On-line measurement of cigarette hardness cannot give accurate results unless account is taken of tobacco moisture. To determine this a high-frequency method using a stray field capicitor as a sensor was developed. This moisture meter is suitable for installation in cigarette makers. The capacitor forms part of an oscilator circuit whose natural frequency and damping are influenced by the tobacco. These measured variables are processed to obtain a non-density-related moisture signal. The method had to determine the moisture content rapidly without damaging the cigarettes since their hardness also had to be determined later. A laboratory moisture meter which operates on the same principle as the on-line moisture meter was also developed. This was compared with the oven method and results were found to correlate well. Results obtained with the laboratory device were also compared with those determined using the on-line moisture meter in the bulking chute. Here again, the correlation was extremely high, thus demonstrating the lab meter's suitability for calibrating on-line moisture meters. The method is not fully independent of tobacco type, but nevertheless seems to be less affected by tobacco type variations than many other currently used methods.