Cheroots are as typical of Myanmar as the longhyi skirt-like garments worn by men and women alike. They look like cigars. Those rolled by folk in the countryside for their own consumption are thick and fat; those rolled in factories for sale are thinner, more uniform, and more elegant.

In the place we visited, the filling of the cheroot had already been prepared. It is comprised of a mixture of tobacco and some other woody substance, perhaps along with other herbs and spices for flavoring. Each factory has its own mix of these ingredients. The Burmese people believe that cheroots are less harmful than cigars because their tobacco content is lower.

As in this factory, the tobacco mixture is then rolled in outer leaves of–not tobacco, and not paper, but–Tha-nut hpet leaves (Cordia dichotoma).

The women in this factory work quickly: rolling, tightening, and cutting the cheroots, each one handmade, perfectly but quickly. It’s a repetitive job, possibly paid as piece-work. I wonder if the occasional tourist-visitor is a welcome diversion.