Kretek

Kretek is a type of cigarette that is made with a blend of tobacco, clove, and other flavors. The word "kretek" itself is an onomatopoetic term for the crackling sound of burning cloves.

Partly due to favorable taxation compared to "white" cigarettes, kreteks are by far the most widely smoked form of cigarettes in Indonesia, where they are preferred by about 90% of smokers. In Indonesia, there are hundreds of kretek manufacturers, including small local makers and major brands. Most of the widely known international brands, including Dji Sam Soe 234, Bentoel, Minak Djinggo, Djarum, Gudang Garam, and Wismilak originate from Indonesia. Kretek cigarettes have also become popular in the Western world, particularly among younger smokers.

History

The origin of kretek cigarettes can be traced to the late 19th century. The creator of kretek was Haji Jamhari, a native of Kudus in Indonesia's Central Java region. Suffering from chest pains, Jamhari attempted to reduce the pain by rubbing clove oil on his chest. Jamhari sought a means of achieving a deeper relief and smoked his hand-rolled cigarettes after adding dried clove buds and rubber tree sap. According to the story, his asthma and chest pains vanished immediately. Word of Jamhari’s product spread rapidly among his neighbors, and the product soon became available in pharmacies as rokok cengkeh; clove cigarettes. First marketed as a medicinal product, kreteks became widely popular.

Production

Kretek manufacturers directly employ over 180,000 people in Indonesia and an additional 10 million indirectly. Indonesia is the world's largest producer of clove cigarettes. Machine-rolled kretek cigarettes, known as "skt", dominate the market. Since 2009, the United States has prohibited cigarettes with flavors other than menthol.

Health effects

Like all cigarettes, kreteks are harmful to health. They have been linked to lung cancer and other lung diseases, heart disease, and other serious health problems. However, they are often mistakenly believed to be less harmful than other cigarettes. This is not true; they are just as harmful as other types of cigarettes.

See also

• Tobacco smoking
• Cigarette
• Clove
• Indonesia

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  A becak driver smoking a kretek cigarette on Jalan Maliboro.
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  Kretek Sampoerna
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  Length sorting of tobacco.
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  Medicinal cigarettes in a box.