Dokha is a traditional Arabic tobacco with high nicotine content (which you can smoke if you are 18 years of age and a dokha lover). Often, it is mixed with spices, dried flowers, herbs, and fruit. For over 500 years, dokha tobacco has been cultivated and smoked in the Middle East.
This type of tobacco can only be found in the Gulf region of the Middle East. It is not cured with honey or molasses. It is cut, transported, sun-dried, and processed into different tobacco blends in just a couple of days or weeks. It is processed in places where the temperature can reach up to 135 Fahrenheit with a humidity of not more than 7%. Furthermore, it does not have preservatives, enhancers or chemicals.
Dokha is smoked through a pipe called medwakh. In the 1400s or earlier, this pipe and the original herbal smoking mix have originated in the Gilaki area of Northern Iran. The original smoking mix of Iranians was a variation of a mixture of different fire- and sun-cured non-tobacco leaf, bergamot oil, pistachio/almond oil, fig leaf, and small dried powdered flowers.
The medwakh was ideal for sailors to use while they were at sea. Gradually, the use of this pipe made its way to the Caspian Sea. In the 1500s, tobacco was introduced in the Middle East. Also, this smoking mixture was fortified. Eventually, it was replaced with different blends of dokha tobacco. The Ottoman Empire made attempts to stop and outlaw the smoking of any tobacco in private and public. Ironically, this has led to the popularization of dokha tobacco and the use of medwakh with the Arab public.
Smoking tobacco through the medwakh became the ideal smoking method. The smell of tobacco was not easily recognized because it was heavily fortified with spices. Also, only a small amount was smoked at a time so little second-hand smoke was produced.
But as Arabic cultural views on tobacco use gradually relaxed, the use of dokha diminished, except with the sailors. The dokha and medwakh remained popular among sailors since it was impractical for them to use the hookah. The sailors trade in the coastal areas and eventually settle in. Therefore, dokha today is exclusively found in the UAE, which is the home to the Arab sailors for the past 1500 years.
3 Main Dokha Blends
The tobacco is grown under different sunlight conditions to achieve the flavor of a particular dokha blend. Furthermore, when the tobacco is grown, the top leaves often gain more sunlight while the bottom and middle leaves gain less sunlight. Each of them is being separated and used for a specific flavor.
Dokha blends are categorized into three – light, medium, and hot. These are the words used to describe the smoking experience and the complexity of the flavor.
1. Light Dokha
Light dokha is for beginners. Anybody who wants a flavorful yet pleasant and light smoking experience must consider smoking this dokha tobacco blend. It provides a luxurious smooth smoke that is easy to inhale and exhale. Upon exhalation, it provides a pleasing light buzz, which often dissipates after several seconds.
2. Medium Dokha
Medium dokha provides a rich, smooth smoke that is also easy on the throat. As compared to light dokha, this is harsher upon inhalation but provides a more satisfying buzz upon exhalation. This is the best tobacco for anyone who wants to graduate from light dokha. It provides a more intense buzz and an all-around experience for those who were accustomed to light dokha tobacco.
3. Hot Dokha
Most hot dokha blends are spicy. This dokha blend is extremely hot to inhale. So before jumping to the hot blend, consider trying a medium blend first. It provides a full-on, intense experience. The inhale is spicy, hot and richly flavored. The exhale instills the one-of-a-kind buzz in a way that it cannot be replicated.
The dokha buzz is a nicotine buzz. Similar to any nicotine buzz, it will eventually pass after several minutes. Your exposure to any tobacco product and tolerance for nicotine will affect how strongly you feel the dokha buzz. This will also have an impact on how long the buzz will last for. If you are a new tobacco user, get ready to get dokha buzzed. If you are a seasoned cigar smoker, you may experience the buzz in a slightly similar way. Generally, the harsher the blend, the more intense the buzz it provides.
Whatever blend you opt for, you can be confident of experiencing Arabic tobacco the authentic way if you choose Red Rose dokha. This is fresh, pure, and natural. Our tobacco lands are in Oman, Egypt, Pakistan, and Iran. We also do harvesting, drying and blending the tobacco in these lands. We have invested in our products, our channels, and our colleagues to deliver the best smoking experience possible. Also, we keep traditional methods of not using preservatives and chemicals in all our tobacco products in all stages of production. We provide the highest quality dokha and exclusive medwakh around the world.
