These tobaccos are grown in
the Bitlis, Mutki and Muş districts of Eastern Anatolia,
lying not very far from the Lake Van and in the Şemdinli district, being further South.
The tobacco producing areas are limited in this region due to the predominance of
mountains and broken lands.
The leaves of the Bitlis
tobacco are medium size and broad in shape and have broad wings. Their colour is bright
from light yellow to yellow. Their texture is of a moderate thickness and elastic.
They have a fairly
satisfying and very sweet taste. The rate of their sugar content is very high, sometimes
over 25 %. They have a special aroma of their own. Their taste is distinctly different
from all other Turkish tobacco varieties. They can be used in cigarette blends as well as
in pipe tobacco blends. These tobaccos add a sweet and aromatic taste to the blends and
also produce the uniformity of colour.
Their filling capacity and
combustibility is moderate. This is one of the rare tobacco varieties which is pleasant to
smoke even when unblended.
The production areas of this
variety are generally rough, uneven surfaces, mountainous with forest soils. The main
characteristics of the soil are olive colour, fine grained sandy, enterspersed with
stones, schistuous and calcareous. The top soil is also fine, grayish brown or brown in
colour, loamy-clay and loam, granular, neutral alkaline in reaction and as deep as 8-15
cms.
Average temperature during
the growing stage is 20.1º C, total rainfall 36.9 mm. and average relative humidity 46 %.
The farmers stack their tobaccos in bales
weighing 30 kgs., in the İskenderiye method. After
processing, the commercial bales are done in the same method and also weigh 30 kgs.