In an era where the risks associated with tobacco are well known, consumers are seeking out increasingly diverse smoking and vaping experiences.
Selecting the right blend of tobacco is the first step in cigarette production.
Our experts use their detailed knowledge to carefully select the blend of different tobacco types (such as Virginia, burley, and Oriental) and leaf grades used in our cigarette brands. The tobaccos are selected to maintain the consistency and distinctive character of each brand.
In addition to tobacco, which is the main ingredient in all of our cigarettes, other ingredients are added to many of our brands. Some ingredients, such as humectants, help maintain the moisture and pliability of the tobacco leaf. Others contribute to the taste and aroma of the tobacco leaf smoke.
After the tobaccos are blended together, the tobacco blend is finely cut before it passes through a drying cylinder to reduce moisture. When the moisture is at an optimal level, the blend is ready for cigarette manufacturing.
In an era where the risks associated with tobacco are well known, consumers are seeking out increasingly diverse smoking and vaping experiences.
Cigarette manufacturing is a fast-paced, highly automated process.
The process begins by creating one long cigarette, called a “rod.” To produce the rod, a spool of cigarette paper up to 7,000 meters long is unrolled and a line of tobacco is placed on it. The cigarette paper is then wrapped around the tobacco, forming the rod.
Machines slice the super-sized rod into shorter pieces, inserting filters at both ends. The filters are then connected with “tipping paper,” the paper consumers see wrapped around the filter tip of a cigarette. Each shorter rod is then cut in half, producing two filtered cigarettes. The construction quality of each cigarette is checked at three different stages.
Individual cigarettes are sorted into pack-sized groups and wrapped in foil to preserve their freshness.
The pack itself is assembled around the cigarettes. The finished pack is then wrapped with a protective film, which also serves to preserve the cigarettes’ aroma and freshness. The packs are placed in cartons or wrapped and placed into a master case for shipment.
Although the manufacturing of cigarettes is a highly automated process, it also requires careful supervision by our factory workers. Inspection of the leaf, blending, and quality assurance of the final product can never be left solely to machines.
Whether we’re producing cigarettes for one of our nine flagship brands or one of the many locally popular varieties we make; every individual cigarette ingredient is as responsibly sourced and meticulously put together as the next.
Each is grown and cured for us by thousands of farmers around the world, sold in many different grades. We sample tobacco leaf continuously in our quest to achieve the consistent quality and taste our brands are known for.
A light tobacco that is cured by air over a number of weeks and is generally lower in sugar than other varieties.
Sun-cured, highly aromatic and small of leaf – you might better know this variety by its common name, Turkish tobacco.
Tobacco blending is a skillful process that starts with buying and combining exactly the right mix of grades – getting that right is the only way to achieve the particular taste and quality our cigarette brands are known for. The tobacco itself is treated and flavors are also added – this could be certain ‘top notes’ or something a little stronger that includes ingredients such as menthol or carob bean. The use and quantity of flavorings may also vary according to regional preferences.
Fine-cut tobacco packed in loose-form in pouches is known as rolling tobacco. It’s used for both RYO ‘roll-your-own’ cigarettes (made using rolling papers) and MYO ‘make-your-own’ cigarettes (made by filling a filter tube with cut tobacco). It’s arguably the most versatile of all our traditional tobacco products.
Why choose rolling tobacco?
Rolling tobacco was once considered a lower quality product. Today it’s made to the same considered, high standard as cigarettes.
It’s not just the amount of tobacco in ‘roll-your-owns’ that smokers control. Smokers can also alter the type of cigarette paper and filters they use.
Our rolling tobacco brands each have unique flavor and aroma characteristics. Often these are more reflective of the actual leaf than many cigarettes.
Fine-cut rolling tobacco is designed to be easy to handle and has very different burning characteristics to, for example, pipe-smoking tobacco.