# Cigarette filter pattern

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cigarette-filter-pattern/469340>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 24, 2008, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cigarette-filter-pattern/469340 "2008-10-24T13:04:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![unspun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b9bd4f/32.png) [@unspun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unspun)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cigarette-filter-pattern/469340/1 "2008-10-24T13:04:55Z")

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Why do yellow filters always have a sort of random speckled pattern on them where white filters are just white?

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**Author:** ![puppygod](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@puppygod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puppygod)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cigarette-filter-pattern/469340/2 "2008-10-24T13:31:28Z")

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Just tradition, I think. Originally cigarettes with filters were colored in pattern that resemble natural cork (it’s that “yellow random speckled pattern”). But nowadays it’s not always true, and some (mostly light) cigarettes now are all white. Or, like my favourite - [all black](http://www.djarumblackcigarettes.com/).

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**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cigarette-filter-pattern/469340/3 "2008-10-24T13:33:54Z")

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Early cigarette filters were made of cork. The pattern you describe is intended to mimic its look.

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**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2008, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cigarette-filter-pattern/469340/4 "2008-10-24T13:45:10Z")

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> [@puppygod](#):
>
> Or, like my favourite - [all black](http://www.djarumblackcigarettes.com/).

Oh, god…I’m having flashbacks to my sophomore year in college…