Tobacconists--Retail

Tobacconists are retailers of tobacco, snuff, chewing tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, as well as other tobacco-related products and accessories.

Tobacco is a product processed from the dried leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be used as a pesticide, and extracts form ingredients of some medicines, but it is most commonly consumed as a drug. Tobacco is consumed in many forms and through a number of different methods. Cigarettes are a product consumed through inhalation of smoke and manufactured from cured and finely cut tobacco leaves and reconstituted tobacco, often combined with other additives, then rolled or stuffed into a paper cylinder.

Chewing tobacco is the oldest way of consuming tobacco leaves. It is consumed orally, in two forms: through sweetened strands, or in a shredded form. When consuming the long sweetened strands, the tobacco is lightly chewed and compacted into a ball. Cigars are tightly rolled bundles of dried and fermented tobacco, which is ignited so its smoke may be drawn into the smoker’s mouth.

Roll-your-own cigarettes, often called ‘rollies’ are usually much cheaper than tailor-made cigarettes and are very popular for this reason. These are prepared from loose tobacco, cigarette papers and filters all bought separately. Pipe smoking typically consists of a small chamber (the bowl) for the combustion of the tobacco to be smoked and a thin stem (shank) that ends in a mouthpiece (the bit). Shredded pieces of tobacco are placed into the chamber and ignited.