How we buy our miswak
We buy our miswak in person in Karachi, from suppliers we visited ourselves, and only to a written spec.
The trip
In August 2026, Abbas spent a month in Karachi visiting miswak suppliers and checking their stock in person before buying anything. The first lot came back to Canada with him at the end of August.
What we buy to
| Species | Salvadora persica, sold in Karachi as peelu. Not olive, walnut or other substitutes. |
|---|---|
| Smell | Woody and slightly peppery |
| Bristles | Soft and flexible when chewed |
| Harvest | Within 6 to 12 months of purchase |
| Packing | Each stick vacuum sealed |
How to spot old or wrong stock
- The smell is flat or musty instead of woody.
- The fibres stay hard, or split into splinters, when you chew them.
- The stick snaps instead of bending a little.
If a stick from us ever looks like this, tell us and we'll replace it.
Lot codes
Every lot has a code like MSW-KHI-0826: MSW for miswak, KHI for Karachi, and the month and year we bought it, here August 2026. If you ever have a question about a stick, tell us the code.