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*1 : mundane; good for curiosity-value
*2: quality; a cut above the ordinary
*3 : standout; character sets it at least somewhat apart
*4 : impressive; distinctive & high-quality, but not quite superlative
*5 : astonishing; unique & well-rounded, you *feel* the luxury
*?!: too damn weird to even *try* rating
+ : merit for impressive/classy package
- : demerit for bland/cheezy package
no "*": a probably-defunct brand, at least in the U.S. market tell me if you discover a highly-rated "defunct" brand anywhere!)
"n-f" : non-filter
"oval": ovalized (flattened) non-filter
[name]: the cigaret's maker, which might or might not be considered as part of the cigaret's full brand-name.
- Virginia: "high notes"; generally bright, tangy, sweet, hay-like
- Oriental: "middle notes"; a vegetabley-sweet mellowness
- Kentucky: "low notes"; dark, earthy, like a campfire
- Turkish : piquant; indescribable, like a mesquite Barbecue??
- "mellow": a creamy, plush, "round" quality
- "rich": full-bodied and -flavoured, hearty, substantial
- "mild": tame and subtle; light, gossamer
NOTE: For brands offered in degrees of "lightness", assume I've only tried the full-flavour version unless otherwise noted.
| RATING | BRANDS | FLAVOUR/IMPRESSIONS |
|---|---|---|
| *3 | American Spirit (filter & n-f) | clean, leafy, strong |
| *3++ | Andron Gold+Black 102s [Georgopulo] | "green", piquant Turkish |
| *4++ | Andron (Oval) [Georgopulo] | ditto, but smoother |
| 5 | Balkan Sobranie Turkish Ovals [Georgopulo] | very smooth; nutty |
| *1 | Benson & Hedges DeLuxe | N/A |
| 5 | +Black & Gold [Charles Fairmorn] | very mellow; spicy, nutty |
| *2 | Black Death | nutty |
| *4 | +Black Russian [Sobranie] | strong, spicy; Turkish notes |
| 2 | Botschafter [Dimitrino] | dry, austere Turkish |
| 2 | +Bush Campaign '88 (?!) | mellow |
| *3 | Canadian Express Light | very mild Virginia |
| 3 | Carillos [Sobranie] | dark, spicy, cigar-like |
| *3 | -Carroll's Number 1 | mild Virginia |
| *1++ | Cartier Vendome | BORING ultra-light |
| *4 + | Cocktail [Sobranie] | Black Russian w/ coloured papers |
| 1 | -Collorys | weird flavour; coloured papers |
| *2 | -Craven "A" | mild Virginia |
| *3++ | Davidoff Classic | sweet, smooth, rich, mild |
| *3++ | Davidoff Magnums | bright Virginia |
| *3 + | Delicados (ovalados) | rich; sweet, nutty aftertaste |
| *2 | Ducados | dark, cigarlike; a SMOOTH Gauloises |
| *3 | Ducados Rubio | fairly sweet Virginia |
| *2 | duMaurier | N/A |
| *3 | duMaurier Special Milds | mellow Virginia |
| *2+ | Dunhill International | N/A |
| *2 | Dunhill Lights | N/A |
| *2 | English Ovals | potent Virginia |
| *2 | Ernte 23 | N/A |
| *3 | Export "A" [MacDonald's] | N/A |
| *3 | Free Spirit | sweet, leafy additive-free Virginia |
| *1 | Gauloises (filter) | HARSH, very nutty, pungent |
| *2 | Gauloises Blondes | nutty, mellow |
| *2 | Gitane (filter) | like Gauloises, but kinder |
| *3 | Gitane Blondes | chocolatey |
| 2 + | Gorbatchow | N/A |
| 2 | Go To Hell! | the cigaret with a message |
| *3 | HB [House of Bergmann] | just generally pleasant |
| *3 | +JBR [James B. Russell] | mellow, sweet Virginia |
| *2 | +John Player Specials | nutty, spicy |
| 1 - | Johnny Filter | weird low-grade Turkish |
| *2 | Lambert & Butler | boring stockbroker's cigaret |
| *3 | Major Extra Size [Carroll's] | mild Virginia |
| *2 | Matinee | like newly-sawn wood |
| *4 | Mild Seven International | very smooth Virginia |
| *4+ | Peter Stokkebye | rich Virginia & Oriental |
| 1 | Peter Stuyvesant | N/A |
| *2 | Piccadilly | Virginia |
| 2 | Pierre Cardin | Turkish notes? |
| *2 | Player's Navy Cut (n-f) [J.Player] | Virginia |
| *3 | Player's Navy Cut (n-f) [P.Morris] | Virginia |
| *1 - | Prince of Blends | N/A |
| 5 | Rainbow [Charles Fairmorn] | Black & Golds w/ coloured papers |
| *3 + | Rameses II (filter & n-f) | tangy Turkish |
| *1-+ | Rave [Sampoerna(!)] | strong, tangy, potent |
| *2-+ | Rave Lights | mild Virginia? |
| *2 | Regal | Virginia |
| *3 | Rothman's | salty Virginia |
| *3 | Samsun International | Turkish pretending to be Virginia? |
| 3 | Senior Service (n-f) | nutty, mild Virginia |
| *3 - | Seven Stars | a stronger Mild Seven |
| 4 + | Shepheard's Hotel [Dimitrino] | sweet Oriental & Virginia |
| 3 | Sherman's Casinos | strong Virginia |
| *4++ | Sherman's Classic | sweet, smooth, rich |
| *3 | Sherman's Fantasia (6.5"!) | med-dark, nutty, mild |
| *4 | Sherman's Havana Ovals | strong, rich, sweet, dark, spicy |
| 3 | Sherman's Hint of Mint | smoke passed thru mint crystals |
| *4 | Sherman's MCD | rich, sweet, spicy, Turkish hints? |
| *3 + | Silk Cut | mild Virginia |
| 5 | Silver Brown Rounds ("paperless"!) | rich,mellow,sweet,tangy,cigar-ish |
| 3 + | Sobranie Virginia | tangy, bold Virginia |
| *2 | St. Moritz | fairly mellow and bright |
| *2 | State Express 555 | nutty |
| *2 + | Superkings | N/A |
| *5 + | Sweet Afton [Carroll's] | super-mild smooth Virginia |
| 1 - | Texas Lights | like cardboard |
| *4 + | Turkish Special (filter, n-f, oval) | rich, nutty Turkish |
| *3 | Vernon (filter & n-f) | bright Virginia |
| 1 | YSL Ritz | yer basic PM light 100; yawn |
| FLAVOURED NOVELTIES | ||
| 2 - | Djarum (orange pack) (n-f) | N/A |
| 5 | Djarum Bravo | sweet, chocolatey |
| *4 + | Djarum International (n-f) | BIG, very sweet |
| 2 | Djarum Lights | oxymoronic |
| *3 | Djarum Special | sweet, rich |
| *3 | Djarum Splash | sweet, milder |
| *5 + | Djarum Super | sweet, rich, heady |
| 1 | Free (non-tobacco) | like campfire-roasted hot dogs |
| *2 | Gudang Garam Kretek | rather austere |
| *4 | Gudang Garam Professional | very sweet |
| *3 | Honeyrose Ginseng | sweet, very mellow |
| *3 | Honeyrose Herbal | ditto |
| *3 | Ginseng [Hsiang Yang] | cirtusy-sweet |
| *3 | Jakarta Kretek (filter & n-f) | mellow, smooth, subtle |
| 3 + | Jasmine [Sobranie] | perfumed; feminine & different |
| *3 + | Jezebel Gardenia | perfumed; vaguely talcum-ish |
| 1 | Jin Jian | nasty tobacco-herbal mixture |
| *?! | Kailas Strawberry Bidis | very strange, love-hate |
| 3 | Krakatoa Kretek Slims (n-f) | N/A |
| 3 | Rothschilds Brandy | dark, not much brandy |
| 4 | Rothschilds Rose | very rosey, sweet |
| *2 | Sampoerna Tegar (n-f) | short, fat, austere |
| *3 + | Samponera Mild | less clove kick |
| *3 + | Samponera Menthol | neat flavour combo |
| *3 + | Samponera Exclusive | a bit bland |
| *3 + | Samponera International | ditto |
| *5 + | Samponera 45 Patma | chocolatey, rich, sweet |
| *4 + | Samponera X-Tra | heady, sweet |
| *4 + | Samponera 234 Filter | ditto |
| *4 | Samponera 234 Handrolled (n-f) | ditto |
| *?! | Sher Bidi (filter & n-f) | like a pine forest |
| 3 | Terong Kretek | N/A |
| HANDROLLING TOBACCOS | ||
| *4 | American Spirit | clean, leafy, strong |
| *?! | American Spirit Pow-Wow Blend | chunky, minty-herby, odd |
| *2 | Bali Shag Golden | mild, hay-like Virginia |
| *3 | Bali Shag Half-Zware | toasty Kentucky w/ Virginia |
| *3 | Bosse's Premium Handrolling | sweet, zesty, rich Virginia |
| 5 + | Casablanca [Poschl's] | tangy, sweet, zesty Virginia |
| *3 | Drum | honey-nutty |
| *2 | Drum Light | like decaf; something missing |
| *1 | Edward's RYO | harsh but sweet |
| *1 | Gauloises | HARSH, pungent, very nutty |
| *4 | Holland House | dark, mellow, chocolatey |
| *3 | Jester | a shade brighter/zestier than Drum |
| *3 | Kinni-Kinnick Ceremonial | honey Virginia w/ Native Amer. herbs |
| 4 | LightHouse | sweet, mellow Virginia & Oriental |
| 1 | LLF [L Lacroix Fils] | weird low-grade Turkish |
| *3 | Lotzbeck Mild | very mild Virginia; like hay |
| *2 | Lotzbeck Wurzig | austere, dark Kentucky |
| *2 | McClintock [Stokkebye] | austere Virginia |
| *3 | Norwegian Shag [TinderBox] | fairly mellow |
| *5 | Old Holborn | sweet, dark, molasses-like |
| 5 + | Prawda | sweet, dark, zesty, rich |
| *1 | Roll Rich | devoid of flavour/aspirin aftertaste |
| *3 | [Stokkebye Medium (bulk)] | zestier Drum with Oriental |
| *3 | Samson | a shade darker than Drum |
| *5 + | Three Castles | delicate, mild, appley-sweet |
| *3 | The Turner | dark, mellow, peppery Kentucky |
| *4 | Uhle's Cigarette Blend | fairly mellow, sweet |
| *2 | Van Nelle Zware | brusque-yet-light roasty Kentucky |
| *0 | Zig-Zag | flavourless throat-sandpaper |