When I was a regular smoker, Samson Halfzwaar Shag was my choice for a long time. Factory-made cigarettes were a treat; Pall Mall plain and Peter I, Russian cigs, were my favourites along with John Player blue. Don’t actually miss them.

Malboro Light, parliament lights, kamel red lighs and RYO like Three Sails from D&R.

Old Holborn first and the Blue Drum rolling tobacco. Didn’t like factory made cigarettes.

I always rolled my own. For a long time I bought American Spirit Royal Blue tobacco. For the last couple years of my smoking I switched to Peter Stokkebye Norwegian Shag, which was truly an excellent smoke.

top regular

Seems we are all roll-your-own-ex-smokers here this far. Somehow that’s not so surprising.

amber leaf and b&h rolling tobacco samples befor it was avaliable to buy ,

Marlboro light. It seems to me that Americans are less likely to smoke ryo’s than people from other countries.

Parliament Lights and Camel Lights at the end. Marlboro Lights here and there.

Lucky Strike, Camel Filters, Camel Non-filters, Drum RYO, Bugler RYO, Buck (a brand about 15 years ago, that sold for a dollar–go figure), Pyramid (another brand I remember getting for roughly 70-80 cents a pack, and they were decent too.) Raleigh full flavor,with the worthless coupons that came in the packs. I remember hearing my Dad tell of his Dad getting a pack of Luckies and there being change in the cellophane of the pack. Maybe some old timers remember this?

Old Holborn first, about 1 year. Then 25 years with golden virginia tobacco, and maybe 5 years with drum tobacco

Got my start smoking Newports as a kid, smoked Marlboros for about 10 years, mail-ordered Gauloises, Swiss Marlboros, MS Filtros and Davidoff Magnums from Yesmoke while I could get away with it (the BATF put the kibosh on that), then RYO’d American Spirit (green tin) in Twister tubes for about 3 years. SCHIP put a dent in that, and when my daughter was born this past May I cut way down again. Lo and behold, I read about the resurgence of snuff in a Wired Magazine article, decided to take the plunge. Now my wife and I keep a pack of nonfiltered American Spirits around the house, we smoke maybe 1 a day and that’s fine by me…

Camel and Pall Mall, straights at first, then filtered. RYO for the last 10 years prior to quitting altogether.

I started smoking with Westminister 85’s and then switched to Lucky Strikes (plain). After about 5 years I switched to Texan plain, Gunston plain, Chesterfield plain and filter. I also smoked Camel plain on and off. For the last 3 years of my smoking career, I smoked Marlboro Red packet and then Lights. This made me cough to such an extend that I eventually stopped smoking all together. The nicest cigarette I ever smoked was Yanks plain. The tobacco was yellow, like honey, and it was a sweet cigarette. Strong but so nice. I smoked pipes and cigars as well. Used to mix my own pipe tobacco. Can’t remember the names any more.

Camel Natural Flavor in the end, Lucky Strike before that. My self rolled looked so crappy that I stopped making them myself.

Started with Newports in 7th/8th grade, tried a pipe while I was in college and stayed with the Newports as a 1-2 pack/week smoker until a year or so after I enlisted. Quite for about 2 years. Started up again during Gulf War 1 with Lucky Strike, Camel Filters, Camel Non-filters, Pall-Mall non-filters and graduated to a 1-2 pack-a-day smoker during the last year my enlistment. Swiched to grocery-store Drum RYO after I got out and eventually weaned myself off cigs after 1-2 years. Picked up cigars after a couple years of being off cigs, but after our first child, I dropped to only a couple a month and now that we have a second child it seems to be one or two every couple months.

I started with Friends tobacco RYO because it was 10 cents a pouch. Tailor mades were a quarter. Then rolled Prince Albert. Eventually changed to cigars and later added pipes and snuff.

If I was buying ready made fags it was either Marlboro Red or Richmond Menthol, then I switched to RYO and smoked Amber Leaf or Golden Virginia with the odd pack of Old Holborn chucked in for good measure. I liked to smoke with Swan menthol filters and Rizla liqourice papers. It was like smoking a humbug lol. Now I just smoke my pipe with SG’s 1792 flake being my go to. Stefan

@Nachman: I would occasionally roll Prince Albert as well. Ten times better than factory-made cigarettes and about 1/5 the price.

I smoked Drum all the time until the Republic Tobacco Drum became the norm. After I couldn’t get that, I just bought whatever full flavored RYO was on sale, and blank tubes. Every now and then I’d grab a tin of Three Castles for a treat.

I must say I was never a “regular” smoker as I always preferred dip. But I smoked at parties and bars when I was drinking and socializing. Back in high school I began with the occasional Marlboro light, but quickly moved on to Kool’s. It wasn’t that I particularly liked them, but when everyone is bumming cigarettes at a party, smoking Kool’s is a good way to ensure you don’t run out.

Any roll your own. My favorite was three castles when I could find it. Mainly american spirits where my rolling tobacoo of choice.

Cutters’ Choice RYO tobacco. Cheapest in South London, unavailable outside the UK. I always said that if they stopped making it I’d stop smoking. Well, I’ve cut down to virtually no smoking now due to snus and snuff, but still have some CC around the house for ‘herbal embellishment’.

^ Cutter’s Choice is available in Ireland as well. Or was, now smokes are hidden under the counter except tobacco shops.

when i lived in ireland ( north ) usually john player special black jps here in america winston for a few years now american spirit blue still smoke btw

It was Camel Lights for me the whole time for the better part of 15 years I’d say. I tried so many even when traveling and I don’t think that I enjoyed anything enough to overtake Camel Lights. Talk about walkin’ a mile for a Camel…I certainly would’ve. I had one again on Christmas night with my brother but it was a Camel Filter and the taste was fantastic, but the body feel was horrid. I don’t think my body can take them anymore. I’m happy about that too.

Wana know why my heart is failing??? Starting out between 13-18 years old smoking Pall Mall and kool unfiltered. That alone should have killed me. Then between 18 to 21 years I smoked several brands, Taryton, Parliment, Kent and even tried to cut back with Carlton. Then I went to Kool kings for about 20 years untill I was about 40 then switched to Camel menthol for about 8 years. Cigs got too expensive so I RYO with the machine and tubes for a few years. I used Kite menthol [still have a million packs of Bugler rolling papers left that came with the Kite]. Then for a few years I smoked some offbeat brand that PM made called Alpine Menthol that was freaking great, high nic, cheap, and tasted great [God I loved em]. Then I quit…untill I started smoking Swisher Sweets Slims. I like sweet so I smoked them for several years untill I just HAD to quit because I couldn’t afford the high health insurance costs. Spent several years nic free and finally surcumed to snus. The insurance co only asked if I smoked so I figure snus is ok. Now I have a real snus habit with snuff as a kicker several times in the evenings as a treat. The snus is easy to quit compared to cigs. I simply can’t smoke a single Kool King or Camel menthol or I will be back at them again. However, I can smoke one cig of any other brand and end up tossing it before its finished. I do that about once a month. Whereas I used to smoke about 2 packs daily. gee I never had to figure out all that before. I can’t imagine how much $ I’ve spent on tobacco so far. Oh!! There was a 2 1/2 year period about 8 years ago that I smoked mostly cubans. I went there 12 times for “business”. I always brought back 8 boxes each time I came home. Which is why I have so many for sale. I don’t smoke em anymore. The only thing I smoke now is ham…and the ocassional herb.

I remember Alpines. They were good cigarettes. If they were still made, I would have continued to smoke menthols.

Premium Parrots “The snus is easy to quit compared to cigs” I honestly believe this is 100% proof that smokers have a nicotine addiction and a chemical addiction. It’s the combination of both that makes it almost impossible getting off them sometimes.

[quote][color=#FF0000]“I honestly believe this is 100% proof that smokers have a nicotine addiction and a chemical addiction. It’s the combination of both that makes it almost impossible getting off them sometimes.”[/color][/quote] In addition to the need for nicotine, cigarette smokers have a carbon monoxide addiction. It’s true. I realized that I may as well have been sucking on a car’s tailpipe every morning.

Smoking is so expensive in the UK so i only smoked tobacco i could get cheap - amber leaf, bayside, drum, golden virginia Now though i snuff like a king instead of smoking like a pauper.

“Now though i snuff like a king instead of smoking like a pauper” @Stu Now that is a well phrased sentiment!

Started on Lucky Strikes, then when they dried up, Pall Mall unfiltered until they were stale half the time, then Camel unfiltered until I became self-conscious about tar stains on my teeth, then Camel filtered until I stopped. I wouldn’t touch a menthol cigarette, even when desperate. I’d literally walk a mile for a Camel. Usually a carton buyer, I made sure I didn’t have less than a carton in rotation on hand. If I couldn’t get Camels for some odd reason (sold out), a pack of Winstons would have to do until I could get to civilization. Never crossed my mind to roll my own, sounds like I missed something.

Oh man, I’ve smoked so many cigs, I could not hope to account for them all. My first cig was from a half-pack of Bel-Air’s I found in my uncle’s garage in HI. Man, did I get a buzz. I started on Marlborough reds. Must have had 10000 of them. Then Kools, M-lights, Newports, Camel lights, Camel straights, lucky strikes, parliaments, craven a’s, back to M-lights. Tried many of the off-brands, but always seemed to get back to the reds. The longest time I’ve been nic-free was about 3 years. Snuff and snus rock, but I still like my pipe for really relaxing. Or a hookah, or even a cigar. I’ll do a roll-up once in a while. I was in a cigar kick several years back, and it was getting expensive. On the whole, snuff is the most economical and I really enjoy it, but I like more sometimes, as my nose can only handle so much for so long, without a break. Wish I’d known about snuff about 35 years ago!

American Spirits for the last 5 years, Capris for about 7, Virginia Slims for longer than I can remember, and Marlboro reds prior to the VS’s. Now I do not smoke anything at all!

i smoked lucky strikes and camel non filtered. i still smoke cigars and the occasional gasper if work is rough.

I was all about the Camel Lights for years until tax kept rising and rising. Then I just went to the ol RYO Gambler brand, which the price for one carton of Camel’s was the same as three cartons worth of the Gambler. Now I don’t even smoke half of what I used to, thanx to the snuff.

I am still at unfortunately, but only cigars these days. Used to smoke everything from Silk Cut (when I was trying to be healthy!) to Drum. Worst cigarettes I ever smoked were probably Cleopatra’s, when I spent a a couple weeks in a £1 a night room in Egypt.Those things had bark in, never mind leaves. Right now I am smoking a Nub cigar with a Cameroon wrapper. Fantastic cigars.

Started out with Winston Lights (squirreled away individually from my father’s pack as to go unnoticed) then smoked at a safe distance down by the creek (when I smoked the first one I didn’t cough at all which looking back was very odd and I distinctly recall enjoying it but at the same time also literally thinking ‘heh, I’ll never get addicted to these’ somehow at 11 I thought I was magically immune to such things as ‘addiction’ – little did I know). Was Winston lights and little else for a really long time I briefly smoked “Capris” (influenced by the matriarch of another place I lived, most gawdawful cigarette with perfume), moved again, senses restored (enough to get away from those things anyway, bleh) EDITED – Correction as I think about it they might have been named “Eve’s” (whatever they were, they were white and extra long and narrow, had goofy flowers down the sides of both the cigarette and the package, which was also white save for its name and those flowers… just awful, whatever they were, an old lady’s cigarette for sure) (even when I ended up living in a place with a bunch of girls, all the white girls smoked Marlboro red, all the Black girls smoked Kool’s and grr… can’t think of the other brand’s name… I can see the pack in my mind’s eye though… every last one, by race, white and black thats what people smoked, was a clear divide and was strange… I was the weirdo with my Winston Lights) went like that for a really long time until they kept shooting up in price (then a brief turn at “Tourneys” and “GPF” and other miserable “scrapings from under the shoes of tobacco plant workers”) until I found out about make your own, the tubes, the little machine, etc, then it was Top tobacco, then Buguler, then for quite a while Gambler Light (yes I managed to get into all the cruddy ones, unawre there was anyathing else… rotten supermarkets!) Going from storebought to MYO was noticeably difficult… something was missing (some bad stuff… about the past couple of years until very recently about once a month on the way to one appointment I picked up one pack of Marlboro Red and boy could I tell the difference! "jonesed’ not for my MYO cigarettes but for Marlboro for a day after I used them up, every month!) went rounds of quitting in and throughout all of this… sometimes for months at a time (but those nicotine neurons never healed, was in that awful craving state most people only stay in a couple of weeks the whole time. 4 months one time 7 months another) with snuff and snus (electronic cigarettes just don’t work out for me real well, upkeep on them is too much and evidently I need tobacco alkaloids not just some kind of just clinical ‘nicotine’) I smoke in little explosions when I do… five in a row one day… weeks without, then a few over a few days, stop again, etc Now I’ve found American Spirit (just in time for the gov’t to screw up papers so badly on storeboughts that I’m wondering if the tubes we get for MYO are going to be “FSC” and have that wicked chemical on them too)… American Spirit costs more but its nice (and withotu evil government fillers added in… at least as far as the tobacco… who knows about the papers now), as both pre-packaged and MYO loose, its maybe the first nice tobacco I’ve ever had in my life they may have just backed me into a corner where I may end up trying to smoke my cigarette tobacco in a pipe (I guess one of the American Spirit types a ‘perique’ or something might sorta work for this… but I’d have to get pipe filters for this ancient pipe of my father’s I’ve just had laying around for near a half a century)… and learn how to smoke it… too bad nobody sells American Spirit "perique’ other than one place that’s hugely expensive having it in just a little pouch (which is too small of an amount to buy anyway, I need at very least the can they come in, wish it came in bigger like gambler does) I’ve also heard there are proper pipe tobaccos that can double as MYO/RYO and are much cheaper (not taxed to death like cigarette tobacco) but I just don’t know anything about that yet.

I smoked Kools and Newports, about 1-1/2 packs per day since 1972 or therabouts. I used to love Gallouise’s unfiltered and Kool and Camel straights also. The reason I’m posting is because I wonder if anyone has had the same experience I did with Natural American Spirits. When I was trying to cut down about 6 months ago, I tried to make the switch to NAS, but it was more difficult than making the switch to snus. Supposedly, they have all this “free base” nicotine, and higher nicotine content than virtually any other cigs, but they absolutely did not hit the spot for me, and I was smoking the Menthols, which are the strongest of all the store available NAS brands. No doubt, there’s a lot of other stuff (one poster above correctly noted “carbon monoxide” which is why your first cig of the day makes you so dizzy) that one becomes hooked on when one becomes hooked on cigarettes in addition to the nicotine. Another poster suggested “tobacco alkaloids.” I’ll buy that, which may be why snuff and snus work great. I can’t believe I’m not smoking right now.

@LHB Newports! that was the other brand I couldn’t think of that the Black girls at a place where I lived smoked! you also reminded me I once tried a pack of Gallouise (because I’d learned a certain famous somebody I admire greatly smoked them and I had to try them, was a strange little light blue pack of shorter smaller cigarettes with an equally smaller filter on the end that I had special ordered. I didn’t care for them, even if my famous hero did.) There’s a menthol American Spirit? I never knew, never heard of that one (I’m not a fan of menthol anyway).

I generally smoke a pipe or 2 each day. I smoke a large variety of blends, but lately am leaning toward latakia blends. In addition, I also share a hookah bowl amongst friends on a weekly basis. Never smoked cigarettes however, they never had any appeal to me.

Gallouise are yummy.

If I could snag a pack of the Gallouise Blue Shorts (the unfiltered, fat ones) I’d have to temporarily give up giving up smoking. The strongest smokes I ever had. The Natural American Spirit Menthols have the highest nic content of any of their brands (including the Perique) and are unusual in that the menthol resides in the filter in the form of crystalized menthol. The tobacco is not mentholated, unlike the normal store bought brands that I used to be hooked on. Which reminds me. In 2007 I came down with a severe case of bacterial pneumonia (woke up with a 103.4 degree fever). When I went to the drug store to pick up my antibiotics and an economy size bottle of Tussionex, I thought that my condition necessitated a switch, so I picked up a carton of Salems. During the entire period of my recovery, I never smoked less than 1/2 pack per day.

BTW, if you roll your own using regular rolling papers instead of those tubes they make nowadays, you don’t get any of that FSC bullshit. It’s in every store bought brand now, including NAS. But it’s added to the paper, not the tobacco. I use an old ribbon roller, Zig Zags and NAS American Blend if I want a smoke; I don’t care about the health risks of smoking a non filtered every now and then. As a matter of fact, I don’t care about the health risks of anything, I just don’t like smoking that much any more.

I “started” smoking with a pack of Marlboro Reds that I was able to acquire through some friends when we were about 15. I still remember sneaking out of the house at night to take a walk in the park and suck down a cig. The nicotine buzz was amazing - I was not able to walk straight for about 5 minutes. But in those days, we didn’t have a consistent source, except for my friend’s dad who would leave his Kool 100s sitting out in the porch. My buddy would take 2-3 cigs a day from him and that was enough to keep us happy for a time. I am pretty sure I started working at a local convenience store when I turned 16 just to have access to smokes. By this time I had made the switch to Camel Filters. I stuck with these until I discoverd Kamel Reds. Smoked those on into college, and then Camel introduced the Turkish Gold line which I fell in love with. Its a familiar Camel blend but containing more turkish tobacco than other varieties. So for the last 8-9 years, until I found snuff, its been Camel Turkish Golds or Silvers (Silvers are a lighter version). For variety, I would occasionally pick up the odd pack of Parliament Lights (P-Funks) or Marlboro Lights, but not very often. I haven’t had a cig for 3+ weeks (I still cave and buy a pack about once per month) and after writing this, I sort of want to go out and buy some. Instead, time for a nice pinch of Lime Toast.

@whistlrr: The most popular pipe tobacco suitable for MYO is Daughters and Ryan, usually referred to as D&R. It is not good in a pipe as it is just cigarette tobacco which is cut wider, Mostly 10 count as opposed to cigarette cut which average 32 count. They make a large variety. Some people say the Venguer is similar to Marlboro. MYO papers still don’t have the speed bumps.

@LHB thats really interesting about the menthol being in the filter not the NAS (what is the N for? “Natural”? anyway its easier than spelling it out each time and I’ll start doing that too) also about the gulliouse being so strong… at the time I wasn’t looking for ‘strongest cigarette’ (though I guess I sorta am now) and at the time (many years, decades ago) just wasn’t ready for it (I remember the filter getting very dark and just… meh, didn’t like them at the time). I lack certain coordination properties needed for rolling things (tried this with other substances which quickly became one of several deterrents to using aforementioned other substances, even with the little zigzag rolling machine, never could get the appropriate wetness on the gummy edge etc etc) and I need a filter (even tried getting little ittybitty filters to put in the then ittybitty ‘cigarettes’ you can get from an ittybitty rolling machine… just, no dice, didn’t work out). I have to stick with the tubes/MYO method (for now anyway, once they get to the tubes, like I said, may be chased to trying to smoke it all in a pipe?) I guess I’m trying to find the strongest smoking tobacco (if I am going to smoke) yet somehow trying to be at least somewhat health conscious too (yeah I know, its kinda weird and working at odds against myself that way. I stop at smoking inflammable weird chemicals). Whenever I stop and think about it, the idea of inhaling burnt paper (of any sort even as it is now) along with my tobacco has always kind of bothered me a bit anyway. Everyone else has probably already seen this, but just in case I’m going to share the video that made me go “oooh no… we’re not going there” (I don’t have a mouse in my pocket, I mean me and maybe my one still smoking really good friend if I can convince him, though I’ve had no luck getting him to E-cigss, snus or snuff). I showed him the video, said "maybe we should do pipes? I’ve heard you can smoke pipe tobacco like cigarette tobacco anyway…(etc)… (this is my friend who thinks its okay to have mystery bubbles in your restaurant cup of coffee but he’s a good guy). He only replied “you’ll have to get a pipe (got one!) and filters for it” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=\\_mTXZVCOM0Y I’m no chemist, but even I can see that with a name like “Ethylene Vinyl Acetate” that this just can’t be good. Anybody else who’s also not a chemist notice the word "Vinyl’ sandwiched in there? What, are we going to be smoking old raincoats and car seats now? No, this can’t be good at all @Nachman Thank you! that is exactly the information I have been looking for and needing (re: which tobacco)! I made a note of that brand (and memory device to recall its name) and its also a huge relief to know we don’t have ‘speed bumps’ in our MYO (for now! Yet!). I’ll admit I’ve already taken a few tubes out (just purchased yesterday) and studied as close as I can (eyes not great) for any potential suspect differences, going “well… I dunno” (of course I didn’t see anything, but with my eyes that didn’t mean much…) thank you for clearing that up! A tobacco that could go either way, pipe or cigarette would be great (and of course cheaper access to it is great. Doesn’t even have to be great tobacco… I wish there was an NAS for both… somewhere I read that the NAS "perigue’ might be good either way… have you heard that?) I’m going to want to inhale no matter which way I go… if I’m backed into using a pipe I know I’ll want to treat a pipe (and whatever’s in it) like a ‘paperless cigarette’

started about 20 years ago with Camel Filters, been smoking them ever since.

You don’t inhale a pipe. Don’t pretend it’s a paperless cigarette or you will be sorry.

@ whistlrr: I quit smoking nearly two years ago, but I can tell you that the best *and* the most economical way to make your own cigarettes is to forget about using tubes and use a traditional rolling machine. Top sells filters, both the short (itty bitty) ones and the regular king-size ones. A bag of 200 sells for around $3. The papers that American Spirit includes in their pouches and tins are among the best quality papers in existence: pure flax and 70mm. There are no tubes of this quality. I know from experience that all tubes are pretty substandard. Rolling machines are cheap and will last longer than tube injectors. In other words, you can get far better quality for less money all around. Oh, and American Spirit tobacco is widely available and contains no chemical additives. I did buy the occasional pouch of Perique, but preferred to buy the Royal Blue tin. (NAS never made Perique available in a tin.) Prior to SCHIP, a tin of NAS cost around $20 with tax. Hard to believe now, isn’t it? I think the price has doubled since April 2009. You may, however, want to forget about the cigs and pipe and consider some decent mild cigars. Please listen to LincolnSnuff: a pipe does not work well as a paperless cigarette.

Must tell more about smoking days: before switch to Samson, I smoked Drum Halfzwaar for years untill the brand was sold to BAT or Imperial Tobacco or whatever. Old Drum was a great blend of up to 17 shag tobaccos, produced in Douwe Egberts tobacco factory in Friesland only. And it was never dry, opposite wap true: you had to air it for a while before smoking. That was an advantage to Samson, which is rather dry blend and there’s always a risk to get bone dry pouch from shop. Early 90’s I think Drum was changed to current boring international blend. But American Spirit is a great shag! It’s getting more popular in Europe and is produced under license in Germany. My brother smokes it when he rolls his own. I always rolled my cigs manually, started to use filters later. Tried different machines, too complicated fro me.

I think Republic Tobacco does Drum now. Man, the old-school Drum was my everyday smoke. I felt so ripped off when they changed it.

I used to smoke Waves alot, and back in the day, Magna.

Chesterfields, Lucky Strikes, Gauloises, Gitanes, Marlboro red

Started on a pipe and cigars; I foolishly started cigarettes at 23. Enjoyed Three Castles, the original Drum, Camels, Parliament Lights, clove cigarettes, Jester… Went down to pipe only, but still inhaled, so I began smoking Carter Hall (it’s cheap). Finally quit altogether (thanks snuff and snus!), though I might go back to smoking without inhaling someday–just on occasion, I miss Three Nuns, McConnell’s Scottish Flake, Erinmore Irish Flake, Radford’s Sunday’s Fantasy… But then again, so many snuffs to try!

reading throu the comments here seems a few people gave up smoking ryo /myo so if you have any lying around you would like to trade ( full flavor or natural only ) i have around 50 snuffs fribourg treyer bernard schmalzers and a load of wilsons dholokia etc let me know what you have and what you would like usa only ( whisper me )

@jpks I haven’t smoked in many days now (maybe a couple of weeks not sure, or if i did it was just one here and there) I still have my NAS (light blue can and one dark blue can) around but I’m going to keep them both ‘just in case’ (you never know) and for snuff grinding (I ground up a very little (about a half a bullet’s worth) of some of the light blue can NAS and it had an interesting lemon-y snuff smell to it, very interesting and nice, I might do that again the next time I’m in a one of those moods for another big night of ‘drag out the little grinder and hose sieving bottle thing and get to work and be prepared for snuff dust particles flying everywhere’ (there’s got to be an easier way than the way I do this, I think I need an econ-sized coffee grinder, my $2.00 Proctor-Silex one just isn’t getting it) I haven’t opened up the dark blue can of NAS (hve not ever tried it in any way shape or form yet) I might also get another package of NAS perigee and try that snuffed It is kinda hard to have smokeable stuff around and not be tempted but I just keep grabbing some snuff instead whenever I think about smoking (like say… right now… because just thinking about or talking about smoking can still get me started)

Marlboro Blend 27s, for a very long time, have been my cigarette of choice. Still smoke them sometimes, sadly. Would have rolled my own more often if I could roll a cigarette…mine always were barely smokeable and rarely satisfying.

I had no idea peter stokebye made ryo tobacco for cigarettes. I’ve only tried their pipe tobacco, which was quite excellent imo. If I ever happen to come upon their ryo, I will most certainly will be interested in trying,

@matsnuffs I can’t roll anything either – get a ‘maker’ aka ‘injector’ and ‘tubes’ (boxes of empty cigarettes complete with paper and filter) and some RYO tobacco and make easily make your own replicas of store bought for much less a video demonstrating this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFwok4QKD94&feature=fvw

I have made cigs using injectors, they work very sufficiently. Recently I have been rolling cigs by hand using Peterson’s old Dublin blend. While I am at heart a pipe smoker, I find it makes for a true oriental tobacco cigarrete, unlike what camel claims to be(i find camels to be very lacking in flavor and be a tad bit stale tasting). Injectors though are a fun instrument if interested in making your own cigs, very economical. Thank you for the link to the video demonstration. I apologize in advanced if my post is irrelevant or odd atm, I am quite a bit drunk as I post this…

I was always worried that the small plastic injectors would not function very well, but that video made them seem like they were alright, thank you! MYO would be best for me, I think, since if I wanted a smoke I could fabricate one, instead of buying a whole, overpriced, more-than-likely stale pack…in theory…

If you’ve to the manual dexterity, there’s nothing quite like a hand rolled, unfiltered cigarette. I used to love Three Castles and especially Galluoise hand rolling tobacco, but neither seems to be available through normal channels in the States. Natural American Spirit U.S. blend (in the dark blue packaging) is the best readily available RYO tobacco to my taste, but only in the 5 oz tin.

Golden Virginia, rolled with swan blue papers and a long paper ‘roach’.

http://www.sharrowmills.com/catalogue-view.pdf jump to page 26 and dig the auto roller. That thing is amazing for rolling cigarettes. Requires little skill rolls a perfect smoke and not only that it will roll what ever type of cig you want perfectly. Even the very hard to roll brands.

@ bob All of them look very cool, but too which one are you referring? Any ideas how one goes about even asking for such a thing in the States? What I call a “ribbon roller” are now called “blunt rollers” I think. The one to which you’re referring is different, but since it’s a PDF file, all you can do is look at it.

After a long time illness, and a serious relapse into smoking - my preferred cigarettes is a Danish brand exclusively sold here called “Skjold” (means both “shield” and herald") also the name of the first (perhaps legendary) Danish king. They are much like Marlboro. It’s good to be back again, now enjoying a huge pinch of totally dried up Molens de Kralense :o)))

Must mention my fave rolling papers: Rizla Original and Blue, some hemp papers from head shop were good too. Best filters were Rizla Ultra Slims.

Wow there is quite a few ryo smokers here, I smoked marlboro 27 lights and basic lights, trying to get off them using snuff and some chew occasionally.

@AllanH: Do those Rizla papers have gum? I never rolled without gum, and always thought the gumless must be for whacky tobaccky.

@ nachmann Yes those Rizla papers have gum, Original natural gum, Blue is regular light weight paper.

I used to love using the Club gum-less rice papers. They are awesome.

bigblue>>> Thanks so much - it’s good to be back! :o)

My manufactured smokes were Camel Turkish Royals, nothing else! When I started roll-your-own, I started with American Spirit’s Perique, and then started buying tubs online of Bali-Shag full flavor. After unfiltered roll your own, I bought a cigarette injector, and started make-your-own with full flavor bali shag using Vera Cruz nocturre tubes. It was a fun hobby, but i would spend too much time each day making cigarettes, only to have them be smoked by the end of the day… glad i don’t have to prepare my snuff/snus in any specific way…until i start make-your-own snuff…

I still smoke when i’m out of snus and waiting for my order. Sadly RYO tobacco is double the price of smokes. That said I’m currently going through a pouch of Drum , i roll by hand. It takes less than 30 seconds to roll a cig if you have a little bit of practice. I smoke: Bali-Shag , Drum ryo and i don’t use filters. and Marlboro reds (long), Dunhill Black ,or Camel Natural.

Spent the majority of my time as a smoker smoking RYO. I only briefly fussed around with the MYO injectors, but gave up because 1. I preferred unfiltered cigarettes 2. For whatever reason never got the hang of those damn injectors always managed to either under fill the filter casings or to fill them to the point that it ripped open. However, I went through Luck Strikes, Unfiltered Camel, and Pall Mall (no filter) phases, I always when back to hand rolled RYO. I remember enjoying Drum, Bugler (until I realized it was essentially the same tobacco as Midnight Special which is cheaper), and American Spirits. I have not had a cig since May and do not miss them at all. For some reason even though I was using snuff and snus I still smoked cigs, but I am now content with just pipe, cigar, snus and snuff as my main forms of tobacco use.

All sorts of rolling tobaccos generally, from Tops to different fancy Dutch shags. Also marlboro reds, camel blues, and occasionally something random like marlboro 27s or reservation cigarettes.

Back in the day… Lucky Strike Studs…

Du Maurier kingsize is what I used to smoke

awhile back id smoke stirling and mayfair, just because they were cheap and i wasnt dedicated to rolling. then i moved onto rolling, buying it online (the kendal rolling stuff), and if id buy in store id get drum blue/gold or marlboro reds. now i dont really smoke, but if i do, itll be drum or m-red instore, or auld kendal online.

For anyone who smokes GH Auld Kendal ryo save yourself some money and buy GH Kendal Gold, Kendal Dark and Kendal Mixed pipe tobacco, they are the exact same tobacco as their Auld counterparts but because its a “pipe tobacco” its taxed less then the Auld line so its much cheaper.

Nostalgia flash back. first was weeds, then pick up cigarettes,domestic & filtered cigars and pipe to camouflage eureka,tops ,buglar ,zig-zag, kite, old gold ,camel,lucky strike.pall mall, kool, parliaments, chesterfields, raleigh, viceroy, tareyton, barclay, now, more, belair, salem, winstons, kent, true, merit, lark, l&m,saratoga, newport, marlboro,players, benson & hedges, jacks, winchesters, parodi ,dutch masters, phillies ,swisher sweets,hav a Tampa, black and mild, erik ,half/half, prince albert, captain black, bali shag , drum, sansom, american spirit. PS norwegian, nat shermans, dunhill international. Seems like a life time ago. Now I just enjoy my pipes and all the great tobaccos I can get my hands on, I will still twist up a smoke when in the mood. And a good cigar. also the occasional dokha.

First Export light and machine rollies (5 years), then Drum for 5 years, then mostly Camel plain with occasional Sweet Caporal Plain/Mark Ten/Sportsman/Player’s plain for about 5 years, then Canadian classic filters for about 8 years, then Export plain for about 2 years. On trips to the States I sought out English Ovals, but if I couldn’t find them I’d find Chesterfields, and if neither of them then Lucky Strike plain, Pall Mall plain, or Camel plain. I never found Commanders, but I only looked for them in the last year of smoking and I just quit a couple of months ago. There’s an interesting skew in the demographics towards unfiltered cigarettes, compared with the norm. Clearly we are a sample who wants as much flavour as possible from our tobacco.

I was a dedicated Newport smoker until I quit 30 years ago. I guess that qualifies as “as much flavour as possible”… menthol with a hint of mint.

I smoked Marlboro Reds and Kamel Reds for years. I was smoking L&Ms when i quit. Still smoke a cigar once in awhile. Smoke a little Dohka occasionally, and i recently got a carton of Djarum Black kreteks from Indonesia. Snuff is my daily nicotine but like to keep different smoking tobaccos on hand if the mood strikes me.

Used to smoke Camels, Camel Wides, Marlboro Reds occasionally, cloves, beedees, and any random cigarette when the need called for it. Don’t miss the lung pollution!

I still handroll American Spirit but taking snuff has helped me cut back on that quite a bit. I used to smoke Camels all the time but rolling my own is a lot cheaper so I took to that instead. I’m about to make an order to leafonly.com and shred my own tobacco for smoking to save 75% on my tobacco usage v. buying the American Spirit RYO.

DuMaurier regular for the longest time then I went from those to DM Light, Extra Light, then Ultra Light. Then when it got too expensive I started going to the native reserve about 15 minutes away to buy bags of rollies which were $12-$15 for a carton’s worth of smokes. Not exactly high quality stuff. Not long after that I gave up lighting my tobacco and started on the snus/dip/snuff.

Started with Silk Cut filters (purple) then Marlboro lights, gaulioses blondes and if I could ever get them from abroad parliament lights and l&m lights. I also remember being able to get majors when I was at school, they used to pack a punch! Park drive too when you were low on cash.

Disque Bleu or Gauloise Filters when I could get them, Tor Turkish or Oriental when I could afford them and Marlboro Red for the rest of the time. Before those nasty people in Brussels effectively banned them I used to love unfiltered Turkish cigarettes. Sweet Afton were nice, too, but very difficult to get. Mind you, not had a cigarette at all in about 11 years…

A really long time i smoked “anadolu”, it’s a turkish-american blend which is made by jti. Later on it has changed into some fabricated turd. And i switched around Camel, Chesterfield red and Marlboro lights. edit: These were only the fabricated ones, i usually smoked ryo. Old holborn yellow, without filtertips, with ocb.

I’ve never been a regular smoker, but when I smoked it was red Luckies, red Marlboro or handrolled.

When I smoked cigs and had money I smoked Camel Filters and an occasional American Spirit Perique pack. Once the budget got tight I rolled or injected my own using whatever tobacco I could afford.

Camel Lights (Blue)

Rolling&Pipe tobaccos, Manitou green organic, American Spirit red, Pielroja, Old Holborn blue. And I was fill the pipe with Capstan flake blue, Rattrays Brown Clunee/Red Rapparee, Samuel Gawith Best brown/Full Virginia flake/Sams flake/Skiff mixture, Sillems Black, Solani Aged Burley flake/Silver flake 660. W.O.Larsen 1864/Signature. McClelland all the Grand Orientals.

Red Chesterfield. If not available, then L&M red. I remember my friend, who was couple of years older than me, to occasionally speak about his old smoking habit. He had then quit, but everytime someone spoke about cigs, he said: “if you are going to smoke, smoke red Chesterfield.”

I rotated in periods between Camel’s, Lucky Strike’s and Parliament’s. When I went out I would treat myself to menthols of any kind, even though I never in europe found the menthol I learned to love from my school days with americans: Kools and Newports.

Marlboro Red, Lucky Strike Red and Gudang Garam

progressing as prices went up: kools…pall mall menthol…cheapest-currently exeter when i smoke. $20 a carton

Marlboro Lights were my regular brand or Marlboro Reds when I wanted to feel like a real man.

@SnuffySnuff I know this is kind of stupid,however, never a fan of Reds but always was a fan of their marketing. Marlboro Man was the Man!

Marlboro Red, Dunhill Red, and Prince when I lived in Sweden.

Ha! Got back to smokes while drinking, which is often, and sticking to rollies: Amber Leaf is really lovely tobacco. Don’t know if it’s available outside Ireland and UK.

@AllanH If I was rolling my own I always preferred Golden Virginia, Drum or Gauloise rolling tobacco (if I could get it). I think Amber Leaf didn’t turn up until after I stopped. How does it compare to my old favourites?

@AllanH If I was rolling my own I always preferred Golden Virginia, Drum or Gauloise rolling tobacco (if I could get it). I think Amber Leaf didn’t turn up until after I stopped. How does it compare to my old favourites?

Amber Leaf is rather aromatic and little dryer and milder than Golden Virginia for example and cut is very rolling friendly. Perfect for irregular smokers like me. And you get it in those handy boxes w/skins and filters. I also liked Gauloise rolling tobacco but it was never regularly sold in Ireland, bought it on the continent. Other good one was German Schwarzer Krauser from Bremen and Javaanse Jongens.

I was a 30+ a day Bensons and Hedges man, gave up 8 years ago when my first child was born ,. managed it with no real fuss. Just started on my snuff journey! I see snuff as more of a hobby addiction than a nicotine one…

Started out on Benson and Hedges Then I switched to Royals Then I switched to Marlboro Red Then I switched to Marlboro Lights Then I switched to Golden Virginia (RYO) Then I switched to Amber Leaf Then I switched to Old Holburn A few weeks before I quit I switched to Drum (purposefully, because I didn’t like it much) Now it’s the pipe if tobacco is to be burnt (though I may have the odd cheap cigar). Favourite tobaccos so far are Squadron Leader, Bob’s Chocolate Flake, and brown pigtail depending upon the mood at the time

From age 16 - 25 I must’ve smoked every brand and type of cigarette available in the UK, before settling on Craven A’s for four or five years. Then every RYO bacca going,not really fussy what I had at any given time until Nov’ last year when the snuff took over. I still have 1 cig first thing in the morning but that’s it apart from the very rare occasion when I help myself to a rollie from the missus’ stash. It’s no big deal.

Well, 25 years of smoking now, ive sampled almost everything…value to premium to the obscure. wish i could giv them up, but…ill get around to that one of these days. ROTHMANS if I want something filtered; otherwise, Camel NF and luckies.

Mostly smoked Parliments but would get Camel Turkish Royal or Gold sometimes.

American Spirit Organic RYO
Gauloises RYO
Nat Sherman’s MCD

i was never a heavy smoker but from the ages of 18-25 I did like to occasionally light up

I hope this is not considered off the topic of this thread, but I’ve notice that some people say that they tried RYO cigarettes, but it never satisfied them the way that commercial cigarettes did.  I wonder why that is?  I understand why e-cigs, nic patches, etc., would not completely satisfy, because they don’t contain whole tobacco alkaloids.  But RYO cigs contain actual tobacco, so why would they provide less satisfaction for some people than commercial cigs?

@MarkM I know what you mean. I was the opposite. I found roll ups far more satisfying than factory cigs, even with skinny XL filters in.

Marlboro Reds. Started stealing cigs from my pops. Then I smoked for about 11 years. now, I haven’t smoked in the last 5 years or so and I feel great!!

I rolled my own and smoked Samson, Drum, Perle Shag, Golden Virginia, Old Holborn, etc. But that was a long, long time ago. Now I only smoke cannabis, which I grow, in Colorado where it’s legal.

@MarkM When I switched from ready-mades (US Pall Mall at the time) to rolling my own Stokkebye’s and Daughters and Ryan tobaccos, I noticed a difference. The ready-mades gave me lethargy and a feeling of chest congestion, often with an unpleasant aftertaste, that went away when I switched. I attribute that to the witch’s brew of additives in branded cigarettes. I still like a rollie now and again, but I won’t smoke another ready-made. Yecch! I smoked various brands of them for a quarter century. Yecch!

@TerrapinFlyer - that “witch’s brew of additives” must be part of the attraction with branded cigarettes.  I remember years ago offering some of my rollies to a smoker friend of mine, and he enjoyed them but soon found himself jonesing for what he referred to as a “real cigarette”, by which he meant a Marlboro.  To me, that was like ordering Beef Wellington and wanting a Big Mac on the side, but of course I didn’t say anything.

I used to smoke 2 packs of camel shorts a day. switched to snus and snuff. I absolutely must have a cigarette when i wake up in the morning but thats it for the day and i feel ok about that. an early morning cig and a cup of terrible coffee is a great way to meet the day. like a punch in the face!

Camel lights and Roy Amsterdam shag

Oh boy…

I smoke pretty much all of it…
But my mainstays, aside from primarily rolling my own would have to be…

Camel’s… Regulars and Turkish Silvers.
I also really miss the Turkish Jades.
and some Marlboro Reds.

For pipe tobaccos I like some Irish Creme, Buttered Rum and Chocolate flavors.
Ooh, and I forget the brand, but there was a blend called ambrosia I used to always get, tasted of figs,
grapes, and some other really nice notes that I really didn’t expect to enjoy anywhere near as much as I did. The shop I used to get it from closed a while back though… As have a lot of my favorite shops of the kind since. I’d nearly have to take a vacation to find a tobacconist at this point. Plenty of smoke shops around… Just not the right kind. Haha.

Gawith loose pipe tobacco usually cherry in roll ups. Gave up thankfully before it killed me which it nearly did, I should have stuck it in my pipes and not inhaled. I miss my pipes but I can’t risk getting hooked on smoking again. 

For me that would be, Golden Virginia Amber Leaf rolling tobacco mainly, went through periods of Old Holborn, Port Royal, American Spirit and Lucky Strike rolling tobacco. Also a bunch of straight Virginia Rolling tobacco. As for taylors it would have either been Camels filterless or red, or Marlboro reds.

When I was a cigarette smoker, I smoked Davidoff hard, or Rothmans - after having tried 555, Marlboro reds during my adolescent years. I don’t smoke cigarettes these days but do light up a pipe (only weekends) with either Erinmore or Peterson’s pipe tobacco in it. I have some cigars and am still not keen to use them casually (Cubans are bloody expensive in India and I am waiting for a right day to light them up).

Marlboro Reds when I used to smoke, which was 2 weeks back!  ;))

And if I were lucky enough a friend would get me Camel Blue from whichever duty free shop he visited while traveling.

@newbiesnufffer lucky you to find original Davidoffs & Rothmans!

American Spirit RYOs. But my real vice was the grizz’ & cope chew. Red Man Gold too. But I quit all that (except a little old fashioned chew a couple times a year) 8 years ago for Ecigs - and quit those promptly (with one relapse) as soon as I discovered snuff. I used to enjoy few things more than a (half/dozen) $1 Miller Lite in a dive bar bar with cheeks full of dip/chew on both sides. Now with kids I can’t imagine having time alone at a bar and feeling responsible with the health risks of dip (lots of mouth cancer in the family from it). Snuff isn’t just my habit it’s my hobby, one of my passions, and I do genuinely feel I’m being more responsible for my children

when i smoked it was Craven A

Too much. thats what I smoke; too much. the brand, however, is a norwegian one, which directly translated means red 3

Also American Spirit RYO (filter type). That was the tail end of my smoking days.

Pueblo yellow one.

I smoked benson and hedges, then john player specials, then benson and hedges then went on to marlborough lights, then onto rolling tobacco golden virginia, then back to marlborough lights …then quit.

Too much of everything, including unfiltered fags and smuggled low grade Belarus and Russian ciggies. I was rotating cigarette and RYO brands just like snuff. I enjoyed locally unavailable ones - Cutters Choice, Old Holborn, Drum and NAS, brought from abroad on occasion. Was really digging smuggled Golden Virginia for a few years while seller’s stock lasted, which I found superior to that sold in the UK, Spain and Czech Republic (big chances mine was fake). There was a year when I smoked lots of various menthols and some years when I frequented shisha; then some gross homegrown baccy seasons.

Back then every cigarette brand was so different and unique taste-wise. Now all are pretty much the same crap here. I noticed major quality downfall 10 years ago and every succeeding year it got only worse and worse. My last few years of smoking was absolute torture. I loathe any kind of smoke in the air now, even that of my favourite incense and bonfire.

Marlboro red then light. Some camels the blue sky one maybe the light ones.Lucky strikes for a long time. Then in england richmond blue. And then benson and hedges silver for a long time. My hands are shaking when thinking about the english richmond blue packet usually i had these ones when i was craving for a cig. The most addictives ones were for me marlboro light. I thougth there was something different in them that i couldn t have in others.

Players RYO, plus Export A Greens for convenience. I can’t say I’ve totally quit them, but cigarettes are now more of a treat than a necessity. And when I just need something to knock me on my butt, it’s hard to beat the Export As (we call 'em “green death”).

^ Export A Plain cigs were the best (even better than Camel Plain imo)but they stopped making them years ago, the green isn’t nearly as good.

Reading the posts brings back fond memories of smoking. I started out stealing my mom’s Pall Mall red unfiltered back in the late 1960s. When I was shipped overseas to Scotland for school, I started smoking Golden Virginia. I was hooked on ryo and soon discovered Old Holborn, Samson, and Drum. Over the years I smoked, I never had one particular brand. My Canadian relatives turned me on to call Mc Donald’s Export A. I loved those! I miss smoking for sure, but I can breathe a lot better!