, 1889-10-10
EGYPTIAN CIGARETTES.
How They Arc Made and OF what
Materials.

The bales are opened as required, and
the various leaves mixed 80 that four diff
iercnt priced qualities result. the hest
kind being that in which there is the
least smyrna tobacco and the least per- =
Centage of large leaves. If cigarettes were
made exclusively of the hest leaves, which
are light brown in color, and measure
only by . inches, the aroma is very
pleasant, but the smoker getsa headache
after about five of them. The middle
leaves, when dry, measure about Z by
AZ inches, and the lowest
leaves of all are considerably larger.
Cairo air Is so dry that leaves must be
dampened with water hero before being
cut, hut iii Alexandra this is not neces-
sary. Englisl-nade machines cut up
the leaves, and on the following day the
cigarettes are rolled by Greek, Syrian or
Jewish workmen. A clever workman
can roll as many as 1900 n day. The Gig
arettes are then carefully overhauled by
an expert left week to dry and then
packed III tin boxes for sale, They should,
of course be smoked directly, instead of
being Kept, as Is too often the case in
England. So much for the tobacco; now
for the paper. All large Cairo firms en-
ploy one kind of paper only which is
made by half English company at
Fiume, near Trieste. 1t comes to Alex
andria in ioolscap sheets, and is there
cut up in the required size. And it is
chiefly rice straw; but the merchants
here all vow that II is the best they can
get. If one Is right in suspecting the
paper instead of the tobacco, IL might be
well 10 try to get cigarettes rolled in to-
bacco leaves instead of paper. The only
other ingredient lett to consider is tile
starch Tor joining the paper. This is
used with thin stick by the men who
roll the cigarettes. | may say that each
workman is allowed to smoke as many
cigarettes (say iorty) as he likes during
his work, and is presented with ten
every night to take home with
him. The first establishment that
/ visited only came into being
tive years ago, but now has three
branch shops in London and one in
Bombay, Berlin and New York. The
proprietors sell only l per cent of their
cigarettes in Egypt. but export 600 900
a week to England, besides 400, 900 week.
etc. My second visit was paid to we'll
known purveyor who exports 900
week to England alone, where saw one
hundred men rolling cigarettes, and
bales full of the best tobacco leaves. At
the third house was shown several
This consists of specially selected leaves,
and is the finest possible from Turkey.
The proprietor sends about 125, 600 every
week to England. My fourth visit was
to a man whom had never
heard of before, but who was
kccnly alive TO the correspondence in
the English newspapers. lie sends
every week more than $4,000 cigarettes
to England and greater quantity to
Germany. Although in a smaller line
of business than the others, he gets his
leaves and his paper from the same spot
as his competitors. There are, OF course
many other reputable establishments in
Cairo besides these four, which, as have
shown, supply every week 100000
cigarettes to England alone and
about the same number to
other parts of tho world. My
opinion Is that opium or other drug is
mixed with the tobacco: and even in
hasheesh dens the devotec buys bit of
the cannabis indica extract and mixesl
himself with the tobacco. In conclusion,
one practical hint from wise old
Oriental who smokes seventy or eighty
cigarette day, his wife smoking almost
as great a number: Always use a
cigarette. holder, and in the holder tiny
plug of cotton wool previously dipped in
lemon juice and changed every time
with the cigarette.