Kretek

A becak driver in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, smoking a kretek
A pack of Sampoerna A-Mild, a popular Indonesian brand of kretek manufactured by Sampoerna
Tobacco leaves sorting in Java. Tobacco was introduced by the Dutch during the colonial period.
Kreteks from the 1910s, containing resin, nutmeg, cumin, clove, and tobacco wrapped in banana leaves

Kretek (/ˈkrɛtɛk/) are cigarettes of Indonesian origin, made with a blend of tobacco, cloves, and other flavors. It could be with filter or unfiltered. The word "kretek" itself is an onomatopoetic term for the crackling sound of burning cloves.[1]

Partly due to favorable taxation compared to filtered "white" cigarettes,[2] kreteks are by far the most widely smoked form of cigarettes in Indonesia, where they are preferred by about 90% of smokers.[3] In Indonesia, there are hundreds of kretek manufacturers, including small local makers and major brands. Most of the widely known international brands, including Sampoerna, Bentoel, Minak Djinggo, Djarum, Gudang Garam, and Wismilak originate from Indonesia. Nat Sherman of the United States produced cigarettes branded as "A Touch of Clove" but they were not true kreteks, since there was clove flavoring infused into small crystals located inside the filter, rather than actual clove spice mixed with the tobacco.[4]

Kreteks often serve as a base for Indonesian herbal cigarettes, by adding various herbs in addition to clove spice.

  1. ^ Hanusz, Mark (2004). "A century of kretek". In Gilman, Sander L.; Zhou, Xun (eds.). Smoke: A Global History of Smoking. Reaktion Books. pp. 140–143. ISBN 978-1-86189-200-3.
  2. ^ "June 3, 1999: Where There's Smoke, There's Kretek: The Cigarette Industry in Indonesia". Retrieved 2007-07-20.
  3. ^ "Cigarette Production & Consumption". Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  4. ^ "A Touch of Clove". Archived from the original on 2003-11-06. Retrieved 2007-12-30.