The smoke from a burning cigarette is classified as mainstream, which is the smoke inhaled by the smoker during a puff, and sidestream, which is defined by ISO 10185 as all smoke which leaves a cigarette during the smoking process other than from the butt end. Most of the sidestream smoke is generated during static burn, that is, in between puffs. The amount of sidestream smoke generated by a cigarette depends on the cigarette construction, tobacco blend, and properties of the cigarette paper, The main paper properties affecting sidestream smoke generation are: porosity, basis weight, type and amount of filler, type and amount of burn additive.Sidestream smoke is composed of a visible phase (small liquid droplets) and an invisible phase (gaseous molecules). This paper focuses on the visible portion of the sidestream smoke. Optical methods, which are based on the relationship between light scattering and density of the rising plume of smoke, have been used successfully by the industry. However, the present trend is to use gravimetric methods where the particulate matter is captured on a Cambridge(R) filter pad and weighed. The gaseous portion of the sidestream smoke, which does not contribute to the visible sidestream smoke, passes through the Cambridge filter pad.Sidestream smoke reduction is achieved by modifying certain mass transport processes occurring in a smoldering cigarette. There are four main pathways for reducing sidestream smoke: A) less tobacco burned, B) slower rate of tobacco combustion, C) more efficient trapping of smoke by the cigarette paper, and D) more complete combustion of tobacco. This paper discusses how the physical properties of paper and cigarette construction affect sidestream smoke reduction via the above four mechanisms.