Upon completion of the aging period, hogsheads of tobacco are removed 

 from storage and placed through a conditioning process in the factory. The 

 moisture level is raised to permit handling of the strips without unnecessary 

 breakage or reduction of quality. Measured quantities of different grades of 

 Flue-cured, Burley, and Maryland are blended along with proper proportions of 

 Oriental tobacco. Care is used in blending to keep the product consistent in 

 smoking quality and taste. The blends of each manufacturer are carefully 

 guarded secrets so that it is not known what proportions of each type of to- 

 bacco go into any particular brand of cigarette. 



After the strips are blended, certain conditioning agents and humectants 

 are applied in order to improve the handling and keeping characteristics of 

 the tobacco. In further processing, special formulas of casing materials 

 (sweeteners) are added to enhance the smoking quality of the products. 



Cigarette manufacturers make extensive use of reconstituted tobacco to u- 

 tilize the fine particles, scrap, and portions of the stems. These are com- 

 bined in confidential processes to make a sheet which can be shredded with the 

 natural strips of tobacco for cigarettes. 



The blended tobacco is conveyed to the cutters where it is pressed into 

 solid cakes called "cheese." The "cheese" is subjected to a slicing operation 

 which cuts the tobacco into slender shreds of the right consistency and size 

 for well-formed cigarettes. 



Although tobacco used in the manufacture of cigarettes is fully flavored, 

 additional substances are added to most blends to further enhance the full 

 smoking flavor and aroma. These flavoring agents may be substances or ex- 

 tracts derived from honey, maple, rum, fruit juices, apple, fig, vanilla, ton- 

 ka beans, grapes, berry wines, licorice, cocoa, and menthol. 



Along with the addtiion of the enhancing agents, humectants are added to 

 insure proper moisture content after the product has moved into trade channels 

 and after the pack has been opened. Glycerine is a typical chemical used for 

 this purpose by many manufacturers. 



Modern Cigarette-making Machines 



Present day cigarette-making machines employ modern engineering tech- 

 niques which allow high production output with the assurance of uniform prod- 

 uct quality. 



Cigarette paper is supplied to the cigarette-making machine in large 

 reels. As the reel of cigarette paper unwinds, the brand name is printed at 

 uniform spaced intervals. Cigarette tobacco is fed to the cigarette-making 

 machine via a pneumatic conveying system and is metered in a uniform stream 

 onto the cigarette paper to form a continuous rod. 



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