Whether you enjoy packing at home or are a frequent lounge visitor, you may have come across terms like “Blonde leaf ” and “Dark leaf ”, which are often used to identify the strength of the bowl. However, There are common misconceptions around how these terms are used, especially among beginners. One example is that dark leaf always tastes stronger and lasts longer, another is that shisha flavours are categorised only as either blonde leaf or dark leaf. In this article, we’re going to teach you the basics behind the two common shisha leaf types, how they differ from each other, and to dispel the common misconceptions surrounding them.
What is Blonde Leaf and Dark Leaf ?
Virginia Leaf
Appearance
Virginia leaf is commonly identified by its golden, light brown colour, which is why people often refer to it as “Blonde leaf”.
Taste and Nicotine Content
Virginia leaf is known for its sweet, mellow taste with notes of honey or vanilla. Thanks to its high sugar and low nicotine content, Virginia leaf is perfect for adding a touch of sweetness to any shisha blend The higher sugar content also help improve the longevity of the session and density or thickness of the cloud. It is often the preferred choice for novice packers who are looking for a foolproof methodology.
Burley Leaf
Appearance
Burley leaf often has a darker colour, and a stickier texture, giving it its common name “Dark leaf”.
Taste and Nicotine Content
Known for its higher resistance to heat, a more neutral flavour profile and higher nicotine content, Burley leaf is often used as a base for shisha mixes. The differing levels of sugar content in Burley leaf between brands gives rise to different sweetness, smoothness, smoke density and flavour complexity. Lower sugar content produces a more tobacco-forward, earthy or bitter kind of taste. Without a good heat management skill, it is likely to make packing dark leaf difficult for beginners.
Common Misconceptions
Now that we understand the characteristics of each leaf type, we can move on to dispelling the misconceptions surrounding Virginia and Burley Leaves.
Misconception 1: ‘All Shisha flavours are made up of either all Dark leaf or all Blonde leaf’
When creating flavour mixes, most shisha companies actually use a mix of Virginia and Burley Leaves to create the flavour, similar to how spice mixes are made. The way each company manufactures their dark and blonde leaf can also vary in nicotine and sugar content, producing a diverse range of base flavours to combine to create the final product.
This final product then will often be made of a mix of Virginia and Burley leaves, which despite appearances, cannot be labelled as Dark leaf or Blonde leaf flavours solo. Among the diverse range of Russian brands, there exist varying strength levels of their products, determined by their unique mix ratios. For instance, some brands like Element offer two different lines e.g. Earth and Water of distinct strength variations. If you're interested in acquiring more information about the different strength levels available for each brand, please don't hesitate to ask us any questions! We're here to assist you.
Misconception 2: ‘Dark leaf is longer lasting and/or better tasting flavour compared to Blonde leaf’
Despite the common misbelief of Dark leaf as having a deeper, longer-lasting flavour compared to its blonde counterpart, there are other flavours made mostly of Virginia leaf that can compete with Dark leaf.
Some classic examples include Pure Pineapple, Social Smoke Cantaloupe Chill and Watermelon Chill whose flavours stand out and are a delight to enjoy with. These distinct flavours have a stable quality and are to this day a staple in a lot of mixes.
Another example is O’s African Queen, a deliciously fruity mix flavour from Germany, made mostly of blonde leaf, that was massively popular among shisha enthusiasts when it was introduced in 2019. It was so popular in fact, that other brands like Al Massiva and Nameless caught on and started producing blonde-dominant mixes of their own, like Nameless’ Black Nana and Al Massiva’s Massiv (Peach) and Wenn der Mond (Mango and Melon).
All this is to say that a good tasting shisha mix is not dependent on the leaf type, but rather on the ratio of the ingredients used and how the mix is prepared. Heat management control also plays a very important role in it. (To be discussed in our future posts!)
Wrapping Up
Burley and Virginia leaf are both essential components in creating a shisha mix, with distinct characteristics that play essential roles in creating unique and tasty flavours. The diverse ways that nicotine and sugar content levels can be adjusted means that almost no shisha product can truly be called Dark leaf or Blonde leaf. In the end, it comes down to the skill and knowledge of the packer to bring out the best of the flavours in the mix.
I personally found that the best blends of Burley and Virginia leaf in shisha are usually those that are carefully balanced to create a complex and satisfying smoking experience, whether or not a product is made mostly of blonde or dark leaf does not always predetermine how flavourful it is.
I hope this article gives you a better understanding of what goes into shisha mixes and to improve your next shisha experience!