Djarum Black

Djarum Black is an Indonesian tobacco brand owned and manufactured by Djarum. It belongs to the kretek category, a form of tobacco product associated with Indonesia in which tobacco is blended with cloves. The brand is distinguished by its dark visual identity, black cigarette and flavored paper, and a pronounced clove aroma and taste. Its cigarette paper is also described as having a sweet taste, giving the product a flavor profile that differs from conventional unflavored cigarettes. The standard cigarette presentation uses an elongated pack containing two cigarettes across and ten cigarettes vertically, for a total of 20 cigarettes. The cigarettes themselves are dark in appearance and are made with natural Indonesian tobacco. This combination of black presentation, clove character, and distinctive pack geometry forms the core of the brand's product identity. Djarum Black has also been associated with a cigar format in markets where regulations restrict the sale of flavored cigarettes. The brand originated in Indonesia and has been distributed beyond its home market. Reference material identifies sales or distribution in Brazil, the United Kingdom, Austria, Poland, India, and Canada, although the continuing availability of the product in each of those markets is not established here. Djarum Black therefore combines a distinctly Indonesian product tradition with an international distribution footprint. Its market position has been shaped not only by taste and packaging but also by tobacco regulation. In the United States, a federal law enacted in 2009 prohibited the sale of cigarettes containing characterizing flavors other than menthol. Because Djarum Black cigarettes contain clove flavor, the rule affected their availability in the country. To continue offering a related product in the United States, Djarum used a tobacco-leaf or tobacco-paper cigar format rather than the original paper-wrapped cigarette format. By 2010, Djarum Black was reported as available again in the United States in smaller 12-count cigar packs. These products were thicker than the 20-count cigarette packs sold in the conventional format. Djarum Black is best understood as a differentiated kretek brand rather than as a broad tobacco portfolio. Its identity rests on clove flavor, dark styling, Indonesian tobacco heritage, and packaging that separates it from standard cigarette brands. Publicly available reference material does not establish a founding year, named founder, corporate headquarters, current executive roster, financial performance, or a complete current market list. Those details therefore remain unspecified.

Djarum Black is a kretek brand from Indonesia and is currently owned and manufactured by Djarum. Its identity is built around the Indonesian clove-cigarette tradition. Unlike a standard cigarette that generally emphasizes tobacco alone, the product combines natural Indonesian tobacco with cloves, producing a recognizable aroma and taste. The brand's cigarette is dark in appearance and uses flavored paper that is described as sweet-tasting, reinforcing the product's deliberately distinctive sensory profile. The brand's presentation is also an important part of its identity. Conventional Djarum Black cigarettes are sold in a stretched pack arranged two cigarettes across and ten cigarettes long. The cigarettes use black-colored, flavored paper and are sold in 20-count packs. This unusual format, together with the dark cigarette appearance and clove flavor, differentiates the product from more conventional cigarette packaging and contributes to its recognizable visual style. Although Indonesian in origin, Djarum Black has been distributed internationally. Reference material lists Indonesia as the home market and identifies Brazil, the United Kingdom, Austria, Poland, India, and Canada among other markets where the cigarettes were or remain sold. The available material does not provide a verified launch date, detailed distribution chronology, market-by-market sales data, or a complete account of the brand's commercial development. A significant turning point came from United States tobacco regulation. A federal law passed in 2009 prohibited stores and tobacco retailers from carrying cigarettes containing characterizing flavors other than menthol. Since clove is a defining flavor ingredient in Djarum Black, the conventional cigarette version was affected and became unavailable for purchase in the United States. The regulatory change did not represent a change in the brand's underlying Indonesian positioning; instead, it created a packaging and product-format problem in one national market. The United States response involved presenting Djarum Black as a cigar rather than as a paper-wrapped cigarette. The product was rolled in tobacco paper or another tobacco-based wrapping, allowing a related Djarum Black product to return to the market under the applicable classification. By 2010, the United States offering was reported in smaller 12-count packs. These cigars were substantially thicker than the cigarettes sold in standard 20-count packs, making the American product visibly and physically different from the conventional international cigarette format. The available references do not document named campaigns, corporate acquisitions, leadership changes, financial results, or product launches beyond the United States format change. They also do not establish a founding year or identify an individual founder. Djarum Black's documented history is therefore primarily a product and regulatory history: an Indonesian clove-tobacco brand that developed an international presence and adapted its United States format after flavored-cigarette restrictions came into force.

• 2010

  United States cigar-format availability

  [1]Djarum Blacken.wikipedia.org

  Djarum Black was reported as available again in the United States in thicker, tobacco-wrapped cigars sold in smaller 12-count packs.

• 2009

  United States flavored-cigarette restrictions affect the brand

  [1]Djarum Blacken.wikipedia.org

  A federal United States law restricting cigarettes with characterizing flavors other than menthol affected Djarum Black's conventional clove-cigarette format.

A dark, visually distinctive Indonesian kretek brand built around clove flavor, sweet-tasting paper, natural Indonesian tobacco, and an unconventional elongated pack format.

• Clove cigarettes

  Djarum Black kretek cigarettes

  The core Djarum Black product is a kretek cigarette made with natural Indonesian tobacco and clove flavoring. It is characterized by a black cigarette, flavored paper with a sweet taste, and a noticeable clove aroma and flavor. The conventional presentation uses an elongated pack containing 20 cigarettes arranged two across and ten vertically. The combination of dark appearance, sweetened paper, clove character, and unusual pack design gives the product a differentiated identity within the cigarette category.

• Clove-flavored cigars · 2010

  Djarum Black cigars

  The cigar-format version was used for United States availability after flavored cigarettes were restricted. Rather than using the conventional paper-wrapped cigarette form, the product was rolled in tobacco paper or another tobacco-based wrapping and classified as a cigar. The reported United States format came in smaller 12-count packs and was thicker than the standard 20-count Djarum Black cigarette pack.

• 2010

  Adaptation to a United States cigar formatGeneration change

  Background

  United States restrictions on characterizing flavors in cigarettes affected the conventional clove-flavored Djarum Black cigarette.

  Action taken

  Djarum Black was offered in the United States as a thicker cigar using a tobacco-based wrapping and a smaller 12-count pack rather than the original 20-count cigarette format.

  Aftermath

  The adapted product was reported as available again in the United States, while the conventional cigarette format was no longer available there.

  Source

1. 1Djarum Blacken.wikipedia.org