Bidi cigarettes, also known as beadies or beedies, are handrolled tendu leaves containing low-grade tobacco and tied up with string. These thin, often flavored, South Asian cigarette contain 10-20% of tobacco. Unlike regular cigarettes, beedies do not contain added chemicals.Widely available in grocery stores and convenience stores for about half the cost of cigarettes, the paper-wrapped bundles of bidis come in several flavors including cinnamon, vanilla and strawberry. Beedi-rolling is a cottage industry in India and is typically done by women in their homes. The process of rolling a beedi is similar to that of a handmade cigarette.
Beedis vary accordingly by their size. Beedi tobacco consists of three different tobaccos; each has its own characteristic. The tobacco is brought from different states and each has its own blend. For example, for a strong tobacco flavor, tobacco from the state of Gujarat is preferred. For a more mellow flavor tobacco from Nipani (karnataka)is suitable, and to help the beedies retain the fire for longer CHOOR from Mysore is used. Once the beedies are rolled they are kept in a specially designed oven to ensure good flavor and to remove any moisture. Due to the relatively low cost of Beedies compared to regular cigarettes, they have long been popular among the poor in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and India. In India, 850 billion are smoked every year. Beedies, while controversial outside of South Asia, are available in many flavors (such as vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, and mango). Their availability in Indian food markets is usually under the authorities' radar, due to the markets' ethnic clientele and ostensible focus on food, drink, and provisions (and omission of alcohol products).
A 1999 survey by San Francisco's Booker T Washington Community Service Center reported that 58% of high school students in San Francisco had tried Beedies, and 31% smoked them at least once a month. Many students who tried beedi believe it to be less harmful than a regular cigarette due to the ease of inhalation and absence of warning labels.