Kudus City of Kretek
Kretek is a uniquely Indonesian creation. Cloves, one of the three main components, are indigenous to the archipelago. Indonesia's rich and fertile soil, tropical climate and rainfall pattern, yield some of the best tobacco in the world. From its small scale beginnings to the mass production of today, the development of the kretek industry intimately reflects the twists and turns of Indonesian history.
History of Kretek
The story of kretek begins in the city of Kudus, Central Java, Indonesia. It was here in the 1880 that Haji Jamhari, a local resident, first invented the kretek cigarette, mixing locally grown cloves with tobacco to invent a cigarette to ease his chest pains.
The story goes that Haji Jamhari suffered from asthma and would rub clove oil on his chest for relief. He experimented with adding cloves to his cigarette on the chance that inhaling the smoke would help his lungs.
Miraculously, Haji Jamhari was cured. Excited, he marketed his invention, which he named 'kretek' after the 'kemeretek' or crackling sound that the cloves made as they burned, as a medicinal cure. Thus was kretek born.
This fortuitous discovery was taken a step further by Nitisemito, another savvy Kudus resident who, seeing an opportunity, took it upon himself to market and begin mass-producing the unique new cigarette. In doing so, he created what would eventually become an enormous industry with a worldwide reach.
Nitisemito was instrumental in transforming the kretek landscape. Termed the 'father of the kretek industry', Nitisemito launched a brand called Bal Tiga, accompanied by an innovative marketing campaign the likes of which Indonesia had not seen before. At the time, cigarettes were crude homemade, hand-rolled affairs wrapped in cornhusks.
Such is the scale of the kretek industry today that 95 percent of the world supply of cloves goes to kretek manufacturing. Sadly, Nitisemito's company, Bal Tiga, is long gone, but a road bearing his name still exists in Kudus, testimony to his legacy.
Although Bal Tiga went bankrupt in 1955 as a result of the Second World War, the production practices Nitisemito pioneered permanently transformed the scale of kretek manufacturing from a cottage industry to modern industrial production.
Today, Kudus continues to occupy a focal point on the kretek landscape, maintaining its tradition of kretek manufacturing. Of an estimated 600 kretek manufacturers in Indonesia, the majority are based in Kudus. Djarum itself employs some 60,000 people in the city.
Home to the only kretek museum in Indonesia, Kudus, whose name derives from the Arabic word, Al-Quds, meaning 'holy,' also happens to be a Moslem site of pilgrimage. Each year thousands of visitors flock to the sacred Menara Kudus (Kudus Tower), a Kudus landmark that is associated with the Nine Saints (Wali Songo) responsible for bringing Islam to Java.
History of Kretek
The story of kretek begins in the city of Kudus, Central Java, Indonesia. It was here in the 1880 that Haji Jamhari, a local resident, first invented the kretek cigarette, mixing locally grown cloves with tobacco to invent a cigarette to ease his chest pains.
The story goes that Haji Jamhari suffered from asthma and would rub clove oil on his chest for relief. He experimented with adding cloves to his cigarette on the chance that inhaling the smoke would help his lungs.
Miraculously, Haji Jamhari was cured. Excited, he marketed his invention, which he named 'kretek' after the 'kemeretek' or crackling sound that the cloves made as they burned, as a medicinal cure. Thus was kretek born.
This fortuitous discovery was taken a step further by Nitisemito, another savvy Kudus resident who, seeing an opportunity, took it upon himself to market and begin mass-producing the unique new cigarette. In doing so, he created what would eventually become an enormous industry with a worldwide reach.
Nitisemito was instrumental in transforming the kretek landscape. Termed the 'father of the kretek industry', Nitisemito launched a brand called Bal Tiga, accompanied by an innovative marketing campaign the likes of which Indonesia had not seen before. At the time, cigarettes were crude homemade, hand-rolled affairs wrapped in cornhusks.
Such is the scale of the kretek industry today that 95 percent of the world supply of cloves goes to kretek manufacturing. Sadly, Nitisemito's company, Bal Tiga, is long gone, but a road bearing his name still exists in Kudus, testimony to his legacy.
Although Bal Tiga went bankrupt in 1955 as a result of the Second World War, the production practices Nitisemito pioneered permanently transformed the scale of kretek manufacturing from a cottage industry to modern industrial production.
Today, Kudus continues to occupy a focal point on the kretek landscape, maintaining its tradition of kretek manufacturing. Of an estimated 600 kretek manufacturers in Indonesia, the majority are based in Kudus. Djarum itself employs some 60,000 people in the city.
Home to the only kretek museum in Indonesia, Kudus, whose name derives from the Arabic word, Al-Quds, meaning 'holy,' also happens to be a Moslem site of pilgrimage. Each year thousands of visitors flock to the sacred Menara Kudus (Kudus Tower), a Kudus landmark that is associated with the Nine Saints (Wali Songo) responsible for bringing Islam to Java.
LessProduct of Nature
Kretek is made up of natural products. The base ingredients of tobacco and cloves are finished off by special ingredients to enhance the aroma. Grown in Indonesia's unique climate and soil. These components are what give kretek its distinctive taste, depending on the type, age and proportions of the tobacco, cloves and special ingredients used.
Tobacco
Cloves
Selected Spices
Tobacco
Tobacco was introduced to the archipelago by European explorers on their expeditions. Today, Indonesia known for producing some of the finest tobacco in the world. More than 100 varieties flourish in its rich volcanic soil, occupying over 250.000 of cultivated land primarily in Sumatera, Java, Bali and Lombok. Regional differences in the aroma and nicotine content occur due to soil conditions, rainfall, altitude, climate and local fanning traditions, but the best tobacco is accepted to be that from the Temanggung region of Central Java. The unique climate of this mountainous area is said to produce not only the most aromatic tobacco, but also tobacco with the highest nicotine levels in the world.
LessCloves
Cloves are one of the native Indonesian spice plants, to be precise from Maluku. Cloves are not only cultivated in Maluku, but also in East Java, Sulawesi, East Kalimantan, and East Nusa Tenggara. Indonesia is the largest clove producer in the world. The unique aroma of clove oil is believed to have various benefits. Especially in Indonesia, cloves are used as a mixture for kretek.
Clove trees take at least five years to mature, after which they generate an annual crop. The buds are picked by hand in a labor-intensive process, then set out in the sun until perfectly dry. The cloves will then be weighed, sold, and eventually shredded before being added to the master tobacco blend.
LessSelected Spices
This secret ingredient is added to the main blend of tobacco and cloves to give each brand a distinct taste. These flavors are made from herbal extracts as well as various aromas and other natural compounds.
The ingredients used include aniseed, star anise, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, javanese cardamom, sweet root, andaliman, chinese rhubarb, black cumin, and bay leaf.
LessThe Heritage Continues
Kretek is a sustainable cultural heritage that continues to grow. From the past to the present, kretek industry has been empowering and advancing the economic wheels of the society. Starting from farmers, raw material suppliers, producers, distributors, to various sales channels.
What Sets Kretek Apart
Kretek cigarettes are unique creations. kretek is more complicated to manufacture than other kinds of cigarettes. Besides the tobacco and cloves, of which Indonesia produces some of the world's best, the taste of each kretek brand is determined by carefully-guarded special ingredients which are added during the production process and which varies from cigarette to cigarette.
A single kretek blend may use over 30 types of different tobacco to achieve the perfect balance, while the special ingredients may use up to 100 ingredients or aroma. The age of the tobacco chosen also plays a role, as does the proportion of tobacco to cloves. Finally, a saccharine is added to the cigarette paper for extra sweetness.
With so many variables involved, it's no wonder that the kretek experience stands in a league of its own.
Types of Kretek Cigarettes
Klobot Kretek Cigarettes
Klobot kretek cigarettes are the original kretek cigarettes. Manufactured by hand, these traditional cigarettes use cornhusk wrappers. Though rare today, Klobot cigarettes are still made in rural and East Java, usually by elderly women for an elderly male farmer consumer base.
Hand-Rolled Cigarettes
Introduced around 1913, these paper-wrapped kretek cigarettes were the first commercially produced clove cigarette. Workers would sit on the floor using hand-operated machines to produce the cigarettes. In 1970, goverment legislation required companies to provide tables and benches for staff. Sigaret Kretek Tangan, which do not have filters, continue to be popular today.
Machine-Rolled Kretek Cigarettes
Launched in 1974, machine-rolled kretek cigarettes prompted a boom in the kretek industry. Equipped with filters and similar in appearance to Western cigarettes, the slick, uniform appearance of these products was instrumental in reclaiming kretek's popularity.
Kretek Today
Outwardly, the kretek of today is a far cry from the crude hand-rolled products of the 1800. But behind the enhancement of attractive modern packaging and new innovative aroma, the essential enjoyment of a kretek smoke remains unchanged. This classic experience continues to appeal to new generations of customers both domestically and internationally.
The kretek industry is presently the largest employer in Indonesia, with over 500 active kretek manufacturers employing an estimated 180,000 people to produce some 2,000 brands. New aroma and tastes are constantly coming onto the market as modern research and development methods are employed to create new kretek products. More recently, European companies have developed a range of aroma especially for the kretek industry.
As such, kretek products are widely consumed through the Indonesian archipelago as an everyday indulgence. With so many brand and aroma available, kretek is consumed by consumers of all classes. Some brands are aimed at the lower classes, while others have cultivated a distinctly high-end image.
Additionally, a growing international audience has come to know and appreciate the delights of kretek. For international smokers in particular, kretek is likely to be a select indulgence, one reserved for special occasions.
Another demographic shift has been the emergence of female kretek smokers, a phenomenon unthinkable a hundred years ago. In short, kretek has successfully evolved and changed to keep with the times, without losing touch with its traditional roots.
The Heritage Continues
Kretek is a sustainable cultural heritage that continues to grow. From the past to the present, kretek industry has been empowering and advancing the economic wheels of the society. Starting from farmers, raw material suppliers, producers, distributors, to various sales channels.
What Sets Kretek Apart
Kretek cigarettes are unique creations. kretek is more complicated to manufacture than other kinds of cigarettes. Besides the tobacco and cloves, of which Indonesia produces some of the world's best, the taste of each kretek brand is determined by carefully-guarded special ingredients which are added during the production process and which varies from cigarette to cigarette.
A single kretek blend may use over 30 types of different tobacco to achieve the perfect balance, while the special ingredients may use up to 100 ingredients or aroma. The age of the tobacco chosen also plays a role, as does the proportion of tobacco to cloves. Finally, a saccharine is added to the cigarette paper for extra sweetness.
With so many variables involved, it's no wonder that the kretek experience stands in a league of its own.
LessTypes of Kretek Cigarettes
Klobot Kretek Cigarettes
Klobot kretek cigarettes are the original kretek cigarettes. Manufactured by hand, these traditional cigarettes use cornhusk wrappers. Though rare today, Klobot cigarettes are still made in rural and East Java, usually by elderly women for an elderly male farmer consumer base.
Hand-Rolled Cigarettes
Introduced around 1913, these paper-wrapped kretek cigarettes were the first commercially produced clove cigarette. Workers would sit on the floor using hand-operated machines to produce the cigarettes. In 1970, goverment legislation required companies to provide tables and benches for staff. Sigaret Kretek Tangan, which do not have filters, continue to be popular today.
Machine-Rolled Kretek Cigarettes
Launched in 1974, machine-rolled kretek cigarettes prompted a boom in the kretek industry. Equipped with filters and similar in appearance to Western cigarettes, the slick, uniform appearance of these products was instrumental in reclaiming kretek's popularity.
Kretek Today
Outwardly, the kretek of today is a far cry from the crude hand-rolled products of the 1800. But behind the enhancement of attractive modern packaging and new innovative aroma, the essential enjoyment of a kretek smoke remains unchanged. This classic experience continues to appeal to new generations of customers both domestically and internationally.
The kretek industry is presently the largest employer in Indonesia, with over 500 active kretek manufacturers employing an estimated 180,000 people to produce some 2,000 brands. New aroma and tastes are constantly coming onto the market as modern research and development methods are employed to create new kretek products. More recently, European companies have developed a range of aroma especially for the kretek industry.
As such, kretek products are widely consumed through the Indonesian archipelago as an everyday indulgence. With so many brand and aroma available, kretek is consumed by consumers of all classes. Some brands are aimed at the lower classes, while others have cultivated a distinctly high-end image.
Additionally, a growing international audience has come to know and appreciate the delights of kretek. For international smokers in particular, kretek is likely to be a select indulgence, one reserved for special occasions.
Another demographic shift has been the emergence of female kretek smokers, a phenomenon unthinkable a hundred years ago. In short, kretek has successfully evolved and changed to keep with the times, without losing touch with its traditional roots.
Less