dlowan wrote:
Sobranies were just tres sophisticated.
They were black..with gold filter covers...or the cocktail Sobranies were all delicious colours.
They were smooth and luvverly.
The thought of Sobranies brings back so many wonderful memories!
Going to balls at the Trocadero in Sydney, dressed in some fabulous evening gown, hair done up in an elaborate coif, handsome partner in a tux, and thinking I was some glamourous movie star smoking my black and gold Sobranie Black Russians. Aahh me!
In Wikipedia I discovered they still exist :
The Sobranie cigarette brands (Собрание) are produced in various places in Europe by the Gallaher Group. Sobranie of London was established in 1879, the original cigarettes were handmade in Russian tradition, and are still produced at Old Bond Street in London.
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.
Cocktails are five separate pastel shades with a gold foil filter, and are the same ring gauge as standard cigarettes, unlike Nat Sherman's Fantasias, which are slimmer and use deeper, primary colors.
Black Russians are black with a gold foil filter. While both Cocktail and Black Russian variants are emblazoned with the Russian imperial eagle 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 cigarettes.[citation needed]
