Comparative tasting of Marlboro cigarettes, 1992 and 2018.

There is an opinion that modern cigarettes are made from “waste,” that they have “only flavorings” and that “there is no tobacco at all now. And also that “back in the 90’s they were cigarettes! And now they’re just slag!”

Shall we check it out? Today we are tasting the Marlboro of today, which is sold in any store, and the Marlboro made in 1992, or rather to 1994 – the year when the excise stamp was introduced.

Buy Marlboro Red

So let’s start with the 2018 sample cigarettes. On the package we read that they are made by Philip Morris International, in Switzerland. Manufactured in Germany, and “claims” are suggested to be sent to Philip Morris Izhora.

Of modern “cigarette” technology we have a pack with the “Pro Fresh” flap technology, designed to preserve the taste of the cigarettes as long as possible; and a “sealed filter” firm filte. The pack is modern, with rounded edges. The cigarette itself, externally, designed beautifully, stylishly, recognizably. The filter is really tight, with light compression restores its shape.

The bag inside the cigarette is an american blend (Virginia, Burley and Orientals). The cutting of the tobacco is fine, “cigarette-like,” with no sticks or dust. However, in the general mass, there are light yellow, translucent fractions, which looks more like “reconstituted tobacco” than bits of tobacco leaf.

Cigarette specifications are not specified now, but if memory serves me right – red Marlboro was the strongest. The cigarette smells of acetate filter, paper, but a faint tobacco flavor is also present. The strength of the cigarette begins to be felt only 3-4 puffs. The taste is weak tobacco, with a slight sweetness – not sugar, but still tobacco (probably Virginia). The strength, flavor and density of the smoke remains until the end of the cigarette. Overall, if you compare with other cigarettes in this price segment (5$ per pack) – it’s not a bad cigarette. Nourishing, moderately strong, and has a recognizable flavor.

Marlboro produced before 1994. Standard, for that time, angular pack, no threatening pictures, no excise stamp. On the back of the packet is a blue sticker with a Health Department warning and the phrase “made in the USA. Anticipating possible comments – this pack is collector’s storage, i.e. it was stored in conditions suitable for preservation of smoking properties – in a dark and dry place. And though it says “made in u.s.a.”, it also says “for use outside u.s.a.”, which means “not for sale in US”. There is confirmed information that cigarettes of the same brand from the domestic U.S. market and the export version – these cigarettes are completely different! And mostly in the quality of the tobacco.

In general, it is even good that these cigarettes are an “export” version, because the purpose of the review is to compare modern cigarettes with a sample sold in the domestic market, from the last century.

So, the pack contains 20 cigarettes, king size. From the packet comes a faint tobacco flavor, a little with a hint, but without the aroma of paper and filter. The design is rather plain compared to modern cigarettes, and the paper is less white. The length of the filter is 19 mm (in the modern version – 25 mm). The length of the “tobacco” part is absolutely the same in both samples.

The cigarette contains exactly the same bag, but with no suspicion of “reconstituted” tobacco. The cut is thin, typical cigarette, without dust and large fractions.

The strength of the cigarette is felt from the first puff. The smoke is dry, dense. The filter almost immediately “clogs” and turns dark. By the end of the cigarette begins to feel a slight oriental acidity. By the way, the cigarette burns almost as well as the modern sample, ie, quickly, but have time to get high.

The verdict – the same is pretty good cigarettes. But different. This is noticeable in taste and flavor. And the difference is probably achieved by the lack of technological “additives” in the tobacco. About the price makes no sense to say, because this sample can only be bought from collectors, and their price is “floating” in a very wide range!