A papirosa (Russian: папироса, plural: papirosy) is an implement for tobacco smoking, a variant of filterless cigarettes. It consists of a hollow cardboard tube extended by a thin paper tube filled with tobacco.[1][2] The cardboard tube acts as a cigarette holder and is called мундштук (mundshtuk) in Russian, from German Mund+Stück, literally, "mouthpiece".
Vasmer's Etymological Dictionary claims that the word is borrowed from Polish papieros for "cigarette", where it is a portmanteau word "papier-" ("paper") + "-ros", the tail of "cigarros".[3]
The inner end of the mouthpiece is cut into dents which are bent to keep tobacco from travelling into the mouth. Modern papirosy can also contain a filter inside the mouthpiece.[4]
The two paper tubes: the mouthpiece and the tube for tobacco are called together "(papirosa) sleeve" (Russian: Гильза папиросы). Papirosa sleeves may be sold separately to be filled with tobacco of choice using a special device, cigarette stuffer (Russian: набивочная машинка); the latter may also be used for stuffing any kind of cigarette tubes.[5]
While smoking, the mouthpiece is usually compressed to create two separate perpendicular flat surfaces, with one of them going into the mouth.
Papirosy was a unique Russian form of cigarettes invented in the 19th century. By 1914, 49,5% of all tobacco products produced in Russia was papirosy.[1][2]
A popular cheap brand in the Soviet Union was Belomorkanal. These are still manufactured in some post-Soviet states.
It is claimed that Joseph Stalin's favorite tobacco to stuff his pipe was from Herzegovina Flor papirosy.[6] It is possible that this is just a legend: the pipe requires a large cut of tobacco, otherwise it burns quickly. Film chronicles show that Stalin smoked cigarettes in a usual way.[7][8]
Other popular types include Kazbek.
