Tobacco pouches

The French word « blague » entered the language at the beginning of the eighteenth century, in 1721 to be precise. It comes from the Dutch noun « balg », meaning « casing ».

When « la blague » was borrowed from Dutch, its meaning was « a small tobacco bag ». As an aside, it was only in 1809 that the word took on a second life, also coming to mean a joke.

The tobacco pouch has withstood the passage of time and has therefore referred, for more than three centuries, to a small tobacco bag. It was often made of pelican skin or thick canvas and allowed smokers to keep loose tobacco.

Tobacco pouches have since become more varied in design and can be found in many shapes and in materials that are more or less traditional. The following are available in the shops:

– Tobacco pouches in leather or imitation leather

– Tobacco pouches in hemp

– Tobacco pouches in fabric, in synthetic materials, and so on

There are also tobacco pouches made for pipes. As well as holding tobacco, they have room for one or more pipes.

Women have not been forgotten either. The tobacco pouch has also found a place in this small but real market. A number of designers have recently turned their skills to these customers, and it is increasingly common, especially online, to find attractive tobacco pouches trimmed with colours, ribbons or beads, intended to soften an object that was originally very masculine.

The tobacco pouch has also grown more elaborate over time and is no longer merely the « little purse » used to carry one’s own tobacco. Today the tobacco pouch often has room for a pipe and its accessories as well as tobacco. Some models have a built-in rolling machine. Tobacco is kept in one of the small rubberised pockets designed to hold moisture, while rolling papers sit in the second pocket of the pouch.

For your own use or as an original gift idea, take a look at our offers on tobacco pouches.