I don’t know about you but here in the HQ, we are a sucker for top lists. Top ten cars of all time, top ten priciest handbags in the market, the top ten of anything basically- those will surely tickle everyone’s curiosity for a read.
If I have to explain the psychology behind it, well, maybe because deep inside we are all craving for the best of what life has to offer. We derive a certain high from getting the top-line version of something. Unfortunately, most ostentatious lists comprise items that are far beyond anyone’s reach. Lucky for you, you get to have a piece of luxury, a piece of history, or an iconic symbol just in a single cigarette.
Cigarettes are not just cigarettes. There is a lot of history, science, and ingenuity behind that item. If you have been a smoker for a long time now, you have seen how the market has evolved throughout the years. It is a part of everyone’s lives- from low-wage workers to top-level CEOs, everyone has got to have a cigarette fix.
If we have to say so ourselves, cigarettes are a great equalizer. If you think about it the most expensive brands of cigarettes are still relatively within reach of ordinary people. In a way, cigarettes don’t discriminate and what a great way to pay homage to that is by introducing the most famous brands of cigarettes.
Why not the priciest? Why not the most preferred? Well, statistics and pricing change all the time. By introducing to you the most famous cigarette brands of all time, we leave a bit of room for judgment to you. After all, we are all looking for different things when we smoke. The barometer for fame is an accumulation of various different aspects, so fame, in a way, is a reliable reference in this case.
Finally, here’s the list of the most famous cigarette brands of all time. The brands found here are the most mentioned in social media apps, blogs, sites, wholesale, and retail stores.
Top 1. Marlboro
Owner: Philip Morris (USA), Philip Morris International
Country of origin: United States of America
Established: 1924
Brand Value: $32.7 billion
It all started in Bond Street, London, where in 1873, British tobacconist Phillip Morris opened a shop selling tobacco and rolled cigarettes. His brother Leopold and widow Margaret continued the business after Phillip’s death, opening a factory on Great Marlborough Street, London, where the name Marlboro came from. The brand was launched in America in 1924 and ever since 1972, Marlboro emerged on top of every other cigarette brand in the world.
Throughout history, they are known for their iconic advertising campaigns like the cowboy figure known as the Marlboro Man, partnerships with McLaren and Ferrari, and various merchandising memorabilia. They are also quite famous for their sports sponsorships, especially in Formula One and GP2.
The Marlboro brand includes cigarettes, snus, and HeatSticks. Philip Morris International divided Marlboro products into three divisions: the Flavor line, which includes original red full flavor cigarettes, the Gold line, which includes former lights, and the Fresh line, which includes flavored cigarettes. For the enjoyment of smokers, this cigarette brand is known for producing a variety of cigarettes, including mild, flavored, and less “harsh” smokes.
Popular varieties:
- Marlboro Red: made of Virginia, Oriental, and Burley Tobacco with a strong, spicy taste.
- Marlboro Southern Cut: medium flavor with notes of bourbon and buttered corn on the cob
- Marlboro Cherry: milder than the Red with hints of cherry brandy flavor
Top 2. L & M
Owner: Altria, Philip Morris International
Country of origin: United States of America
Established: 1885
Brand Value: $6.3 billion
In 1885, L&M was launched by Liggett & Myers as a brand that produces plug chewing tobacco. Around 1952 or 1953, the first L&M cigarettes were released and they were probably the first one out of all brands at that time to have a filter that was not one-sided.
During their launch, their motto was “American cigarettes of the highest quality with the best filter”. In 1999, their trademark rights were bought by Philip Morris, and are still under them today.
Popular varieties:
- L & M Red Label: slight sweetness, strong-lasting scent
- L & M Blue Label: monotonous, tobacco flavor
- L & M Silver: smooth finish with no aftertaste
Top 3. Pall Mall
Owner: British American Tobacco
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Established: 1899
Brand Value: $6.43 billion
The Black Butler Company introduced the Pall Mall brand in 1899 to cater to the upper class, influential set with a premium kind of cigarette. The name stems from Pall Mall, a popular street in the St. James area of London where a lot of private clubs were situated at the time.
They were acquired by the American Tobacco Company in 1907 with the sale of Butler & Butler. It was the new owners who tested innovative cigarette designs like releasing king-size cigarettes and new ways of stuffing tobacco that is easier on the user’s throats.
It was in 1960 when they reached their peak being the number one cigarette brand in America. In 1994, the American Tobacco Company sold its brands to Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation so Pall Mall was acquired by them. In 2001, Pall Mall had a rebranding as a savings brand and released different kinds of filtered cigarettes.
Brown & Williamson later merged with R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 2004 wherein Reynolds continues to produce unfiltered and filtered styles of Pall Mall for the U.S. market. British American Tobacco is in charge of distribution and marketing for Pall Mall internationally.
Popular varieties:
- Pall Mall Red: premium, strong, and smooth taste
- Pall Mall Blue: smooth menthol flavor
- Pall Mall Orange: sensual, dragging flavor
Top 4. Copenhagen
Owner: U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Established: 1822
Brand Value: $2.5 billion
Copenhagen was opened in 1822 by George Weyman in Pittsburgh. It was one of the first brands of moist smokeless tobacco on the market. After a series of acquisitions, the company was renamed United States Tobacco Company in 1922.
In 1968, Copenhagen introduces Copenhagen Snuff in a can which the brand is known for today with its sell-by date stamped on the bottom of the can and for its unique features like the traditional metal lid and fiberboard can.
Currently, they are available in the original fine-cut and long-cut cigarettes, as well as in Copenhagen Pouches.
Top 5. Camel
Owner: R.J. Reynolds (U.S), Japan Tobacco (International)
Country of origin: United States of America
Established: 1913
Brand Value: $5.9 billion
Richard Joshua “R. J.” Reynolds, founded a company that innovated packaged cigarettes. In the past, cigarette smokers rolled their own tobacco, which proved a need for a pre-packaged product.
Reynolds then developed the Camel cigarette which was named so because it contains Turkish tobacco which is an imitation of the then fashionable Egyptian kind. Reynolds priced them below other brands so he was able to sell 425 million packs within a year.
Camel was originally blended to be milder than popular brands. The iconic version is the original unfiltered cigarette in soft packs which is the Camel Straights or Regulars. It was made popular through a famous personality, Edward Murrow, a news broadcaster who was a heavy smoker that smoking a no-filter Camel became his trademark. Now, Camel is also popular for its major and minor sponsorships in major sporting events.
In 1999, Japan Tobacco International bought the rights to sell Camel internationally. The non-American Camel blend has less Oriental tobacco and a higher proportion of Burley.
Popular varieties:
- Camel Turkish Royals– rich, chocolate taste
- Camel Straights– classic, rich taste
- Camel Filters– sea salt, hickory taste
Top 6. Winston
Owner: ITG Brands(U.S), Japan Tobacco (International)
Country of origin: United States of America
Established: 1954
Brand Value: $3.13 billion
The brand is named after Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where the founder, R. J. Reynolds started the business. Winston was introduced in 1954 by the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and became one of the top-selling cigarette brands. They use the slogan “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should”.
The ownership of its non-US operations was sold to Japan Tobacco in 1999. Currently, they are under the ownership of ITG brands when on June 12, 2015, Reynold American and Lorillard completed their merger. They are also known for their sports sponsorships, especially in NASCAR.
Popular varieties:
- Winston Classic: soft taste
- Winston Blue: sharp taste
- Winston Silver: smooth taste with slight bitterness
Top 7. Rothmans
Owner: Rothmans International plc
Country of origin: United Kingdom
Established: 1890
Brand Value: $3.1 billion
Louis Rothman emigrated to Britain from Russia when he was 17. He worked for a cigarette manufacturer before he quit and decided to go into the same business. It was in 1890 when L. Rothman & Co was established in a small shop on Fleet Street in London. He even hand-rolled the cigars himself. British American Tobacco acquired Rothmans in 1999.
Popular varieties:
- Rothmans Royals: dense, saturated flavor
- Rothmans Blue: alkaline, dry smoke
- Rothmans Aero Double Blue: light, paper burn taste
Top 8. Chesterfield
Owner: Altria
Country of origin: United States of America
Established: 1896
Brand Value: –
Chesterfields were introduced in St. Louis, Missouri in 1873 by the Drummond Tobacco Company. A great blend of Turkish and Virginia tobacco, they were under American Tobacco Company from 1898 to 1911. They were taken over by Liggett and Myers with production moving to Durham, North Carolina in 1912. The brand was purchased by Philip Morris (now Altria) in 1999.
During 1916, they were the first brand of cigarette to put an extra layer of wrapping to the pack for moisture preservation. Chesterfield was also the first brand to offer cigarettes in in two sizes in 1952- the king size and the regular size.
Top 9. Kent
Owner: British American Tobacco
Country of origin: United States of America
Established: 1952
Brand Value: –
Famous as the first popular filtered cigarette, the Kent cigarettes were introduced by the Lorillard Tobacco Company in 1952. They were introduced during the time when cigarettes where touted as “cancer by the carton” and the American consumers were looking for a filtered version to be safer. Kent promised consumers “the greatest health protection in history” and their sales skyrocketed.
From March 1952 to May 1956, Kent contained carcinogenic blue asbestos in the crimped crepe paper. So they changed that material to the more common cellulose acetate somewhere around mid 1956.It is most notably associated with The Dick Van Dyke Show because actor Dick Van Dyke smoked them in the show.
Lorillard sold their overseas rights for Kent to British American Tobacco in 1977.
On June 12, 2015, the Kent brand was sold to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco.
Popular varieties:
- Kent Blue: peculiar pleasant mild flavor
- Kent Silver: velvety, smooth flavor
Top 10. Newport
Owner: RJ Reynolds
Country of origin: United States of America
Established: 1957
Brand Value: $5.5 billion
Lorillard Tobacco Company launched Newport in 1957. It originally started in Ireland and was catered to male drinkers at the time. The spinnaker on the packs appeals to the world of sailing.
Originally, their very first cigarettes had a white filter with mint but they phased it out in 1969 and replaced it with a standard filter. They have long been associated with the menthol flavor that for many years they even promote the cigarettes as “enjoy a full flavor menthol, without drowning out pure tobacco taste”.
Around the mid 80’s their advertisements targeted the African American community in urban areas. In fact they have a great share of the African American market to this day.
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company acquired Newport in 2015 along with other Lorillard Tobacco Company brands.