Welcome to the World of Tabac Turc!

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As Tabac Turc, we want to inform our website visitors about the century-old tradition we have inherited as well as offering an insight into our recent history. The Republic of Turkey claimed this culture, which was once a part of every day life in the Ottoman Empire, and has enlightened us with the major role the Monopoly played in social and economic development with its factories, employers and cultural studies.

Since our take over of Tabac Turc, the products and brands, dating back to Ottoman times,  are being produced with the same machines, recipes, packaging, and manufacturing techniques. In order to produce the original flavour of our products, we have reassembled piece by piece the original machinery of which, the oldest parts date back to 1925.

Our job is to keep up a tradition, while at the same time meeting the needs of our customers, who are fully aware of how to enjoy smoking in a mature manner.

" We are creating innovations, 
whilst maintaining traditions "

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Societe Du Tombac Company Stock Certificate
The Ottoman Empire imported “tombeki tobacco” from Iran as the local production was limited, and this in turn caused the Iranian merchants and Shiite Ulemas, who recieved religious taxes from this trade to dominate the market. Consequently the Ottoman Empire monopolized the “tombeki tobacco” commerce in order to increase its revenue, and granted this right in 1891 to the “Société du Tombac” which later became known as the “Tombeki Regie”. 

The tobacco we produce today under the brand name “Tabac Turc” is precisely the same type as the “tombeki” tobacco produced in 1891.

Tobacco Plant

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Tobacco (Nicotiana), was introduced for the first time by Solanaceae family, and is the name given to a plant species, whose leaves are used to make cigarettes.

The “tabacum”, part of tobacco's scientific name, Nicotiana Tabacum, is named either after the island of Tobago in Central America or after the Yucatan tobacco regions of Tobago and Tabasco. The “nicotiana” part was named after France’s ambassador to Portugal, Jean Nicot (1530-1600), the person who brought tobacco to France in the 1560's.

Tobacco was introduced  to Turkey approximately 400 years ago (circa 1600's) as a large-leaf, coarse-textured, and a primitive type of plant, and hence a new culture was created, once it met the unique features of Turkish farming techniques and Turkish agricultural and ecological conditions.

This new product renamed Turkish tobacco; constantly on the increase brought a new lease of the life  to the conditions of quality  and became a refined, aromatic, mild, low in nicotine, and colorful tobacco, which gained great prominence throughout the world. The name Turkish tobacco is not only the name of a type but also a simple classification. The demand for Turkish tobacco has increased over the years and is still much sought after, due to the luscious aroma, mildness, beautiful colors smooth burning and its feature of increasing the quality of its  different blends.

(Bibliography: From Ottoman times to present; Prof. and Dr. Fatma Doğruel, Prof. and Dr. Suut Doğruel)

Photos from our Historic Archives

Old Tobacco Boxes

Photos of Antique 'Old' Pipe Tobacco Packaging

People and Tobacco

Historical Photos related to people and tobacco

Antique Oil Paintings

Tobacco Culture during the Ottoman Epoc