Abstract: A smoking article includes a flexible casing which is liquid-tight and tubular, a mouth portion formed at one end of the casing, a cylindrical plastic container which can be elastically deformed and is arranged within the casing, a flavour solution housed in the plastic container and having a viscosity of 520 cP or less, a thin wall portion formed at one end wall of the plastic container, the thin wall portion being broken when the plastic container is elastically deformed upon receipt of force applied from outside the casing so as to permit release of the flavour solution, and a water absorbing layer formed adjacent to the end wall having the thin wall portion formed therein so as to hold the flavour solution released from the plastic container. Various kinds of flavour solutions can be used in the smoking article. The amount of the volatile aromatic components can be controlled easily. Further, it is possible to suppress the loss of the aromatic component during preservation of the smoking article.

Abstract: An easily breakable plastic capsule according to the present invention comprises a hollow cylindrical body capable of elastic deformation. The body is packed with a fluid material. An end wall of the body is formed with a plurality of radially extending grooves. When the body is deformed elastically, the bottom walls of the grooves are broken, so that the material flows out of the body through tears in the grooves. A water filter according to the present invention comprises a casing, made of paper and coupled to a cigarette, and a filter member and the capsule arranged in the casing. The grooved end wall of the capsule is situated in close vicinity to the filter member.

Abstract: Molding tobacco filters having a variety of cross-sections which are practically useful in providing various preferable effects such as improvement in pressure drop, balanced adsorption of smoke component or the like, are provided according to a method which is characterized in forming fiber bundles of composite fibers consisting of a first and a second component by themselves, or a mixture of at least 20% by weight (based upon the total fiber mixture) of said composite fibers and another kind of fibers so as to give a variety of cross-sections to said fiber bundles, and subjecting said fiber bundles to heat-treatment at a temperature lower than the melting point of the first component but higher than the melting point of the second component to stabilize the structure by the self-adhesion of the second component; the first component of a fiber forming polymer and the second component consisting of one or more kinds of polymer having a melting point lower than that of the first component by 10.degree. C.