If you’ve smoked hookah for any length of time you’ve likely come across some hookah tobacco is a very unnatural shade of red or even green The big question is, why do they dye the tobacco?

It’s simply to make the tobacco more visually appealing. A lot of people will turn up their nose at something that looks like a bunch of old leaves in brown goo but might be more enticed by something that looks like candy. The modern style tobacco companies are the biggest users of dye but even Nakhla dyes their well loved double apple flavor. As best I can tell they use natural dye made from beets to give DA it’s distinct red color.

The next question is whether or not the dye is bad for the smoker. I really can’t weigh in on this as we don’t have a lot of information on how these dyes react when heated and inhaled. They are always food grade but that doesn’t mean that it’s safe to smoke. Of course all smoking is bad for you but, personally, I avoid dye just because it’s one more thing to worry about. Why not make this hobby as safe as it can be?

I have heard some people complain about headaches when smoking dyed tobacco. Have you ever experienced anything like this? What’s your opinion on dye in hookah tobacco?