Extraction efficienties of volatile organic acids in tobacco leaves according to several extraction methods were investigated and contents of volatile organic acids in 16 kinds of tobacco leaf varieties were compared. Extraction efficiency according to simultaneous distillation and extraction was 5 to 10 times higher than that according to solvent extraction, steam distillation, essential oil extraction or continuous extraction and distillation. Total contents of volatile organic acids were 1.62 to 12.94mg per l00g of sample in aromatic tobacco varieties,0.12 to 2.08mg in flue-cured tobacco leaves, and trace in burleys. Among the Korean aromatic tobacco varieties, total contents of volatile organic acids in ST374-3 were the highest, 4.66mg per l00g of sample, and those in Sohyang and Hyangcho were low, 1.69mg and 1.62mg, respectively. Among flue-cured tobacco varieties, those in NC2326 were the highest, 2.08mg per 100g of sample, but those in the other varieties were not more than 0.80mg per 1 00g of sample. Total contents of volatile organic acids in acidic hydrolysis with 0.1 M tartaric acid were higher than in non-acidic condition in all kinds of tobacco varieties.