Abstract

A substantially cylindrical foamed, extruded, tobacco-containing smoking article and a method of making the article. The article has properties substantially equivalent to a conventional cigarette. It contains from about 5 to about 98 wt. % of particulate tobacco, from 0 to about 60 wt. % of particulate filler, from about 2 to about 40 wt. % of a cellulosic binder selected from among hydroxypropyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, and its sodium, potassium and ammonium salts, cross-linked carboxymethyl cellulose, and its sodium, potassium and ammonium salts, hydroxyethyl cellulose, ethyl hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, and mixtures thereof, and from about 5 to about 20 wt. % of water. The article has a density within the range of from about 0.05 to about 1.5 g/cc. The method of making such articles comprises the step of (a) dry blending the tobacco particles having an OV value of from about 3 to about 20% with from 0 to about 60 wt. % of a filler, and; (b) prehydrating the cellulosic binder material (c) admixing the prehydrated binder and the dry blend to form a wet blend containing from about 15 to about 50 wt. % of water; then (d) extruding the wet blend under extrusion conditions of temperature and pressure such that as the wet blend is extruded the moisture in the blend is converted to steam, thereby foaming the article.