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Sobranie Cocktail cigarettes

The Sobranie (Russian: Собрание) cigarette brand is one of the oldest tobacco brands in the world. Sobranie of London was established in 1879, when cigarettes had just become fashionable in Europe. The original cigarettes were handmade in the Russian tradition, and are still produced at Old Bond Street in London. Sobranie was the supplier of royal courts of Great Britain, Spain, Romania, and Greece.^[1] Sobranie are produced in various places in Europe by the Gallaher Group.

Premium varieties include the evening-out styles Sobranie Cocktail and Sobranie Black Russian, which are produced in Ukraine and as of 2005 in Russia itself. Sobranie produces several styles geared specifically for ladies, some slimmer than standard cigarettes and others brightly colored.

• Cocktails are five separate bright pastel shades with a gold foil filter, and are the same ring gauge as standard cigarettes, unlike Nat Sherman's Fantasias, which are slimmer and use deeper, primary colors.
• Black Russians are black with a gold foil filter. While both Cocktail and Black Russian variants are emblazoned with the Russian imperial eagle and use blends suited to Russian tastes, this is a different blend than Cocktails.

Sobranie is one of the most expensive cigarette brands in Russia, and is considered to be a brand comparable to Dunhill cigarettes.^{[citation needed]}

Varieties

Sobranie Black Russian cigarettes

• Sobranie Classic cigarettes (Tar - 14 mg; Nicotine - 1 mg)
• Sobranie Classic Lights (Tar - 10 mg; Nicotine - 0.8 mg)
• Sobranie Black Russians (Tar - 14 mg; Nicotine - 1.0 mg)
• Sobranie White Russians (Tar - 8 mg; Nicotine - 0.8 mg)
• Sobranie Cocktails (Tar - 7 mg; Nicotine - 0.7 mg)
• Sobranie Blues (Tar - 5 mg; Nicotine - 0.5 mg)
• Sobranie Mints (Tar - 5 mg; Nicotine - 0.5 mg)
• Sobranie Pinks (Tar - 5 mg; Nicotine - 0.5 mg)
• Sobranie Whites (Tar - 1 mg; Nicotine - 0.1 mg)
• Sobranie Yellow (citrus menthol) (Tar - 5 mg; Nicotine - 0.5 mg; Carbon Monoxide 5 mg) – sold in China with English and Chinese text on packet, displaying a health warning on the lower region of the packet. The front warning is in Chinese; the reverse is in English. This variety has a yellow stub and distinctive lemon aroma and notes "China Duty Not Paid", suggesting it is sold in Chinese airports.^{[citation needed]}

In popular culture

Characters in the 2009 films A Single Man, set in 1962, and An Education set in 1961, are seen smoking Sobranie.^{[citation needed]}
Anne Rice's title character from Belinda smokes Sobranies and other exotic cigarettes through out the book of the same name.

See also

• Fashion brands
• Smoking culture

References