacco mixes well. Add just enough molasses / honey so that your tobacco mixture is similar to that of your favorite brand of shisha, usually the consistency of a smooth paste. Then add your favorite flavoring and mix. Start with a small amount of flavoring because some flavorings can be very strong! Most customers choose all natural food grade flavorings.
- Step 4: OPTIONAL: Put your shisha tobacco into tin foil on a baking pan and bake at a very low temperature (around 150F). This will help the sugars and flavorings mix with the tobacco.
- Step 5: Let it sit! Wait at least a day with your shisha in a sealed container. If the consistency seems right, try it out! If it's dry or not flavorful enough, just add more of your ingredients to make it right! At this point it comes down to preference.
To get started, browse our catalog of leaves below and start experimenting! Use the categories sidebar to narrow your results.
Hookah
This Organic Canadian Virginia Flue Cured leaf typically has a yellow color, but can look very similar in color to the Organic American. It arrives with a heavenly fresh, unmistakable aroma - bringing back memories of the tobacco leaf before the mainstream commercial usage of today.
This Organic American Virginia Flue Cured leaf has a darker, more reddish/orange color, and packs a bit more of a full flavor that most American tobacco blends are famous for. This leaf carries a more robust yet still unmistakably fresh smell.
The Canadian Virginia Flue Cured Tobacco Leaf is commonly used in cigarette and pipe tobacco blends. It has a wonderful smooth smoke with a mild flavor. For a similar leaf grown in the USA, be sure to check out our American Virginia Flue Cured (B).
Our 2019 USA Virginia Flue Cured Tobacco is a more robust, full flavored tobacco leaf. This leaf arrives with your standard cigarette tobacco smell and produces a smoke similar to a Red Marlboro. This crop is similar to our American Virginia Flue Cured 2018 crop in body and flavor.
Our Sweet Brightleaf Virginia Flue Cured Tobacco is a mild, slightly sweet tobacco leaf. The Brightleaf Flue Cured leaves are some of the best Virginia tobaccos we've tried and they come carrying a wonderful flue cured aroma.
Our Smooth Brightleaf Virginia Flue Cured Tobacco is a easy smoking, mild tasting leaf. The Brightleaf Flue Cured are some of the best Virginia tobaccos we've tried and they come carrying a wonderful flue cured aroma.
This delicate golden brown tobacco is grown in Turkey, along the Black Sea and is named after the province in this region. This specific variety of Samsun is known for its taste and aroma, as it is considered by many to one of the top quality pipe tobaccos in the world.
This tobacco, very similar to Basma, is a golden yellow / brown Oriental type tobacco leaf that is grown in Bulgaria, a country with a tradition in production of high quality tobacco. This is a quick growing, shorter and smaller leafed tobacco that provides a sweet, pleasant flavor and smooth burn that Oriental tobacco is known for.
An aromatic leaf that can be used to add uniqueness to any mild-medium blend. It has a wonderfully smooth smoke, and adds a slight spice and floral flavor to your blend.
These leaves are very small and compact.
Lower quality consistency version of our Organic American Virginia Flue Cured.
Low grade tobacco by definition is tobacco of inferior quality that is not fit to be sold as a regular grade. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including tobacco that has been dropped on the floor, broken up into small pieces, discolored, dirty, tobacco dust, stems, etc. Most customers who purchase scrap tobacco use it for ceremonial purposes, to practice rolling cigars, use as a natural insecticide and/or purchased by industrial companies. There are no refunds or exchanges on low grade tobaccos.
A mix of low grade consitency Virginia Flue Cured leaves including Canadian, American, Brightleaf and more!
A mix of our American Virginia Flue Cured low grade consistency leaves.
A mix of all low grade consitency leaves. Can contain low grades from all leaf varieties.
Affordable manual whole leaf tobacco shredder. Features stainless steel construction and table clamp.
The Tabletop Fine Cut Shredder - Plus edition is an ehanced version of the Tabletop Fine Cut Shredder with added features to increase ease of use and longevity of the machine.
This machine offers an easy and affordable way to break down whole tobacco leaves into roll your own tobacco. No more hand cranking shredders or cutting leaves with scissors. This Machine is built to last through many pounds of your favorite unprocessed tobacco leaf from Leaf Only!
The largest and most powerful shredder we carry. Great for shisha, but can be used for all purposes.
A pack of 5 individual Water Pillows portable humidifying pouches.
An upright variety with more leaves than most varieties. Is taller than most varieties on the market and cures a golden color. Great for cigarettes, and one of the largest producers.
This variety originated in Kentucky. It has relatively large leaves of medium body that cures out a deep, rich brown color. Can be fire cured or air cured depending on application.
A fine commercial strain that is used for its hardiness and smooth flavor. A must for cigarette making. This plant grows fast and is a high yield producer. It is recommended to leave 14 leaves on the plant while pruning.
A very light gold leaf when curing, it makes an excellent smoking tobacco. It grows to a height of 6-7 feet tall. The light green leaves are from 14" to 18" wide and 24" to 30" long, and turn a light yellow when ripe. The plants produce an average of 18 leaves per plant, with yields averaging 3 oz of dried leaf per plant. Matures in 55 days.
This Turkish tobacco is among the best money can buy. Originating in the Samsun region of Turkey, along the Black Sea, this tobacco is renowned for its unique rich flavor. This plant has smaller leaves than other strains, but a very distinctive aroma. An excellent Turkish blend or unique by itself.
The Connecticut Valley is a major source of some of the world's finest wrapper leaves. This golden colored wrapper tobacco is highly regarded and praised by many cigar makers and connoisseurs. Connecticut Shade originated from a strain of Cuban seed, is shade-grown under huge tents of cheesecloth or greenhouse shade netting to protect the delicate leaf.
A very mild tobacco leaf for cigarettes and pipes. It averages 6' in height with 18-20 leaves per plant. It reaches maturity when blooms appear at 55 days. The light green leaves average 12" wide by 24" long and become a light yellow/green when ripe. Leaves began to ripen as the plant reaches bloom. Air cures easily to a light golden brown with yields averaging 3 oz of dried leaf per plant.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Lower quality consistency version of our Organic Canadian Virginia Flue Cured.
Low grade tobacco by definition is tobacco of inferior quality that is not fit to be sold as a regular grade. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including tobacco that has been dropped on the floor, broken up into small pieces, discolored, dirty, tobacco dust, stems, etc. Most customers who purchase scrap tobacco use it for ceremonial purposes, to practice rolling cigars, use as a natural insecticide and/or purchased by industrial companies. There are no refunds or exchanges on low grade tobaccos.
Lower quality consistency version of our Organic Burley.
Low grade tobacco by definition is tobacco of inferior quality that is not fit to be sold as a regular grade. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including tobacco that has been dropped on the floor, broken up into small pieces, discolored, dirty, tobacco dust, stems, etc. Most customers who purchase scrap tobacco use it for ceremonial purposes, to practice rolling cigars, use as a natural insecticide and/or purchased by industrial companies. There are no refunds or exchanges on low grade tobaccos.
This purpose built tobacco shredding machine is built out of solid steel, and cuts to a 0.8mm strand thickness. Built with brass bushings designed to have increased resistance to wear, as well as adjustable stainless steel combs. This machine can operated manually, or automatically with the use of a 6mm socket.
Only a handful of machines left. No longer in production.
Powermatic S electric tobacco shredding machine. Designed for personal use, this machine will provide many pounds of fine roll your own made from whole leaf tobacco if taken care of properly.
The largest and most powerful shredder we carry. Great for cigarettes, but can be used for all purposes.
Replacement rollers for the Table Top Fine Cut Tobacco Shredder
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.
Flavor your own tobacco leaf blend with custom tobacco flavorings to give them a unique, and personalized taste.