ES2768980T3 - Smoking item - Google Patents

Abstract

A smoking article comprising: a tobacco cylinder; a filter comprising at least one plug of filter material wrapped with one or more filter envelopes; and a mouthpiece material that joins the tobacco cylinder and the filter; wherein the nozzle material has a basis weight of at least 50 grams per square meter and a thickness of between about 40 and about 55 microns, wherein the at least one plug of filtering material that forms the filter has a content plasticizer between about 5% and 10%.

Description

DESCRIPTION

Smoking item

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a smoking article comprising a filter.

Background of the Invention

Smoking articles, such as cigarettes, typically comprise a tobacco cylinder or other aerosol-forming material wrapped in a fuel wrap, typically cigarette paper, and a filter aligned in end-to-end relationship with said tobacco cylinder. The filter may include at least one cellulose acetate fiber plug attached to the tobacco cylinder or other aerosol-forming material by means of tipping paper overlapping the filter and an adjacent end of the tobacco cylinder against which the filter rests. Perforations can also be provided in the filter through the nozzle paper to allow ventilation of the smoke drawn in by the consumers through the filter when smoking.

Consumers today expect the best possible quality of any consumer goods product to get the best possible consumer experience and pay increasing attention to perceived quality of presentation and appearance and feel of products, which sometimes become as important as other characteristics, such as the taste or functional benefits of the products. This is true for both smoking articles and any other consumer goods product and a particular area where consumers focus their attention in judging the quality of smoking articles lies in the visual appearance and physical behavior of themselves when consumers hold them in their hands and in their mouths before and during consumption.

In particular, consumers expect smoking articles to have a uniform density in the tobacco cylinder or other aerosol-generating material, as well as substantial rigidity or firmness of the filter when held between the fingers or lips, along with a shape rounded, uniform and pleasant filter and smoking article as a whole. Proper filter firmness is particularly important in providing consumers with the perception of higher quality through the filter's resistance to crushing force between fingers and lips. At the same time, firmness should not be too high to maintain a certain softness in the mouth and comfort during use for consumers. A regular and uniform roundness of the filter and the smoking article is also important for the perceived quality, as the irregular shapes provide a lower quality impression of the products.

There are multiple factors that influence both the firmness and roundness of filters for smoking articles, including, among others, the weight of cellulose acetate fiber, the content of plasticizer and the qualities of filter wraps (weight base, thickness, porosity). All of these factors must be appropriately adjusted to provide the appropriate level of firmness and roundness while meeting the expected taste and sensory goals for products. In particular, only an increase in the amount of plasticizer such as triacetin used to form the cellulose acetate plug or filter plugs in order to increase its firmness will be effective, but to the detriment of the neutrality of the taste of the product. In fact, in high concentrations, triacetin tends to degrade into acetic acid, which the consumer can perceive and smell in smoking articles.

Attempts have been made in the prior art to increase filter firmness, essentially by using thicker filter plug wrappers, as disclosed in WO 2015007399 A1, WO 2015007400 A1 and WO 2015007401 A1. Those documents disclose smoking articles comprising a tobacco cylinder and a filter having a filtering material plug extending to the furthest downstream end, also called the filter mouth end, the plug being surrounded by one or more filter wraps; and mouthpiece material that joins the tobacco cylinder and filter. The one or more filter casings have a basis weight of between about 50 grams per square meter and about 100 grams per square meter, therefore the achieved filter hardness is at least 90%.

The above cited patent applications basically propose the use of thick filter casings having a basis weight of between about 50 grams per square meter and about 100 grams per square meter, as known and used in the prior art to make filters discounted (see for example WO 2011/117584 A1). In fact, this provides, exactly as expected and was achieved with recessed filters, a greater resistance to crushing at the end of the filter mouth due to the greater basis weight and the greater thickness of the filter casings, further increased by the cellulose acetate that extends to the end of the filter mouth end.

However, such a filter configuration with thick, high basis weight filter casings has several drawbacks, in particular in terms of manufacturing and cost. In fact, the use of thick filter wraps having a basis weight of between about 50 grams per square meter and about 100 grams per square meter requires a substantial speed reduction, up to 25-30%, compared to the nominal speeds of filter manufacturing machines for standard filter wraps between 20 and 30 grams per square meter. Additional adjustments are required on the filter manufacturing machine during brand changes, or even specific machine parts need to be changed, reducing productivity and increasing production cost.

The use of thicker filter casings also requires more frequent cleaning of the filter manufacturing machines due to the generation of dust during processing, which also negatively affects manufacturing efficiency and costs. Finally, thick filter casings show less elasticity than thinner standard filter casings, resulting in a less rounded filter once the filter casings are wrapped around the filter's cellulose acetate caps due to innate stiffness of the wrappers. Accordingly, there is a need for a smoking article that has another filter configuration that exhibits both stronger firmness and uniform roundness for increased consumer perception of quality with limited impact, if any, on manufacturing speeds and costs compared to the prior art described above.

Additional relevant prior art is disclosed in documents EP 2462 821 A1, US 2015/090282 A1 and US 4 718436 A.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved smoking article comprising a filter that meets the above needs.

Summary of the invention

The inventors discovered that the disadvantages of prior art smoking articles can be overcome by a smoking article, for example a cigarette, comprising:

a tobacco cylinder;

a filter comprising at least one plug of filter material wrapped with one or more filter wrappers; and a mouthpiece material connecting the tobacco cylinder and the filter;

wherein the nozzle material has a basis weight of at least 50 grams per square meter and a thickness of between about 40 and about 55 microns, wherein the at least one plug of filter material that forms the filter has a content of plasticizer of between approximately 5% and 10%.

The hardness of the smoking article, measured at any point in the filter when attached to the tobacco cylinder by mouthpiece material, can be between about 85% and about 95%. For example, the hardness of the smoking article, measured at any point in the filter when attached to the tobacco cylinder by mouthpiece material, may be less than about 90%.

Advantageously, the inventors have discovered that hardness values of less than 90% can be achieved simply by using a nozzle material having a basis weight of 50 grams per square meter or more without increasing the content of plasticizer used in the filter material and without using very thick filter wraps of 50 grams per square meter or more, as disclosed in the prior art.

The additional advantage of using such a nozzle material is that it is easy to process during the manufacture of the smoking articles, thus not increasing the costs of the machine and also compatible with in-line laser drilling of the filter without substantially increasing the power of the laser compared to filters using thick filter wraps of 50 grams per square meter and above because said nozzle material is the first to be drilled on the outside of the filter of the smoking article.

Said thickness range for the nozzle material is preferable to ensure the ease of machining the filter of the smoking article. Furthermore, this thickness range contributes to providing proper roundness of the filter in the finished smoking article.

Other exemplary embodiments of the invention are indicated in the dependent claims. The following detailed description helps to understand and explain the features of the present invention. Deviations and modifications can be made in these particular embodiments, particularly in relation to other aspects of the invention, without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined by the claims.

Description of the figures

Figure 1 illustrates the definition of the hardness value as used throughout the description.

Figure 2 illustrates a perspective view of an apparatus for determining the hardness of a filter or a smoking article, in a first configuration;

Figure 3 illustrates a side view of the apparatus of Figure 2, in a first configuration;

Figure 4 illustrates a side view of the apparatus of Figure 2, in a second configuration.

Detailed description

All ranges disclosed in this document should be considered as supplemented by the term "approximately", unless clearly defined otherwise or not clear in context.

All numbers or percentages related to the amounts of a substance within this application are provided in% by weight, unless clearly defined otherwise or not clear in context.

The invention relates to a smoking article, for example a cigarette, comprising:

a tobacco cylinder;

a filter comprising at least one plug of filter material wrapped with one or more filter wrappers; and a mouthpiece material connecting the tobacco cylinder and the filter;

wherein the nozzle material has a basis weight of at least 50 grams per square meter, and a thickness of between about 40 and about 55 microns.

The hardness of the smoking article, measured at any point in the filter when attached to the tobacco cylinder by mouthpiece material, can be between about 85% and about 95%.

Advantageously, the inventors have discovered that the desired hardness values, such as below 90%, can be achieved by simply using a nozzle material having a basis weight of 50 grams per square meter or more without increasing the plasticizer content. used in the filter material and without using very thick filter wrappers of 50 grams per square meter or more, as disclosed in the prior art. The additional advantage of using such a nozzle material is that it is easy to process during the manufacture of the smoking articles, without thereby increasing machine costs and that it is more compatible with in-line laser piercing of the filter without substantially increasing laser power compared to filters using thick filter wraps of 50 grams per square meter and above since such nozzle material is the first to be drilled on the outside of the filter of the smoking article. So the use of a standard porous filter wrap allows adjustment of the filter ventilation, if necessary.

Throughout the present disclosure, the specified hardness values for the smoking articles according to the invention correspond to the hardness measurements obtained by subjecting the smoking articles to the DD60A test, i.e. using a known DD60A density meter device (manufactured and marketed by Heinr. Borgwaldt GmbH, Germany).

The term "hardness", as used throughout the present disclosure, characterizes resistance to deformation. Hardness values are generally expressed as a percentage. Figure 1 shows a cigarette 100, comprising a filter wrap 102 and a mouthpiece material 101, before applying a load F and the same cigarette 110 while applying the load F. The cigarette 100 before applying the load F has a diameter D ^s . The cigarette 110 after applying a set load for a set duration (but with the load still applied) has a diameter D ^f (reduced). The diameter reduction (r) is r = D ^s - D ^f . With reference to Figure 1, the hardness is defined as follows:

Df

Hardness (%) = rfx 100%

_Ds

where D ^s is the initial (not depressed) diameter of the cigarette, and D ^f is the depressed diameter after applying a set load for a set duration. The harder the material, the closer the hardness will be to 100%.

As described in more detail below, and is generally known in the art, to determine the hardness of a part (such as a filter) of a smoking article, the smoking articles should be aligned parallel in one plane and the same Part of each smoking item to be tested must be subjected to a set load for a set duration. This test is performed using a DD60A densimeter device known (manufactured and marketed by Heinr. Borgwaldt GmbH, Germany), which is equipped with a cigarette measuring head and a cigarette holder. The filler is applied using two cylindrical filler rods, which extend across the diameter of all smoking articles at once. According to the standard test method for this instrument, the test should be performed such that twenty points of contact occur between the smoking articles and the load-bearing cylindrical bars. In some cases, the filters to be tested may be long enough that only ten smoking items are needed to form twenty contact points, with each smoking item contacting both load application bars (as they are long enough as to spread between the bars). In other cases, if the filters are too short to accomplish this, then twenty smoking items should be used to form the twenty contact points, each smoking item contacting only one of the loading application bars, as further detailed. ahead.

Two additional stationary cylindrical bars are located below the smoking articles, to support the smoking articles and to counteract the load applied by each of the load applying cylindrical bars. Such an arrangement is described in more detail below, and is shown in Figures 2 to 4, which represent a known prior art arrangement, as disclosed, for example, in WO 2015/007400 A1 and WO 2015/007401. A1.

For the standard operating procedure for such apparatus, a total load of 2 kg is applied for 20 seconds. After 20 seconds have elapsed (and with the load still applied to the smoking articles), the diameter reduction (r) is determined on the load-bearing cylindrical bars, and then used to calculate the hardness from the previous equation. The temperature is maintained in the region of 22 ° C ± 2 °. The test described above is known as the DD60A test. The DD60A test and corresponding apparatus are described in more detail below with reference to Figures 2 to 4. As discussed in more detail below, the hardness of a filter part of a smoking article does not differ much when the article stops. Smoking has been smoked rather than when it has not been smoked. However, the standard way to measure filter hardness is when the smoking item has not been smoked.

The hardness of the smoking article, measured at any point in the filter when attached to the tobacco cylinder by mouthpiece material, can be between about 85% and about 95%.

In one embodiment of the invention, the hardness of the smoking article, measured at any point on the filter when attached to the tobacco cylinder by mouthpiece material, is less than about 90% but greater than about 85%; for example, the hardness is in the range of between about 86% and about 88%.

Interestingly, the inventors have found through consumption studies and experimentation of various filter structures that consumers could actually perceive an increase in filter hardness on their fingers and lips only if the hardness value reaches 85% and higher compared to available standard filter cigarettes, i.e. cigarettes that have filters comprising filter casings between approximately 20 grams per square meter and 30 grams per square meter, allowing a hardness of approximately 85% in combination with standard plasticizer contents of approximately 4-6% by weight of filter fiber material. Even more interestingly, studies by the inventors have shown that consumers did not substantially perceive an increase in filter hardness above 90%, and they certainly did not perceive that filters having a hardness above 90% had higher quality compared to those that only had a hardness of between 85% and 90%.

Smoking items that show 90% hardness or higher require the use of thicker filter wraps of at least 50 grams per square meter or higher and / or the use of higher plasticizer contents in the filter fiber material, with the disadvantages indicated above. However, the combination of the relatively thick nozzle material with a thicker filter wrap of at least 50 grams per square meter or with a higher plasticizer content, shows a hardness of more than 90% while mitigating the disadvantages.

The one or more filter casings can comprise any suitable material or combination of materials. Examples of suitable materials include, but are not limited to, cellulose based materials, cellulose based film, cardboard, paper, recon, and combinations thereof. According to certain embodiments, the one or more filter casings comprise paper.

In one embodiment of the invention, one or more filter casings have a basis weight of between about 20 and about 50 grams per square meter, preferably between about 25 and about 30 grams per square meter, and more preferably the one or more filter casings. Filter have a basis weight of approximately 27.

The one or more filter casings of the filter may be non-porous casings.

The filter material can comprise any suitable material or combination of materials. The type of filter material can be selected to provide the desired hardness. Examples of suitable materials include, but are not limited to, cellulose acetate, cellulose, reconstituted cellulose, polylactic acid, polyvinyl alcohol, nylon, polyhydroxybutyrate, thermoplastic material, such as starch, nonwovens, longitudinally oriented fibers, and randomly oriented fibers. , paper, crepe, PLA fibers and their combinations. All or part of the filter may include activated carbon or other absorbent material. The filter may include an adhesive or plasticizer, or a combination thereof. According to certain embodiments, the filter material comprises cellulose acetate.

The filter material can have any suitable denier per filament (dpf) and total denier (td). In certain embodiments, the filter material has a denier per filament (dpf) of between 1.5 to 6.0, such as 2.0 to 5.0, such as 3.0 to 5.0, for example , of approximately 3.8. The filter segment can have a total denier of less than about 40,000, such as less than about 38,000, such as less than about 35,000, such as less than about 33,000, for example, about 30,000.

In an embodiment where the filter has a length of between about 20mm to 30mm and a circumference of between about 20mm to about 25mm, the filter has a fiber weight in the range of about 90mg to about 160 mg, such as in the range of about 100 mg to about 150 mg, such as in the range of about 120 mg to about 140 mg, such as in the range of about 130 mg to about 138 mg, for example, about 137 , 25 mg.

The at least one plug of filter material that forms the filter has a plasticizer content of between about 5% and 10% by weight of filter material, such as about 6 to 9%, such as about 7 to 9% or 6 to 8%. For example, the plasticizer content may be approximately 8%. According to certain embodiments, triacetin is used as a plasticizer.

The nozzle material can comprise any suitable material or combination of materials. Examples of suitable materials include, but are not limited to, cellulose based materials, cellulose based film, cardboard, paper, recon, and combinations thereof. According to certain embodiments, the nozzle material comprises paper.

In one embodiment, the filter material comprises cellulose acetate, which has triacetin as a plasticizer, the one or more filter wrappers comprise paper, and the nozzle material comprises paper.

The nozzle material has a basis weight of at least 50 grams per square meter. In one embodiment, the backing paper has a basis weight ranging from at least 50 grams per square meter to about 80 grams per square meter. In another embodiment, the upper limit of the basis weight is approximately 70 grams per square meter, that is, the backing paper has a basis weight in the range of at least 50 grams per square meter to approximately 70 grams per square meter. In a further embodiment, the upper limit of the basis weight is approximately 60 grams per square meter, so that the backing paper has a basis weight ranging from at least 50 grams per square meter to approximately 60 grams per square meter .

The nozzle material is between about 40 and about 55 microns thick, and can be between about 45 and about 52 microns, for example, the nozzle material can be about 50 microns thick. Said thickness range for the nozzle material further allows for ease of machining the filter of the smoking article and further contributes to providing proper roundness of the filter in the finished smoking article.

The nozzle material may include a ventilation zone at a location near the filter. The ventilation zone may comprise perforations through the nozzle material. The amount of ventilation, including the number, arrangement, position, and size of the perforations, can be selected to provide the desired level of ventilation.

Perforations can extend through the filter envelope or through the envelopes surrounding the filter material plug. Alternatively, the filter envelope (s) can be porous. The nozzle material may be a pre-punched standard nozzle material. Alternatively, the nozzle material can be drilled in-line (eg using a laser) during the manufacturing process according to the desired number, size and position of the perforations. When in-line perforations are made in the nozzle material, these can be made simultaneously in the filter envelope (s).

In one embodiment, the filter comprises a single plug of filter material wrapped with a single filter wrap. In such an embodiment, the filter material plug extends over the entire length of the filter.

In a further embodiment of the smoking article of the present invention, the filter comprises at least a first plug of uncoated acetate filter material. Unwrapped acetate filter plugs are particularly advantageous in that they exhibit innate hardness and roundness compared to standard cellulose acetate filter plugs, which are imparted by steam hardening of the outer surface of the acetate plug during filter manufacturing. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a thick filter wrap to provide increased filter rigidity.

When at least one unwrapped acetate filter plug is used, it is more advantageous in another embodiment of the invention to provide the filter with at least a second plug of wrapless acetate filter material to the filter, the first and second plugs being wrapped of wrap-free acetate filter material by a single filter wrap that keeps the first and second plugs in a separate relationship to define a cavity between them. The use of two caps of unfiltered acetate filter material is particularly advantageous as it allows the formation of cavity filters having a single relatively low basis weight filter wrap, as proposed by the invention, while providing greater stiffness, where multi-plug filters generally require two or more layers of filter wrap.

In one embodiment, the filter of the smoking article of the invention comprises at least one fluid release member positioned in the cavity, preferably a breakable capsule containing an oil or water based liquid.

In one embodiment, particularly when the filter comprises a fluid releasing member, the one or more filter casings comprise a non-porous water tight casing.

The length of the filter (which is the total length of the filter, including the filter material plug, measured in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the smoking article) can be any suitable value. However, it may be desirable for the length of the filter to be substantially the same as in conventional smoking articles. Therefore, the smoking article can comprise a filter with a length of between about 20mm and 30mm.

The filter circumference (which is the total circumference of the filter material plug along with the nozzle material and the one or more filter casings) can have any suitable value. However, it may be desirable for the diameter to be substantially the same as in conventional smoking articles.

The filter can have, anywhere in it, a circumference of between about 20mm and about 25mm. Therefore, a filter diameter can be between about 6.4mm and about 8.0mm, where the diameter of the smoking article is the total diameter of the filter material plug along with the nozzle material and the one or more filter wraps, measured in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the smoking article.

The filter may have a pressure drop, or stretch resistance, of between about 20mmWC and about 140mmWC, such as between about 40mmWC and about 120mmWC, such as between about 50mmWC and about 100mmWC, for example from about 70mmWC.

The tobacco cylinder may comprise any suitable type or types of tobacco material or tobacco substitute, in any suitable form. Tobacco can be a single type of tobacco or a mixture of two or more types of tobacco. The tobacco may be in the form of cut filler (cut and conditioned tobacco). The tobacco cylinder is wrapped in a combustible wrapper, usually cigarette paper.

Examples

The present invention will now be described with reference to examples thereof, without limiting the scope of the invention to these particular examples.

The hardness of various types of smoking articles was tested using a known DD60A density meter device (manufactured and marketed by Heinr. Borgwaldt GmbH, Germany), which was equipped with a cigarette measuring head and a cigarette holder, as shown previously described. Samples were tested following the recommended method for the known DD60A densimeter device (manufactured and sold by Heinr. Borgwaldt GmbH, Germany). That is, a sample of smoking articles was kept in parallel alignment, and subjected to a total load of 2 kg, for a period of 20 seconds, and the diameters of the smoking articles were recorded before and after compression. Depression was used to determine the hardness (%) of each smoking item. The apparatus for testing the hardness of filters for smoking articles is shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of an apparatus 4, such as a DD60A densimeter device, for determining the hardness of a filter of a smoking article. The apparatus includes two parallel load application bars 24 placed on a support plate 30. The support plate 30 includes two separate, parallel walls 12, each wall 12 having ten recesses homogeneously separated. The recesses are arranged to prevent the smoking articles 10 from contacting each other during the test.

As can be seen in Figure 2, ten identically designed smoking articles 10 are aligned in parallel in one plane and placed on underlying cylindrical bars 14. Smoking items 10 extend between corresponding recesses in walls 12 to hold smoking items in place. The underlying cylindrical bars 14 extend parallel to the walls 12. Each smoking article 10 contacts the underlying bars 14 at two points, totaling twenty points of contact between the smoking articles to be tested and the underlying bars 14.

To test the filter hardness of a smoking article, the smoking articles should be positioned such that the part of the filter to be tested is in contact with the underlying bars 14. If the filter is too short and the part of the filter to be tested does not contact the two bars or contacts the bars very close to the ends of the part of the filter to be tested, then it would be appreciated that this could be achieved by using twenty cigarettes in one Back-to-back configuration, such as shown in Figure 3.

As shown, the concept of the DD60A assay is that the underlying cylindrical bars contact the sample material to be tested at twenty contact points. If the filter is long enough to extend through the underlying bars, then the twenty contact points can be provided with ten samples (as shown in Figure 2). If the filter is not long enough, then the twenty contact points can be provided with twenty samples, as shown in Figure 3.

As can be seen in Figure 3, parts of the tobacco cylinders have been removed from each smoking article 10, and the filter part of each smoking article 10 rests on a respective cylindrical rod 14. In the present case, the hardness of the mouth end segment is being tested, and therefore this is the part of the filter that rests on the bar 14, and the mouth end segment is approximately centered on the Bars 14. If the filter comprises a single plug of filter material, the filter is approximately centered on the bars 14, for example, if a filter with a length of 24 mm is used, the bar 14 is applied in a position located approximately 12 mm from the end of the filter mouth. If a filter comprising two plugs of filter material is used, the filter is placed on the bar 14 so that at least one of the plugs is centered on the bar 14 and, in particular, the bar 14 is not located in a position between the two filter material plugs. If necessary, the tips of the smoking articles that extend away from the cylindrical rods 14 can be supported by an underlying support means to prevent pivotal movement of the smoking articles.

The apparatus is shown in Figure 3 in a first configuration, in which the two load-bearing cylindrical bars 24 are raised above, and out of contact with, the smoking articles 10. To test the hardness of the smoking articles, the load-bearing cylindrical bars 24 are lowered into a second configuration, to contact the smoking articles 10, as shown in Figure 4. When in contact with the articles 10 for smoking, the load application bars 24 impart a total load of 2 kg through the twenty contact points of the smoking articles 10 for a duration of 20 seconds. After 20 seconds have elapsed (and with the load still applied to the smoking articles), the depression in the load-bearing cylindrical rods 24 through the smoking articles is determined and then used to calculate the hardness .

Example 1

A filter cigarette with a monoacetate filter having a denier per filament of 3.80 and a total denier of 30,000, comprising 8.0% by weight of triacetin as a plasticizer and having a weight of cellulose acetate fiber 137.25 mg. The filter material is wrapped with a non-porous filter wrap, which has a basis weight of 27 g / m2 and a thickness of 43 microns.

The filter is bonded in end-to-end relationship with a tobacco roll by nozzle paper having a basis weight of 50g / m2.

The filter has a length of 27 mm and a circumference (laser) of 24.2 mm.

The filter shows a pressure drop of 70 mmWC.

The filter cigarette was tested using the method and apparatus described above, and a hardness value of 89% was measured.

Claims (14)

1. A smoking article comprising: a tobacco cylinder; a filter comprising at least one plug of filter material wrapped with one or more filter wrappers; and a mouthpiece material connecting the tobacco cylinder and the filter; wherein the nozzle material has a basis weight of at least 50 grams per square meter and a thickness of between about 40 and about 55 microns, wherein the at least one plug of filter material that forms the filter has a content of plasticizer of between approximately 5% and 10%. 2. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the hardness of the smoking article measured at any point in the filter when attached to the tobacco cylinder by mouthpiece material is less than about 90%. 3. A smoking article according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the hardness of the smoking article measured at any point in the filter when attached to the tobacco cylinder by mouthpiece material is greater than about 85%. 4. A smoking article according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the hardness of the smoking article measured at any point of the filter when attached to the tobacco cylinder by mouthpiece material is between about 85% and about 95 %. 5. A smoking article according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the mouthpiece material has a basis weight of between about 50 and about 80 grams per square meter. 6. A smoking article according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more filter casings have a basis weight of between about 20 and about 50 grams per square meter. 7. A smoking article according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more filter casings are non-porous casings. 8. A smoking article according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the mouthpiece material has a thickness of between about 45 to 52 microns. 9. A smoking article according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the filter comprises a single plug of filter material wrapped with a single filter wrap. 10. A smoking article according to claim 9, wherein the filtering material plug extends along the entire length of the filter. 11. A smoking article according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the filter comprises at least a first plug of acetate packing material without an envelope. 12. A smoking article as claimed in claim 11, wherein the filter comprises at least one second plug of uncoated acetate filter material, the first and second plugs of uncoated acetate filter material being wrapped by a single wrapper. filter that contains the two first and second plugs in a separate relationship to define a cavity between them. 13. A smoking article according to claim 12, wherein the filter comprises at least one fluid releasing member positioned in the cavity. 14. A smoking article according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more filter casings comprise a non-porous water tight casing.