BAT Korea eyes premium cigarette market in Korea

British American Tobacco Korea is striving to shore up its presence in the Korean market with premium cigarette products.

The Korean unit of the global manufacturer has been diversifying its portfolio of pricey Sobranie cigarettes with Dunhill and Kent cigarettes brands in a bid to boost profits amid stagnant population growth and rising health concerns.

Although surging prices of tobacco leaves and labor costs led BAT to hike prices of some products by 200 won (19 cents) in April, Korea’s cigarettes largely remain below 3,000 won a pack, one of the lowest among OECD nations.

“BAT is thought to have suffered profitability deterioration, as ex-factory prices have frozen for nine years. The country’s cigarette prices are relatively low in light of its income level,” Baek Woon-mok, an analyst at Daewoo Securities, said in a report.

But the segment of multinational premium cigarettes ― including Dunhill, Kent and Philip Morris International Inc.’s Marlboro and Parliament ― has gradually expanded over the past several years, threatening the dominance of KT&G Corp., according to Euromonitor International.

“Korean consumers became increasingly partial to multinational brands, due to the quality of the tobacco used, as well as their premium packaging,” the London-based research firm said in a report.

“Furthermore, the resistance to imported products, which was previously commonplace in Korea, continued to diminish particularly amongst younger consumers.”

Since its inroads in 1990, BAT has emerged as the No. 2 seller in the world’s eighth-largest tobacco market. It set up a factory in 2002 in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, by injecting around $100 million.

To jack up its 16 percent stake, the company unveiled its capsule filter technology and new packaging last year.

Kent Convertible and Kent Boost give customers an extra burst of menthol when they pop a small ball in the filter.

Kent Convertible, the first of its kind here, took up more than 1 percent within three months after its launch in July 2010, industry figures showed.

“Kent is the second-largest premium brand globally ― outside of the U.S. and China ― sold in over 80 countries,” Guy Meldrum, marketing executive director of BAT Korea, said early this year. “Kent stands for innovation and technology.”

For its Dunhill lineup, BAT churned out a series of new products such as Switch, Nanocut and Fine Cut, and renewed packaging for traditional Dunhill with “Reloc” technology.

The patented inner wrapping method entails a re-sealable double cover to ensure extra freshness for the tobacco.

“Dunhill has been an icon of premium brand in the market,” said chief executive Stephan Liechti. “Dunhill will continue to be a premium leader, keeping the same taste and quality with the premium seal Reloc.”

According to BAT, the premium tobacco sector logged double-digit growth last year and the trend is expected to continue in the coming years.

Another target segment is ultraslim cigarettes.

Dunhill Nanocut and Fine Cut are aimed at biting into the booming market enjoyed by KT&G’s Esse.

“Superslims are a global trend and have been the key design innovation of the last five years, with particular appeal to female smokers but also ‘cross-over’ appeal in a number of markets such as Korea where men have been receptive to the style,” Euromonitor said.

Capitol Hill tries to eliminate cigarette butts

Cigarette butts — the most-littered item in America — will soon become more scarce in the Capitol Hill area.

For the first time, the Capitol Hill Business Improvement District linked up with the Keep America Beautiful Cigarette Litter Prevention Program to help clear out tossed-away cigarettes left behind by smokers.

Three high-traffic areas on Capitol Hill were picked: the southeast corner of Eighth Street and Pennsylvania Avenue SE; on First Street SE in front of Bullfeathers and Tortilla Coast; and on the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue between Third and Fourth streets SE.

In 2008, nearly 200 communities reported an average 46 percent reduction in littered butts as a result of implementing the program.

"Cigarette litter is not only unsightly and costly to clean up, but also harmful to waterways and wildlife. Simple actions like installing ash receptacles and distributing pocket ashtrays will make a big difference in decreasing litter and ultimately keeping Capitol Hill beautiful," said Patty Brosmer, BID president.

The nonprofit Keep America Beautiful has field-tested and expanded the Cigarette Litter Prevention Program for the last six years with support from Philip Morris USA, an Altria company.

House panel OKs tobacco oversight

WASHINGTON — Landmark legislation that would give the federal government the power to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products passed an early hurdle Wednesday.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill, 38 to 12.
The measure would allow the Food and Drug Administration to review new tobacco products before they go on sale, limit advertising and restrict sales to youths. It also would enable the agency to regulate levels of tar, nicotine and other ingredients.
Fees imposed on tobacco product makers and importers would pay for the FDA's new oversight.
"Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and this legislation will help address this enormous public health problem," said committee Chairman John D. Dingell, a Michigan Democrat.
The FDA first asserted that it had authority over tobacco products in 1996, but four years later, the Supreme Court rejected the agency's initiative.
Ever since, backers have been pushing Congress to pass legislation expressly granting the authority. More recently, Philip Morris and other tobacco companies have expressed support.
"Despite all the death and disease tobacco products cause, they are exempt from basic health regulations that apply to consumable products, drugs and even dog food," Daniel E. Smith, president of the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network, said in a statement praising Wednesday's committee vote.
The full House is expected to vote on the bill this spring.
The Senate is considering similar legislation, which the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee approved in August.
All three leading presidential contenders are co-sponsors of the Senate bill, and support for the House measure is said to be strong, but its passage is far from certain.
President Bush opposed an early version of the legislation. The FDA's commissioner, Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, objected to the agency deciding whether a cigarette was safe.

Looking For Ways To Quit Smoking

With the right information in hand you can quit smoking and be smoke free forever. Each time I tried to quit cigarettes it took an unbelievable amount of drive on my part. In all the attempts that I had made before it did teach me what I needed to know next time I tried to stop smoking. If you should fail on your first attempts, you can at least slow down on the amounts of cigs you do have. When you do stop smoking it will be one of the best things you can do to promote your well-being. Sometimes health providers provide workshops to help in quitting smoking, so seek them out. Having a plan of attack will help to control your desire to smoke. Don't let yourself believe it's to hard too stop smoking.

I joined one of those stop smoking support groups the last attempt I made in quitting smoking. The rationality of doing this was it was just torture to time and time again quit smoking. That was going to be the last time I quit this habit. Support that is structured and personalized can be long lasting in helping you. The journey from this type of psychological ride can be so overwhelming. If you are in the know with advice from a support group, you can face what's coming. There is nothing here that is ground breaking at all. The stress of starting and stopping smoking is too much. Your mind will even come up with reasons to have a cigarette. Having a few tricks up your shelve can help not to have that cig.

Make sure you have equipped yourself with the knowledge you need on the smoke and how it affects you. Modify your behavior; hanging out with your former smokers will just pull your trigger to start smoking again. Tobacco is a drug of dependence, treat it as such. Confront the situation of wanting to smoke a cigarette and be prepared to stop yourself, easy quit smoking tip.

To quit cold turkey was an illusion out of my reach smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. It may be the most well known method to quit smoking and the oldest. If I would have quit cold turkey, I would have been climbing the walls without a plan to act on doing the cold turkey idea.

As difficult as it would be to try to quit smoking I would also use products to help with my withdraw symptoms to help with the smoking cravings. The use of a nicotine patch or nicotine gum is known to helping people be less likely to start smoking again. If you should mess up by having a few cigarettes do not despair, just start over. Let's not dwell on meshing up and quitting your no smoking efforts.

Start by making a promise to yourself, that you are going to find a way to quit smoking, it starts with a plan. When you start you will be very uncomfortable at first. Family can help with your stress. Smokers fail in there first attempts all the time, just start again.

Some smoking aids do contain nicotine; other products are coming on the market all the time that do not contain nicotine. Doctors may use drugs like bupropion, chantix and fluoxetine. Chantix is pfizer's drug, fluoxetine may be for depression in smokers and there is nicotine free bupropion. Doctors will use what works best.

What happens when you quit smoking is withdraw symptoms from quitting smoking can vary from feeling fatigue or suffering from irritability and feeling like you are coming down with a cold or something. In the first 48 hours is when these will be the strongest. Temporary is what this is, do not forget. Knowledge is what you need to stay in control of your mind when this is happening to your body which will go away.

If you where not buying cigarettes for a year think about how much money that would be, is that enough of an incentive for you? Buy yourself something special after that. You will be one of the non smokers with negative attitude at the smokers outside. No more standing 15 feet away from the entrance to the building. Bring on the anti-smoking laws and more taxes on cigarettes; I don't have to pay anymore.

Tennessee Goes for Safe Cigarettes

A bill has passed through both chambers of the state legislature requiring that only fire-safe cigarettes be sold in Tennessee.
After passing the House by an overwhelming margin on April 10 and receiving final approval from the Senate on Thursday, the "Fire Safety Standard and Firefighter Protection Act" is now headed to the desk of Gov. Phil Bredesen to be signed into law.
"Unattended cigarettes are the leading cause of home fire fatalities each year in this country. That's a preventable cause that we simply cannot continue to ignore," said Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Rosalind Kurita. "Fire-safe cigarettes cut off the burning time before most cigarettes are able to ignite furniture, bedding material, and other similar items."
Fire-safe cigarettes are produced to have a reduced propensity to burn when left unattended. They are made from a special paper that contains "speed bumps." These areas of increased thickness extinguish the cigarettes when air is not pulled through them. Unattended cigarettes burn out when the flame hits the speed bumps.
The new law only allows the sale of cigarettes in Tennessee that have been manufactured by companies that use fire-safe cigarette paper.
Manufacturers will be required to maintain records of testing, and the Tennessee Fire Marshall will review the program to determine its effectiveness.
Statistics from the state Fire Marshall's office show that from 2000-04, 36 Tennesseans died and 53 were injured in fires caused by smoking materials. During this period, 800 smoking-related residential fires caused over $13 million in property damage.
"Fire-safe cigarettes have the potential to save lives and save money," Speaker Kurita said. "This is a common-sense step in fire prevention."
Thursday's action completes over a year's worth of work on the "Fire Safety Standard and Firefighter Protection Act."
Speaker Kurita introduced the bill in February 2007 and it initially passed the Senate in May of that year.
The bill is supported by the Tennessee Fire Chiefs Association, the Tennessee Fire Safety Inspectors Association, the Tennessee Fire and Codes Academy, and the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes. The House companion bill was carried by Rep. Gary Moore, D-Joelton.
New York, Vermont, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire have all mandated the sale of fire-safe cigarettes. Over 20 other states are currently considering such legislation.

Facts About Smoking Cigarettes

Breathing trouble and lung cancer are usually associated with smoking of cigarettes. Moreover, several other chronic disorders can also develop in smokers. Smoking is one of the major independent risk factors for coronary heart disease and kidney failure along with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Since smoking decreases oxygen flow to the heart, it causes huge damage. Both blood pressure and heart rate gets increased and that is fatal for the heart. Among the poisonous substances present in a cigarette are carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, tar and above all, nicotine. In fact, many other poisonous ingredients of different levels of toxicity are also present.

Nicotine is addictive and affects the arteries in a negative manner. Heartbeat increases, hypertension occurs and arteries get constricted due to nicotine. Oxygen supply to the heart is stopped due to carbon monoxide. Blood clotting and clogging gets increased. In the case of coronary artery, the supply of oxygen-rich blood to the heart gets decreased due to narrowing of the arteries. This strain leads to a chest pain or angina pectoris.

Apart from the long-term bad effects, cigarette smoking affects the body right at the moment of smoking due to the presence of so many poisonous substances. Arsenic is a rat poison, methane is a rocket fuel, ammonia is used in floor cleaning, cadmium is used in batteries, carbon monoxide is part of car exhaust and hydrogen cyanide is a poison used in gas chambers. Every time one inhales smoke from a cigarette, all these poisonous chemicals enter into the blood through the lungs in small amounts. Even small amounts of such deadly poisons can harm the body.

Smoking makes one smell bad, stains the teeth, causes the skin to wrinkle and gives bad breath. Cavities are found three times more in smokers than non-smokers. Hormone levels get lower due to smoking. Smokers cough for a long time. They are more prone to bronchitis and pneumonia. Smokers fall sick more often. Every time one inhales smoke from a cigarette, some of the air sacks in the lungs get killed. This way, parts of the lungs gradually get destroyed. This hampers activities like sports or singing where proper breathing is necessary.

Smoking paralyzes the hair-like structures called cilia lining the lungs. They become incapable of sweeping out dust particles, smoke and pollens from the lungs. As a result these particles stay permanently in the lungs and form tar. Cigarettes are as bad as cocaine or heroin. The poisonous addictive in nicotine makes people feel good while smoking. This increases the chances of lung cancer or emphysema. One ends up being sick for a long, long time.

Smoke from a cigarette increases fatty deposits in the blood and strains the heart. The risk of a heart disease and atherosclerosis gets aggravated due to this. Atherosclerosis is a disease in which fatty substances like cholesterol, cellular waste, calcium etc are deposited along the lining of arteries in a human body. LDL cholesterol increases and HDL cholesterol decreases due to smoking. Triglycerides increases and affects the cholesterol levels negatively.

The Facts About Cigarette Smoking

Nearly 50 million Americans smoke, resulting in nearly 450,000 deaths each year. The smoke from cigarettes alone contains over 4,000 different chemicals

The Facts About Cigarette Smoking

Nearly 50 million Americans smoke, resulting in nearly 450,000 deaths each year. The smoke from cigarettes alone contains over 4,000 different chemicals, including 200 known poisons. Cigarettes are also highly addictive; one-third of the young people who "experiment" end up addicted by the time they turn 20.

Even though many people smoke because they believe cigarettes calm their nerves, smoking releases epinephrine, a hormone that creates physiological stress in the smoker, rather than relaxation. Not only are smokers affected by their habit, but second-hand smoke is also responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths annually of non-smokers in the United States.

There are numerous negative side effects associated with smoking cigarettes; they include the loss of the sense of smell and taste, emphysema, premature and overabundant face wrinkles, gastric ulcers, smoker's cough, stroke, heart disease, and cancer of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, lungs, pancreas, cervix, uterus, and bladder.

Smokers become physically and psychologically dependent, suffering numerous withdrawal symptoms when they attempt to quit. These symptoms include: changes in body temperature, heart rate, digestion, muscle tone, and appetite, irritability, anxiety, sleep disturbances, nervousness, headaches, fatigue, nausea, and cravings for tobacco that can last days, weeks, months, years, or even an entire lifetime.

Cigarette smoking is perhaps the most devastating preventable cause of disease and premature death. Adolescent cigarette smokers are more likely to smoke marijuana and are more likely to use other illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin in the future.

Smoking Cigarettes – Pros and Cons.

Cigarettes are smallish white cylinders, filled with the dried leaves of the tobacco plant. Predominantly sold in batches of 20, the boxes they come in demonstrate a wide variety of colours and designs, from the ubiquitous red chevron of Marlboro to the arched dancer holding her tambourine, featured on the classic blue design of the French brand, Gitanes. Tobacco can also be bought loose in pouches and rolled into cigarette papers to approximate the aforementioned cylindrical shape.
Cigarettes are smallish white cylinders, filled with the dried leaves of the tobacco plant. Predominantly sold in batches of 20, the boxes they come in demonstrate a wide variety of colours and designs, from the ubiquitous red chevron of Marlboro to the arched dancer holding her tambourine, featured on the classic blue design of the French brand, Gitanes. Tobacco can also be bought loose in pouches and rolled into cigarette papers to approximate the aforementioned cylindrical shape.

For some, smoking is a pleasure. For others, it's abhorrent. Indeed, smoking cigarettes has become a contentious activity, with health issues of paramount concern. For instance, the issue of smokers passing on their toxic smoke to the non-smokers in their community is, as they say, a hot potato.

Smoking is undoubtedly bad for the health and passive smoking isn't much good either. But on the other hand, in a world full of pollution and man-made health hazards, created by smokers and non-smokers alike, should non-smokers dictate to smokers just how to live their lives?

And what exactly is the right way to live a life, anyway?

Why Smoke?

It is difficult to know the reasons why people smoke. Non-smokers could rightly point to the deleterious physiological effects that prolonged and consistent smoking undoubtedly have and wonder...'Why?' Why on earth would we choose to physically do harm to our own bodies? Non-smokers don't smoke because they might not like the smell, or have tried it and just didn't like it. But generally they won't smoke because fundamentally, smoking cigarettes is bad for the health. Is smoking a cigarette, then, a wilful act of self-mutilation, that at best merits derision?

It is often the case that we are not responsible for the environments we inherit, both socially and emotionally. Smoking cigarettes may be just one of the many 'imperfect' responses humans have to living in an increasingly 'imperfect', difficult world.

The question 'Why Smoke' is not an easy one to answer, indeed, it borders on the downright philosophical. If non-smokers wonder 'why?' (as in 'Why the hell would you want to smoke?'), so too smokers may wonder, 'why not?'. Or perhaps smokers may be tempted to examine their habit objectively and then ask themselves the question, 'Just why am I smoking?

An Act of Volition?

But the fact remains that many people do smoke. Certain groups from most cultures in most parts of the world today have found occasion to light up. As we've seen, there could be many possible reasons for this:

- smoking as a kind of 'rite of passage' displacement for the modern-day youth;
- smoking as part of social bonding;
- smoking as an aid to contemplation; ceremonial and ritualised smoking;
- smoking as a self-destructive reaction to depression or unhappiness;
- or smoking just for personal pleasure.

Smokers may smoke because they choose to. It's an act of volition, an expression of an individual freedom to make choices. Or is it? One could argue the opposite, that smokers smoke because they are duped in to doing so.

Big Tobacco Lures Young Smokers With Menthol Cigarettes

Tobacco companies are manipulating menthol levels in cigarettes to appeal to newer, younger smokers, part of a deliberate strategy to get younger people, particularly African-Americans, hooked, a new study contends.

Menthol makes cigarettes more palatable to the novice smoker.

"If anything, menthol is being used as a candy to help the toxin go down," said Dr. Gregory Connolly, senior author of a paper being published in the September issue of the American Journal of Public Health. "If we let the industry go ahead and willy-nilly design the product the way they want to, it's going to lead to the premature death of millions and millions of Americans. Our research says we have to go after this."

A bill pending in Congress would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration power to regulate menthol and other additives in cigarettes.

"This study provides evidence of one of the many ways tobacco companies manipulate the ingredients in cigarettes in an effort to entice and addict new consumers," John R. Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society, said in a news release. "Legislation in Congress would give the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products and put an end to tobacco industry practices that prey upon children and blatantly mislead adults. The bill would end the marketing of tobacco products to children, force companies for the first time to disclose the ingredients in their products and allow the FDA to regulate all tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, based on science."

Menthol itself is not addictive, but it can ease the "delivery" of nicotine, which is highly addictive. More than 70 percent of African-American smokers use menthol cigarettes, compared with about 30 percent of white smokers. It's unclear if menthol cigarettes are more harmful than "regular" cigarettes, the study authors said.

Connolly and his colleagues looked at internal tobacco-industry documents which showed that companies researched how menthol levels could affect sales among different demographic groups. Cigarettes with milder menthol levels appeal to younger smokers.

Then they measured menthol levels in mentholated cigarettes, which proliferated after the signing of the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998, the historic settlement between tobacco companies and 46 U.S. states. Newport had the lowest levels of menthol, while traditional Kool cigarettes the highest, the researchers said.

Last, they looked at an existing survey of smoking in the general U.S. population.

"We found that, once again, menthol was the predominant brand smoked by African-American teens, and they smoked it at higher rates than older African-Americans," said Connolly, who is professor of the practice of public health and director of the Tobacco Control Research Program at the Harvard School of Public Health. "Surprisingly, we found that Caucasian teens smoked menthol at higher rates than expected, indicating that hip-hop was moving into the suburbs."

The deliberate manipulation of menthol levels was accompanied by more focused advertising of mentholated cigarettes (advertising for non-mentholated brands fell) and the introduction of new brands such as Marlboro Milds in 2000, the researchers said.

"The product itself stands outside the law, and industry is exploiting that, tailoring their brands to specific groups and integrating that with what marketing they have left and, unfortunately, they're being successful," Connolly said. "The outcome should be regulation of menthol by the FDA. It's the one hole."

The study authors also argued that this industry practice is a violation of the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), which prohibits companies from marketing directly or indirectly to youths.

The new study was funded by The American Legacy Foundation (formed in the wake of the MSA) and the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

David Sylvia, a spokesman for cigarette maker Philip Morris USA, said: "We don't believe that this study's hypothesis or conclusions are supported by the facts cited in the study. In fact, we disagree with their conclusion that menthol levels in our products were manipulated to gain market share among adolescents, and are unable to find any evidence supporting that conclusion within this study.

"This study almost exclusively relies on information about young adults who are legal-aged smokers who are at or above the legal age of smoking," he added.

UK cigarettes 'not spiked': Industry denies use of genetically-altered tobacco leaves

The Tobacco Manufacturers' Association said leaves from the altered plant were not used in Britain, where cigarettes are not blended as they are in the US.
The statement followed claims on Tuesday by the head of the American Food and Drug Administration that Brown and Williamson (a company owned by British American Tobacco) had genetically altered tobacco plants, called Y-1, to double the nicotine content. The chairman of Brown and Williamson is due to give evidence to the congressional hearing today, when he is expected to deny many of the points made by the FDA chief, David Kessler.
Mr Kessler told a congressional hearing on the tobacco industry that Brown and Williamson had grown the plants secretly in Brazil. He also claimed that some cigarette brands were 'spiked' with ammonia to double the amount of nicotine that entered a smoker's bloodstream. The association rejected this claim yesterday.
If the FDA can show that companies deliberately set out to manipulate nicotine content, this could strengthen its hand in calling for tobacco to be regulated as a drug - a move that could lead to a ban on cigarettes.
But a BAT Industries spokesman said: 'This is an agency with an agenda - and that is to acquire jurisdiction over tobacco so it can regulate it out of existence.'
BAT said the Y-1 tobacco plant was developed by the US Department of Agriculture in the search for a tobacco for low-tar cigarettes. Brown and Williamson continued development when the US Government stopped.
A spokesman for BAT said yesterday that Y-1 was a blending tool that delivered the same nicotine as products it replaced.

How Cigarettes Calm You Down

ScienceDaily (Apr. 25, 2009) — The calming neurological effects of nicotine have been demonstrated in a group of non-smokers during anger provocation. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Behavioral and Brain Functions suggest that nicotine may alter the activity of brain areas that are involved in the inhibition of negative emotions such as anger.

Jean Gehricke led a team of researchers from the University of California who studied the effect of nicotine patches on the subjects' tendency to retaliate in response to anger provocation. The subjects played a computer game and could see a video screen of another player who they believed to be their opponent, although, in fact, they were playing alone. After each round, the victor could give his opponent a burst of unpleasant noise – at a duration and volume set by the winner. In some of the subjects, nicotine was associated with a reduced tendency to retaliate, even after provocation by the 'opponent'.

According to Gehricke, "Participants who showed nicotine-induced changes in anger task performance also showed changes in brain metabolism. Nicotine-induced reductions in length of retaliation were associated with changes in brain metabolism in response to nicotine in brain areas responsible for orienting, planning and processing of emotional stimuli".

The authors say that their findings support the idea that people of an angry disposition are more susceptible to nicotine's effects, and are therefore more likely to become addicted to cigarettes. They conclude, "Novel behavioral treatments that affect the cortical and limbic brain areas, like anger management training, may aid smoking cessation efforts in anger provoking situations that increase withdrawal and tobacco cravings".

Marijuana Smoke More Toxic than Cigarettes

Are you a Marijuana or Cigarette smoker? Then you should betted know that Marijuana is more dangerous than Cigarettes. Recent researches shows that almost every Marijuana smokes less than Cigarette smokers. But thats not a good sign either. Researchers who compared marijuana smoke to tobacco smoke found that ammonia levels were 20 times higher in the marijuana smoke, and that hydrogen cyanide and nitrogen-related chemicals also were more prevalent in the marijuana smoke. The latter likely came from fertilizer used to grow the marijuana, which came from Canada. Unlike tobacco, however, marijuana smoke does not contain the addictive drug nicotine. New research finds that smoking three or four marijuana cigarettes a week for six years could harm lung function and destroy antioxidants that protect cells against heart disease and cancer.

Where Cigar Tobacco Grows

Where does cigar tobacco grow? Maybe the better question is where doesn’t it? We tend to associate tobacco with southern states and tropical climates, but it’s an amazingly adaptable plant and it can put down roots almost anywhere, which is why you can find antique cigar molds and presses in the northern reaches of the United States—for many years, in fact, Ohio was the center of cigar manufacturing in the Midwest U.S.

But certain parts of the world yield better cigar tobacco than others. Soil content and climate have a lot to do with it, which is why the vast majority of tobacco grown for cigars comes from places where the ground is rich and loamy and it’s moist and mild year round. Growing conditions also affect how tobacco tastes—tobacco grown from a certain type of seed in countries other than where that seed originated from won’t taste exactly the same as the original.

Here, in somewhat of a particular order, are the world’s major cigar tobacco growing areas and some general comments on the kinds of tobacco grown in them.

Dominican Republic—Long a leader in tobacco production and still where the majority of premium cigars are made. Most noted for long-leaf filler but also yields impressive wrappers thanks to the Fuente family’s efforts. Rich, full-flavored tobacco, reflecting the Cuban-seed heritage that’s behind most of it.

Cuba—Simply the home of some of the world’s finest tobacco, now and probably forever. Of the island’s growing areas, the best known is the Vuelta Abajo region, located on the west, which produces shade-grown wrapper and filler tobacco. As a rule, Cuban tobacco is full-bodied with mouth-filling spice and aroma.

Ecuador—Living under a cloud can be a good thing when you’re a tobacco plant. The almost perpetual cloud cover over this South American country produces exquisite shade-grown wrappers, with a mild yet flavorful taste. Connecticut and Sumatra seed is the heritage of the tobacco here, which also finds its way into some filler blends. Also noted for darker, sun-grown wrappers.

Honduras—With the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, one of the largest producers of non-Havana premium cigars in the world. Tobacco grown here is characteristically rich and somewhat spicy.

Nicaragua—Growing conditions here are said to rival those of Cuba, and close ties between the two countries result in tobacco that rivals the best of what Cuba has to offer as well. Prized for wrapper and filler, Nicaraguan tobacco is full-bodied and can be spicy and/or somewhat sweet tasting.

United States—The Connecticut River Valley is legendary for its wrapper leaf tobacco and you’ll find it on some of the world’s best cigars. Connecticut Shade, the best-known, is grown under huge tents and is prized for its mild, neutral flavor. Connecticut Broadleaf, grown in the sun, is coarser, darker, sweeter, and typically used to make maduro-style cigars.

Cameroon/Central African Republic—Primarily known for wrapper leaves, which are medium to dark reddish-brown and range from fairly mild to richly flavored with a characteristic spiciness. Cameroon wrappers typically look a little bumpy—this is from small oil pockets in the leaf that, when burned, unleash the tobacco’s flavor. This is known as “tooth,” and while Cameroon wrappers are noted for it, they’re not the only ones that have it.

Brazil—Two growing regions here produce medium to full-bodied tobacco for filler and wrappers.

Mexico—Produces binder, filler, and wrapper tobacco in several tobacco-growing areas. Most noted for binder leaf and somewhat spicy maduro wrappers, often on the dry side when compared with other dark wrappers.

Sumatra/Java—Noted for the seed that originated here and now grown in a number of other countries. Often used for wrappers, this leaf is typically dark brown and mild to neutral in flavor.

Its possible to subdue the desire to smoke a cigarette doing exercises

According to research work, it was established, that a smoker is able to restrain himself from smoking a  cigarettewith the help of some exercises. Studies showed that for example unhurried walking reduced the intensity of smokers' nicotine symptoms.

Doctor Adrian Taylor, the professor of exercise and health psychology at the University of Exeter, who is also the lead author of this study, declared that if it's possible to find the same effect in a drug, it would be sold as an aid for people to quit smoking   cigarettes. Dr. Tailor together with his colleagues examined 12 papers, trying to establish the connection between exercise and nicotine deprivation. They concentrated their attention on exercises, which could be done as a day-to-day activity, such as walking, flexing muscles. As a result, they found out that as little as five minutes of exercise was enough for smokers to subdue their desire to smoke their daily cigarette. 

During the studies, people were asked by the researchers to rate their need for a cigarette after different moderate physical exercises. Those ones who had done some exercise during 5 minutes said that their desire to smoke a cigarette was reduced. 

Dr. Robert West, professor of health psychology at University College London said that it was also established that the effectiveness of exercises was as strong as the nicotine patch. He also added that the duration of the effect was unknown. Smokers could do exercise to manage with short-time desire for a cigarette, but it was still a question, if such effect could last for a long period of time. Dr.Talyor also advanced a theory that some exercises could produce the mood-enhancing hormone dopamine, which can reduce nicotine dependence. 

Nevertheless, experts were not convinced about the study's practical application. Dr. Hajek, professor of clinical psychology at Queen University Hospital in London, who was not involved in the study, said if people did simple exercises even during their work at the desk, they could subdue the desire to smoke a   cigarette.