What Do Clove Cigarettes Smell Like?

Have you ever tried smoking clove cigarettes before? If not, you must be wondering what it actually tastes and smells like. Unlike a regular cigarette, a clove cigarette or kretek has a unique aroma and flavor that will surely make you want more.

If you are going to try smoking clove cigarettes then you should know what they taste and smell like before purchasing them. To satisfy your curiosity and make sure that kretek is really up in your alley, this article will give all the answers that you need!

The Scent and Taste When Smoking Clove Cigarettes

A clove cigarette is a blend of 20-40 percent clove oil or chopped cloves and 60-80 percent tobacco. Besides clove and tobacco, some spices can be mixed into the blend, such as nutmeg and cinnamon.

Moreover, the clove cigarette maker will also pour a ‘special sauce’ into the blend. This ‘special sauce’ consists of various herbs, fruit, and spice extracts that can enhance a clove cigarette’s flavor and aroma complexity. 

When you are smoking a clove cigarette, you can taste and smell distinct flavors and scents on each brand. But, most clove cigarettes will have a spicy and clove dominant aroma. Meanwhile, the flavor of kretek will typically be spicier, bolder, and sweeter than conventional cigarettes. 

The aromatic clove scent comes from the released clove oil inside the cigarette when you light up the kretek. In fact, the term ‘kretek’ is derived from the sound of the burning and crackling sound of the cloves when being burned.

Furthermore, when you are smoking a clove cigarette, you will experience a soothing and cooling effect of the clove inside the kretek.

Clove Cigarette Brands that You Can Enjoy

United States cigarette enthusiasts will recognize Djarum and its iconic product, Djarum Black. But, besides Djarum, there are a lot of popular brands and products in Indonesia that are loved by the locals and worth trying!

• Gudang Garam Merah

Gudang Garam has been one of the oldest clove cigarette brands in Indonesia. Their iconic product is Gudang Garam Merah. The name ‘Gudang Garam’ means salt warehouse while ‘merah’ means red in Indonesian language.  

When smoking the clove cigarette you will taste an earthy chocolatey, sweet, fruity, and warm flavor from the kretek. Meanwhile, the aroma of tobacco will be a dominant scent when you light up Gudang Garam Merah. Until the last burn, the flavor of the clove cigarette stays consistent. 

• Sampoerna A Mild

Sampoerna A Mild is Sampoerna’s classic clove cigarette product that consists of 10 wide kretek and 2 long clove cigarettes. The kretek has a mild filter with 17.5 millimeters of thickness. 

It has a more mellow clove aroma with a soft, sweet, smooth, light, warm, earthy, and fruity flavor. After smoking the clove cigarette for a longer duration, the flavor will become bolder, spicier, and stronger than in the beginning.  

• Djarum Black

Djarum Black has always been one of the contenders in the clove cigarette business. Similar to Sampoerna A Mild, in a pack of Djarum Black, you will find 10 wide clove cigarettes and 2 long kretek.

This Djarum’s iconic kretek has a strong clove scent with a spicy, peppery, warm, and tobacco flavor. Later on, the spicy, sweet, and earthy taste will envelop your taste bud smoothly.

A Warning Before Smoking Clove Cigarettes

Some people assume that smoking clove cigarettes are healthier than puffing conventional cigarettes since it’s made from natural spice. Unfortunately, this notion is totally false since kretek possesses the same dangerous risk as regular cigarettes. Surprisingly, the tar, carbon monoxide, and nicotine level in clove cigarettes are higher than in conventional cigarettes. 

Tar, carbon monoxide, and nicotine are three main chemical substances in cigarettes that can harm your health and potentially put you at risk of developing serious medical illnesses, such as respiratory issues, nicotine addiction, heart problems, and dental decay.

Besides those chemical compounds, smoking a clove cigarette can expose you to eugenol in the clove. Eugenol is a chemical substance inside a clove that has a similar effect to anesthesia. Eugenol is responsible for numbing your throat and mouth by giving you a cooling and soothing sensation.

When consuming eugenol, you will be unaware of the irritants inside the clove cigarettes and keep inhaling the dangerous chemical compounds even more. In the end, you will enjoy clove cigarettes regularly which will increase your chance of having respiratory problems.

Not only that, but eugenol can also likely harm your gag reflex and as well as give a negative effect on your blood pressure, hormonal system, and muscle.

Considering the health risks of clove cigarettes, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided to make clove cigarettes and other flavored cigarettes illegal tobacco products. The only flavored cigarette that hasn’t been banned yet is the menthol-flavored cigarette. 

Moreover, clove cigarettes often become a beginning step for younger people under 18 years old to start consuming tobacco products due to their sweeter taste and aromatic flavor than the conventional cigarette. 

Ready to Try Smoking Your First Clove Cigarette?

If you are confused about finding different types of clove cigarettes to try, you can find a selection of authentic and high-quality kretek brands for you to enjoy on Clove Cigarettes Online.

The online store has been selling various types of clove cigarette brands ever since 2009. You will be amazed at how many options of clove cigarettes for you to try. So, what are you waiting for? Start your smoking clove cigarette experience by purchasing the best kretek from Clove Cigarettes Online!

Before purchasing and smoking a clove cigarette, check out if your state allows you to have and consume clove cigarettes.