A simple definition would be – it is a mixture of blended tobacco, wrapped in beedi leaves, cut to size, tied up with a thread, roasted in an oven to remove moisture and to give that inimitable flavor that brings indefinable joy to the smokers.
The manufacturing of beedies initially consists of the garnering of raw materials- tobacco to be procured from certain areas of Nipani in Karnataka and Gujarat. And Beedi leaves from far flung places like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, U.P. The tobacco is then blended in desirable proportions and the beedi leaves are selected and cut to uniform size.
The secret of a good beedi lies in the blending of tobacco and it is as such treated as a trade secret. After this, by sheer dint of experience, the skilled worker with his deft fingers just rolls the beedi at one stroke, flat at the smoking end and round at the lighting end. It is tied at the flat end with a cotton thread of a particular color chosen to identify the manufacturer.
Prop. K Madhusudhan