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Sobranie (cigarette)
Encyclopedia
The Sobranie cigarette
brand
is one of the oldest tobacco brands in the world. Sobranie of London was established in 1879 by the Redstone family, when cigarettes had just become fashionable in Europe
. Several generations of the Redstone family blended this tobacco from a secret formula.The original cigarettes were handmade in the Russia
n tradition. Sobranie was the supplier of royal court
s of Great Britain
, Spain
, Romania
, and Greece
. In the early 1980's, the trademarks for Sobranie were sold to Gallaher Group
, one of the English conglomerates, which continues to produce it, albeit with a modified formula, at various places in Europe
.
Premium varieties include the evening-out styles Sobranie Cocktail and Sobranie Black Russian, which are produced in Ukraine
and as of 2005 in Russia itself. Sobranie produces several styles geared specifically for ladies, some slimmer than standard cigarettes and others brightly colored.
Sobranie is one of the most expensive cigarette brands in Russia, and is considered to be a brand comparable to Dunhill
cigarettes.
, set in 1962, An Education
set in 1961, and The Dreamers set in 1968, are seen smoking Sobranie.
Anne Rice
's title character from Belinda smokes Sobranies and other exotic cigarettes throughout the book of the same name.
The character Zavulon in the Russian film Night Watch
is seen smoking Sobranie Black Russians.
In the 1999 Janet Fitch
novel White Oleander
, Sobranie cigarettes were a characterizing feature of foster mother and Russian immigrant, Rena Grushenka.
Isaak, spaceship mechanic in the computer game Unreal 2 wears a pack of Sobranie Black Russian (with opening cap on the top instead of normal cap) on his vest, but cigarettes he is smoking are more similar to Sobranie White Russians.
In the Russian movie Purgatory the main antagonist, Ducus Israpilov, is smoking Sobranie Mints.
In the 2003 Leslie Stella novel The Easy Hour, the protagonist Lisa Galisa smokes pastel colored Sobranies throughout the book.
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
is one of the oldest tobacco brands in the world. Sobranie of London was established in 1879 by the Redstone family, when cigarettes had just become fashionable in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Several generations of the Redstone family blended this tobacco from a secret formula.The original cigarettes were handmade in the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n tradition. Sobranie was the supplier of royal court
Royal court
Royal court, as distinguished from a court of law, may refer to:* The Royal Court , Timbaland's production company*Court , the household and entourage of a monarch or other ruler, the princely court...
s of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, and Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. In the early 1980's, the trademarks for Sobranie were sold to Gallaher Group
Gallaher Group
Gallaher Group is a major United Kingdom-based multinational tobacco company. It was traded on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index, prior to its April 2007 acquisition by Japan Tobacco.-History:...
, one of the English conglomerates, which continues to produce it, albeit with a modified formula, at various places in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Premium varieties include the evening-out styles Sobranie Cocktail and Sobranie Black Russian, which are produced in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and as of 2005 in Russia itself. Sobranie produces several styles geared specifically for ladies, some slimmer than standard cigarettes and others brightly colored.
- Cocktails are five separate bright pastelPastelPastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
shades with a gold foil filter, and are the same ring gaugeRing gaugeA ring gauge, or ring gage, is a cylindrical ring of steel whose inside diameter is finished to gauge tolerance and is used for checking the external diameter of a cylindrical object....
as standard cigarettes, unlike Nat ShermanNat ShermanNat Sherman is the brand name for a line of handmade cigars and "luxury cigarettes." The company, which began as a retail tobacconist, continues to operate a flagship retail shop now located on 42nd Street, off of Fifth Avenue, in New York City...
's Fantasias, which are slimmer and use deeper, primary colors. - Black Russians are black with a gold foil non filter end. While both Cocktail and Black Russian variants are emblazoned with the Russian imperial eagleImperial EagleAn Imperial Eagle is a heraldic eagle used by an empire, notably:*the military standard of the Roman Empire, see Aquila .*the Byzantine imperial eagle*the German Reichsadler...
and use blends suited to Russian tastes, this is a different blend than Cocktails.
Sobranie is one of the most expensive cigarette brands in Russia, and is considered to be a brand comparable to Dunhill
Dunhill (cigarette)
Dunhill cigarettes are a luxury brand of cigarettes made by the British American Tobacco company. They are usually priced above the average for cigarettes in the region where they are sold...
cigarettes.
Varieties
- Sobranie Classic cigarettes (Tar - 14 mg; Nicotine - 1 mg)
- Sobranie Classic Lights (Tar - 10 mg; Nicotine - 0.8 mg)
- Sobranie Black Russians (Tar - 9 mg; Nicotine - 0.8 mg)
- Sobranie White Russians (Tar - 8 mg; Nicotine - 0.8 mg)
- Sobranie Cocktails (Tar - 7 mg; Nicotine - 0.7 mg)
- Sobranie Blues (Tar - 5 mg; Nicotine - 0.5 mg)
- Sobranie Mints (Tar - 5 mg; Nicotine - 0.5 mg)
- Sobranie Pinks (Tar - 5 mg; Nicotine - 0.5 mg)
- Sobranie Whites (Tar - 1 mg; Nicotine - 0.1 mg)
- Sobranie Yellow (citrus menthol) (Tar - 5 mg; Nicotine - 0.5 mg; Carbon Monoxide 5 mg) – sold in China with English and Chinese text on packet, displaying a health warning on the lower region of the packet. The front warning is in Chinese; the reverse is in English. This variety has a yellow stub and distinctive lemon aroma and notes "China Duty Not Paid", suggesting it is sold in Chinese airports.
In popular culture
Characters in the 2009 films A Single ManA Single Man (film)
A Single Man is a 2009 drama film based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. It is the first film directed by Tom Ford. The film stars Colin Firth, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of George Falconer, a depressed gay British university...
, set in 1962, An Education
An Education
An Education is a 2009 British coming-of-age drama film, based on an autobiographical article in Granta by British journalist Lynn Barber. The film was directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by Nick Hornby, and stars Carey Mulligan as Jenny, a bright schoolgirl, and Peter Sarsgaard as David,...
set in 1961, and The Dreamers set in 1968, are seen smoking Sobranie.
Anne Rice
Anne Rice
Anne Rice is a best-selling Southern American author of metaphysical gothic fiction, Christian literature and erotica from New Orleans, Louisiana. Her books have sold nearly 100 million copies, making her one of the most widely read authors in modern history...
's title character from Belinda smokes Sobranies and other exotic cigarettes throughout the book of the same name.
The character Zavulon in the Russian film Night Watch
Night Watch (2004 film)
Night Watch is a 2004 Russian supernatural thriller film directed by Timur Bekmambetov. It is loosely based on the novel The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko, and is the first part of a trilogy, followed by Day Watch and ending supposedly with Twilight Watch .-Plot:In the prologue, which...
is seen smoking Sobranie Black Russians.
In the 1999 Janet Fitch
Janet Fitch
Janet Fitch is most famously known as the author of the Oprah's Book Club novel White Oleander, which became a film in 2002. She is a graduate of Reed College, located in Portland, Oregon....
novel White Oleander
White Oleander
White Oleander is a 1999 novel by American author Janet Fitch. It is a coming-of-age story about a child who is separated from her mother and placed in a series of foster homes. The book was a selection by Oprah's Book Club in May 1999 and became a 2002 film.-Plot summary:Astrid Magnussen is a...
, Sobranie cigarettes were a characterizing feature of foster mother and Russian immigrant, Rena Grushenka.
Isaak, spaceship mechanic in the computer game Unreal 2 wears a pack of Sobranie Black Russian (with opening cap on the top instead of normal cap) on his vest, but cigarettes he is smoking are more similar to Sobranie White Russians.
In the Russian movie Purgatory the main antagonist, Ducus Israpilov, is smoking Sobranie Mints.
In the 2003 Leslie Stella novel The Easy Hour, the protagonist Lisa Galisa smokes pastel colored Sobranies throughout the book.