Have you ever smelled the distinctive smoke of clove cigarettes? Even those who are vehemently opposed to cigarette smoke admit that the odor of a burning clove cigarette is actually quite pleasant. Clove cigarettes, or kreteks as they are called in Indonesia, are actually the brainchild of a man residing in Java who sought for a way to introduce the essential oils of cloves into his lungs. Suffering from asthma and acute chest pains, he believed that cloves would take away the pain if not outright cure him. His faith in the cloves was rewarded, and he soon set out to market his mode of introducing cloves’ essential oils throughout his village and surrounding areas. The method was surprisingly simple: mix tobacco with cloves and then smoke it.

Over time, this Indonesian invention led to the production of wholesale clove cigarettes which are today known under a variety of brands such as Djarum special clove cigarettes and Sampoerna. The effects of clove cigarettes have been reported as being similar to regular cigarettes, with the added effects of tingling in the mouth, a slight anesthetic effect, and also a temporary suppression of the gag reflex. Smoking clove cigarettes has been the stuff of urban legends, and some your girls are said to buy kretek cigarettes because allegedly clove cigarettes help with losing weight. This is not true. Similarly, clove cigarettes do not contain fiber glass or rat feces as other urban legends claim.

What is true about clove cigarettes is the fact that health risks for clove cigarettes are similar to those noted for regular tobacco products. Incidents of cancer are not less, and the ingredients of tar and also the addictive nicotine in clove cigarettes are comparable to that of any major brand of regular cigarettes. Clove cigarette reviews show that they appeal mostly to the younger audience who wants to stand out, to hipsters who see this fragrant tobacco as an extension of their personality, and to native Indonesians who miss the odor that may be reminiscent of home. It is interesting to note that Philip Morris, a major tobacco manufacturer, actually managed to have legislation introduced that cited the imminent clove cigarettes dangers to young audiences and thus wanted to have them taken off the market and made illegal. Of course, after successfully purchasing Sampoerna in 2005 Philip Morris changed its tune considerably – once again the company’s smoking empire was safe.