In cities with indoor smoking bans, hookah bars have been forced to close or consider alternatives, such as offering flavored tobacco based maasel.

Snus is a flavored and moist tobacco contained in small teabag-like pouches sold in tin containers of about 15.

The most visible sign of Astoria's Egyptian and North African community is the proliferation of sheesha cafes, named for the mix of flavored tobacco and molasses smoked in hookahs.

"Our neighborhood is much better than other areas," said Hussail Allawi, 41, in a crowd of men smoking flavored tobacco, a pastime now rare in much of the city.

In March 2012, Brazil became the world's first country to ban all flavored tobacco, including menthols.

Tobacco bits are formed by rolling sweetened and typically flavored tobacco into small pieces which are consumed individually.

Hookahs are water pipes used to smoke flavored tobacco, otherwise called shisha or Mu'assel.

Al-Fakher manufactures premium molasses which is also known as flavored tobacco.

A ban on flavored tobacco, as mandated by the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, was implemented by the CTC on September 22, 2009.

Between shopping trips he samples the flavored tobacco in a hookah at Sahara East on First Avenue.