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What Is TEREA? A Plain Guide to the IQOS ILUMA Stick
TEREA is a heated tobacco stick made for the IQOS ILUMA. You don’t light it. You push it into the holder, the holder heats it from the inside, and the tobacco never burns. A pack holds 20 sticks, and one stick lasts up to 14 puffs, which is around six minutes. It only fits ILUMA devices.
We get asked what TEREA actually is almost every day at the shop in Al Barsha, so here’s the plain version. We’ve stuck to things we can stand behind.
TEREA at a glance
| What it is | A heated tobacco stick. It contains tobacco and nicotine |
|---|---|
| Made by | Philip Morris International |
| Full name | TEREA SMARTCORE sticks |
| Works with | IQOS ILUMA, ILUMA Prime, ILUMA One, ILUMA i, ILUMA i Prime, ILUMA i One |
| Doesn’t fit | IQOS 3 DUO and the other ORIGINALS models, which use HEETS |
| One stick | Up to 14 puffs, about 6 minutes, used once |
| Pack and carton | 20 sticks in a pack, 10 packs (200 sticks) in a carton |
How does TEREA work?
The older IQOS sticks, called HEETS, were heated by a thin blade pushed into the tobacco. TEREA does it another way. There’s a small piece of metal sealed inside the stick itself. The ILUMA holder makes a magnetic field around it, the metal warms up, and it heats the tobacco from the middle outwards. That’s induction, the same idea as an induction hob. Philip Morris call the whole thing the SMARTCORE Induction System.
The tobacco only gets as hot as about 350°C, according to Philip Morris. A burning cigarette runs a lot hotter than that. So there’s no flame and no ash. What you breathe in is an aerosol rather than smoke, and it still carries nicotine.
What’s inside a TEREA stick?
Five parts. A tobacco plug, a filter, a cooling plug, a wrap round the outside, and the metal heating element in the centre, coated in stainless steel. Philip Morris list the same parts on their own site.
That metal part is the reason you should never pull a stick apart. It’s sharp. Don’t open one, don’t swallow one, and keep them away from children and pets. If a stick gets damaged, leave it.
Is TEREA a cigarette or a vape?
Neither, quite. TEREA is made of tobacco, so it isn’t a vape. There’s no liquid and no coil. It isn’t a cigarette either, because nothing is set alight. The name for it is heated tobacco.
People also ask whether one TEREA equals one cigarette. There’s no official swap rate and we won’t make one up. A stick is one session of up to 14 puffs. How that compares with your own smoking depends on how you smoke.
Is TEREA better than cigarettes?
We’re a shop, not doctors, so we’ll keep this short. Philip Morris say the aerosol from heated tobacco has fewer harmful chemicals in it than cigarette smoke. Fewer isn’t none, though. TEREA still contains tobacco and nicotine, and nicotine is addictive. Health bodies like the World Health Organization treat heated tobacco as a tobacco product, not a safe one.
If you already smoke, that’s who TEREA is made for. If you don’t, please don’t start. It’s for adults only, 18 and over.
How do you use a TEREA stick?
- Charge the holder first. It won’t heat a stick on an empty battery.
- Push the stick in, filter end out, all the way down.
- Start the holder. On some models that happens by itself when the stick goes in, and on others you press the button. Your manual says which.
- Wait for the signal that it’s ready, then take slow, even puffs.
- When the session ends, take the stick out and bin it. A used stick is finished, so don’t try to heat it again.
Which devices does TEREA fit?
Every IQOS ILUMA model: ILUMA, ILUMA Prime, ILUMA One, ILUMA i, ILUMA i Prime and ILUMA i One. It does not fit the IQOS 3 DUO, the IQOS 3 MULTI or anything else in the ORIGINALS series, and Philip Morris say the same about BONDS by IQOS. Those models use HEETS, and a TEREA stick pushed into one can damage the blade.
A quick check. If your holder has a thin blade at the bottom, it’s a HEETS device. We wrote a separate piece on TEREA vs HEETS if you’d like the full comparison. Not sure what you’ve got? Message us on the contact page, or look through the IQOS devices.
What flavours does TEREA come in?
IQOS lists ten flavours on its UAE site. We stock more than that, because the same flavour comes from several countries and some countries have extras of their own. It helps to think in families.
| If you want | Try | In a line |
|---|---|---|
| Light tobacco | Silver | Toasted tobacco with a soft herbal aroma |
| Middle-weight tobacco | Amber | Rounded and toasted, with woody and nutty notes |
| Warm and a little sweet | Bronze | Cocoa and dried fruit around the tobacco |
| More tobacco | Sienna, Teak, Regular | Tobacco-led sticks, no capsule |
| A gentle menthol | Turquoise | Light tobacco, a crisp chill, a zesty lift |
| Menthol, properly cold | Menthol and mint, Black | From soft mint to the coldest sticks we sell |
| Cool and fruity | Purple Wave, Waves | Fruit with a menthol edge |
| Tobacco with an aroma | Dimensions | Fruit, flower and wood over a tobacco base |
| A capsule to press | Pearl | A small pearl in the filter that changes the aroma |
| Something different | Editions | The Indonesian clove sticks |
Still undecided? The flavour guide lays the whole range out by taste, and the longer TEREA Dubai flavour guide goes into how to choose.
Is TEREA the same in every country?
No. TEREA is made for different markets, and a flavour with the same name can taste different from one country to the next. Some are close and some aren’t, so check the edition on the listing. The writing on the carton changes too. An Indonesian pack is in Indonesian.
We stock five editions: Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Switzerland and Uzbekistan. Our piece on how the flavours differ by country goes through them, and the edition buying guide shows how to read a listing before you order.
Getting TEREA in Dubai
Everything leaves from our shop in Al Barsha. Dubai orders normally arrive in about an hour, Sharjah and Ajman in one to two hours, and the other emirates in up to twelve. You can pay cash on delivery or collect from us. We open 9:00 to 22:30, and close at 20:30 on Wednesdays. The shipping page has the rest. You must be 18 or over.
TEREA questions
What is TEREA?
A heated tobacco stick for the IQOS ILUMA. The device heats it, and nothing burns.
What are TEREA cigarettes?
Some people call TEREA sticks cigarettes, but they aren’t. They’re heated tobacco sticks, and they only work in an ILUMA device.
Is TEREA vaping or smoking?
Neither, exactly. It’s heated tobacco. There’s no liquid and no flame.
Is one TEREA equal to one cigarette?
There’s no official equivalent. One stick is one session of up to 14 puffs, about six minutes.
Does TEREA contain nicotine?
Yes. It’s made from tobacco, and nicotine is addictive.
How many sticks are in a TEREA pack?
20. A carton is ten packs, so 200 sticks.
How long does one TEREA stick last?
Up to 14 puffs, which is around six minutes.
Can I use TEREA in an IQOS 3 DUO?
No. TEREA is for ILUMA only. A 3 DUO uses HEETS.
Can I use a TEREA stick twice?
No. One stick, one session.
Is TEREA the same as HEETS?
No. They heat in different ways, and they don’t swap in either direction.
Where can I buy TEREA in Dubai?
From us. Order online for delivery, or collect from the shop in Al Barsha.
Written by the TEREA Dubai team in Al Barsha. Last updated October 2026.
