Abstract: A tobacco product for the personal preparation of a cigarette, in particular a filter cigarette, includes an inherently stale tobacco portion (10) corresponding to the tobacco filling of a finished cigarette. The surface of the tobacco portion is defined by a wrapping or sheath (13), which consists of completely smokeable material. The sheath is permeable to air and the tobacco portion can only be smoked after tight wrapping of the sheath 13 with cigarette paper. The diameter of the tobacco portion (10) is smaller--preferably only slightly--than the inner diameter of the wrapping of cigarette paper or the like such as a preformed cigarette paper sleeve (11) for easy insertion of the tobacco portion (10) into the sleeve. In order to ensure that the tobacco portion (10) bears tightly within the cigarette paper, the tobacco portion (10) is responsive to heating to expand and tightly engages the cigarette paper and at least in the region of the glowing area (17).