Some may consider it extremely sensitive but one thing that really surprises expats arriving in Scandinavia is the comparatively high rates of smoking among the people there. If you never realize it, people coming from countries where smoking has generally been considered immoral and smokers highly condemned get shocked by how the young, old, women and men all smoke in Scandinavia. The cigar has a great embrace among the Scandinavians and no amount of scare and warning of its health risks is gonna stop them any sooner. It is common thing to see people walking into the stores and asking for their cigarette brands without feeling any guilt because it’s all a free choice regardless.
Although the age for buying cigarettes in Scandinavia is generally set at 18 years and above, this does not deter the young from apparently compensating for the lost years of smoking. Although statistics indicate a leveling or decline in smoking population in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, the number remains high with Denmark topping the list. As a smoker or researcher, one may need to know common cigarette brands on sale and smoked in Scandinavia. So here is the brief.
It would be curious to know why exactly a sizable number of people in Scandinavia smoke cigarettes. If you take the trouble to ask each one of the, be ready to get diverse responses which may end up even confusing the more. Be that as it may, we all know that people smoke for various reasons. For pleasure, to discharge toxic emotions, to relieve stress, to reminisce on the good old times or to provoke the unpleasant ones and to re-energize just to mention but a few.
Like the legendary coffee testers whose taste buds sense high quality beverages, ardent cigarette smokers can tell the different brands of cigarettes and what feelings they bring. Each cigarette has a unique effect on individual smokers. In short, Scandinavian smokers will choose a particular brand of cigarette at the store that matches their desired tastes and preferences.
Ordinarily, the choice of one cigarette brand over the other will be largely influenced by the lasting feeling initiated in the mind of the smoker by the said cigarette brand. Of course the consumer would have heard about it, seen it and would so much want to have a puff of it which would thereafter have its effect as pleasant or terrible.
Maybe you’re an addicted cigarette smoker planning to relocate to Sxcandinavia. As is expected, any addicted smoker worries so much about the possibility of getting their brand of choice at the destination. If anything, the craving for cigarettes far much outdo that of many things. Maybe addicts can explain this better. But if this best describes you, do not panic as the Scandinavians have so many of the brands of cigarettes that currently dominate the market. You’ll get the highly expensive ones, midium cost and affordable ones as well.
The different brands of cigarettes in the Scandinavian market all fit the preferences of their customers. The irony of the matter is that the natives of Scandinavia, especially the Swedes are moving towards a smoke-free world with Sweden having had several campaigns to reduce the smoking rates. This is also coupled with the fact that smoking in public areas including workplaces, restaurants, bars, outdoor spaces meant for public transport, schoolyards and playgrounds has been prohibited since 2005.
Any rule of law wouldn’t suffer rejection and opposition hence new cigarette brands are often introduced into the market. Among the Scandinavian countries, Denmark has been ranked to have the highest number of heavy smokers with Sweden having the least. With the already existing cigarette products in the market and new ones emerging, one will stop to think, what therefore makes a quality cigarette brand? Is the quality determined by its contents or by what is perceived by the smoker?
Getting to know the quality of a product requires one to first understand what it is made of. The contents of any cigarette includes a combination of tobacco, some chemical additives, a filter and the outer paper wrappings. All these features when combined could simply present a brand which can be perceived of a high or low quality.
The physical parameters to consider when determining the best tobacco to use will include color, scent, maturity an elasticity. On top of this list also add texture and overall combustibility. Thus a quality cigar would burn for quite some time, evenly and into the completeness of its residual ashes.
Knowing the procedure of adding and mixing the chemical additives serves a great deal. They include sugars, tar, carbohydrates, proteins, chlorides among other chemicals. Striking a balance through monitoring their ratios for these chemicals undoubtedly enhances the flavors hence achieving some level of quality.
Any product brand would like to capture the minds of their customers at their first encounter with the said product. Thus for a cigarette brand, applying flashy packaging styles will help the customers to make a quick guess about its quality.
Scandinavia has a variety of cigarette brands ranging from the locally manufactured to the international ones. Let us have a look at some of their most common brands.
Snus
This is a brand originally made in Sweden since the nineteen hundreds. It is smokeless tobacco that you only need to place in the mouth under the gums. Due to its smokeless nature, it has largely taken over the Nordic cigar market and its health concerns have also not been proven severe.
Snus’ widespread use has led to the manufacture and production of many other brands. These brands come as a blend of different tastes and flavors. Snus now comes as a large frame of products that suit customer’s preferences. These brands include LD, Camel, Winston, Blend, Swedish level and John Silver. All these brands are also referred to as the Nordic snus.
Borkum Riff cigarette
This is an original brand of the Scandinavian Tobacco group and is manufactured in Denmark. It was named after Borkum Riff, a lighthouse in Heligoland Bight in the North Sea. Its contents gives a combination of the radiant virginia and fragrant burley tobaccos enhancing its natural flavor.
Stanwell cigarette
A brand known for its smoking pipes originally made in Denmark. Its exceptional blend of bright Virginia and the tender dark mélange gives it a superb tasting smoke.
Winchester cigarette
An original American brand and one of the oldest brand to have ever been introduced. It does not accommodate people who go for the pleasant and sweet aroma. The cigar has a traditional, ordinary flavor which appeals to the bold.
Balmoral cigarette
A cigar brand originally and exceptionally handmade in the Dominican Republic. It contains a collection of long assorted cigars created to satisfy those familiar with cigars and the learners alike.
Café crème cigarette
An original Scandinavian brand with a soothing flavor created from a mixture of Dominican and Columbian tobacco leaves. The contents have further been wrapped in Java leaves giving it a more exquisite flavor.
Balishag cigarette
A classic Dutch tobacco made from the combination of the dark burley and bright Virginia tobacco enhancing its pleasant flavor.
cao cigarette
They are specifically handmade in Nicaragua and Honduras. It is exceptional because it has a blend of tobaccos from all over the world. Its appealing packaging also reveals a lot of craftwork from creating extraordinary shapes to designing its sizes.