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Posted 8 months ago
mustangtony
(2262 items)
This is a 1954 magazine advertisement for Cesit Cigarettes Turkish Treasures imported from Turkey. Company no longer exists.
-- Turkish tobacco or Oriental tobacco is a highly aromatic, small-leafed variety of tobacco which is sun-cured. It was cultivated primarily in Thrace and Macedonia (now divided among Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey) but it is now also grown on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, in Egypt, in South Africa, and elsewhere.
The name 'Turkish' refers to the Ottoman Empire, which ruled the historic production areas until the late 19th/early 20th century. Many of the early brands of cigarettes were made mostly or entirely of Turkish tobacco; today, its main use is in blends of pipe and especially cigarette tobacco (a typical American cigarette is a blend of bright Virginia, burley and Turkish). Turkish tobacco is sun-cured, which makes it more aromatic and, like flue-cured tobacco, more acidic than air or smoke-cured tobacco, thus more suitable for cigarette production. Turkish tobacco has a much milder flavor and contains less nicotine and fewer carcinogens than other varieties. In order to get an American Blend type of cigarette, it is mixed with more robust tobacco such as Virginia tobacco and Burley. Cigarettes containing only Turkish tobacco are no longer existent.
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Hi, Tony! Very interesting ad and description. I don't smoke, but I remember buying some exotic Turkish cigarettes for someone in Georgetown during the Christmas season at school. I was his Kris Kringle, and he was a very traditional button-down-shirt gentlemen - quite a scholar, too - and he was enchanted when the exotic cigarettes appeared in his school mailbox, accompanied by some very silly faux etiquette on how to smoke a Turkish cigarette elegantly in public. He had never had a Turkish cigarette, and was delighted. He came 'running' up to me and announced 'You're my Kris Kringle - I know you are!' ...Why is the 'pure' Turkish cigarette no longer available? Thanks.
Probably because Turkish tobacco contains less nicotine so is less addictive. The tobacco companies have to keep their customers somehow, you know.
Check out this little tidbit I did not know - Tobacco originated in the Americas and was introduced to the Ottoman Turks by the Spanish. The Ottoman peoples over time developed their own method of growing and using tobacco.
That is very interesting! I actually knew that tobacco originated in the Americas. I have a particular love of the state of Viriginia, and I learned about this by studying the history of Viriginia. I didn't know about the Ottoman Turks. No, I remember two English literary figures - Sameul Johnson, I think was one, and one of his poet friends. They both decided to quit tobacco and threw out their snuff boxes. Then some hours later they came upon one another. Each was frantically searching for his snuff box. I am glad that I never smoked.