Originally introduced and launched in 2012, Othmani is a unique brand balanced between traditional hookah tobacco and the modern style with which most people are familiar. What makes his a more traditional product is the emphasis and focus on the flavor of the tobacco leaf that is used. All Othmani tobacco is produced in Turkey and uses Turkish tobacco leaf in the process. The ingredients include tobacco, molasses, honey, glycerin and flavorings (check our First Look at Othmani Shisha article).
History and Growth
” I initially found Othmnai Tobacco Company when I was searching for a company to make hookahs for us… I immediately knew I wanted to bring Othmani moassal to the West and share it, and that is what I’m trying to do. ” -Bassem Chahine
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The original company known as Othmani in Turkey is a family run operation producing high quality, traditional tobacco with great skill and passion spanning multiple generations. Very little information is available about this company outside of the Middle East. The brand that we know and love here in the western hookah world was made available thanks to Bassem Chahine of Medwakh.com who is himself a man with a family history deeply rooted in the world of tobacco. Upon discovering the brand he decided to make it available to his customers and started a fruitful and mutually beneficial endeavor. The Othmani brand originally brought two lines of tobacco to the western market.
Lebanese Family Shisha Line
The first was known as the Lebanese family of flavors and was a modern re-imagining of traditional tobacco that blended carefully selected strains of tobacco with modern flavorings. This style is the most popular of the two and appeals to the widest audience. While the flavorings are definitely of a more modern style and include such things as baklava, these are supported by hints of the natural flavor of tobacco lingering in the background. As you’ve likely assumed this is an unwashed brand and has a much stronger buzz than the average modern style tobacco.
Turkish Family Shisha Line
Second was the Turkish family of flavors that more closely resembled traditional jurak than anything else on the market. These let the tobacco leaf take center stage and complimented it with fruit, floral notes and spices. Using fermented tobacco with a pungent flavor along with actual fruit and spices as flavorings, these blends are very traditional and are a good representation of a jurak style tobacco. Production seems to have been halted with no word about the future of this line as of this most recent update.
Our Othmani Flavor Reviews
[flavors data=”4499|Damascus Strawberry|6725|Khobar Jameel Jurak|4822|Marrakech Mint|4494|Samsun Baklava|4571|Star of Alhamra|6500|Turkish Coffee”]
Packaging
The outer packaging consists of a high quality, non-reactive plastic tub with a screw-top lid. Below that is a freshness seal and below the seal you will find a sealed foil pouch. The pouch is resealable and, along with the tight sealing jar, makes for very secure containment of the tobacco and juice with no spillage. Othmani is offered in 50g, 250g and 1 Kilo packs for every flavor.
Smoke Duration & Thickness
Othmani tobacco produces thick clouds with a somewhat rich texture and heavier mouthfeel than many might expect from a modern tobacco. This can be attribute to the unwashed status. The duration is in line with other modern brands and will easily reach the 1 hour mark in your standard Egyptian clay bowl.
Othmani Flavors
- Aegean Spice: Vanilla, cardamom, a little cinnamon
- Akkar Berry: Strawberry, raspberry and other red berry flavors
- Al Arab Grape Mint: A blend of white grape and mint
- Byblos Peach: Blended to taste realistic rather than candied
- Damascus Strawberry: Pure strawberry with tobacco undertones
- Izmir Melon: Cantaloupe up front with other sweet melon flavors
- Koura Fruit mix: A fruit punch flavor with grape, apple, strawberry, etc
- Marrakech Mint: A very natural mint more similar to sweet mint tea than chewing gum
- Nabatieh Strawberry: A sweet strawberry flavor
- Othmani Turkish Coffee
- Samsun Baklava: Sweet syrup, nuts, and spices with cinnamon prominently featured
- Star of Al Hamra: A moderately sweet fruit blend with grape, pineapple and orange among others
- Zanzibar Double Apple: A traditional, spicy, double apple flavor
Discontinued 
- AL-ULA Ghamik
- Jedda Mumtaaz
- Khobar Jameel
- Warak Aswad