Karl picked up the small paper box. It was very light in his hand.
Opening it, he found ten slender white cigarettes arranged neatly inside, looking more orderly and attractive than the one he had just smoked. He took one out and rolled it between his fingers twice. It was neither too soft nor too hard, pleasantly springy. It also seemed slightly longer than the previous one, giving it a more impressive appearance. He lit it from the oil lamp again and took a puff.
As the smoke entered his mouth, the taste was indeed mellower and smoother than the previous cigarette and the ordinary tobacco leaves sold on the market. There was less harshness, replaced by an indescribable, pleasantly intoxicating sensation.
He narrowed his eyes and savored it carefully before asking, "It's better than ordinary tobacco. What did you add to it? It wasn't just alcohol, was it?"
"Your Excellency is perceptive," Edgar said with a smile. "The main thing was purified grain alcohol. After shredding the tobacco, we sprayed it on and mixed it evenly, letting the tobacco absorb it before drying it again. That removes some of the raw green taste and makes the flavor mellower. We also added a few other spices, though only in very small amounts, mainly to balance it out."
Karl nodded thoughtfully. "It's still missing something... It would be better with a little mint. Even a tiny amount—as long as it creates the faintest cool, numbing sensation in the mouth and throat while smoking, the experience would rise to another level. With that distinctive 'feeling,' this cigarette would no longer be just a cigarette. It would make people remember it, make them addicted to it, and therefore make it more valuable."
Edgar's eyes lit up. "Mint? Of course! That stuff already has