Sampoerna Indonesia Kretek 1913

In nearly 1912 young Seeng Tee start to mixed and rolling cigarettes for a small kretek manufacture located outiside of Surabaya, Indonesia. He soon developed such a love for the job that he decided to set up his own business selling tobacco, cloves and spice.

Previously, Seeng Tee had sold his tobacco without any additives but he offered a variety of natural flavorings - chocolate, vanilla, nutmeg or clove - to go with it. Over time, Seeng Tee came to notice that certain flavors and combinations of ingredients were more popular than others and so he came up with the idea of making pre-rolled cigarettes with a blend of tobaccos and condiments that reflected the preferences of his customers. These he sold as a packaged product which became an instantaneous hit and gave birth to the mother of all kretek, Dji Sam Soe.

By 1934, the Sampoerna cigarette factory was up and running and this time there was plenty of room for every stage in the manufacturing process with spaces set aside for tobacco mixed, clove processing and handrolling, as well as printing and finished-goods processing.

After three generations, today, Sampoerna is best known for its handrolled Dji Sam Soe and their successful 'A' range of machine-made kretek. A-Mild - launch in 1989 - was the first low tar and nicotine kretek of its kind in the world. In their sprawling complex in Pandaan, south of Surabaya, they have some of the fastest Hauni rolling machines in the business and one of the most advanced research and development facilities in the world. Despite the current management's love of technology, what is most amazing is that Sampoerna is still able to keep Liem Seeng Tee's original handrolled masterpiece firmly in the top-tier of all kretek on the market.

(Contents partially are taken from "Kretek Book" by Mark Hanusz)