Glossary

Acetate

Cellulose acetate fibres, which form the body of cigarette filters.

Adhesives

The glue that holds the materials together.

Air-cured

Natural drying process applied to most cigar and many smoking tobaccos.

Binder

Maintains the physical state and texture of the product.

Burley

An air-cured type of tobacco, grown in many countries and is primarily used in American-style cigarettes.

Combustion Modifier

Influences how the product burns.

Casings

Flavours and humectants applied to tobacco before cutting the tobacco. They balance the different tastes of the tobacco, replace some of the components naturally lost during the curing process and “tune” each type of tobacco product to the desired blend flavour.

Cellulose

A major component in the structure of all plants. A derivative of cellulose is the major component of most cigarette filters.

Chalk

Chemically known as calcium carbonate. It is added to paper, to contribute to its porosity, whiteness and to regulate the burn speed in combination with other burn additives.

Cigarette Paper

The paper surrounding the tobacco in a cigarette.

Colour

Modifies the colour of a component of a product.

Fermentation

Natural process that causes cured tobacco to warm on storage thus causing changes in the taste and aroma characteristics of the product.

Filler

Contributes to the bulk of the product without contributing significantly to the odour, taste, flavour or aroma.

Filter

Device attached at the end of a tobacco rod that assists reduction in the smoke yield to the smoker.

Fire-cured

Method of curing tobacco (generally Virginia) which involves exposing the leaf to the smoke of open fires.

Flavour

Imparts a specific taste, flavour or aroma to a tobacco product.

Flue-cured

Method of curing, particularly used with Virginia tobacco, using barns heated by pipes similar to those used in central heating. Heated air is then circulated by fans over the tobacco leaves.

Humectant

Prevents the product from drying out.

Ingredients

Are non-tobacco components , added to a tobacco product to aid the manufacture, maintain the quality or impart a distinctive taste or aroma.

Maryland

A light-bodied air-cured tobacco, used in American-style cigarettes. It is grown on the coastal plains of southern Maryland. Mid-rib.

Oriental

A small-leafed heavy-bodied, sun-cured slow-burning tobacco, grown all over the world. It is used in American-style cigarettes.

Plugwrap

The paper that wraps the filter materials together.

Perforations

Artificially made holes made in the tipping paper to allow ventilating air to enter the filter.

Preservatives

Protects the product from deterioration caused by micro organisms.

Processing aids

These are added by the tobacco manufacturers to facilitate the manufacturing process and are either not present in the end product or occur in residual amounts and have no function in the final product.

Salts

Sodium and potassium citrate or acetate in cigarette paper. They help to adjust smoke yield.

Solvent

Used to dissolve or dilute an ingredient without altering its function in order to facilitate handling and application. Some solvents may contain denaturants.

Sugars

Fructose, glucose and sucrose are sugars that occur naturally in plants, including tobacco plants.

Sun-cured

Method of curing by suspending leaves in full sunlight. All oriental and semi oriental tobaccos are cured in this way.

Tipping paper

The paper surrounding the filter, which is placed in the mouth. The tipping paper overlaps with the tobacco rod so as to hold the filter and tobacco rod together.

Tobacco

A plant from the Solanceae family, which also includes tomato, potato, and several nightshades.

Tobacco Rod

The tobacco content of a cigarette, the paper in which the tobacco is wrapped, and the adhesive holding the seams of the paper together.

Tobacco Sheet

Paper like material made from tobacco and tobacco by-products.

Threshing

A mechanical process that removes the mid-rib from tobacco leaves.

Ventilation

The use of air-permeable materials in cigarette filters, e.g. perforated tipping paper and porous plugwrap.

Virginia

The most common type of tobacco, grown in many countries, for flue-curing.

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