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I think I can safely say the name here without appearing as some sort of agent or re-seller (as I am clearly not) - they are called 'American Spirit'.
I noticed a few low-key promotions in the UK, mainly just small leaflets in some newsagents and tobacconists and was curious - and today I bought my first pack.
The first thing I noticed when I lit one up was that it was less smokey and it burnt more slowly. I also noticed that there was not the same level of after-taste and 'smokers breath'. The taste itself was the real surprise, I now realise what its like to smoke a real cigarette. It reminded me of the pleasure of smoking, which I had long forgotten. After a few smokes I noticed that my head didn't seem blocked and and I felt less choked by it.
I also felt a subtle uplifting in my spirits (possible partly due to the excitement of the discovery - too early to tell yet).
The small home office that I currently work from doesn't smell so thick as it normally does. Instead it smells more sweet, and feintly musty.
I opened up one of the cigarettes to look at the tobacco inside, and saw that there were no hard 'branchy' bits whatsoever, just lots of real 100% pure leaf tobacco.
The major brands use various chemicals to make their cigarettes more addictive - this is a fact. I am hoping that by being dependant on just ONE substance, i.e. tobacco, I will stand a better chance of kicking the habit in a few months time.
I'm converted - anyone else try them?
I wonder how fast this will catch on - as consumers are fueled by a need for all things natural. Maybe one of the major tobacco companies will soon develop a similar product.
Anyway, its a good sign - its nice to enjoy the sublime experience of a real smoke, rather than simply suffer the unpleasantries of constantly feeding an addiction.
Winstons are now also additive free, but they still manage to taste like absolute garbage. There's no substitute for a pack of American Spirits, and last I checked you could get them online for less than $20USD/carton.
Which brings me to one of my favorite random musings: why do chemical/additive FREE products always cost more than their chemical choked cousins? Aren't the manufacturers saving money by not adding all the artificial garbage to the product?
Very interesting to hear that you have shared the experience.
More importantly, where can I buy them online at $20 per carton? ;)
In the UK they are just over £5 for a pack of 20 as they are not made under licence in this country.
In answer to your question, the manufacturers must believe that by adding the chemicals it will make you smoke more. Perhaps this is so, but they taste like SH*T. I think we are going to see a reversal of the trend. I wonder what market share 'American Spirit' now have. The big boys won't be able to ignore it - the bloodsuckers!
If I was involved in the tobacco industry, I would be looking for ways to increase smoking enjoyment - as most smokers IMO only smoke because of their mental and physical addiction.
SPAM vs. Steak
Eww... Yeah, I guess recycling other people's garbage is cheaper than buying your own whole ingredients.
It still very small, they get little to no mainstream advertising. They do have their niche markets though. I first heard of them while going to art school where they were popular with hippies (I guess they like organic tobacco as much as organic burritos :) )
As Mark Twain once said: (or something close) "Quitting smoking is the easiest thing I've ever done. I've done it hundreds of times." It's the quitting non-periodically that's a b!tch. Been 6 months without a single smoke...
And let me tell you, stav's ode to the beauty of American Spirit smokes made me all nostalgic. ;)
It'll take me about 8 hours and I'll start in the morning.
I'm hooked on cigars... but haven't smoked one for 15 years or more. (When you start inhaling those things, you know you've got it bad.) I loved to get in the car to travel by myself, rolling up the windows and just filling the car with thick smoke for hours at a time. For a day or two afterwards the stale cigar 'aroma' would make your eyes water just to stand near the car, nevermind getting in it.
