Mouthpiece for cigarettes comes again into fashion
June 14th, 2016
Mouthpiece for cigarettes comes again into fashion. Who invented it? What is the mouthpiece intended for? How is it produced? This will be discussed in the article. So … What is the mouthpiece?
If we translate the word “mouthpiece” from German, we get two roots: Mund (it means “mouth”) and Stück (“part”). So, are we talking about the part of the mouth? Yes. Today it is a part of the cigarette, which is called filter. However, earlier the mouthpiece was a hollow thin tube made of wood. A cigarette was inserted into it.
When and who invented a mouthpiece? Tobacco was brought to Europe in 1496 from Tobago Island. There were smoked only cigars that time. Soon there appeared tubes. Tobacco was quite expensive, so the unfinished remnants were crumbled and wrapped into paper.
These rolled cigarettes have been the prototype of modern cigarettes. Special distribution they received in the First World (tobacco was included in the soldature ration). In 1865, there was opened small shop with tubes in Dublin by two brothers – emigrants with the family name Kapp.
During ten years tneir business was succesful and smooth, yet there appeared somebody called Charles Peterson in a town. Soon he asked to be a companion of these brothers, and business became even more succesful: Peterson invented a mouthpiece for a cigarette, which was estimated at the World Exhibition, noting this invention with a gold medal.
The products of amazing beauty labeled as «Capp & Peterson» are even now sold all over the world. We wonder whether Charles Peterson guessed that the invention, which was only meant to exclude tobacco from entering the mouth, would be wide-spread?
Smokers quickly realized that a mouthpiece for cigarettes reduces tobacco strength, and taste properties become softer. In addition, there were gathered bitter crumbs in the tube, which would certainly get into the mouth whrn using hand-rolled cigarettes. Moreover, fimgers got less yellowed, and teeth did not get so darkened.
When the damage of smoking was estimated, it appeared that a mouthpiece for cigarettes reduces (though only slightly, but still) the amount and activity of harmful substances inhaled during smoking.
It was found out that the smoke when passes through the air passage, was cooled, and the part of tar remained on the tube walls. Some devices were equipped with filters, which further stopped harmful substances from geting into the lungs.
A mouthpiece for cigarettes may be made of different materials. The main thing, it is resistant to temperature, smoke and has attractive oultook.
