Cigarette Brand Guides & Buying Notes
Brand notes, buying guides and dispatch updates. Written for people who already know what they smoke and want the detail a product page cannot carry — how a format differs from its neighbour, what actually changes between two tar ratings, and what to expect when a carton arrives.
- All 96
- Brand Comparisons 11
- Buying Guides 31
- Japanese & Korean Cigarettes 15
- Menthol Cigarettes 12
- Prices & Duty Free 21
- Smoking Culture 6
Mild Menthol Cigarettes: The Three Meanings
"Mild" is not a regulated term in most markets, and it was banned as a descriptor on US packaging in 2010 precisely because it implied a graduated risk. So when a sm…
Buying Your First Carton: A Checklist
A first carton order is a bigger commitment than a pack, and the failure modes are different. You cannot walk it back into a shop. Here is what to check before you p…
Why Cigarettes Have Ventilation Holes
Look closely at the filter end of a modern cigarette and you will find a ring of tiny perforations in the paper, often invisible until you hold it to the light. They…
Mevius vs Seven Stars: Japan’s Two Poles
If you want to understand Japanese cigarettes in two products, these are the two. Mevius is the volume leader, built for smoothness. Seven Stars is the premium full-…
How Much Is a Carton of Marlboro?
Marlboro is the most widely sold cigarette brand in the United States, which makes it the reference point for carton pricing. A carton runs from roughly $55 in the l…
The Average Price of a Pack of Cigarettes
The frequently quoted national average for a pack of cigarettes is somewhere in the $8 range. That number is technically accurate and practically useless, because it…
Can You Ship Cigarettes Through USPS?
No. The United States Postal Service is prohibited by federal statute from carrying cigarettes, and has been for decades. The relevant provision, 18 U.S.C. § 1716E,…
The PACT Act, Explained Without the Legalese
The PACT Act is short for the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking Act. It passed in 2009, was amended in 2010 to cover roll-your-own tobacco, and it is the reason buyi…
ESSE Cigarettes: Korea’s Slim Format, Explained
ESSE is the cigarette most people encounter when they first try a Korean brand, and it is usually a surprise. The pack is narrow, the cigarette is thin, and the whol…
Why Are Cigarettes Cheaper Online?
The gap is real, and it is almost entirely tax. Tobacco costs roughly the same to grow, cure and manufacture wherever it is made. What changes between a $6 pack and…
Best Menthol Cigarettes: How to Judge Them
"Best" in menthol is not a single ranking, because menthol cigarettes are not competing on one axis. A smoker who wants a blast of cold wants something almost opposi…
Cigarette Prices by State: Why the Map Looks Like That
There is no national cigarette price in the United States. There is a national wholesale price, a uniform federal excise, and then fifty different state taxes plus t…