WO1994010864A1 - Cigarette and process for preparing the cigarette - Google Patents

Abstract

There is described cigarettes and a method for their manufacture. The cigarettes have a specific, desired firmness and include tobacco that has a high filling power. The method to produce the cigarettes involves use of a raw tobacco starting material consisting of tobacco components, which are comprised of mixtures of several tobacco grades, which components are processed individually and combined, particularly mixed, in a cut state in connection with feeding thereof into a cigarette machine. The tobacco material is dried to a desired moisture content of the cigarette at a late stage of the cigarette manufacturing process, preferably immediately prior to feeding the tobacco material into the cigarette machine. This facilitates combining of the components, particularly the mixing of the components, and enables the manufacturing conditions to be controlled in a manner to produce continuously cigarettes of a constant, desired firmness. There is also described an apparatus for carrying out the method, in which the tobacco components are roughly mixed during air transportation to the feed part of the cigarette machine, wherein the roughly mixed components are finely divided and homogeneously mixed mechanically.

Description

CIGARETTE AND PROCESS FOR PREPARING THE CIGARETTE

The present invention relates to cigarettes and to a method of their manufacture. A cigarette typically comprises tobacco which is encased in a cylindrical paper wrap. The cigarette may also have a filter construction provided at one end thereof.

The tobacco material represents a considerable part of the costs of manufacturing conventional cigarettes. Even a small percentage reduction in the amount of tobacco contained in each cigarette and/or of the amount of material waste in the form of tobacco fines, etc., during processing of the tobacco raw material would result in large cost savings.

Furthermore, in conventional cigarette manufacturing processes, in which brand mixtures have already been compiled in the raw tobacco magazine, considerable costs are involved in storing different brand mixtures. The use of two tobacco harvests from different years in order to compensate for variations in the quality of the raw tobacco also incurs considerable costs.

Thus, the costs incurred by the manufacture of cigarettes would be lowered considerably if it was possible to produce cigarettes which contain a smaller amount of tobacco while having the quality desired. A cigarette manufacturing method which results in less tobacco waste and which requires less capital to be bound-up in the number of raw tobacco mixtures that are required and possibly also avoids the necessity of using two tobacco harvests from different years would undoubtedly contribute to a further reduction in costs. A uniform, desired quality is normally ensured in the manufacture of cigarettes, by directing the weight of the cigarette to a generally constant value at essentially the same volume irrespective of the brand of cigarette concerned and its manufacturer. On the other hand, the smoker judges the quality of a cigarette with a starting point from, among other things, its firmness, which must not be too low and must not vary to any great extent from cigarette to cigarette. Neither should the firmness of the cigarette decrease to any great extent as the cigarette is smoked. Furthermore, a given least number of puffs on a cigarette during its consumption is essential from the smoker's point of view.

The amount of tobacco required to produce a cigarette of given firmness, i.e. a given radial pressure of the tobacco against the paper wrap, is dependent on the filling power of the tobacco. Higher tobacco filling power will result in harder cigarettes with unchanged tobacco quantities. Thus, when volume is unchanged, the firmness of a cigarette can be retained even when the amount of tobacco is reduced within a given cigarette weight range provided that the tobacco filling power is, at the same time, increased to a corresponding degree. The given cigarette weight range will depend at least in part on the least number of puffs or draws required of the cigarette.

An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a cigarette of the kind defined in the introduction which has a specific desired firmness at a given volume despite containing a smaller quantity of tobacco than conventional cigarettes that have generally the same firmness and volume.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cigarette manufacturing method which will result in less tobacco waste due to degradation of the tobacco.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing cigarettes of varying composition, for instance different brand cigarettes, and/or with heterogenous tobacco structure, on the basis of two or more tobacco components, thereby enabling the tobacco filling power to be improved and the need to store tobacco to be reduced.

According to the invention, these objects are achieved with a cigarette which has a specific firmness and contains tobacco having a high filling power, and also with a method for producing such a cigarette, said method comprising treating individual tobacco components, combining said components to provide a tobacco material and producing a cigarette therefrom, the tobacco starting material being comprised of at least two tobacco components, of which at least one component has or is imparted a high filling power, the said tobacco components being treated indi- vidually and subsequently combined for use in the manufacture of cigarettes in a cigarette machine, optionally after further treatment of the combined tobacco components in common.

The tobacco filling power is defined as the residual height of a tobacco column in millimeters after the tobacco column, which comprises 12 g tobacco, has been loaded with a weight of 2 kg in a cylinder for a period of 30 seconds in accordance with the so-called Borgwaldt method.

The filling power of tobacco is dependent on many factors. For instance, the filling power will generally decrease with increasing moisture and/or tempera¬ ture of the tobacco. Other factors which affect the filling power of tobacco are the properties of the raw tobacco and the raw tobacco processing conditions, such as shredding, i.e. the resultant fraction distribution; cutting, particularly cut-width and possible creping; drying and expansion and also the structure and power of the cut tobacco.

Some of these factors have already been used with the intention of reducing the amount of tobacco contained in cigarettes. The expansion of tobacco has been used primarily in this respect. Because the tobacco expands, therewith lowering its density, a smaller quantity of tobacco is required to fill a given cigarette volume. The expansion process is relatively expensive and changes the nature of the tobacco (and therewith its flavor).

According to the present invention, the filling capacity is increased in distinction to other methods by controlling the structure and/or the power of cut tobacco in a manner to improve the power of the tobacco and to reduce tobacco degradation, thereby enabling the amount of tobacco used in a cigarette to be reduced while retaining a specific cigarette firmness and cigarette volume.

The invention thus relates to a cigarette which comprises tobacco enclosed in a cylindrical paper wrap and optionally having a filter construction at one end thereof and is characterized in that the cigarette has a specific firmness and contains tobacco which exhibits a high/elevated filling power.

One embodiment of the invention provides a cigarette which contains tobacco that comprises a combination of at least two tobacco components, of which at least one component exhibits a high/elevated filling power.

Since the tobacco in the cigarette constructed in accordance with this embodiment is comprised of a combination of tobacco components, these components can be treated and/or chosen individually when manufacturing the cigarette, so that after combination the components will provide a cigarette of desirable properties. By tobacco components is meant in accordance with the present invention tobacco mixtures, which include several sorts or grades of tobacco. The tobacco grades will preferably have similar properties, such as firmness, for instance, so as to enable the tobaccos to be processed advantageously under similar conditions. On the other hand, by tobacco components is not meant a conventional separation of tobacco into a leaf fraction (lamina fraction) and a stem fraction. The expressions "tobacco component" and "tobacco mixture" are also used to define, similar to the expression "brand mixture", a combination of tobacco grades in desirable proportions prior to mixing these tobaccos together to form respective tobacco components, tobacco mixtures or brand mixtures. According to the present invention, the tobacco components are preferably comprised of leaf fractions.

However, the cigarette will also preferably include tobacco from a stem fraction that has been processed conventionally as one or more components.

The individual processing of the tobacco components enables the treatment of each component to be adapted particularly to the properties of the tobacco component. For instance, processing conditions, such as cutting conditions, can be selected specifically for each component, so as to achieve low degradation and/or high filling power.

The publication DE-A1-27 19088 describes smoking tobacco which includes several tobacco components of different classifications, i.e. contains tobacco parti- cles of different shape and width. This patent specification, however, is related particularly to pipe tobacco. Furthermore, the publication contains no disclosures as to how such tobacco can be produced and lacks examples of suitable tobacco mixtures. Neither does the publication deal with the problem of degradation when processing tobacco, nor yet how a homogenous mixture of tobacco comprised of different classifications can be obtained.

According to one convenient embodiment of the invention, the filling power of at least one tobacco component is elevated by cutting the component to a cut width and a cut length which imparts greater mechanical power to the component and therewith also a greater filling power. A brittle tobacco can normally be cut to greater widths and lengths than robust tobacco and vice versa to achieve essentially the same mechanical power. Creping can also be used to achieve a desired mechanical power, i.e. by cutting the tobacco in a cutting machine so as to impart an undulating profile to the tobacco. The person skilled in this art can readily determine suitable cut widths and cut lengths of the different tobacco components. The individually adapted cutting process will also reduce waste in the form of tobacco fines, etc., in the manufacture of cigarettes, because degradation of the components can be maintained at a low level.

The mechanical power of the tobacco, and thus also its filling power, can also be increased by impregnating the component with a fixating liquid, such as MOLINS (Molins Tobacco Machinery Ltd., England), as an alternative to or in combination with cutting conditions which result in greater mechanical power. The mechanical power of the tobacco can be further enhanced by using robust tobacco sorts.

One suitable embodiment of the invention relates to a cigarette which includes at least two tobacco components, of which at least one tobacco component has a high mechanical power and is disposed in the form of an outer shell which encases the other tobacco component or components. According to another embodi¬ ment of the invention, the tobacco component or components of high mechanical power is/are disposed as a supportive lattice structure whose interstices accom¬ modate one or more other tobacco components. The shell or the lattice structure will be sufficiently strong to prevent the cigarette from being compressed by forces that can normally occur when handling the cigarette, and consequently the tobacco component or components used to fill-out the shell or the lattice may be comprised of low mechanical power tobacco, tobacco fines, recycled tobacco, and so on.

The present invention also relates to a method for producing the aforedescri- bed cigarettes of specific firmness, wherein the method comprises treating indi¬ vidual tobacco components, combining these to form a tobacco material and producing a cigarette therefrom. The method further comprises the use of at least two tobacco components as starting material, which components are treated individually, at least one of the components being comprised of tobacco which has intrinsically a high filling power or which is imparted a high filling power, and thereafter combining the components to form a tobacco material which, optionally after further treatment and/or the addition of further tobacco material, can be provided with a cylindrical paper wrap and optionally also a filter construction in a known manner, to obtain the cigarette.

As before mentioned, many advantages are afforded by the use of tobacco components that are treated individually and combined in a late stage of the tobacco preparation process.

One advantage is that tobacco waste in the form of fines, dust, etc., generated by degradation, i.e. decomposition of tobacco material during the treatment process, can be reduced considerably, since each tobacco component may be comprised of tobacco grades of mutually similar mechanical power and can thus be processed, e.g. cut, under conditions which are particularly adapted to the tobacco component concerned, therewith maintaining low degradation of the tobacco when processing the component.

Another advantage is that suitable composition of respective tobacco components will enable present-day brand mixtures used as starting material in the conventional manufacture of cigarettes to be replaced with a number of tobacco mixtures that can be used as tobacco components when practicing the inventive method. By appropriate selection of the input components and the treatment of said components, such as flavoring for instance, cigarettes can be produced with a composition which corresponds to a desired brand. This results in a further important advantage, namely that the cigarette manufacturing idling times can be considerably shortened. When practicing the inventive method, the cut tobacco storage facility will contain a plurality of tobacco components. As before men- tioned, all conventional brand mixtures can be obtained by appropriate selection of the input components and the proportions in which they are used. In addition, the process for manufacturing one brand of cigarette can be switched to the process for producing another brand of cigarette, very quickly and almost instantaneously, since the requisite components are already available in a processed form in the cut tobacco storage facility. Conventional manufacturing processes which are effected on the basis of tobacco in the form of brand mixtures often require several days to effect a corresponding switch-over, since it is necessary to prepare the tobacco of the new brand mixture by loosening or fluffing and cutting the tobacco among other things, before the tobacco can be fed into the cigarette machine.

Furthermore, a division of the tobacco into tobacco components enables respective tobacco components to be compiled of tobacco sorts which all possess a common desired property. This property may be mechanical power, as mentioned above. Examples of other properties whidh can constitute a reason for dividing the tobacco into tobacco components include the flavor and aroma of the tobacco, its chemical composition, such as nicotine and/or sugar content, its content of undesirable substances, and its price. These properties, or some of these properties, can be kept constant when manufacturing cigarettes from said tobacco components, by continuously measuring such properties and adjusting the mixture of the compo¬ nents. For instance, the nicotine content can be maintained at a desirable, essentially constant value in this way. This enables the use of "on line" apparatus, wherein resultant measurement values can be used in the present method to immediately correct the composition of the tobacco. Such measurements have merely had a statistical value in the conventional use of brand mixtures. It is also possible to combine the components to form an inexpensive base tobacco which has a neutral flavor and which can be flavored in the cigarette machine.

A further advantage afforded by individual treatment of the tobacco components is that tobacco quality can be leveled, for instance by flavoring, saucing and/or by mixing tobaccos from different growth areas, thereby possibly avoiding the need for large tobacco stores of harvests from two different years.

The use of several tobacco components which are combined at a late stage in the cigarette manufacturing process, however, creates process/technical problems, mainly because of the difficulties in combining, particularly mixing, the individually processed and preferably also individually cut components. Even when ready-mixed tobaccos are used in conventional cigarette manufacturing processes, the conventional processes will normally also include admixing cut stem fraction and possibly also expanded tobacco with the cut leaf fraction. The achievement of a homogenous mixture has then been beset with problems.

One method of solving the mixing problem when mixing lamina fractions (i.e. leaf fractions) and stem fractions is described in DE-A1-40 29 566. In this case, the fractions are not processed individually but are introduced together under suitable conditions and in a suitably designed size-reducing apparatus which pro- duces a mixture of the fractions directly. A similar method is described in DE-A1-

40 29 567, wherein whole leaves or essentially whole leaves, the lamina components and stem components of which have not been separated to any great extent, are processed in a mill, therewith to obtain a mixture of lamina components and stem components that can be used without further processing in a cigarette machine.

According to DE-A1-25 40 411, a tobacco mixture is obtained by mixing individual components in a stabilized fluidized bed generated by vibrating the components while passing a gas stream perpendicularly through the bed or layer. This provides a gentle process suitable for admixing fragile tobacco, such as expanded tobacco. The publication, however, does not deal with the individual treatment of tobacco components prior to combining these components. If further treatment is required, for instance the addition of additives, this further treatment or processing step is preferably integrated with the mixing step. Neither does this publication disclose the use of tobacco starting material in the form of several separate components, but is mainly concerned with admixing a minor quantity of expanded tobacco with a processed tobacco brand mixture.

According to publication SE-B-458,252, mixing of shredded leaf fragments and shredded stem fragments is achieved by producing particle aggregates containing both leaf and stem material. The invention thus differs from such known methods in that not only leaf and stem fractions and possibly expanded tobacco, but also components used to compose a tobacco brand mixture and/or a heterogenous tobacco structure can be combined, e.g. mixed, in a cut form subsequent to processing each individual component separately.

The processing of tobacco intended for cigarette manufacture normally includes the following essential steps from the time of harvesting the tobacco to the time of producing the finished cigarette: The tobacco is harvested, dried, and the lamina and stem components are mutually separated and respective components packed in boxes or bales on the cultivation site. These boxes or bales of tobacco are stored in a magazine, in which brand mixtures are also compiled from the lami- na components. The tobacco is then transported from the magazine in boxes or bales to the cigarette manufacturing plant, where it is used as a tobacco material. The lamina component is therewith prepared by conditioning, saucing, mixing, cut¬ ting and drying. The stem component is prepared by conditioning, mixing, rolling, cutting, steam-treating and drying processes. The components are then mixed together, optionally while adding other material, for instance expanded tobacco and reconstituted tobacco. After an intermediate storage period in a cut tobacco storage facility, the mixture is used as tobacco material for infeed to a cigarette machine.

Cigarette manufacture according to the present invention is essentially carried out in the aforedescribed manner, although in the case of the present invention, the lamina fraction is comprised of at least two components which have been prepared, including cutting, individually and which are combined, especially mixed, after cutting and after the intermediate storage in a cut tobacco storage facility, where conventionally prepared and cut stem components are also stored.

In order to enable selective treatment of the components and the mixing of these components in a cut form, it is necessary to deviate from the conditions occurrent in conventional tobacco preparation processes, especially with regard to the temperature and moisture content of the tobacco.

Conventionally, tobacco is prepared without being heated, i.e. at roughly ambient temperature, and while adding water, normally to a moisture content of about 20%, for cutting of the tobacco. The tobacco stored in the magazine will have a moisture content of about 10-11 %. During the preparation process, the tobacco is dried to a moisture content of about 13% before being stored in the cut tobacco storage facility, this value corresponding to the moisture content of the finished cigarette. However, the drying process, which again lowers the moisture content, normally to about 13%, involves the risk of tobacco degradation as the tobacco passes through the cut tobacco storage facility and further to the cigarette machine.

As distinct to conventional methods, according to one embodiment of the invention the tobacco is not dried to said moisture content of 13% until after it has been stored in the cut tobacco storage facility and preferably also after combining, particularly mixing, the tobacco components to a tobacco material for trans¬ portation to the cigarette machine. According to one convenient embodiment, this drying of the tobacco is effected in one single step.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the tobacco is dried in two steps, of which one step is carried out prior to storing the components in the cut tobacco storage facility and the other step is carried out after combining, particularly mixing, the tobacco components to obtain a tobacco material for transportation to the cigarette machine.

According to these embodiments, the cut tobacco components can be imparted a sufficient moisture content to facilitate working of the tobacco during the entire cigarette manufacturing process, therewith contributing to low tobacco degradation and thus also to reduced tobacco waste. The moisture content of the tobacco will be such as to enable the cut components to be mixed to a homogenous mixture. An essential feature is that despite the moisture content being sufficiently high to facilitate processing of the tobacco in accordance with the invention, it is nevertheless sufficiently low to enable the cut components to be stored in the cut tobacco storage facility without risk of mould growth.

According to one convenient embodiment of the invention, the tobacco is given a moisture content of 16% when loosening the tobacco after it has been divided, whereafter the tobacco is processed, including being cut, and is stored in the cut tobacco storage facility at this moisture content and the tobacco is dried finely before being fed to the cigarette machine and after mixing the cut tobacco components. The lower moisture content of the tobacco when it is cut must be compensated with a higher temperature, however.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the tobacco is given a moisture content of 20% when loosening the tobacco, whereafter the tobacco is processed at this moisture content up to the time of storing the tobacco in the cut tobacco storage facility. The tobacco is dried to a moisture content of 16% before being stored. Subsequent processing, e.g. mixing of the cut components, is effected at a 16% moisture content. The tobacco is subsequently dried to a moisture content of 13% before being fed into the cigarette machine. According to another embodiment of the invention, the tobacco components are mixed at an elevated temperature, so as to reduce the risk of degradation of the cut tobacco components after being stored in the cut tobacco storage facility. Since an improved flexibility is achieved at the cost of higher energy consumption, it is necessary to secure a balance between improved mixing properties and the higher energy consumption.

According to still another convenient embodiment of the invention, the tobacco is also processed at elevated temperature prior to being stored in the cut tobacco storage facility.

The tobacco may be dried at or immediately before the cigarette machine in a cylinder or air-drier for instance, in accordance with the invention. Other drying apparatus may alternatively be used, of course.

Another convenient embodiment of the invention is concerned with a method for producing a cigarette containing a heterogenous tobacco structure which includes at least two tobacco components, of which one component has been given high mechanical power and thus a high filling power and is optionally comprised of a homogenous mixture of several tobacco components that have been mixed in a cut state, which method is characterized by forming the tobacco component that has been given greater mechanical power into a shell or a supportive lattice structure prior to or at the inlet of the cigarette machine, said shell or lattice enclosing or containing in its interstices the other tobacco component or compo¬ nents of low mechanical power. According to another embodiment of the method of this invention, the tobacco components are combined by mixing the components in a cut state, suitably while adding expanded tobacco and recycled tobacco, to form a homoge¬ nous mixture for the manufacture of a cigarette whose tobacco material is comprised of an essentially homogenous mixture of the constituents included therein.

The invention also relates to apparatus for carrying out the inventive method, this apparatus comprising a plurality of component shafts, each shaft being intended to receive an individual tobacco component; a plurality of conveyors disposed beneath respective shafts, the number of conveyors corresponding to the number of shafts and each conveyor being disposed beneath an individual shaft for metering and advancing a tobacco component from said respective shaft, said apparatus further comprising a hopper disposed beneath the conveyor belts for receiving tobacco components therefrom, a plurality of shafts disposed beneath the hopper, the hopper being rotatable so as to discharge into a desired shaft and therewith empty tobacco components into said shaft, and whereafter said hopper can be moved to another shaft to empty tobacco components thereinto; an air conveyor disposed beneath each shaft for rough mixing of the tobacco components from respective shafts by turbulence in the air conveyor while conveying the tobacco components from respective shafts to a cigarette machine feed part separate for each shaft, the number of cigarette machines provided corresponding to the number of shafts, and the roughly mixed tobacco components being finely divided and mixed homogeneously in the feed part while being fed into the cigarette machine. The manufacture of cigarettes will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a flowsheet illustrating a suitable embodiment of a cigarette-manufacturing method of this invention; and Fig. 2 illustrates an apparatus for carrying out the method of this invention.

In the case of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, the lamina fraction consists of tobacco material comprised of several tobacco sorts, so-called tobacco grades, which have been stored individually in boxes or in bales. These tobacco grades are used as tobacco component starting materials, wherein each component normally includes about ten different tobacco grades of mutually similar properties, for instance mechanical power properties. The boxes or bales of different tobacco grades that are to form a tobacco component are opened and the wrappings removed, whereafter the tobacco is divided into slices. This tobacco dividing operation includes conveying an individual tobacco grade that has been freed from wrapping material on a conveyor belt which is terminated with a horizontal cutting device or a vertical knife. For reasons of costs, the number of conveyor belts provided with dividing equipment is normally limited to 1-3, which means that the tobacco grades to be included in a tobacco component are divided in sequence, whereafter resultant tobacco slices are transferred to a new conveyor belt, which may be a storage belt, wherewith the number of such conveyor belts will correspond to the number of tobacco grades, so that each tobacco grade can be stored and/or transported individually. These belts are emptied synchronously onto an inclined belt, the speed of the belt being controlled in relation to the mixing proportion of the tobacco grade. The tobacco material combined on the inclined belt forms a tobacco component. The moisture content of this tobacco component corresponds to the moisture content of the tobacco starting material, that is a mois¬ ture content of about 10-11 . This tobacco component is subjected to a loosening operation, which also results in a pre-mixture of the tobacco grades included in the tobacco component, this loosening of the tobacco component being achieved with the aid of steam, and simultaneously the tobacco being heated, suitably to a temperature of about 60-70°. The moisture content of the tobacco material therewith also increases. Subsequent to loosening of the tobacco component, water-soluble flavour ingredients are added to the hot tobacco, i.e. the tobacco is sauced, and mixing is effected. The moisture content is further increased to about 16% during this stage of the proceedings. The pre-heated tobacco is then cut under conditions which are particularly chosen for each component into lengths and widths which provide for each component tobacco-cuts of high mechanical power with low degradation of the tobacco during the working process. A Burley drier (By-drier) may be connected upstream of the cutting process. When a By-component is operated, the tobacco can be shunted and allowed to pass through the drier.

The cut tobacco components are passed to a cut tobacco storage facility intended to harbour a component-stock of cut tobacco. The stem fraction, expanded tobacco, and also reconstituted tobaccos are optionally are passed to the cut tobacco storage facility. The storage is constructed as a computer controlled box store and the moisture content of the tobacco in the store is about 16%. The stem fraction has been processed in a conventional manner prior to being transported to the storage facility, comprising feeding, optionally casing, mixing, heating, rolling, cutting, drying and separating processes, for instance separating uncut stems.

Selected tobacco components and stem fractions are then collected from the cut tobacco storage facility in quantities which when mixed together will provide a desired brand mixture. Subsequent to mixing these tobacco components, suitably while applying heat, and after a subsequent drying to a moisture content of 13%, the tobacco mixture is fed into a cigarette machine in which the cigarettes are produced.

The process is carried out continuously at high manufacturing speed and is controlled so that cigarettes of mutually the same firmness will be obtained, signals being utilized from a cigarette weight control device and a cigarette firmness measuring device to this end. By regulating the manufacturing conditions so as to obtain a high tobacco filling power, the finished cigarette is directed towards constant firmness at low cigarette weight, although this weight may vary slightly within an acceptable range. Thus, cigarettes which have the same degree of firmness but which contain less tobacco than conventional cigarettes of the same type can be produced continuously by means of the method of this invention.

A suitable embodiment of apparatus for carrying out the present method is illustrated in Fig. 2. According to this embodiment, the individual tobacco components are stored in the cut tobacco storage facility which contains a component-stock of cut tobacco and which may have the form of a box storage facility or may include a plurality of silos of which each is provided with a conveyor belt (la, lb) at the bottom thereof. A tobacco component is stored in each silo (or box, not shown). Desired quantities of a number of selected tobacco components are conveyed on respective conveyor belts (la, lb) to respective tobacco component shafts (2a, 2b) which are disposed in a circle. The number of component shafts (2a, 2b) corresponds to the number of components in the cut tobacco storage facility. The component shafts (2a, 2b) may be square or cylindrical and have a sloping bottom, to facilitate emptying of the tobacco component. Disposed at the bottom of each shaft is a conveyor belt (3a, 3b) which may include a belt weighing scales. The belt scales, however, are not absolutely necessary, since the sloping bottom is constructed so that tobacco will be drawn from the shaft to a constant height. The amount of tobacco drawn from the shaft (2a, 2b) will thus be proportional to belt speed and can be adjusted to a desired quantity by adjusting the speed of the belt. The conveyor belts (3a, 3b) are emptied into a hopper (4) disposed in the centre of the circle, the hopper (4) being rotatable and mounted over a plurality of shafts (5a, 5b), each shaft being intended to accommodate a particular brand mixture and the number of shafts (5a, 5b) provided being the same as the number of cigarette machines. The shafts (5a, 5b) are disposed in a circle and the hopper (4) can be emptied into the different shafts (5a, 5b) by moving the hopper step by step so as to discharge into a desired shaft. With the aid of the overlying conveyor belts (3a, 3b) desired components can be fed in desired proportions through the hopper (4) into the shaft (5a, 5b) beneath the hopper. The shaft (5a, 5b) will thus contain a compiled but unmixed brand mixture which is intended to be fed to the cigarette machine. Each shaft (5a) is filled before moving the hopper (4) to the next shaft (5b) and conveniently accommodates sufficient tobacco to supply the corresponding cigarette machine with enough tobacco until the hopper (4) has completed one revolution and has returned to the first shaft (5a). Tobacco is fed from the shafts (5a, 5b) containing compiled brand mixtures down into an air transporter (7a, 7b) and further to the feed part (hopper, not shown) of the cigarette machine, each shaft (5a, 5b) leading to a separate cigarette machine. The tobacco is drawn from the shaft (5a, 5b) with the aid of pin rollers (6a, 6b) for instance. During this air transportation of the tobacco, the tobacco is subjected to a first rough mixing process by the air turbulence generated. The tobacco is finely mixed mechanically in the hopper, and while advancing the tobacco the hopper finely divides and mixes the tobacco into a homogenous mixture which is formed into a tobacco rod and fed into the cigarette machine.

Claims

1. A cigarette comprising a cylindrical paper wrap which contains tobacco, and optionally a filter construction at one end of the cigarette, which cigarette has a specific firmness and contains tobacco having a high/elevated filling power.

2. A cigarette according to Claim 1, in which the tobacco is comprised of at least two tobacco components, of which at least one component has a high- /elevated mechanical power and a high/elevated filling power.

3. A cigarette according to Claim 2, in which at least one tobacco component is comprised of a mixture of two or more tobacco grades.

4. A cigarette according to any one of the preceding Claims, in which the tobacco, or at least one component thereof, is in a processed form, for instance is cut to a specific width and length, or is in a fixated state, said tobacco exhibiting a high/elevated mechanical power and filling power in said forms or states.

5. A cigarette according to any one of the preceding Claims, in which the tobacco includes at least one component of low mechanical power and filling power, and is comprised, for instance, of recycled tobacco or tobacco fines.

6. A cigarette according to any one of the preceding Claims, in which the tobacco is comprised of at least two tobacco components, of which at least one tobacco component has high mechanical power and filling power and forms an outer shell or a supportive lattice structure of the tobacco which encloses or whose interstices contain at least one other tobacco component, for instance a tobacco component of low mechanical power.

7. A method for producing a cigarette in accordance with anyone of the preceding Claims, said cigarette having a specific firmness and containing tobacco of high filling power, said method comprising treating individual tobacco components, combining these to form a tobacco material and producing a cigarette therefrom, wherein at least two tobacco components are used as starting material, which components are treated individually, at least one component being comprised of tobacco which has intrinsically or has imparted thereto high filling power, whereafter said components are combined to form a tobacco material which, optionally after further treatment and/or after adding further tobacco material thereto, is provided in a known manner with a cylindrical paper ^"wrap and optionally also with a filter construction to obtain the cigarette.

8. A method according to Claim 7, wherein the tobacco material includes a stem fraction and a lamina fraction, and wherein the lamina fraction includes at least two and preferably three or more tobacco components.

9. A method according to Claim 7 or 8, wherein the tobacco component or components imparted elevated filling power is/are comprised of brittle tobacco.

10. A method according to Claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein the elevated filling power is obtained by cutting the tobacco component or components to a cut width at which the tobacco will show less tendency towards degradation.

11. A method according to any one of the preceding Claims, in which the individual treatment of the tobacco components includes cutting the tobacco compo¬ nents, storing the cut tobacco components in a cut tobacco storage facility and thereafter drying the components to a moisture content of 13%, optionally after partially or completely combining the components, for instance mixing the components together.

12. A method according to any one of the preceding Claims, in which the cut tobacco components are also dried prior to being stored in the cut tobacco storage facility.

13. A method according to Claim 11, in which the tobacco components prior to being dried have a moisture content of 16%, obtained by adding water to the tobacco starting material.

14. A method according to Claim 12, in which water is added to the tobacco starting material so as to bring the material to a moisture content of 20% , and wherein the tobacco material is partially dried to a moisture content of 16% immediately before being stored in the cut tobacco storage facility.

15. A method according to any one of Claims 7-14, in which the cut tobacco components are heated prior to combining the tobacco components by mixing said components together.

16. Apparatus for carrying out the method according to Claim 7, comprising a plurality of tobacco component shafts (2a, 2b), wherein each component shaft is intended to receive an individual tobacco component; a plurality of conveyor belts (3a, 3b) disposed beneath the shafts (2a, 2b), the number of conveyor belts (3a, 3b) corresponding to the number of shafts (2a, 2b) and each conveyor belt being disposed beneath an individual shaft for metering and advancing a tobacco compo¬ nent from said shaft; a hopper (4) disposed beneath the conveyor belts (3a, 3b) for receiving tobacco components from the conveyor belts; a plurality of shafts (5a, 5b) disposed beneath the hopper (4), the hopper (4) being rotatable so as to be able to open into a desired shaft (5a) for emptying of tobacco components into said shaft (5a) and thereafter to be moved to another shaft (5b) for emptying tobacco components into said other shaft (5b); an air conveyer (7a, 7b) provided beneath each shaft (5a, 5b) for rough mixing of the tobacco components taken from respective shafts (5a, 5b) while conveying said tobacco components from respective shafts into a cigarette machine feed part, which is individual for each shaft, the number of cigarette machines corresponding to the number of shafts (5a, 5b) and the roughly mixed tobacco components being finely divided and mixed homogene¬ ously in said feed part during feeding thereof into the cigarette machine.