Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/550310
36 tobaccoasia By Thomas Schmid Non-smoking long haul flights and smoke-free airport lounges; endless hours in the office or in board meetings without an ashtray in sight; pubs, restaurants and shopping malls, all adorned with 'no smoking' signs: life surely isn't easy for the modern tobacco connoisseur anymore, particu- larly not the heavy smoker. So how does one get over the working day, survive an intercontinental flight, or enjoy a night out on the town without constantly stepping on the toes of sometimes ag- gressively intolerant non-smokers and violating a veritable jungle of anti-smoking laws? Well, enter Turbo®, a novelty product marketed by United Arab Emirates-based Bin Khumery Smoking Goods Co. LLC, which might have your answer at hand. Turbo is, of course, just the brand name of a type of tobacco known as "dokha" among the bedouins of the Arabian Peninsula, who've been enjoying it for literally hundreds of years. Origi- nating in Iran (Persia), traditional blends of dokha Turbo Buzz with Dokha – which interestingly means "vertigo" in Arabic – come in many strengths and are often flavored with dried fruits or essential oils. However, Turbo brand tobaccos, which Bin Khumery only recently started marketing in North America and several European countries, are mostly free of any addi- tives. "We have launched 18 Turbo dokha blends this year, but save for four specialty blends with apple, mint, grape and blue mist [menthol] flavor, they are all 100% pure," explained Behzod Jama- lou, the company's business development man- ager, adding that "some people – primarily ladies – do enjoy flavored tobaccos." So how can Turbo dokha alleviate the incon- veniences faced by nicotine-starved smokers in the West? Firstly, dokha burns very rapidly. A typi- cal session is just enough for two to three puffs and only lasts a few seconds altogether. Secondly, there is virtually no smoke and the tobacco that burns is practically odorless. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, dokha contains substantially Selection of hand-crafted 'medwakh' pipes UAE company starts marketing traditional 'dokha' tobacco in the West, claiming it's a smart way to beat out anti-smoking laws and lobbyists.