The major groups of aromatic Turkish tobaccos, as stated by Frederick A. Wolf, of Duke University, are:
1. Xanthi
2. Kavalla
3. Smyrna or Izmir
4. Samsun
Each group derives its name from the city or production center from which it comes, and within each group, there are
numerous varieties. The exact identities of each type of Turkish tobacco are further complicated by the fact that similar tobaccos can be obtained from geographically different regions; and yet in a single region, more than one type of tobacco may be grown.
It should be pointed out that because of the shifting population in the Macedonian areas due to wars and changes among
the ruling factions, the peoples of Greece and Turkey immigrated to new areas and set up communities named after
those they left. Therefore, there is much similarity in the names of cities and towns in both Greece and Turkey -- names that also refer to the tobaccos they produce.