Cigarette Smoking?

[Maddog]

I'm a smoker. My preferred smoke delivery system is a pipe, but since they started banning it everywhere (even in the pub for goodness sake!) I smoke mostly roll ups these days (as a pipe can last 40 minutes and I'm not going to stand outside in the cold for that length of time!).

I'm with you, Santo. Smoking, in and of itself, is a morally neutral activity.

Now I'm going to spark up a Marlboro Red, one of the finest cigarettes available. Care to join me?

 

[SantoSubito]

I'm a smoker. My preferred smoke delivery system is a pipe, but since they started banning it everywhere (even in the pub for goodness sake!) I smoke mostly roll ups these days (as a pipe can last 40 minutes and I'm not going to stand outside in the cold for that length of time!).

Wow the laws are that strict in England? Here the bars and all other restaurants at least have the choice of going either completely smoking or completely non-smoking, and obviously all the bars chose to go completely smoking.

Now I'm going to spark up a Marlboro Red, one of the finest cigarettes available. Care to join me?

Indeed, as long as it's a European Marlboro. American Marlboro's taste terrible, but of course here Camel is king. Unfiltered Camels, however, are my smoke of choice.

 

[mememe]

Personally I think you are deluded.

If it is so easy to not smoke for a couple of days, why dont you quit?

it helps your stress? thats why people smoke. thats why i smoked, thats why its addictive.

It serves no other purpose.

 

[Maddog]

Wow the laws are that strict in England? Here the bars and all other restaurants at least have the choice of going either completely smoking or completely non-smoking, and obviously all the bars chose to go completely smoking.

Yes, they are that strict. The pub trade is dying, I'm socially isolated since I just don't go out anymore (why would I pay nearly 3 quid for a pint only to be stuck outside?), and it is insult to some of our most basic legal principles, namely property rights (a landlord should be able to allow or disallow smoking on his property as he sees fit). What really rubs salt in the wound is that it is founded on junk science and hysteria about the dangers of 'secondhand smoke'; dangers which are all but fabricated.

Indeed, as long as it's a European Marlboro. American Marlboro's taste terrible, but of course here Camel is king. Unfiltered Camels, however, are my smoke of choice.

My usual straight is Senior Service which are filterless. I'd like to try filterless Camels, but round here all I've seen on sale are Camel lights for some reason.

I don't know about American Marlboros though, I've only tried the EU made ones. It's funny that, because I'd have thought the American ones would be better, what with them originating there. Still, in America, I heard they add carpet glue to cigs to make them 'fire safe'. Apparently they leave a coppery taste in your mouth, have more chemicals in them, and require deeper and more frequent inhalations just to keep them lit.

 

[SantoSubito]

Yes, they are that strict. The pub trade is dying, I'm socially isolated since I just don't go out anymore (why would I pay nearly 3 quid for a pint only to be stuck outside?), and it is insult to some of our most basic legal principles, namely property rights (a landlord should be able to allow or disallow smoking on his property as he sees fit). What really rubs salt in the wound is that it is founded on junk science and hysteria about the dangers of 'secondhand smoke'; dangers which are all but fabricated.

I do believe they are as strict as England's are in some states. So here they aren't even consistent, but the general rule is the further north you go the more anti-smoking laws there are. Largely because all of the tobacco is grown down south.

My usual straight is Senior Service which are filterless. I'd like to try filterless Camels, but round here all I've seen on sale are Camel lights for some reason.

Senior Service is a brand I've never heard of, but it's probably a local brand right? In Europe Camels aren't very popular unless you count Turkey that is. Why they aren't popular I don't know because they are great, but as it stands now Camels are still mostly an "All-American" smoke.

I don't know about American Marlboros though, I've only tried the EU made ones. It's funny that, because I'd have thought the American ones would be better, what with them originating there. Still, in America, I heard they add carpet glue to cigs to make them 'fire safe'. Apparently they leave a coppery taste in your mouth, have more chemicals in them, and require deeper and more frequent inhalations just to keep them lit.

I think the European ones have a slightly different blend of tobacco as well, but here Marlboro's just have a funny chemically aftertaste. As for the Fire Safe cigs, some companies add a chemical to make it go out others accomplish it by incorporating special "folds" in the paper to accomplish it. Which is one reason I'm such a Camel fan since they decided to use the fold method instead of adding chemicals. The state I live in doesn't even require FS cigs, but since so many states do they just make them all FS now. But if you're a lover of pipe tobacco the US is the place to be since the tax on loose pipe tobacco is practically non-existent in the South

Oh and I forgot to add if you can find Natural American Spirits in the UK they are great, especially since they have no chemical additives, and burn for ages.

 

[Maddog]

Senior Service is a brand I've never heard of, but it's probably a local brand right?

I'd never heard of them until about a year ago. They're not readily available in the newsagents, but my specialist tobacconist stocks them. I think it's just me and one other chap in our town who regularly buys them.

Wikipedia hasn't much information either: Senior Service (cigarette) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edit: But Cigarettespedia has slightly more: http://www.cigarettespedia.com/index.php/BrandSenior_Service

 

[Maddog]

Oh and I forgot to add if you can find Natural American Spirits in the UK they are great, especially since they have no chemical additives, and burn for ages.

Thanks. I'll keep an eye out and give them a try if I see them.

 

[SantoSubito]

Thanks. I'll keep an eye out and give them a try if I see them.

Be warned though they are on the pricey side, they're about $6.50 a pack here in Oklahoma. Which is a lot considering I can get unfiltered Camels for $3 a pack.

I'd never heard of them until about a year ago. They're not readily available in the newsagents, but my specialist tobacconist stocks them. I think it's just me and one other chap in our town who regularly buys them.

I feel like such a redneck for having no idea what newsagents were or that they sold cigarettes. I live in an area where all the cigarettes are either sold at the gas station or at the one tobacco shop in town.

 

[Maddog]

Be warned though they are on the pricey side, they're about $6.50 a pack here in Oklahoma. Which is a lot considering I can get unfiltered Camels for $3 a pack.

Right, so that means they'll be about 10 quid or something stupid since they tax us to oblivion over here.

 

[SantoSubito]

Right, so that means they'll be about 10 quid or something stupid since they tax us to oblivion over here.

Wow, thats almost $20 US if my mental conversions are half decent. Man England really does hate smokers, I'm buying my go to brand for what would be about one pound fifty over there, and I thought taxes here were getting too high. If only we could have the good ole' days back when a pack of cigarettes cost a quarter.

 

[Maddog]

Wow, thats almost $20 US if my mental conversions are half decent. Man England really does hate smokers, I'm buying my go to brand for what would be about one pound fifty over there, and I thought taxes here were getting too high. If only we could have the good ole' days back when a pack of cigarettes cost a quarter.

Indeed. A decent packet of cigs (Marlboro, B&H etc.) is now up to nearly 7 quid, which works out at about $11.

Pipe baccy isn't too bad, as that's about 7 or 8 quid for 50g (roughly 2oz). Decent rolling baccy (eg. Golden Virginia) is a bit more expensive though, now about 7 or 8 quid just for 25g. However, my tobacconist sells an ounce of a virginia blend of shag for little over a fiver, which is a little kinder on my wallet. If you're in love with Golden Virgina, then his shag probably won't do it for you, but if you're content with just a standard virginia blend then it's good to be able to get some for (relatively) cheap.

ASH wanted to increase tax on tobacco by 5% every year! It was rejected, rightly, for being ludicrous. But yet these people still wonder why the black market is booming.

PS: I have to write 'quid' because for whatever reason my posts don't work if I use the pound sign.

 

[SantoSubito]

Pipe baccy isn't too bad, as that's about 7 or 8 quid for 50g (roughly 2oz). Decent rolling baccy (eg. Golden Virginia) is a bit more expensive though, now about 7 or 8 quid just for 25g. However, my tobacconist sells an ounce of a virginia blend of shag for little over a fiver, which is a little kinder on my wallet. If you're in love with Golden Virgina, then his shag probably won't do it for you, but if you're content with just a standard virginia blend then it's good to be able to get some for (relatively) cheap.

Yeah, for whatever reason they always seem to tax pipe tobacco less than the other varieties. Over here you can get a one pound bag of relatively decent pipe tobacco for about $20, or if I'm in Kansas I can get a one pound bag for about $12 since they don't levy a state tax on pipe tobacco in Kansas.

PS: I have to write 'quid' because for whatever reason my posts don't work if I use the pound sign.

Yeah it doesn't work with the euro sign either, why I don't know.

 

[DanuckInUSA]

The body is a temple?

 

[Maddog]

Yeah, for whatever reason they always seem to tax pipe tobacco less than the other varieties. Over here you can get a one pound bag of relatively decent pipe tobacco for about $20, or if I'm in Kansas I can get a one pound bag for about $12 since they don't levy a state tax on pipe tobacco in Kansas.

The reason is simple: compared to cigarettes, pipe tobacco has very few sales so there's no need to go potty with the taxes, since the government wouldn't get much anyway. Were pipe smoking to greatly increase in popularity, you can bet your bottom dollar that we'd start to see higher tax on it. So while I think it'd be great to see more people picking up the pipe, at the same time I'm kind of glad that we're the minority as we're under the tax radar, so to speak.

I heard a funny story from America, that when they put a large tax hike on rolling baccy, pretty much overnight all the roll your own was relabelled as pipe tobacco.

Ahh, sin taxes. It's a curious conflict of interest - they try to pursuade/legislate/bully/tax us into giving up, but at the same time, the last thing they want is for us to stop buying tobacco because it's such a huge source of revenue.

 

[SantoSubito]

I heard a funny story from America, that when they put a large tax hike on rolling baccy, pretty much overnight all the roll your own was relabelled as pipe tobacco.

Yeah that actually did happen. It was still the same tobacco but it just had "pipe tobacco" on the label instead of "roll your own". I thought it was kind of funny, and a fine example of ingenuity.