History of Cigarette Kretek – Part I
No doubt, “Kretek” cigarette dominate the cigarette market in Indonesia at staggering 90% share. This kretek cigarette is a genuine Indonesian invention and Indonesian has been smoking it for more than 100 years. It will be interesting to know the history of this humble Kretek and its development trough out the year till become one of the Indonesia Icon.
Pre-Kretek History
It all started when in 1490’s Columbus discover America continent and reporting back to europe that the ingeniuos people are smoking “leave”. Cut the story short, the colonial (dutch) brought tobacco to Indonesia and plant it here, it strive and Indonesian start to smoke it too. At this time Cigarette is mostly handrolled, if there is no paper to roll the tobacco, Klobot (corn husk) will do.
The very well known legend related to cigarette is Roro Mendut , a very hot and sexy lady who live in the 17th century in Mataram Kingdom who refuse to married a very powerful man (Wiroguno), instead she chose the humble Pronocitro her sweet heart.
Wiroguno finally applied a very high tax to her (although she did not have any income) in hope that she can not pay the tax and marry him instead. Knowing that she is hot and beautiful, the defiant Roro mendut sell cigarette that been rolled and use her saliva as the glue to the highest bidder. Although she paid tax, she finally died together with her love life pronocitro just like Romeo and juliet.
Kretek Invention
Fast forward to 1880, a humble ordinary citizen in Kudus, Mr. Hadji Djamari, feel pain in his chest and he has a brilliant idea to mix his cigarette with clove oil, he might think that rubbing clove oil to his chest is not fast enough. After few cigarette, his chest pain is gone and he start talking to his neighboor and friends about this new invention.
Cigarette Kretek Industrialization
He start selling it in few quantities, because of crakling sound of the burned clove, they called them “Kretek” till today. Mr. Djamari died in 1890 but more and more are smoking this type of cigarette. At this time there is a person called Nitisemito (a tobacco merchant) who also living the same area.
Nitisemito who married Nasilah a Klobot cigarette seller, start selling Kretek Cigarette in Corn husk (rokok klobot). In 1908, Nitisemito registered a brand name “tjap bal tiga” (means Three balls brand) and start selling the first branded cigarette kretek and start the industrialisation of the Cigarette in indonesia.
Next post will be Part II talking about Priod after Tjap Bal Tiga
