NEXT cigarettes review

next whats new

Philip Morris International has recently launched a new brand of
cigarettes called Next to fill the void left when the Malaysian
cigarette tax hike priced their flagship Marlboro brand out of the
reach of lower income bracket smokers at RM 6.50. Next is the new wave
of cigarette brands that retails at RM 4.50 – close to the “old”
(pre-tax hike) prices of mid-range cigarettes.

next cigarette packs

Next cigarettes comes in the standard two established tobacco
industry standard types – full flavored and lights (mild). The full
flavored packs comes in a darker shade of blue than the lights. The
design of Next cigarettes is minimalist, with just a characteristic
“streak” down the box aligned with the X of NEXT.

next cigarettes

The full flavored packs taste like a milder version of Marlboros –
and that’s not a bad thing at all. PM did well with NEXT, it tastes
like their premium flagship brand but is priced at a very affordable
price at RM 4.50 for a post cigarette tax hike.

next lights

I won’t bother with NEXT Lights, since the full flavored version is
already like a watered down Marlboro so you can imagine what the Lights
taste like…

next cigs fault line

There is one minor gripe I have with the quality of the cigarettes
though – all of the NEXT cigarettes (both full flavored and lights)
have a distinctive defect in the wrapper. There is a fault line running
down every cigarette, which seems to make the cigarette look fragile.
However, testing the cigarette by rolling a cannabis cigarette (which
stress tests the wrapper integrity) proved me wrong…the “fault line”
is not a bad wrap at all – the wrapper didn’t open up or tear at that
line (where I expected it to). It’s just the way NEXT cigarettes are
made – it’s not a structural integrity issue at all. Nice.

next cigs best thing

I like Next cigarettes since I smoke Marlboros and NEXT basically
taste the same, and it comes from the same tobacco company as well. The
retail price of RM 4.50 is making me switch from Marlboros to NEXT full
flavored cigarettes.

NEXT cigarettesThe next best thing… πŸ˜‰

Guide to rolling a concealable cigarette joint

guide worktable

This is a basic beginner’s guide to rolling a concealable joint that looks like a cigarette for discreet use in public. The orthodox method of joint rolling does not seem to be popular in Malaysia due to the low proliferation of rolling papers, compounded by the unique customs in a country where drug use is generally frowned upon and the sociological factors affecting ganja (cannabis, marijuana, weed) consumption and the local etiquette involved with cannabis use, people prefer to use healthier ways to smoke like the Liquido24 .

Listed below are the items necessary for making a cigarette joint:

1. Cannabis (also known as ganja, marijuana, weed, grass, pot etc)

guide malaysian weed

Shown above is the commonly available cannabis in Malaysia – highly compressed for minimal bulk.

2. Cigarettes

marlboro cigarettes

This is the Marlboro “Racing Edition” packs – Marlboros are ideal due to the high structural integrity of the paper. Pall Mall is also acceptable due to the extreme ease of tobacco removal (low density) but
has a more fragile paper.

3. Syringe

defanged syringe

Please snap off the needle for safety purposes – only the plunger is required, though the body provides a relatively clean receptacle for storing it. IV users should remove the orange cap to avoid mistaking it for a usable syringe (which is why the needle should be snapped off).

Guide to making a cannabis cigarette:

cannabis shredded

Step 1: Prepare a “workspace” i.e. a clean sheet of
glossy paper to “shred” the cannabis. There are some people who prefer to utilize scissors for this tedious task, but manual shredding can be enjoyable for the people who enjoy working hands-on with cannabis.
Prepare an amount according to personal preference.

cigarette guideline

Step 2: Take one cigarette and hold it at the
reference point shown in the photo above. User preference is the overriding factor here, but generally 1-2 cm above the filter is a good guideline.

cigarette prep

Step 3: Work you way down the length of the
cigarette by applying rotational pressure with an appropriate amount of force to “loosen” up the tobacco inside the cigarette. Please do not use excessive force as the integrity of the cigarette will be compromised. Marlboros generally can withstand moderately rough
treatment without adverse effects.

tobacco removal

Step 4: Extract all the tobacco from the cigarette
starting from the reference point. The tobacco can be pulled out when it emerges during Step 3 and stroking the cigarette downwards will loosen up the remaining tobacco for spinning (mixing with cannabis).

cannabis tobacco mix

Step 5: It is essential that at least some tobacco
is used as cannabis alone will not burn well. The ratio of cannabis to
tobacco should be very high (for non-smokers) or 2:1 (for smokers). 1:1
ratios are also acceptable in times of low cannabis availability.

hollow cigarette

Step 6: The emptied cigarette should look like the
photo above. The entire cigarette should be hollow up to the reference
point. The reference point is used to avoid cannabis wastage by
ensuring that the very end of the cannabis cigarette contains tobacco
only. This will prevent users from having to smoke right down to the
filter, which can be unpleasant to the palate. Notice that the
structural integrity of the hollowed out cigarette is maintained.

cannabis tobacco sift

Step 7: Combine the cannabis with tobacco by
sifting it using the fingers. Please ensure that an equal distribution
is prepared and ensure that there are no excessively large pieces of
the mixture present. It is also important that the stem and seeds of
the cannabis bud is not used as the former can tear the cigarette when
repacked and the latter would result in an uneven burn.

adding surplus

Step 8: Previous cannabis + tobacco preparation
surplus can also be added at this point (if any). Ensure that the
sifting process is repeated if surplus mix is used.

cannabis mix heap

Step 9: There should be a pile of cannabis and
tobacco mixture on your workspace at this point. It is important to
note that potential sources of airstreams such as ceiling fans should
be neutralized. Working with cannabis requires a wind free environment,
much like methamphetamine use. This rule should be adhered to strictly,
at the expense of extreme displacement of substance(s) due to changing
wind currents or existing atmosphere disturbances. The latter includes,
but is not limited to, people breathing over your neck, sneezing, and
coughing either by yourself or others.

syringe plunger

Step 10: Prepare the plunger by removing the plunger from the body of the syringe completely.

plunger first pack

Step 11: Grip the cigarette firmly on the filter
tip and insert plunger carefully into the cigarette, making sure to
minimize unnecessary contact with the sides or (more importantly) the
top of the cigarette to avoid structural damage. This first step is
done to ensure that the 1-2 cm of tobacco intentionally left behind in
the cigarette is packed properly as the base for a smooth draw.

filling cannabis

Step 12: Hold the hollow cigarette at 45 degrees
and proceed to fill the cigarette with the cannabis and tobacco
mixture. It is essential that no contact is made with the fragile tip
of the cigarette. Instead, allow gravity to do most of the work by
using the thumb and forefingers to “drop” the mixture into the
cigarette. This can be achieved by using the motion used to snap your
fingers (without actually doing so) while holding the mixture on top of
the cigarette.

packing cannabis

Step 13: Periodically insert the plunger into the
slowly refilled cigarette to ensure that the density is maintained.
Using the fingers of one hand to tentatively grip the paper top of the
cigarette and holding it while pushing the plunger in and
simultaneously “docking” the filter to the table to provide support
will “pack” the cigarette effectively, though it should be mentioned
that this requires some expertise to avoid compromising the integrity
of the cigarette paper.

cannabis cigarette filled

Step 14: Repeat Steps 12 – 13 until the cigarette
is repackaged with cannabis. It should look like this after it’s being
filled – with minimal damage to the exterior. It justifies reiterating
that no stems should be present in the mix due to the possibility of it
tearing the paper.

cannabis cigarette repacked

Step 15: The refilled cannabis cigarette can be
left as is, though this practice is not recommended due to the
possibility of confusing the cigarette joint for a real cigarette.

cannabis cigarette

Step 16: Twist the tip of the cigarette to produce
a classic joint “twist close” shape to differentiate the cannabis
cigarette from factory packed cigarettes.

Congratulations! The cannabis cigarette is now ready to be enjoyed or transported under the guise of a normal cigarette.

filter trimming

It should be noted that smoking the cannabis joint disguised as a
cigarette would not produce optimal effects due to the cigarette
filter. The cigarette filter should be removed, stripped down to a
minimal amount and reinserted to produce a more THC laden smoke. The
video below describes the methodology involved and includes a cool
trick to remove the filter (Thanks dc!):

cannabis cigarette video

Download: Cannabis cigarette filter removal trick and lighting up [sixthseal.com]

Please note that smoking cannabis in public is illegal and there is
a very real risk of a law enforcement officer stopping you and asking
for a toke. πŸ˜‰

cannabis april fool

Happy April Fool’s Day! The “cannabis” above is just tobacco and
nothing illegal was used in the making of this post. I know I’m a day
late, but who would believe it if it was posted on 1st of April? πŸ˜‰

Pall Mall Classic cigarettes

pall mall classic

Pall Mall came out with Pall Mall Classic cigarettes earlier this
year as a limited production run. It’s billed as a cigarette with more
refined tobacco mix and the classic taste of the original Pall Mall
cigarettes. Unfortunately, Pall Mall Classic was taken off the shelves
due to low consumer interest before I could get a pack.

pall mall classic box

I was pleasantly surprised to find a 25 pack of Pall Mall Classic at
the store of the grocery shop one of my friends own. It was supposed to
be recalled by the manufacturer, but he kept one anyway, and gave it to
me, knowing my legendary tardiness and paradoxical fondness for new
and/or limited edition cigarettes.

pall mall classic foil

The gold foil preserving the (dubious) freshness of these long due cigarettes has the letters “Pall Mall” inscribed on it.

pall mall classic 25

Tearing off the foil lining reveals the familiar sight of the 25
cigarette array (used to get Marlboro 25’s in uni coz it’s cheaper)…

pall mall classic cigs

…and each of the Pall Mall Classic cigarettes has the standard black font “Pall Mall” letters scripted on the tip.

pall mall classic stick

Despite the time, the Pall Mall Classic cigarettes taste good. There
wasn’t any hint of the staleness that I expected. I thought Pall Mall
Classic is a great complement to the existing Pall Mall line. It’s a
mystery to me why Pall Mall decided to pull Pall Mall Classic off the
shelves.

Just like the mystery behind Cherry Coke being taken off the shelves years ago. It still keeps me up at night…

Lite-Up cigarettes – RM 1.50 only!

lite up cigarettes

I’m pleased to present to you the cheapest pack of cigarettes I’ve
seen to date – it’s called Lite-Up and comes in a red box and retails
for the amazingly low price of RM 1.50 per pack!

lite up sibu

Lite-Up cigarettes is made in Sibu, which also happens to be my
hometown. It’s a limited distribution locally produced tobacco product.

lite up open

The pack of Lite-Up opens up to show the standard King Size filter
20’s cigarettes. It has a stylized L on the tip of the cigarette and a
stylized “LITE-UP” font in red on top.

lite up single

I can’t say much about the taste of the cigarettes…it’s not all
that good, which is pretty much obvious when you take into account the
incredibly low RM 1.50 retail price.

lite up spin

You can’t argue with the price though…and the tobacco is nice and dry. I just use the tobacco to spin. πŸ˜‰

Sobranie Mints cigarettes

sobranie mints

Sobranie is a London based cigarette brand and Sobranie Mints is one
of their slim cigarette product lines. Sobranie Mints are not available
in Malaysia, as far as I know, but I managed to get a pack of these,
courtesy of Irene. Thanks!

sobranie mints back

This pack of Sobranie Mints is from Korea and the back of the pack
describes it as “A menthol cigarette of style and distinction from the
famous House of Sobranie”. These cigarettes are definitely different
from the first look – the pack is long and thin.

sobranie mints specialty cigarettes

Sobranie Mints are marketed as specialty cigarettes and retails for
much higher than normal premium cigarette brands, from what I gather
from the prices on the Internet cigarette retailers. It certainly looks
nice, with the blue-green hued graphics…

sobranie mints made uk

This particular pack is made in the UK despite the Korean
characters. It’s an ultra light cigarette with 5 mg tar and 0.5 mg
nicotine.

sobranie mints pack compare

Here’s a size comparison to give perspective to the dimensions of
the Sobranie Mints cigarette pack. It’s much longer and slimmer than
regular King Sized cigarettes.

sobranie mints foil

The pack is lined with gold foil with “Sobranie” inscribed on it.

sobranie mints cigarettes

The Sobranie Mint cigarettes have a nice greenish blue hue on the
filters, which slowly tapers off as it reaches the end. The tip of the
filter has a gold band and letters spelling SOBRANIE, also in gold. The
cigarette body is inscribed with “Mints”, written in the same bluish
green color, in italics and underscored. This is one classy cigarette…

sobranie mints filter holes

Here’s a closer look at the Sobranie Mints filter – notice the two arrays of airflow holes…

sobranie mints cigarette compare

This is another side-by-side comparison to a regular cigarette.
Sobranie Mints are much longer and slimmer, with an equally generous
filter.

sobranie mints cigarette

Sobranie Mints are fun to smoke. It feels strange to hold such a
slim and almost fragile cigarette instead of the regular sized ones.
Sobranie Mints smokes well too, with nice notes of mint dominating the
tobacco taste. It’s well made and burns nice and long, producing a very
satisfying smoke.

sobranie mints end

I finished the pack of Sobranie Mints before I knew it. It really is
that good. I wouldn’t say that it’ll replace your regular cigarettes,
but these things are so fun to smoke that you can’t help but smoke
every one of them…

L&M promotional cigarettes packs

lm collector pack

L&M came out with this limited run packaging for both the
menthol and full flavored variants last year. It’s nothing to write
home about, I imagine it’s marketed as a collector’s item.

lm collector pack slip

It has a pack of L&M cigarettes and a lighter for RM 9. I
remember L&M cigarettes were going for RM 4 before the price hike,
so that means the lighter is RM 5. That’s one hell of an expensive
lighter, considering it’s not refillable, like a Zippo.

lm collector pack naked

Here’s a closer look at the front of the pack, without the distracting translucent cover…

lm collector pack back

…and here’s the back of the pack.

lm open pack

The limited edition box features a slide-out, flip-open design –
revealing a recessed receptacle containing a pack of L&M cigarettes
and the L&M lighter.

lm open design

It’s quite well designed, though I can’t imagine the target market with the pricing…

lm lighter instruction

The interesting bit in this particular is the lighter, which also
came with an instruction booklet (!). I’m glad it did, God knows I
can’t operate a lighter without reading a manual first. πŸ˜‰

lm lighter

This is a closer look at the lighter in question…

lm lighter light

…and the L&M lighter when it’s in action.

lm new promotion

L&M seems to have a fondness for designing clothes for its
cigarettes for they came out with another promotional pack recently.

lm new promotion pack ff

This is the full flavored packaging design. It features a male and
female model in what I presume is supposed to be a rugged, rough look.

lm new promotion pack menthol

The menthol version features what seem to be the same two models,
this time going for the hip and cool look. Is hip even a word nowadays
or did it get deprecated in the turn of the millennium?

lm push out

Anyway, the interesting part of these new promotional packs is the
price – it retails for RM 8! That’s two packs of L&M cigarettes,
together with the push-out packaging for the pre-price hike price of RM
4.

lm new promotion packs

It’s a great deal! L&M – Mellow, distinctly smooth… πŸ˜‰

Shag cigarettes review

shag cigarettes carton

Shag cigarettes is a specialty, limited distribution cigarette brand
based in the EU. It is not currently available outside of the UK, Spain
(Ibiza), Gibraltar, and South Ireland. The major distribution channels
for Shag cigarettes is the UK and I happened to stumble upon the Shag cigarette website
[shagcigarettes.com] one day and loved the advertisement campaign, so I
got Jasmine to get a carton for me before she came back.

shag cigarettes front

I received the Shag cigarettes yesterday and was mildly surprised
that it made it through customs, since it does not have the requisite
watermark indicating local or duty free cigarettes. I was also more
than mildly surprised that the package was not…intercepted, shall we say; by some postal worker for their personal use since cigarettes is a valuable commodity. πŸ˜‰

shag cigarettes back

Here’s a look at the back of the pack of Shag cigarettes. The color
scheme of Shag cigarettes is black and there’s also a warning label on
the back of the cigarette which is about the same size as the one in
front. The whole Shag cigarette pack looks sleek and they do get
attention when you put it in your front pocket, as I’ve noticed.

shag url

There is a sign in the middle of the back of the box that has the
Shag logo and their official website. This is a very niche tobacco
product, and I was pleased that Jasmine managed to get a hold of these
and send me a Shag, as it were, as I’ve been interested in collecting
these hard-to-get cigarettes.

shag made in eu

The top of the box is adorned by a UK Duty Paid stamp and lettering
that says “Made in the EU under the authority of Shag Tobacco Company
Ltd.”.

shag adult

The side of the flip-top box has a sign indicating that Shag Cigarettes are “For Adult Use Only”, which I found to be funny.

shag funny

It’s nowhere near as funny as the huge “Smoking seriously harms you
and the others around you” warning label on the front though.
Seriously? Well, no shit, Sherlock. πŸ˜‰

shag active contents

The bottom side of the pack lists the active contents of Shag
cigarettes as having 8 mg tar, 0.6 mg nicotine and 9 mg carbon dioxide.
That’s a very low figure for a full flavored cigarette compared to
Malaysian standards which is 20 mg tar and 1.5 mg nicotine, more than
double the amount of these cigarettes.

shag side print

The other side of the pack is lettered with “These cigarettes have
been manufactured from the finest quality tobaccos to give a rich,
smooth and satisfying taste”.

shag pull

Opening up the pack, I found the usual foil that has the familiar “Pull” sign on it.

shag open surprise

However, I was surprised to find some sort of script on the inside of the flip top box.

shag flip top letters

The text says “These cigarettes should reach you in perfect
condition. If you have any problem with this product please visit our
website at; www.shagcigarettes.com”. Interesting indeed…

shag cigarettes

Shag cigarettes have the “Shag” logo printed on them. I have smoked
these cigarettes yesterday and today and found them to be comparable to
Mild Seven Lights. It’s admittedly weak; this is not the “first
cigarette of the day” type of cigarette. It’s not strong enough for
that. It’s good for a fun smoke and the novelty value though. πŸ™‚

shag logo

However, I can appreciate the marketing efforts of Shag Tobacco
Company Ltd in target marketing this brand of cigarettes towards a
certain niche market that’s willing to spend for novelty value.

shag care for one

Care for a Shag, anyone? πŸ˜‰

Dunhill 40th Anniversary Limited Edition Pack

dunhill 40 pack

Dunhill is producing elegantly designed limited edition packs for
its 40th anniversary. The interesting twist about this is that it
retails for 50 cents less than the usual price. The limited edition “40
Years of Dunhill” packs goes for a special price for RM 6.00 instead of
the usual RM 6.50.

dunhill 40 pack 1

These limited run packs to commemorate Dunhill’s 40th year of
production in Malaysia features a well-designed and stylish pack, a
nice aesthetic change from the usual bland Dunhill packs. There is the
familiar Dunhill crest spanning part of the front of the pack…

dunhill 40 pack 2

…continuing through the side…

dunhill 40 pack 3

…and ending at the back of the Dunhill 40th anniversary back. It’s very artistically done.

dunhill 40 pack back

The back of the pack is also different from the usual Dunhill packs.

dunhill 40 pack sig

There is a script in the bottom left corner that inscribes the 40th anniversary of Dunhill text and the accompanying signature.

dunhill 40 pack top

The same “40 Years of Dunhill” celebratory message is also imprinted on the top…

dunhill 40 pack bottom

…and the bottom of the pack.

dunhill 40 pack open

I proceeded to take off the wrap (the flip-top box also has a 40 Years of Dunhill text) and was surprised to find…

dunhill 40 pack wow

…this beautiful foil which features and intricate design with the red and golf motif! I started to pull at the “foil”…

dunhill 40 pack revealed

…which disappointingly reveals that it’s a card insert.

dunhill 40 card front

The front of the card details this limited edition run as a “only
while stocks lasts” item to commemorate 40 years of causing cancer and
heart disease to Malaysians. πŸ˜‰

dunhill 40 card back

The back of the card states the same thing in three different languages, just to rub it in.

dunhill 40 pack sticks

Unwrapping the normal foil reveals that the cigarettes are the same as the Dunhill ones, the changes are just aesthetic.

dunhill 40 pack norm

The cigarettes are no different from the usual ones but this 40th
anniversary limited edition Dunhill packs is going to sell fast for one
simple reason:

dunhill 40 pack end

It’s 50 cents cheaper to celebrate 40 years of causing cancer and
coronary problems to Malaysians. It goes for RM 6.00 instead of RM
6.50. Grab it while stocks last!

Dunhill – 40 years of providing cancer. πŸ˜‰

Liushuiyin (Flowing Water Music) Herb Blend cigarettes

liushuiyin

I noticed this box of Liushuiyin Herb Blend cigarettes at a coffee
shop one day. It’s an unlicensed product – there’s no MY watermark on
it and it’s imported in by a Sarawak based company.

liushuiyin herb blend

The box says Liushuiyin but the Chinese characters read as Zhong Nan
Hai or Central South River. The actual translation should be Central
and Southern Seas or Sea Palaces. Liushiyin translates to flowing water
music.

liushuiyin china

This product is made in The People’s Republic of China; or just
China damn it, no point in typing five words when one would do just
fine. πŸ˜‰

liushuiyin cigarettes

Here’s what the cigarettes look like – the traditional white filter
for mild cigarettes instead of the brown filters for full bodied
cigarettes. I noticed an array of air intake holes at the filter point.
The name of the cigarette, which is Central and Southern Seas, is
printed on it.

liushuiyi serial

There’s also a strange serial code of some sort towards the end of
the cigarette. Yes, I pack it, smokes better, lights better. Anyway,
all the serials in the pack are the same T4 – 31. I don’t know if it’s
a batch code or something.

liushuiyin herbs

I sacrificed one of them to look at what this “herb blend” is all
about. There’s something else inside besides tobacco, but not
psychoactive mind, just a flavor additive. It actually tastes like
sweet herbs when you smoke it. It’s good for a fun smoke, but I’ll pass
for daily smoking – it doesn’t pack much weight in the nicotine
department.

New Mild Seven limited edition run boxes

mild seven limited f1

These are the new Mild Seven limited edition run cigarette boxes. It
came out some time this week and the full flavored ones (below) depicts
a speeding F1 car while the lights version (above) shows a stationary
F1 vehicle. I thought they would go better in the F1 Mild Seven Pit Party
[sixthseal.com] limited edition cans, but for some marketing reason I
can’t comprehend, these limited run ones came only came out this week.

Oh, and cigarette taxes are going up…again…

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...