[Gondring]

It is believed that the name kretek comes from the crackling sound the cloves make when they are burned.

Interesting...don't know how "kretek" sounds like crackling of burning cloves, though... It reminds me of my satirical analysis of Randall Jarrell's Death of the Ball Turret Gunner, where I wrote that the first letters of each line spelled "FASIW", which represented the sounds of the cannons on the fighter planes attacking the bomber...and some people (including the teacher) bought it!

Djarum Blacks, a black paper kretek, are often linked with the goth image, leading to the infamous saying, "I'm so goth even my cigarettes are black."

Oh, I thought the saying was: "I'm so goth even my lungs are black." That's what my friends used to say.

Cover of Kretek: The Culture and Heritage of Indonesia's Clove Cigarettes by Mark Hanusz (ISBN: 9799589800)

Hope you're not offended at the comments on your handle, Kretek.

[Fred Nerks]

"The smell of kreteks, named for the crackling sound they make as they burn, permeates buildings, trains, buses and restaurants, and it defines sensory, at least olfactory, perceptions of the country as a whole."


http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/FB13Ae04.html

More facts, less B.S.