Shag (tobacco)

Shag or rolling tobacco is fine-cut tobacco used to make self made cigarettes by hand rolling the tobacco into rolling paper or injecting it into filter tubes. Various types of cut are used; most shag blends use a simple mixture of cutting styles, consisting mostly of loose cut but also crumble cake, ribbon cut and flake may be used. Some shag blends use cuts reminiscent of pipe tobacco.

A cigarette made with shag tobacco may be called a "rollie", a "roll-up" or "hand-rolled." The flat bags in which shag is typically packaged for commercial sale are often called "tobacco pouches".

Different shag styles

There are several shag blends or tobacco styles using different tobaccos, curing techniques and cutting types. Sometimes additives like sugar, glycerol and fruit flavors are added, creating blends that are akin to the shisha smoked in the Middle East.

"American" shag is typically a mixture of domestic and/or imported tobacco and air cured Burley.

"Virginia" or "Light" blends are mainly made up of Virginia tobacco.

"Smooth" adds Georgia tobaccos to a "Light" blend.

"Halfzware" is a combination of "Light" and "Zware shag". A typical Dutch style blend.

"Turkish" is a blend that mainly consists of Turkish Tobaccos like Yenidje, Samsun, Bafra etc.

"Zware shag" is a Dutch style "power blend" consisting mainly of fire cured Kentucky, Latakia and air cured Paraguay.

Brands of shag

* American Spirit
* Bali Shag
* Bank
* Camel
* Cutters Choice
* Drum
* Golden Virginia
* Longbeach
* Marlboro
* Old Holborn
* White Ox
* Winfield

ee also

* Tobacco
* Tobacco smoking
* Rolling paper